Looking for a larger nakiri, perhaps 180mm?

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Bert2368

Bert2368

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I have used the heck out of a (cheap, about $60 all in on sale) 165mm white #2/soft Iron kurochi nakiri with "D" shaped wa handle for the last 18 months.

Things to like- Light. THIN. Slides right through veges, minimal effort. Sharpens effortlessly and near instantly but doesn't need to be sharpened very often in my home kitchen use.

Things NOT to like: Even after developing a decent patina, it wants to rust unless religiously washed in warm water and wiped on a CLEAN towel the moment you are done cutting and needs to be oiled all over before going in a block or saya(which is normal, I know-). 165mm is adequate, but I would like just a LITTLE more length when processing a large quantity of coleslaw, cutting cabbage to ferment sauerkraut or otherwise doing large quantities of garden produce for canning, freezing & etc. The ho wood wa handle with a chintzy, constantly coming loose black plastic sleeve instead of a proper chunk of some harder substance on the end is an OK shape, but needs to go.

Looking at some online offerings, it is hard to find a plain, smooth, no damascus, no hammered finish 180mm stainless clad blue super core nakiri in any size larger than 165mm.

Got any suggestions? Want to keep it under USA $250. Looking at this one from Carbon if I give up on finding the longer blade I would really like:

https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/nakiri-santoku-bunka/products/kato-as-nashiji-nakiri-165mm
 
I'm very happy with my Watanabe 180mm nakiri. watanabe blades
Perfect size and great aogami steel, heat treatment, grind etc. One of the best cutters I own. It has a KU finish, never had any problems with rust. Just a bit of nice blue patina at the cutting edge.

Toyama has about the same one in a stainless clad finish. toyama
But prices may be a bit higher than you want to pay. Sometimes one shows up in the BST section. Good luck with your search :)
 
dafox said:
https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifebrands/kashima-5/kashima-sanjo/nakiri_kashima_sanjo-detail
They will ship to the US if you email them, the price without VAT is less to the US, but their is international shipping , so the price comes out about the same as what you see listed.
There was a passaround with this knife in a 240 gyuto, that will give you some idea about this knife.

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/kashima-yoshikane-passaround.43402/
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I read the comment on the gyuto pass around, particularly interested in the asymmetrical profile and its relationship with the observed lack of "sticktion". I wonder if the nakiri might have a similar asymmetry, described as (assuming right handed use) flattish on side towards left, slightly concave on side towards right (where you would have your slices coming off)?

Anyone know? Or know who to ask?

Thanks again for the input, I'll try to actually LISTEN this time...
 
I have the Watanabe Pro and if you're ok with the plastic ferrel the price is not to bad for the quality of blade and you can always upgrade your handle later. It is KU finished Blue #2 with Stainless Clad.
 
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Bert2368 said:
I read the comment on the gyuto pass around, particularly interested in the asymmetrical profile and its relationship with the observed lack of "sticktion". I wonder if the nakiri might have a similar asymmetry, described as (assuming right handed use) flattish on side towards left, slightly concave on side towards right (where you would have your slices coming off)?

Anyone know? Or know who to ask?

Thanks again for the input, I'll try to actually LISTEN this time...
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You could always write cleancut and ask them.
 
I haven’t seen a stainless clad Toyama 180mm Nakiri for sale by JNS. Am I missing something?
 
Dang, i missed the stainless descriptor in the specs. Thank you.
 
dafox said:
You could always write cleancut and ask them.
Click to expand...

Clean cut got back to me, - VAT, with exchange + shipping, still a little under my $250 budget.

Unless someone offers a tasty alternative on my WTB thread or possibly knows where the 210mm Toyama referred to by Matus a while back is still available? I will probably order the Kashima Sanjo 180mm nakri in #2 white/stainless clad from CleanCut.

Also, I just saw a Carbon steel/iron clad 170mm which is living in a home where no one understands or appreciates it, needing to be rescued and loved. They keep it in a box under the stairs and never let it see vegetables!

Thanks again to all who contributed...
 
Bert2368 said:
Clean cut got back to me, - VAT, with exchange + shipping, still a little under my $250 budget.

Unless someone offers a tasty alternative on my WTB thread or possibly knows where the 210mm Toyama referred to by Matus a while back is still available? I will probably order the Kashima Sanjo 180mm nakri in #2 white/stainless clad from CleanCut.

Also, I just saw a Carbon steel/iron clad 170mm which is living in a home where no one understands or appreciates it, needing to be rescued and loved. They keep it in a box under the stairs and never let it see vegetables!

Thanks again to all who contributed...
Click to expand...
If you get the Kashima please check back in with us later with your impressions of the knife.
 
Bert2368 said:
Clean cut got back to me, - VAT, with exchange + shipping, still a little under my $250 budget.

Unless someone offers a tasty alternative on my WTB thread or possibly knows where the 210mm Toyama referred to by Matus a while back is still available? I will probably order the Kashima Sanjo 180mm nakri in #2 white/stainless clad from CleanCut.

