Best Nakiri Knives 2023 for Slicing Vegetables – Tested

Are you looking for the best nakiri knife for your kitchen? Here we have discussed the 5 best nakiri knives which you can buy in 2023. A high quality nakiri knife could be such a great blessing if you want to prepare vegetables or relevant to this. It has a similar shape to Chinese cleaver and is lighter in weight and easy to handle. If you need something that should be well balanced then you will really love it. The extensive, squared shape that comes with the Nikiri means that removal and other tasks that require good coverage can be very easy to achieve. It is a flat knife without any curve in the blade and you need to cut up vertically. Keep in mind that knives with curved edges or tips are perfect for mincing and cutting rolls like tasks.

Nakiri knife is also our editor choice due to various reasons like it is a good and comfortable knife for small hands and it has high reputed reviews and clients all over the internet. You could say that it is a multi tasker knife in your kitchen. Your objective and requirement should be that an expert cook will point out that knives work best for you. You may also like our other listed products below. If you like to read about how to select the right knife for yourself then you can check our chef knife buying guide. While we’re on the topic, check out this deep dive into the best chef knives.

Top 5 Nakiri Knives

Tojiro Nakiri Knife F-502 – Editor’s Choice

It is an extra ordinary well size and balance nakiri knife. Read our full review of tojiro F-502.

Tojiro Nakiri Knife F-502 Specification

About the knife

The tojiro knife is at the top position on our list as it provides a great level of comfort, sharpness and good balance when working with it. All people feel very good when they use it in our hands. We especially like to use blades and knives with slightly curved tips. These things make the knife good for cutting rolls while dicing and chopping different vegetables in the kitchen. It is very easy to use compared to other budget basement knives. The size of the blade used here is in the “Goldilocks Zone”. Plus, it’s big enough to work with vegetables like cabbage and you can also use it for small items like onion and garlic, etc. The HRC of the Tojiro Nakiri F-502 knife says that it is very sharp to work with.

Maintenance and Cleaning

The best way to sharpen this knife is to start with fine grain whetstone and then move coarser stone if you see that your knife is specifically diminished. For the daily basis maintenance, tojiro suggested the below things:

You need to clean the knife with a sponge and mild soap and try to dry it completely before storing it. If you use it to cut acidic foods like pickles or edible fruit, be sure to clean the Tojiro knife thoroughly of all residue. You need to sharpen the knife 2 times a month and do not leave it in water for a long time.

Mercer Culinary M21067 Genesis 7” Nakiri Knife – Best Budget Nakiri Knife

Need a great knife in a nice budget that provides amazing performance then you can read our review on Best chef knives under $200.

Mercer Culinary M21067 Genesis 7” Nakiri Knife Specification

About the knife

We don’t know how the mercer has managed this thing, But when you consider its substitute-$70 asking price, this knife is truly appreciable. It will be difficult for you to find a knife that performs well for less price like it. The dynamic vulcanized polymer is used for the manufacturing of its handle which is called santoprene. To better understand, the material used in the handle offers slip free and comfort zone. Furthermore, its highly nice balance and you get the knife in low budget and high performance and feel like a possibility which is very expensive. The granton-edge blade built the blade perfect for making sticky meat without any hard work. Moreover, it can also be used for preparing and chopping vegetables. The HRC score is 56+/-1 which means it gives a great flexibility for a task that requires more proficiency. It can hold its sharpness for a long time but still needs to sharpen it after some time like occasionally sharpness. The lifetime warranty and high durability of Mercer Culinary M21067 Genesis 7” Nakiri Knife give tough time to their user to ignore it in our suggestions.

Maintenance and Cleaning

For maintaining your knife, Mercer recommends you need to decide whether you want to hone or sharpen your knife. By ‘honing’ the blade, blade edges that have started to dull while sharpening remove layers of metal to reveal sharper new edges. Various tools and techniques are available for both honing and sharpening. Some guidelines from Mercer are available here for better understanding. Although, you need to clean your knife after every use using a soft cloth with mild detergent or soap. Once you clean it then dry it completely before storing in a knife block or leather sheath. To get more information about nakiri knife care, click here

Dalstrong 6” Shogun Series X Nakiri Knife

It is a charming damascus steel knife having sharp edge razors.

It is a charming damascus steel knife having sharp edge razors.

