# Yamawaku Nakiri



## Lefty

5 people, as selected by me. You MUST be a person with some "history", or just be a cool dude. I'm sick of writing threatening messages to get knives sent forward. 
I think I only have one pic, so here it is. BUT, you all know what a Nakiri looks like, and it has a burnt chestnut handle. It's a crappy pic, so for that, I'm sorry. Haha







The only stipulation, really is that you can't keep it for too log, cuz Scott deserves his new knife!


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## echerub

Well, I'm curious and would like to try it out  If there are a lot of folks who want to try this though, have someone who's new to nakiri take my spot


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## Crothcipt

I would love to try out a Nakari. 4 days max (unless the 4th day ends up being on a sat) is all I would keep it. Can't keep a man from his new knife for very long.


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## Amon-Rukh

I would be very interested in this also, although I will be out of town for most of June, so I'm not sure if the timing would work out.


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## ecchef

I have this knife. It's super easy to sharpen and holds an edge pretty well.


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## Lefty

Nobody else is curious about a Yamawaku? Dang, you guys suck!


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## Chifunda

I'd like very much to give it a spin. I'm a big nakiri fan and as I've posted before, I use mine for the majority of my knife work in the kitchen. Don't have any real depth of experience with other makers though and would welcome the opportunity to try something new.


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## El Pescador

I'd like to give it a shot.


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## Deckhand

I am interested, but honestly didn't respond at first because I felt bad keeping someone away from their new knife even for a few days.


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## VoodooMajik

Definitely curious. Maybe the last stop? very pretty knife.


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## Lefty

Alright guys, I think we're good here. I'll put a little list out in a day or so. 
Thanks everyone


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## tk59

Dang. Missed it. Put up some detailed reviews, please!


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## Lefty

We can make room, Tinh. You're one that I really want to give it a go.


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## Lefty

Alright, the list is longer than I had hoped, but the rules are the same as always: insured, signature upon receipt and tracking is optional, but if it disappears after you had it, you buy Scott a Carter SFGZ Nakiri (right, Scott? )

It goes: 

echerub, 
Crothcipt, 
chifunda, 
Pesky/TK, (we all know how you guys roll)
Deckhand,
VoodooMajik, then home to 
Scott

Sorry, Erik, we just couldn't make it happen timewise. Next time I do a passaround, you're in.


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## tk59

Thanks, Tom and Scott!


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## VoodooMajik

Thanks man, Looking forward do it


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## Andrew H

Lefty said:


> Alright, the list is longer than I had hoped, but the rules are the same as always: insured, signature upon receipt and tracking is optional, but if it disappears after you had it, you buy Scott a Carter SFGZ Nakiri (right, Scott? )
> 
> It goes:
> 
> echerub,
> Crothcipt,
> chifunda,
> Pesky/TK, (we all know how you guys roll)
> Deckhand,
> VoodooMajik, then home to
> Scott
> 
> Sorry, Erik, we just couldn't make it happen timewise. Next time I do a passaround, you're in.



Should be interesting to see some reviews. Is it the one sold by 330mate?


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## Lefty

Yup, as far as I know, 330mate is the only real source. It's actually too bad, because I think it's a good quality knife at a fantastic price. I hope the guys are all pleasantly surprised.


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## Amon-Rukh

Lefty said:


> Sorry, Erik, we just couldn't make it happen timewise. Next time I do a passaround, you're in.


No problem! I figured it probably wouldn't work out, so I'll just live vicariously through the reviews and photos everyone else posts! :thumbsup:


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## Crothcipt

cool cant wait to try it out. Have been eyeing one for a while.


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## Chifunda

Very generous of you to include me in the pass around. :danke: Looking forward to comparing it's performance to that of my Harner nakiri.


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## Deckhand

Chifunda said:


> Very generous of you to include me in the pass around. :danke: Looking forward to comparing it's performance to that of my Harner nakiri.



That Harner is nice!


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## Chifunda

Deckhand said:


> That Harner is nice!



Thanks! It really is an amazing knife.


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## Mingooch

if it was a gyuto, I would love to try it as I have been curious about gifting that brand to friends to get them into knives. I would love to see a review about it since it is the same steel and should perform similarly.


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## scotts

Lefty said:


> Alright, the list is longer than I had hoped, but the rules are the same as always: insured, signature upon receipt and tracking is optional, but if it disappears after you had it, you buy Scott a Carter SFGZ Nakiri (right, Scott? )



Yeeeaaahhh :wink:

Thanks again Lefty, I really really appreciate this.


