Nelson Chen tall nakiri passaround

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Alpine.knifeworks

Alpine.knifeworks

Wood luvr
KKF Supporting Craftsman
Joined
Oct 5, 2022
Messages
164
Reaction score
280
Location
USA
Hey ya'll! I've been following Nelson's work for a bit and have always wanted one of his nakiris but he only makes 1-3 a year. Recently he was super kind and sold me one for a great price because it's super thin behind the edge and he didn't know if it would chip or not while being used. So far so good, has been fine. Had some microchipping until it was sharpened.

The Nakiri - this is when it was brand new. It has patina now. It's a zero grind and damn its fun. Super thin behind the edge but a fairly thick spine and has a little more heft than average for a nakiri like this. It really glides through produce.

26c3 monosteel with a hamon and an ebony handle.

I want to share the love since not many people will get to try his work, and because of the great deal I was given.

Knife is currently back with Nelson so he could take it for a spin personally. After that let's do 8-10 spots!

Rules: sharpening permitted if you are confident in it but only 1k and up. Try stropping first.

Given the potentially brittle nature of this blade please avoid using it on things like nuts and lemongrass.

Starting out USA only but if there's enough interest overseas there can be an international leg.

Can use for up to 2 weeks before passing

Value if lost: $250

Reply to this thread with what state you are in and we'll get it going in the next week or two.

Please post a condition photo when you recieve the knife from previous person
 
I’m in, Philly, PA, curious since he calls himself the “cleaver specialist”

Spring April GIF by SpongeBob SquarePants
 
Alright lets get this started! If anyone wants to tag on at the end we can add them.
I went by geographical location, knife is currently with Nelson in Washington state so we'll start with the west coast.

Nelson ---> @Gshep91
@Gshep91 ---> @PPIIBBSS
@PPIIBBSS ---> @Malcolm Johnson
@Malcolm Johnson ---> @Delat
@Delat ---> @Chang
@Chang ---> @BillHanna
@BillHanna ---> Back to me or to someone else

Please DM the person you are sending the knife to on your turn, and get their shipping address. Sender pays for shipping

Have fun! Nelson will send it out sometime in the next 5-6 days, @Gshep91 please DM me your shipping address
 
Alright, I've had the chance to use this knife for two meals now. I will type out a more in depth review when I get more time, but for now I will say it's a fun nimble laser, which glides through food effortlessly. This didn't feel brittle to me at all, but I do generally prefer thinner knives. Here are a few photos of the condition it's currently in. A small amount of patina developing, with one spot to keep an eye on, which I've circled in the last photo. I'll be sending it to @Malcolm Johnson on Monday 👍

Thanks so much for this @Alpine.knifeworks!
 

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Couldn’t wait so I did an onion and caramelized them for a sandwich. Knives in the size always feel a bit small for me….. but WOW this thing is a cutter. I really, REALLY like this now. Defs gonna be using it more. Stropped it on a gesshin 1k lightly and was able to do swirls in paper towels after. The steel is treated well from what I can see so far.
 
Malcolm Johnson said:
Couldn’t wait so I did an onion and caramelized them for a sandwich. Knives in the size always feel a bit small for me….. but WOW this thing is a cutter. I really, REALLY like this now. Defs gonna be using it more. Stropped it on a gesshin 1k lightly and was able to do swirls in paper towels after. The steel is treated well from what I can see so far.
View attachment 292512
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Hellll yeah 🤘 I'm hoping Nelson wants to make more knives after seeing all the reviews here haha.
 
Just got finished prepping dinner with it and gotta say I’m very impressed. The “accidental” thinness and zero grind are awesome, and if that becomes his standard grind then I give it two thumbs up.

OOTB it’s surprisingly heavy for the size and feels nice and solid. F&F is decent for the price point of $250. The blade is angled to the left very slightly, and there’s a tiny spot of a dent or deflection or something along one side of the choil, but it doesn’t reach the edge. The wood of the handle is gorgeous, but feels a bit plasticky like it got a few too many coats of sealer. Spine is rounded to a typical level but not as aggresively as some makers like Markin and Kamon; the choil is very comfortably rounded so no complaints there.

In use on some huge carrots my first impression was “wow”. It’s as heavy as a solid midweight but cuts almost like a laser… now this is my definition of what a workhorse should be! My Markin is very similar in feel, heavy but surprisingly smooth cutting. I actually grabbed my Wakui nakiri to compare I gotta say, they were neck and neck on the carrots. Is this thing really $250??? If so it’s a fantastic deal. I’d never heard of Nelson Chen before this passaround but now I’m going to find and follow him on IG.