Dalstrong 6” Shogun Series X Nakiri Knife Specifications

About this Knife

While the $120 to $130 price tag puts this Dalstrong damascus knife in a more advanced category as compared to other choices on this page, we believe it more than explains its price. A very low sharpness is required for this knife as well. The Rockwell hardness HRC score for this dalstrong knife is 62+ which means the blade is highly sharped and holds its sharpness for a long time. The overall feel and balance of the knife is great, you will not get tired if you use it for a long time. The G10 handle confronts the moisture and heat and the knife will be under your control in the kitchen. The plus point of Dalstrong 6” Shogun Series X Nakiri Knife is its lifetime warranty that tells the users about the durability and sharpness of the knife.

Maintenance and cleaning

You can use whetstone for sharpening it at ytour home at the angle of 10 to 15 degrees. The smaller the angle, the sharper the edge. Maybe you like dalstrong’s professional knife sharpening service as an alternative. You need to follow these tips to take care of your knife.

• Don’t apply the dishwasher method, always use hand wash with mild soap and moderate temperature.
• Never immerse your knife and always let it dry completely before storing.
• Use knife block, magnetic knife rail and sheat for storing it.

Tuo Black Hawk Series 6.5” Nakiri Knife

It is a cheap and adaptable knife which feels nice in your hands while using it.

About this knife

The pakkawood handle is one of the most prominent features of the Tuo knife, it not only gives a stunning look but also provides resistance to heat and moisture. It’s important to note that some users say they feel a rough feeling when handling the scales that come before the bolster. From a price point of view, it is very affordable for the majority of people. Using the honbazuke method, each unit can be sharpened by hand and the price of this knife ranges from 30$ to 45$. The blade is sharpened both vertically and horizontally and then polished on a leather hone to achieve good performance and sharpness. At a good price, this knife comes with great sharpness and lasts a decent amount of time. The HRC score is 56+2 which tells us that this is a flexible knife compared to the other knives listed in this article. Simply, this is a high quality full tang design knife and you should not worry about its durability.

Maintenance and Cleaning

Tuo always suggest using a honing steel for their knives, you just need to follow these fundamentals: 

Hold the steel vertically on a flat surface. At a 20 degree angle with the knife, press it along the sharpening steel toward the flat surface. Initiate it with the heel of your knife at the upper of your steel. You need to repeat this process until your blade does not get sharp. Dishwashers are not allowed for this knife and always use mild soap and normal temperature while cleaning it. Furthermore, make sure you dry it completely before storing.

Shun Premier 5.5” Nakiri Knife

It is the best lightweight tool in every kitchen.

Shun Premier 5.5” Nakiri Knife Specifications

About the Knife

It is one of the most expensive options at the price of 170$. However, what you get for your money is a knife that will improve almost every facet of your work in the kitchen. It comes with high sharpness, well balanced and ergonomic design that provide comfortness to your hand. The HRC score is 60 to 61 that leads to this product retaining its sharpness for a long time after using it for many times. Highly recommended knife for dense chopping, obstinate vegetables such as squash or pumpkin. Don’t worry about the durability of it as it is a full tang design knife which comes with lifetime warranty which means everyone shows a great thumb after using it.

Maintenance and Cleaning

As a Shun user, you have access to free acceleration for life! It can be acquired by an intruder on or by post. The manufacturer’s professional sharpeners will return your blade to its departed honor in record time. Shun does not recommend that you clean this knife in the dishwasher. Instead, use mild soap, a soft sponge, and moderate heat after each use.

FAQs

This area will cover the all important questions regarding the nakiri knife online. You can also read the comparison between nakiri vs santoku.

What are the Nakiri Knives Used For?

It is a lightweight, good size and decent shaped nakiri knife that is great for cutting vegetables and other dicing and other mincing tasks. You can enhance your vertical cutting skill by using it.

How Do You Hold a Nakiri Knife?

By doing some initial level practices with a nakiri knife you can do it.

• Keep a firm, secure grip at all times.
• Bend your guide’s hands and fingers to avoid cutting your fingers.
• Use erect cutting movement instead of a western rocking motion.

Here is the video of williams sonoma, that will describe nakiri knife in detail.

Why are Nakiri Knives Good for Vegetables?

There are some factors which make the nakiri knife good for cutting and chopping vegetables.

• Edgedless tip
• Comfortable and ergonomic handle for better control
• Lightweight
• Crenated rough blade