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## Lefty

This knife will get shipped out tomorrow, to echerub. Sorry, but I doubt I'll have time to sharpen it up. If I do, I will, but who knows


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## echerub

Hey, leave that edge alone - don't deprive me of the experience of sharpening that edge


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## echerub

Okay, the knife arrived on Monday  I *just* finished sharpening it up: Beston 500, SS 1k, SS3k, Gesshin 5k, Ohira Tomae.

My initial thought when I picked up the knife was that it has a lower profile height than my other nakiri and that it felt a little front-heavy. However, when I picked up my other 4 nakiri for a direct comparison, the Yamawaku is a little shorter height-wise, but weight and balance wise it's good. In fact, every single one of the nakiri - my 4 and the Yamawaku - feels different weight and balance-wise.

Putting it on the stones from coarse on up, the steel feels okay. Not particularly fast to work on, at least with these stones, but not slow either. Burr was a little tenacious off the 500 and 1k. Not stubborn per se, but took a second round through the felt block and felt strop to get it off.

Paper-testing the edge it's alright. Push cuts through the paper a-ok from 3k onwards. Not the slinkiest through the paper, but let's see how it performs with food. 

I intend to go through a whole whackload of veggies for a big pot of oxtail soup tomorrow evening  I'll let you know my thoughts!


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## Lefty

I'm excited to hear what you think


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## Crothcipt

:hungry:


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## echerub

Alright, first-round experience with the knife tonight!

I diced up bunch of carrots, celery, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers and sectioned up a whackload of tomatoes. I think the knife takes a nice edge - certainly no problems with tomato skins and pepper skins even though I did them pretty much last. However, I think the profile height and the flat-ground geometry towards the edge keep this nakiri from being the best it could be. 

In terms of the geometry, the blade reminds me of my Takedas but is considerably thicker. Practically slab-sided faces from spine to at least the halfway mark, and then flat ground from there to the edge. The "slab sides" aren't entirely perpendicular to the cutting surface, there's some taper, but very little. I think the Takedas get away with this approach because of the overall thinness of the blades. The Yamawaku, however, ends up wedging through hard veggies like carrots. You can hear them cracking rather than getting cleanly cut. For tonight's mix of veggies, I only noticed it on the carrots. The Takeda has a bit of this too, which is why the Takeda nakiri wouldn't be my first choice for carrots either.

Whether it's a function of the geometry or the finish, I have to say that the knife did wonderfully well with Russet potatoes. No sticktion issues at all. Maybe I should try out some Yukon Golds to see how they do 

Onion, tomatoes, no problems.

The profile height thing is purely a matter of personal preference. Comparing with my other nakiri, there's about a 3-5mm difference in height. Technically not a big difference, but somehow it made a difference in feel. I know I prefer taller blades in general, even with gyutos, so this may not be anything at all for other users.

I'd like to go through some more veggies and spend a bit more board time with the knife, but those are my initial impressions from tonight!


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## Crothcipt

I received this today, along with the Harner that is being passed around. I will post stuff later this week.

I have just a few days with the Harner. Can't keep the knife from its new owner.:thumbsup:


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## Lefty

A Harner vs. a Yamawaku? It's a great blade, but C'mon! A Harner is a Harner! Ha


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## Pensacola Tiger

Crothcipt said:


> I received this today, along with the Harner that is being passed around. I will post stuff later this week.
> 
> I have just a few days with the Harner. Can't keep the knife from its new owner.:thumbsup:



You've got me confused. AFAIK, the Harner doesn't have a new owner, it's the Yamawaku that does. At least I hope so ...

Rick


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## Lefty

Rick,

I hired a guy to steal your knife and give it to me.

I'm sorry,
Lefty


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## Pensacola Tiger

Lefty said:


> Rick,
> 
> I hired a guy to steal your knife and give it to me.
> 
> I'm sorry,
> Lefty



Well, at least it will have a good home ...


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## Crothcipt

Oh man I hope I don't send the wrong knife to the wrong person. 

Wait that would mean to the right person.

You get what I mean.


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## Crothcipt

Wow talk about a gem of a knife. First of all I have never used a Nakiri, or even seen one other than pics. I never noticed that there is a 45 degree angle from the spine to the edge, sweeping back to the handle.






When I opened the box there was some orange rust on the san-mai, that came off with a little bit of washing with soap came right off. Looking up this knife and prices I was amazed with the fit and finish. For less than 100 can't be beat. Loved the feeling, and texture of the burnt chestnut handle was nice. 





The edge came very sharp. In fact I had a co-worker check out the edge and he turned chicken and put it right down. It took some time to get used to the shape of the blade. Having Butches knife here too took some time away from this knife. But it was a fun debate to have. Here is a couple pics I took making a veg. soup the other night.