Also, I just saw a Carbon steel/iron clad 170mm which is living in a home where no one understands or appreciates it, needing to be rescued and loved. They keep it in a box under the stairs and never let it see vegetables!

Thanks again to all who contributed...
Click to expand...
I have the Toyoma 180, Watanabe 210 (beast at 307 gm), Heiji Nakiri, and a Ashi Hamono, and a Takeda Nakiri. Takeda is great all around - and it’s thin so you can actually use its “tip” - onions for example. I post a pic of the Watanabe. But I think out of price range - Ashi Hamono is laser like and within price range. You should look at Yoshida Hamono on Strata 1 good looking Nakiri, and also Yoshikane
F552AF35-40E4-4832-A1C9-73E259A94682.jpeg
37EEF05E-5F2C-4A4A-A800-33D3A0BBB458.jpeg
 
RockyBasel said:
I have the Toyoma 180, Watanabe 210 (beast at 307 gm), Heiji Nakiri, and a Ashi Hamono, and a Takeda Nakiri. Takeda is great all around - and it’s thin so you can actually use its “tip” - onions for example. I post a pic of the Watanabe. But I think out of price range - Ashi Hamono is laser like and within price range. You should look at Yoshida Hamono on Strata 1 good looking Nakiri, and also YoshikaneView attachment 87146View attachment 87147
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I've been in the market for a 180 nakiri, too. I went to Strata to see the Yoshida you referenced. I didn't like that one, but saw that they had a 180 Kikychiyo x Kyuzo in Blue #2. Even though at 53mm it's a bit shorter than what I wanted, I just had to pick it up! So thanks for guiding me over to Strata!
 
MrHiggins said:
I've been in the market for a 180 nakiri, too. I went to Strata to see the Yoshida you referenced. I didn't like that one, but saw that they had a 180 Kikychiyo x Kyuzo in Blue #2. Even though at 53mm it's a bit shorter than what I wanted, I just had to pick it up! So thanks for guiding me over to Strata!
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Glad you were able to find something. I think you made the best choice - I would have picked the same - congrats on a fine decision - let me know your experience with it - and post some pics when you get it
 
A lightly used Takeda 180mm NAS nakiri showed up in BST yesterday, but I'm #4 to ask for it- Not likely.

Onward! Time to put down some cash on a size L or XL nakiri, the cabbages in my garden are getting big as my head, time to make sauerkraut, cortido & such very soon.

After this weekend, my day job is in hibernation until 2nd week of August. Time to cook, ferment, can and preserve. I COULD do it all with the knives on hand, but it would be more fun to try out some new tools-
 
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Kashima Sanjo nakiri from Clean Cut arrived this morning, they sent it quickly and well packed. UPS managed to beat the box up pretty good but the interior packing held up well, knife is fine.

It came COMFORTABLY shaving sharp OOTB. Blade has a light coating of oil, if it looks odd in pictures, those are my fingerprints. Handle F&F is good, ballance seems OK, it feels good in my hand. The cutting edge is actually more like 187mm.

Only had time to take some pictures and check the edge, more later.

20200723_114920.jpg


20200723_115055.jpg
 
My Tojiro ITK 240mm Kiritsuke gyuto fell off a cabinet and the tip broke, so I made it into a ~210mm Nakiri. Great for cabbage and bigger veggies!
210mm nak and artifex.jpeg
 
Bert2368 said:
Kashima Sanjo nakiri from Clean Cut arrived this morning, they sent it quickly and well packed. UPS managed to beat the box up pretty good but the interior packing held up well, knife is fine.

It came COMFORTABLY shaving sharp OOTB. Blade has a light coating of oil, if it looks odd in pictures, those are my fingerprints. Handle F&F is good, ballance seems OK, it feels good in my hand. The cutting edge is actually more like 187mm.

Only had time to take some pictures and check the edge, more later.

View attachment 88103

View attachment 88104
Click to expand...

on my screen, it looks pink - rose gold/copper nakiri🙃
 
Heck, I don't think I ever posted a user report?

It's been a good choice for me, worth the money.

Reach for this when cutting up large sweet onions after being roasted on the BBQ grill for salsa (which want to separate into a mess of slippery layers rather than slice & dice neatly under any thicker/duller blades), ditto slicing raw onions as thin as possible for browning, making large quantities of thinly sliced cabbage, cutting cooked boneless meat into thinnest possible slices, portioning raw beef for making biltong. Decent food release, especially if I use a draw stroke.

White steel core, sharpens fast with no fuss, stainless cladding is forgiving of a less than perfect quick wipe down.

Handle has held up well, I occasionally give it a little board butter and buff it. Having a stainless surface where the tang enters ferule/handle is nice, failure to get the angled joint perfectly clean/oiled doesn't result in rust.

It's a keeper. Only thing to change, I might want a 210 some day.
 
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