Please help with me with the first nakiri

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AlexZin

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Joined
Feb 5, 2022
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Location
Limassol, Cyprus
Hello everybody,

I am planning to buy my first nakiri and I would very much appreciate your help and recommendation. Here is a standard form:
1)Pro or home cook? - home
2)What kind of knife do you want? - nakiri
3) What size knife do you want? 165-180mm
4)How much do you want to spend? Up to US$250, but will be good to limit with $200
5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction? SS or SS clad over carbon. Its not compulsory, but will be interesting to try a new steel.
6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?- WA handle
7)What are your main knife/knives now? here is a list of my J-knives :
  • Aryu Blue #2 petty 150
  • Hiromoto AS Santoku 170
  • Tojiro paring DP 90
  • Konosuke HD2 Gyoto 240
  • Anryu AS Gyuto 210
  • Shiro Kamo Blue #2 Sujuhiki 270
8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair? - good
9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter? - mostly push/pull, occasionally chop and rock
10)Do you know how to sharpen? – Yes

Here is my short list that I am considering:
1) Masakage Yuki White #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/mayuna16.html
2) Wakui Shirogami 2 Migaki Nakiri, 165, Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives
3) Yoshikane SLD Hammer Finished Nakiri 165, Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives
4) Kurosaki R2 Hammered Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/kur2hana16.html
5) Makoto White #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/makoto.html
6) Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/yobl2na16.html

1) What would be your preference and recommendation? Please does not worry if any of the above mentioned knives are not in stock. I have no urgency and I can wait. If there is any knife that you like that I’ve not mentioned above - pls let me know too.
2) Wakui nakiri is also available in size 180mm (Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives) - is it better/more useful size?
3) I would like a knife from a good respectable blacksmith, not factory made.
4) The above listed nakiris have the blade height between 49 to 59mm, does the blade height make a
difference for knife performance, food release, etc.?

For your kind input and advise thank you so much in advance,

Alex
 
From your list, I am partial to the Yoshimitsu. Every knife that I have had from yoshimitsu is fantastic and great value. The Blue 2 steel holds its edge a long time. Of the rest of the list the white steels (white 2 and shirogami) are a pleasure to sharpen and it is very easy to do a fantastic edge even as a rookie, more than the rest of the steels in the list you have. In my experience the masakage feels cheap and less substantial than other knives but I am sure some people in this forum will jump at that statement, so take it with a grain of salt or two. 165 mm is perfectly usable size, however, the 180 .. will give you extra knife real state that is nice to have. Given all of these, choose your priority in criteria (i.e maker, steel, size, vendor, availability, etc) and go with your first choice for that criteria. If you enjoy it, it is likely you would get another one down the road by commissioning it to one of the makers. When you are ready for that I would highly recommend Tilman Leder (Germany).

Hello everybody,

I am planning to buy my first nakiri and I would very much appreciate your help and recommendation. Here is a standard form:

Here is my short list that I am considering:
1) Masakage Yuki White #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/mayuna16.html
2) Wakui Shirogami 2 Migaki Nakiri, 165, Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives
3) Yoshikane SLD Hammer Finished Nakiri 165, Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives
4) Kurosaki R2 Hammered Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/kur2hana16.html
5) Makoto White #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/makoto.html
6) Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Nakiri 165, https://www.**************.com/yobl2na16.html

1) What would be your preference and recommendation? Please does not worry if any of the above mentioned knives are not in stock. I have no urgency and I can wait. If there is any knife that you like that I’ve not mentioned above - pls let me know too.
2) Wakui nakiri is also available in size 180mm (Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives) - is it better/more useful size?
3) I would like a knife from a good respectable blacksmith, not factory made.
4) The above listed nakiris have the blade height between 49 to 59mm, does the blade height make a
difference for knife performance, food release, etc.?

For your kind input and advise thank you so much in advance,

Alex
 
Your collection needs some Sanjo love. I’d vote either Wakui or Yoshikane, or Watanabe is you can up your budget a bit. I only have 180 Nakiri, but feel 165 would be a little short for me.
 
I have the Wakui 180mm Nakiri. Cannot say for the 165mm but mine here is somewhat special in some ways. Whatever the case may be, grind is Yoshikane kind of laser and just as thin BTE. Which also means a bit frail and chippy there in this specific case. Horizontal migaki is not exactly favorable for release, but overall the knife does well of it. For the price it's an absolute masterpiece, and very well finished.
 