All in all I am very pleased and happy to have been a part of this pass a round. I will be looking at buying one of these, some time in the future. Hopefully in the morning it will be off to Chifunda if I get to the post office in time.


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## Crothcipt

there are more pics. in a folder under my profile.


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## Crothcipt

I went to send this out today, and budget cuts for the post office, the one by my apartment is closed on sat. So off it will go on Mon.


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## Chifunda

So here I am in the middle of a comparison test between Rick's Harner nakiri and my own and now I have the Yamawaku to test drive? I believe this is what's known as an embarrassment of riches.  I'm gonna have to hijack a produce truck.


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## Crothcipt

Know what you mean. It's a good thing too.


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## Chifunda

The Yamawaku arrived in yesterday's mail but I was out of the kitchen all day and haven't used it yet. Will get down to business and post my impressions ASAP.


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## Lefty

Update?


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## El Pescador

I have the knife....

The knife came and it had(has) very minor issues. The knife has slight recurves/holes along the edge when it is edge down on the board. I will leave that for Lefty to sharpen out.

I feel that on knives like these the KU finish comes across as an inexpensive alternative to a proper finish and used to cover up forging issues. Its a personal thing I guess.

The knife is fairly thin, which aides its cutting. One of the things I don't like is ,because of the thin geometry, there isn't much of a primary bevel. 

It's a good cutter, needs to be a bit heavier. 

On the whole, it's a good knife. 

Lefty, shoot me a PM with next in line's name and address and I'll put it in the mail to them.

Pesky


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## Chifunda

My apologies for failing to report my impressions of the Yamawaku in a timely fashion. My wife has been down with a very nasty salivary gland infection (who knew there was such a thing?) and I've gotten a little behind.

I noticed the same problems with the edge that Pesky refers to, but they are minor and since I'm reluctant to take someone else's knife to the stones, I simply stropped on chromium oxide charged leather and went to work.

I found it very pleasant to use, although the size and weight took some getting used to; my Harner is both longer and heavier. Can't really make up my mind on the kurouchi finish, although it does seem to help avoid the dreaded stiction when cutting potatoes. I agree that it's done as a cost cutting measure, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as long as you don't object to the appearance on esthetic grounds.

No problems cutting most everything I tried it on, with the exception of some monster carrots that I think were grown out near the old nuclear test site. Did experience some wedging here which I attribute to blade geometry. The blade has no taper that I could detect from the spine down to the point where the bevel begins. 

My first experience with a burnt chestnut handle and I must say, I rather liked it.

All in all, a nice cutter, especially considering the price. I'd rate it as a heck of a deal.


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## Crothcipt

+1 on the burnt chestnut. My first time with it too. It gave a texture that if wet it wouldn't be slipping, and still comfortable in the hand.

I wasn't sure if that was a over grind or not. I did try to get a pic of it but it was at a odd angel and wouldn't work well with the focus.


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## Lefty

Thanks for the review, guys!

As for the recurve, could someone maybe take and post a pic of the issue? This one was "dent-free", originally, but I didn't inspect it closely before sending it out to you crazy SOBs. 

Pesky, if Tinh wants a go with the knife, let him have a chance, and better yet:
Tinh, if you do take part, could you PLEASE fix the issue? It won't be coming back to me, before if makes its way to Scott.

Thanks again, for the reviews, and I'm glad everyone is pleasantly surprised


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## Crothcipt

It's not that noticeable. Can't notice it when cutting.


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## Deckhand

Might be easier for Tinh to just bring it to WCG and save on shipping hassles.


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## tk59

I'll see about fixing any issues and then bring it to the WCG unless I get it done really soon. If that's the case, I'll send it off early since I need to get some stuff shipped soon, anyway.


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## tk59

My early impression of this knife is positive. It cuts very well and fit and finish seems to be pretty nice. He handle is set too close to the choil making it feel a little odd. If I had to guess, I would say it used to cut better, OOTB. It is thicker than it needs to be near the edge, like sharpening was done mostly at the edge without the requisite thinning of the secondary bevels. I was surprised the the cutting edge is righty-biased, coming from Lefty but I guess that the OOTB geometry was being preserved. There is a very slight hole in the edge an a few tiny chips. With Lefty/Scotts permission, I think I'd like the thin the secondary bevel out a bit before resharpening the cutting edge. The risk would be that uneveness in the grind of the secondary bevel will be exposed. As far as the faux kuro-uchi finish is concerned, I like it. It is fairly clean looking, prevents corrosion problems and it does not come off onto food, etc.


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## Crothcipt

Ya I liked it better than the finish I have on my Tanaka santoku. Just because of that knife I want a Nakiri.


