Best steel for a Nakiri

[jacobwilder5]

I may get flack for this but I’m not a fan of the Wat Pro. Too much belly. Nakiris should be flatter imo.

That said, I LOVE the steel. It still doesn’t make me want to use it over other nakiris though.

Just adding to the case that others have mentioned to not overly stress on steel.

 

[Taurahe]

I just picked up another Goko No Hamono 165mm Nashiji in shirogami 1..... Takes an insane sharp edge, holds it and is a pleasure to cut with. It performs well above its price point

 

[sumis]

i think the topic would benefit from even more input and discussion on the ”ideal” geometry of a nakiri.
my hypothesis being that different steels are better or worse partners for certain geometries, and add to that of course length – and in the end using environment.

i have no further hypothesis, since i've owned only a few nakiris. but i really like rectangles, and i'm on the look for a new one (or two?). so what do you guys think?

length:
height:
geometry:
steel:
use (pro, home, daily, occasionally, veggies, roots, protein …):

i'm suggesting that if you change one parameter, the others would in many cases also have to change. and i'm actually NOT talking about personal preference here, at least not primarily.

i assume that there are certain (in general) preferable combinations of parameters here, different from each other rather than one nakiri to rule them all.
i mean, for most things, i love the nakiri i regularly use today, but for others it suck.

in a high volume environment, regular touch ups or more frequent sharpening is inevitable, so ease of sharpening and some toughness would perhaps be prefered by a user. as a home cook, edge retention and a more slim profile could for some be more preferable, etc, etc.

.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

i think the topic would benefit from even more input and discussion on the ”ideal” geometry of a nakiri.
my hypothesis being that different steels are better or worse partners for certain geometries, and add to that of course length – and in the end using environment.

i have no further hypothesis, since i've owned only a few nakiris. but i really like rectangles, and i'm on the look for a new one (or two?). so what do you guys think?

length:
height:
geometry:
steel:
use (pro, home, daily, occasionally, veggies, roots, protein …):

i'm suggesting that if you change one parameter, the others would in many cases also have to change. and i'm actually NOT talking about personal preference here, at least not primarily.

i assume that there are certain (in general) preferable combinations of parameters here, different from each other rather than one nakiri to rule them all.
i mean, for most things, i love the nakiri i regularly use today, but for others it suck.

in a high volume environment, regular touch ups or more frequent sharpening is inevitable, so ease of sharpening and some toughness would perhaps be prefered by a user. as a home cook, edge retention and a more slim profile could for some be more preferable, etc, etc.

.

I've been thinking about this and when you take out personal preference as a qualifier, I can't really think of an "ideal" geometry for a nakiri. Some may not realize it but there's actually quite a bit of variance in nakiri's, just as there are in gyuto's.

There's flatter or curvier profiles, rounded tips vs. kaku style, and many length, height, weight and grind combination differences. If you look at Knife Japan, some interesting things start to stand out. One thing I've noticed is the abundance of shorter knives. And not just by the Western standard of 180 and 165 but below that. There's lots of 150 and shorter stuff on there. Michael has also said that nakiri and santoku are quite popular sellers within Japan and if you look at those offerings and study the specs, there's a fair bit of variation but one thing is fairly common is shorter heights.

The choices of 50mm and above start getting slim. For that matter, there's also much fewer offerings over 165mm.

One could argue a smaller stature of people preferring smaller knives but one could also argue it's the origin of the knife and widely used so maybe there are clues to be found there.

There's a good bit of variation across my rectangles. I own two of the most popular recommendations out there: Watanabe Pro 180 and Kyohei Shindo 170. Both are excellent knives and if closely studied, quite different. But both have very loyal followings. Yet, for me, I have two others that I prefer over them and each of those two aren't just different from the former, but different from each other as well.

I just can't think of an "ideal" set of parameters without personal preference being a factor. I will say though, that in terms of just feel, 165x48-50 and around 160g with a ho wood handle feels very nice and sort of "classic", even if it isn't.

 

[jacobwilder5]

I just can't think of an "ideal" set of parameters without personal preference being a factor. I will say though, that in terms of just feel, 165x48-50 and around 160g with a ho wood handle feels very nice and sort of "classic", even if it isn't.

I think there's something to be said about the classic or standard parameters when it comes to knife types. It feels like a good place to start and then you can work your way out from their with your preferences. They became classic for a reason!