Bobblybook
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2014
- Messages
- 54
- Reaction score
- 0
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Australia
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Nakiri
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese, am used to octagonal but happy to try D-handles etc.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
165-180mm. I see a lot of recommendations to go up to 180 but I might not have a lot of choice.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Looking to buy something cheap-ish, probably $100-150 max. Happy to go as low as I can without running into major F&F issues.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Cutting vegetables, julienne, chopping herbs, dicing onions.. anything where the flat profile of the nakiri will come in useful - I will have other knives for the rest.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Not replacing, but currently use a 240mm stainless ginga wa-gyuto, 165mm zakuri blue #1 tosagata bocho, and a 150mm stainless wa-petty.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Mostly pinch.
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Probably just slicing and push cutting as it will mostly be used for vegetables.
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
Flat profile for chopping/dicing, hence looking at a nakiri. Beyond that I don't have many requirements, I want it to be relatively inexpensive to find out if I enjoy using a nakiri.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
I am a fan of quality (don't have to be fancy) wooden handles, and dislike plastic ferrules, but am happy to settle for one if the knife itself is made well for the price. I also like kurouchi finishes.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I like lighter handles, so that the balance point is not too close to the handle, but beyond that am open to options. See above re: handle materials. I have been curious about trying out a heavier gyuto, it may be a good idea to try out a mid-weight or heavier nakiri (if such a thing exists). It seems like they are a little heavier anyway, probably due to there being more metal in the blade.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
N/A for most of these. I am looking for a decently high quality of knife for as little as possible, I'm not sure how low this can go before I run into problems.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
The longer the better (obviously), but no requirements. It will be for home use so I can sharpen as needed.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes, end grain wood. Have some plastic boards too for some tasks, but they will probably not see a lot of use with this knife.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, #1200 and #6000 stones.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Please note that I am in Australia, so shipping from the US/EU is prohibitively expensive for a single, budget knife purchase (will likely be more than the knife itself). I do love my Zakuri, and would be happy with a zakuri nakiri, but I'm not sure if they can be bought straight from Japan. Ideally, direct from Japan is very efficient for me as we are reasonably close here in Australia, and helps keep shipping down. I see very few nakiris from blueway on fleabay, and all are 165mm. I'm sure there are a decent amount of options out there, I am just stumped on where to look.
I see a tojiro nakiri recommended quite often at the super budget end, but an equal amount of mentions that while the blade is good, the F&F on the handle can be horrific. Ideally I'd like to avoid those sorts of frustrations as I am not experienced at all in rehandling, or regrinding a blade etc.
Thanks lots for your time and help, forumers!
What country are you in?
Australia
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Nakiri
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese, am used to octagonal but happy to try D-handles etc.
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
165-180mm. I see a lot of recommendations to go up to 180 but I might not have a lot of choice.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Looking to buy something cheap-ish, probably $100-150 max. Happy to go as low as I can without running into major F&F issues.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Cutting vegetables, julienne, chopping herbs, dicing onions.. anything where the flat profile of the nakiri will come in useful - I will have other knives for the rest.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Not replacing, but currently use a 240mm stainless ginga wa-gyuto, 165mm zakuri blue #1 tosagata bocho, and a 150mm stainless wa-petty.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Mostly pinch.
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Probably just slicing and push cutting as it will mostly be used for vegetables.
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
Flat profile for chopping/dicing, hence looking at a nakiri. Beyond that I don't have many requirements, I want it to be relatively inexpensive to find out if I enjoy using a nakiri.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
I am a fan of quality (don't have to be fancy) wooden handles, and dislike plastic ferrules, but am happy to settle for one if the knife itself is made well for the price. I also like kurouchi finishes.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I like lighter handles, so that the balance point is not too close to the handle, but beyond that am open to options. See above re: handle materials. I have been curious about trying out a heavier gyuto, it may be a good idea to try out a mid-weight or heavier nakiri (if such a thing exists). It seems like they are a little heavier anyway, probably due to there being more metal in the blade.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
N/A for most of these. I am looking for a decently high quality of knife for as little as possible, I'm not sure how low this can go before I run into problems.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
The longer the better (obviously), but no requirements. It will be for home use so I can sharpen as needed.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes, end grain wood. Have some plastic boards too for some tasks, but they will probably not see a lot of use with this knife.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, #1200 and #6000 stones.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Please note that I am in Australia, so shipping from the US/EU is prohibitively expensive for a single, budget knife purchase (will likely be more than the knife itself). I do love my Zakuri, and would be happy with a zakuri nakiri, but I'm not sure if they can be bought straight from Japan. Ideally, direct from Japan is very efficient for me as we are reasonably close here in Australia, and helps keep shipping down. I see very few nakiris from blueway on fleabay, and all are 165mm. I'm sure there are a decent amount of options out there, I am just stumped on where to look.
I see a tojiro nakiri recommended quite often at the super budget end, but an equal amount of mentions that while the blade is good, the F&F on the handle can be horrific. Ideally I'd like to avoid those sorts of frustrations as I am not experienced at all in rehandling, or regrinding a blade etc.
Thanks lots for your time and help, forumers!