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## Lefty

Alright. I have to be quick, cuz I also have to be up in like 4 hours. Dang!

But, TK, you're right, I kept the geometry as it was, because it didn't negatively affect anything for me (I never noticed sticking), and I basically just sharpened the edge, cleaned up the secondary bevel and left it alone. Feel free to thin it out, especially if you feel it's for the best.

I'm glad everyone has been pleasantly surprised with the little guy. I kinda miss it, but I know Scott is going to love it and give it more attention than I ever would.


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## tk59

Just a quick update: I passed this knife off to Deckhand at the WCG after a bit of thinning, refinishing and sharpening. I didn't get a chance to cut anything with it after thinning but I like it a lot! The grind was pretty nice and even, too.


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## Lefty

Tinh, your endorsement means a lot, and so does your extra effort, in fixing it!
Thank you very much, and I'm really glad you had a good time with the knife!
So, here's the question. Would you (all of you who've tried it) buy one? I have a theory we might start seeing more of these knives around.


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## tk59

I thought it was worthy of a rehandle (plastic ferrule). If the quality is consistent, I think there's no reason it shouldn't be in the running for best buy.


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## Lefty

tk59 said:


> I thought it was worthy of a rehandle (plastic ferrule). If the quality is consistent, I think there's no reason it shouldn't be in the running for best buy.



I agree, 100%!


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## echerub

I'm so-so on the knife, primarily because of the feel and slightly lower profile height. None of the factors I can think of are major in and of themselves, but together I can't say I felt particularly comfortable with it. I wouldn't get one myself nor would I specifically recommend the Yamawaku nakiri because of that, but I also have no objective reason to actually dissuade anyone from getting one.


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## Crothcipt

It is on my list to get. I keep looking at others, and am still going back to this one. thx again for the opportunity to use this one.


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## Deckhand

On it's way to VoodooMajik. Sent a few pics to TK that he requested. Nice little knife. Can't go wrong for the price. I don't think it's really my style, but it could just be I am not a Nakiri guy. I feel like echerub in his above comments, but I appreciate the chance to try it out.


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## VoodooMajik

I've got the knife, Lovely handle, I really like forge scale finishes. Killer edge. Now I've just got to use it


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## VoodooMajik

I mighta got carried away, ha ha. The edge on the nakiri is very much a treat. I ended up demoing 2 cases of fingerlings, a case of cucumber, half a case of tomato, half a case of peppers, dozen bulbs of anise, bunch of carrots, and a dozen red onion along with a few other things. cut everything like soft butter, just lovely. I didn't try any butternut but everything I did cut it simply fell through. Shaving the red onion and Anise, I didn't notice much if any reaction. Pretty sweet looking knife, I enjoy forge scale finishes, the handle looks very nice. Thank you very much for including me in the pass around!! I'm going to retire it until Tuesday when I'm off and can ship it out.


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## Crothcipt

Ok next question that has been asked to all, would u buy one?


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## Andrew H

Crothcipt said:


> Ok next question that has been asked to all, would u buy one?



With or without Tinh's edge? :knife:


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## VoodooMajik

For under $100? I would certainly consider it when I need/want a new nakiri.


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## Deckhand

I can't say anything bad about the knife or the price. I doubt I would buy one. It could however just be my taste in knives which is unfair towards the Nakiri. I love gyutos. I love my Sakai. I can't wait for my Rodrigue. I really liked the feel of TK's Devin Thomas at the west coast get together. With my kanisaki deba,270mm gyuto and a tojiro itk bread knife I have been able to do whatever I want. I will probably sell a lot of the knives I originally bought.


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## VoodooMajik

I am still waiting for a forwarding address to Lefty's friend. Has anyone been in contact with him?


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## Lefty

I'm at a wedding, and yes, checking here and my site, etc (damned addictions!). 
Pm sent. Thanks and sorry


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## scotts

I haven't checked this thread in a little while, did you mean me Voodoo?


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## Lefty

Scott, yes! I wasn't sure if you were around anymore/needed it! Haha
If you do, send him your addy, otherwise we can PIF it to someone else. I know you picked up some great knives, so it's your call


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## VoodooMajik

Hey! I still got 'er here. Shoot me a PM and I'll get it shipped off asap. (Likely thursday, I'll be in town to finish off half my sleeve, so I'll actually be near a post office. ha ha)

Been hard havin her here and not putting it through to much of a work out, but I wanted to preserve the edge for the recipient.


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## scotts

I'll send you my info right away Voodoo, I'm so excited to use this knife again! My house has been crazy for the last few months with longer days at work and even longer days preparing for our new baby coming at the end of December.


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