Hi: Im a Nakiri fan! Few years ago i saw a Korean cooking show on PBS who used one and then watched Martha Stewart use a Nakiri, and I knew i had to try one of these. I started with a Takeda and since then have gone thru about 12 keeping the 4 I have now. Of course there are a few cleavers I had to try also but that's another story...
The contenders here are the Watanabe 180 As stainless clad Kurouchi Nakiri and a Toyama AS stainless clad 180 Nakiri. both of these smiths trained under the same master and the knives are very similar, Ill put in the photos today and the commentary tomorrow as I keep putting this off so this is a start. I wish some others would review a knife like it used to be! You can do it!!!
Going down my Nakiri journey started several years ago with a Takeda stainless clad. Then came a Tojiro Shirogami Hairline Nakiri 165mm to practice sharpening on, and then a bunch of others. The Tojiro served its purpose and was way too reactive and went away, along with the Takeda.
Eventually I had to have what many called the best Nakiri, Watanabe pro 180, but Gladius kept telling me he liked his Toyama better even though it was a 210. I started off trying to get a Toyama but they were OOS and finally got one from a forum member he had stashed away. But after I got it was so blade heavy coming in at 233g for a 180, I sold it the next week. Understanding that heavier knives seem to come with the territory the longer you are in the game but 233 was too much.
I gave up on the Toyama and ordered a Wat. Working with Sinichi was easy, and i got the knife with the upgraded handle option as it came stock with a D handle. But then a few weeks later the toyama's were back in stock. But I had to know what they weighed before making the same mistake again. New batch came in at 175 so I ordered one of those. There was no handle option so it came with a decent D handle.
Specs:
Wat 207g (which might be partially due to the handle)
toyama is 175.
Blade Height: about 59 for each
The blades are almost identical in shape and grind and the price is pretty close also.
Which cuts better, who was sharper OOB? whose nakiri reigns supreme? questions for tomorrow!
jacko9 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:29 am
Question; Thought that the Watanabe Pro Nakiri was a Blue #2 clad with Stainless, did you buy a special with AS steel?
Now that I think about it I haven’t seen Toyama in AS (not that it’s not possible). JNS just lists them as ‘blue’.
jacko9 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 02, 2020 12:29 am
Question; Thought that the Watanabe Pro Nakiri was a Blue #2 clad with Stainless, did you buy a special with AS steel?
Now that I think about it I haven’t seen Toyama in AS (not that it’s not possible). JNS just lists them as ‘blue’.
OOOOOhhhh! fatal error! Musta been too hot that night. Correction, Both the Toyama and the Wat are both Blue #2 stainless clad.
Ok, Im tardy. fires nearby etc but I went out and bought a bunch of cukes and carrots and here we go!
Fit and Finish: The Wat had the upgraded handle, its surface seemed sealed and it might be stabilized. The Wat had a very small bubble or microchip in the rounded edge of the front of the knife. Toyama? Kanji on both sides and perfect fit and finish with a nice D handle.
Ku finish on Wat was smooth and shiny, didnt give any indications of wearing off soon, very similar to a Takeda finish.
Whats up with OOB? Have to say both were about equal, no issues, few strops on 1micron strop and they were both awesome.
Cutting and separation abilities:
Worst difference: Toyama cut thru the whole bunch of celery easier than the Wat.
Both make slight cracking noised going thru bigger celery. Thick carrots? very slightest difference going to the toyama but you would be hard pressed to notice it. No cracking or wedging for either.
Cukes:sliced up loads of cukes (to make some japanese pickled cukes), for the most part they would ride up the side of the blade and then fall off, nothing close to a takeda. But they both would easily glide thru thick carrots or celery with no wedging.
With almost identical blades, Im hard pressed to declare a winner. If you like a heavier knife with handle upgrade options and want Ku the Wat is it, but if you like a lighter knife with bright stainless finish Toyama is it. I will end up keeping them both, hard to split up such a nice pair. The Wat also offered the option of a polished finish instead of Ku for a small price increase.
As Gladius said, Watanabe will be around for awhile while Toyama is at the sunset of his career. Get one while you can...
Nmiller21k wrote: ↑Thu Oct 08, 2020 11:06 pm
With my Wat KU I like to use a green brick to finish it.
But use my meara natural to build up slurry works wonderful
Hmmm, interesting. I might try that on some carbon knives.
Santas_101 wrote: ↑Mon Mar 01, 2021 9:07 pm
What about the Toyama 180mm nakiri? Does anyone have a link to where one can be purchased? Is Japanese naturals the only place?
Thats the only place, put your name one the list and wait, and of course you can do "WTB" one in the forums but thats very iffy. The guy is old and doesn't appear to be producing much anymore. But if you can get one I promise you will keep it.
