Nagasaki Knife Review – Japanese Damascus VG-10 Steel Review
How to Buy the Right Chef’s Knife?
When buying a Knife one essentially lends to go for blades are made from high-grade steel such as German blades that are thick making them very good for chopping or Japanese blades that are thinner thus perfect for slicing. You can learn the differences of the two here.
Nagasaki has combined German engineering and Japanese craftsmanship to ease your dilemma. The result is a beautiful long lasting knife, razor sharp, a well-balanced blade that is perfect for both chopping and slicing.
Each knife is made of the best Japanese Damascus steel, handcrafted to perfection in the German city of Solingen, renowned for making fine razors, sword and knives. In every step of production, the knife undergoes rigorous quality control test presenting us with the perfect kitchen knife.
Nagasaki Knife Collection
How it’s made – Overview
Each knife in the Nagasaki knife collection boasts of Damascus blade made of Japanese VG10 stainless steel hand forged and hand hammered. The blade is composed of 67 cutting core layers that result in high durability as the blade won’t rust and will hardly require sharpening, Nagasaki knives are extra sharp with better cutting abilities as most VG 10 knives only have 32 cutting core later.
The hammered finish provides an easy release of sticky clipping from the blade. The blade is sharpened using Solinger Dunnschliff to ensure that no added sharpening is required. The Micarta wooden handle provides an ideal grip for both right and left handed people also adding elegance and style to the knife. The handles come in two colors black and brown.
Introduction of the Nagasaki family – Technical details
The first new addition to the Nagasaki family is the traditional western chef’s knife. It weighs 205 grams, with a 20cm laser tested and cryogenically treated blade. This piece of traditional western knife making is perfectly balanced and is a perfect cooking knife.
The Santoku knife takes after the traditional western Chef’s knife. It weighs 220 grams with a 20cm laser tested and cryogenically treated blade that is extremely sharp. It can be used for cutting anything from meats to vegetables and everything in between. However, it offers less room for a rocking motion, common with western chef knives.
The Nakiri knife weighs 225 grams with a 17cm long and 2mm thick blade. It is also laser tested and cryogenically treated. The traditional Japanese knife is best for cutting up fruits and vegetables. Also available is Nakiri with a Hollow Edge. It features the same design as the previously mentioned Nakiri only that it has the unique characteristic of a hollow edge that is designed with small cavities on the hammered surface to prevent thin, stick and greasy clippings getting stuck to the blade.
A small paring knife that weighs 58 grams and is 8cm long also joins the collection. It is ideal for de-veining prawns, removing seeds and peeling fruits and vegetables. Despite its small size, the knife retains the sharpness and hardness offered by larger blades.
Which is better? Comparison.
Comparing the new Nagasaki Knife collection with an older version, this knife comes with additional features. For one, the new version is lighter to handle and is thinner in its back compared to the heavier thus difficult to handle nature of the previous version. You will find this knife is easy to handle due to the weight reduction. The high stainless steel Rockwell of up to 56-60 HRC makes this selection special as compared to its predecessor Knife.
The knives are available in singles, pairs or trios. You can get all three knives on Kickstarter for $324 to be delivered in December.
Loved and trusted by Kickstarter backers
Generally, the product seems to have been met by the positive review. The previous version delivered customer satisfaction save for the issue of weight which has been resolved in the new version. This product has surpassed expectation. Everyone seems to be lining up to get themselves the Nagasaki Solingen knife. So much so that it took them less than 24 hours to beat their initial goal of 8,000 Euros. From reviews, customers seem to be impressed by the new Nagasaki Knife collection.
The main customer concern is about the perks offered. There is the single, which is one full-size knife of the customer’s choice. The twin that is a full-size knife and one paring knife. The trio that is two full-size knives and one paring knife. Nagora that is two full-size knives, one chef’s knife and a paring knife. Finally, the family consisting of one Santoku knife, a chef’s knife, a Nikiri, a Nikiri with a hollow edge and a paring knife. Some customers want perks that are not being offered like a twin consisting of a Nikiri and a Santoku or a trio that consist of a Nikiri, a Nikiri with a hollow edge and a chef’s knife.
All in all the product has been generally accepted with nothing but positive reviews as it is clearly a cut above its competition.
Price and Bonus
Nagasaki knife is now available on Kickstarter starts at only $113 (Chrismas Special) limiting to just 300 units. Each one is expected to retail at $214. Check the link below for the latest pricing availability.