I only have 180 Nakiri, but feel 165 would be a little short for me.
I have a couple nakiri, and the shape has quickly become my most used, which makes sense given that most of prep is vegetables. I find the 165 plenty large, which is funny considering I prefer a 270 gyuto, and it seems most here like the tiny ones (180, 210).
I prefer this Morihei Hisamoto Kurouchi White #1 Nakiri 165mm Ho Wood Handle | over this Kobayashi SG2 165mm Nakiri Morado (and I have both). The Morihei has a terrible handle, but you can change that.
 
I have a couple nakiri, and the shape has quickly become my most used, which makes sense given that most of prep is vegetables. I find the 165 plenty large, which is funny considering I prefer a 270 gyuto, and it seems most here like the tiny ones (180, 210).
I prefer this Morihei Hisamoto Kurouchi White #1 Nakiri 165mm Ho Wood Handle | over this Kobayashi SG2 165mm Nakiri Morado (and I have both). The Morihei has a terrible handle, but you can change that.

240mm rather would be the norm around here.

Then fabled 225mm units obviously. 🤔 😅

Then it percolates into less people with 210/270 preferences.

I think most see a 180mm gyuto as a glorified petty. Or something fun to use in guise of all-around preps. Like you just WANT to have one of these. Or five. :p
 
Dear forum members,

Thank you very much for your input and information. Does anybody has an experience or familiar with
MASASHI KOBO SLD Nakiri 180mm SLD
(MASASHI KOBO Nakiri 180mm SLDhttps://www.aframestokyo.com/masashi-kobo-nakiri-180mm-sld-stainless-steel-forged-blade-kn1801.html)

it was highly recommended by few members of the other forum and Japanese Made Knives WA group.
How is it vs Wakui Migaki Nakiri 180 ( Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives (epicedge.com) ? I thank you very much in advance for your kind your comments and opinions.
 
If you don’t want frequent sharpening SLD will get you a good bit of a leeway against White #2 Wakui.

I suspect the Wakui would be a thinner grind to a thicker spine out of the heel, but overall should be similar wide bevel thin BTE.
 
No personal experience with these particular knives, so take this with a grain of salt, but for me it would be Wakui all day. Wakui White #2 is a pleasure to sharpen. It has a 54mm heel height as opposed to the Masashi 52mm, a plus in my book. Wakui is renowned for his F&F, so I expect it would be top notch (my gyuto certainly is). I'm also not a big fan of burnt chestnut handles, but that's just me.
 
Dear forum members,

Thank you very much for your input and information. Does anybody has an experience or familiar with
MASASHI KOBO SLD Nakiri 180mm SLD
(MASASHI KOBO Nakiri 180mm SLDhttps://www.aframestokyo.com/masashi-kobo-nakiri-180mm-sld-stainless-steel-forged-blade-kn1801.html)

it was highly recommended by few members of the other forum and Japanese Made Knives WA group.
How is it vs Wakui Migaki Nakiri 180 ( Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives (epicedge.com) ? I thank you very much in advance for your kind your comments and opinions.
I don't have any experience with Masashi, but, I'd say similar to Yoshikane (but taller) and Wakui. Masashi is another Yoshikane graduate, like Wakui.
 
Dear forum members,

Thank you very much for your input and information. Does anybody has an experience or familiar with
MASASHI KOBO SLD Nakiri 180mm SLD
(MASASHI KOBO Nakiri 180mm SLDhttps://www.aframestokyo.com/masashi-kobo-nakiri-180mm-sld-stainless-steel-forged-blade-kn1801.html)

it was highly recommended by few members of the other forum and Japanese Made Knives WA group.
How is it vs Wakui Migaki Nakiri 180 ( Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives (epicedge.com) ? I thank you very much in advance for your kind your comments and opinions.
I had that Masashi Kobo nakiri - quite liked it as I do the others in his Kobo / Kemuri line. They're thin behind the edge and throughout the blade, unlike Yoshikane's which thicken beyond the cladding line. Has a thick spine coming out of the handle and tapers quickly. Good fit and finish and rounded choil and spine.

Can't compare against Wakui, but overall I liked it better than other stainless nakiris I've tried.
 
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