Many thanks to @Alpine.knifeworks for introducing me to a very exciting new maker.

Listen to the swoosh on those vertical cuts!



Shepherd’s pie incoming.
IMG_4072.jpeg
 
Delat said:
Just got finished prepping dinner with it and gotta say I’m very impressed. The “accidental” thinness and zero grind are awesome, and if that becomes his standard grind then I give it two thumbs up.

OOTB it’s surprisingly heavy for the size and feels nice and solid. F&F is decent for the price point of $250. The blade is angled to the left very slightly, and there’s a tiny spot of a dent or deflection or something along one side of the choil, but it doesn’t reach the edge. The wood of the handle is gorgeous, but feels a bit plasticky like it got a few too many coats of sealer. Spine is rounded to a typical level but not as aggresively as some makers like Markin and Kamon; the choil is very comfortably rounded so no complaints there.

In use on some huge carrots my first impression was “wow”. It’s as heavy as a solid midweight but cuts almost like a laser… now this is my definition of what a workhorse should be! My Markin is very similar in feel, heavy but surprisingly smooth cutting. I actually grabbed my Wakui nakiri to compare I gotta say, they were neck and neck on the carrots. Is this thing really $250??? If so it’s a fantastic deal. I’d never heard of Nelson Chen before this passaround but now I’m going to find and follow him on IG.

Many thanks to @Alpine.knifeworks for introducing me to a very exciting new maker.

Listen to the swoosh on those vertical cuts!

View attachment 297930

Shepherd’s pie incoming.
View attachment 297931
Click to expand...
Glad to hear you like it so much and awesome review!!

FYI idk what Nelson's normal pricing is, this was discounted because he thought there was a good chance it would chip, and he was being generous. Hence, me sharing the generosity
 
Prepping to send this back out to Alpine.knifeworks.

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been discussed about this knife. I have recently decided I'm not a nakiri person which surprised me a as I'd spent a few years using a small cleaver as my go to when I was a kid, but after getting a few(most from well regarded makers) I just hadn't been jiving with them. I do keep a long s-grind nakiri from AG Klint, but mainly because its a fun project knife. Other wise I have no other rectangles and had given up on them.

This knife actually changed my mind. It arrived a little dull, stropping it on a stone helped, but it's not exactly sharp currently. Still cut great though. The grind on this really suited me. It cuts very well with without wedging and the weight of the blade really helps make the cuts feel nice and easy. Doesn't feel fragile in the slightest but also feels small and nimble. I would consider this a great example of a midweight knife. This makes the knife a lot of fun, and I could see myself using it as a daily driver, similar to a Chinese cleaver. The fit and finish was good. For $250 this was a steal and I would say that even if it was just a standard monosteel with a basic handle.

I also had never heard of Nelson Chen, but will be keeping an eye on his work and may even consider picking up another nakiri for next ARM.

Thanks again @Alpine.knifeworks for this passaround!
 
rgar4012 said:
Prepping to send this back out to Alpine.knifeworks.

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been discussed about this knife. I have recently decided I'm not a nakiri person which surprised me a as I'd spent a few years using a small cleaver as my go to when I was a kid, but after getting a few(most from well regarded makers) I just hadn't been jiving with them. I do keep a long s-grind nakiri from AG Klint, but mainly because its a fun project knife. Other wise I have no other rectangles and had given up on them.

This knife actually changed my mind. It arrived a little dull, stropping it on a stone helped, but it's not exactly sharp currently. Still cut great though. The grind on this really suited me. It cuts very well with without wedging and the weight of the blade really helps make the cuts feel nice and easy. Doesn't feel fragile in the slightest but also feels small and nimble. I would consider this a great example of a midweight knife. This makes the knife a lot of fun, and I could see myself using it as a daily driver, similar to a Chinese cleaver. The fit and finish was good. For $250 this was a steal and I would say that even if it was just a standard monosteel with a basic handle.

I also had never heard of Nelson Chen, but will be keeping an eye on his work and may even consider picking up another nakiri for next ARM.

Thanks again @Alpine.knifeworks for this passaround!
Click to expand...
Woohoo!! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! That's awesome to hear. Sounds like this passaround was useful, and I'm happy it successfully survived so much time in transit. Happy to have it home soon. Thanks all, hope you enjoyed
 
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