Kitchen Knives Review

Tamahagane Knives Review

I recently acquired a Tamahagane 8 inch chef's knife. I was looking for a smaller stainless chef's knife to travel with. I cook alot at friends and relatives house and a stainless knife comes in handy when you are on the go. Alot of times you don't have time to wipe and or wash your knife like you might have to do with a carbon steel knife.That is the main reason i wanted to try this one out. Stainless steel is much more user friendly in the maintenance department.The stainless in the Tamahagane knives is VG5 which is listed at a hardness of 58-59. While hardness is only one of the factors when buying a knife it is helpful to know. One of the most important factors i look at in a knife regardless of what style it is is geometry. By geometry i mean how thick or thin the knife is and if there is any distal taper in the blade. Distal Taper is a fancy way of saying the knife starts out thick and gets thinner at the tip. One thing i was surprised about is how sharp the knife was out of the box, alot of times i will have to sharpen a new knife because it doesn't come that sharp from the factory.

When I first received the knife i used it exclusively to cater a large party for about 85 people. It did great slicing and dicing onions and slicing raw and cooked proteins. I even used it to hack through the backbone of a chicken with no damage. I think the somewhat softer blade definitely helped me out in that task. I would compare this to a german knife in the fact that it is a little tougher and has a more obtuse angle at the edge but it has the beautiful geometry and thinness of a Japanese blade. This would be a great knife for someone working on the line in a restaurant or someone in the catering business.

Upon receiving the knife one of the first things i do is a visual inspection of everything. The Tamahagane knives have a very attractive handle. It is some kind of laminated wood, sort of a rosewood color. It is finished very nice with no gaps or rough spots. For a knife in this price range I was impressed with the finish. there were only two small complaints I would have with the knife in the finish department. On the back of the handle there is a small stainless circle that is flush with the wood handle. I imagine that it is part of the tang and it aids in balancing the knife. The other is the choil area and the spine of the knife had somewhat sharp corners. Mind you I am being nit-picky here. A dollar piece of sandpaper from the hardware store would easily round off the spine and the stainless dot in the butt of the handle is visual only.

In regards to the edge retention of this knife I was somewhat impressed. It held its edge for quite some time. When i first get a knife I always use the knife till it is plain old dull. I like to get an idea of how long i can use the knife without any maintenance. Of course it is no comparison to a super hard Japanese blade however what you give up in hardness you gain toughness.


All in all I would give this knife a solid 8 out of 10. It has alot of the attributes of more expensive knives but in a cheaper package. It has a thin blade, sharpe edge and a nicely finished handle. I would not hesitate to recommend the Tamahagane knives to anyone looking for a solid knife that isn't going to break the bank.

By Ryan Hurley

Tamahagane Knife Review

Review – Tamahagane 6” Nakiri 

Let me preface this review by saying that I am a home cook and this knife has only been used in my home kitchen – no professional use at all.  

The quick and dirty conclusion is that this nakiri (Japanese vegetable knife) is highly recommended.  For price, performance, comfort, and fit and finish, the Tamahagane 6” Nakiri earns an overall rating of 8/10!  

The format of this review mirrors that of my prior review.  This review is not technical, but simply documents my initial impressions and experiences with the knife, concluding with my recommendation.   

Please note that I have not attempted to sharpen the knife.  I have used it as it came, with the factory edge.  

Another quick note – for those of you who are unfamiliar with a nakiri, it is basically a rectangular shaped Japanese vegetable knife.  

Initial Impressions – The knife itself 

As with all other items I have ordered from Mark, this knife was quick to arrive and very well packed.  The knife came with a basic, but attractive box, and a protective plastic sheath around the blade.  

The sheath is clear on one side and opaque white on the other. It is essentially, so far as I can tell, identical to the one that came with my Tojiro DP Gyuto.  As such, it will work well for protecting both the knife and the user from damage – to a certain extent anyway.  The sheath is not going to protect the knife from hard knocks, nor will it protect the user from gross carelessness.  That said, the sheath will protect the edge somewhat from bumps in a drawer for example, and it will protect the user’s fingers if he reaches into a drawer.   

Before we go further, a note about the brand name.  In my research I discovered that the knife, while branded Tamahagane is not actually made from ‘tamahagane steel,’ which is only found in very limited quantities and is very, very expensive.  So, just be aware of that distinction. Here, Tamahagane relates only to the brand name of the knife and not the steel used.    

Per the description found at Chefknivestogo the nakiri has a core of VG5 steel and two outer layers of SUS410 steel.  The VG5 core has a Rockwell hardness of 58-59, and the outer layers have a hardness of 28-32.  The knife is therefore made of 3-ply stainless steel.  This configuration should make the knife very easy to sharpen and give it an incredibly sharp edge.  I have not yet sharpened the knife (I am still using the factory edge), but I will be taking it to Dave’s (from japaneseknifesharpening) upcoming knife sharpening class.  I will report back regarding the results after a good sharpening. Results using the factory edge are below.  

The steel does seem a bit prone to fingerprints, not that it really matters at all, but I thought I should point it out.  Also, the blade itself has some simple markings on one side (not etched) that read “Tamahagane 3-ply stainless steel by Kataoka Japan” and has some Japanese lettering too.  The markings will like wear off if the blade is refinished, but barring that, I wouldn’t be concerned about wear from normal use.  

I can detect no abnormalities in the blade geometry. Everything looks as it should and is without a single defect.   

Likewise, the same applies to the handle.  The handle is wooden and is very comfortable.  It is contoured with a small flat area on each side.  It feels absolutely wonderful in my hand and is a joy to use.  

The knife is full tang, which can be seen by looking at the end of the handle where the metal shows through. The end of the handle is absolutely flush where the metal is revealed. Where the handle meets the blade is not quite flush, but it certainly isn’t rough.  In order to notice that this area is not flush, I have to deliberately stroke my finger against the handle toward the blade – and this minor cosmetic issue has never been a problem in practice and it has no impact upon the knife’s performance.  

The blade is nicely balanced. It is lightweight and is very easy to use, especially with the supremely comfortable handle.  I cannot stress enough that this handle really makes the knife feel great, and seamless, in my hand.    

The proof is in the vegetables! 

In the past few weeks, I have used this knife extensively.  I have made quite a lot of vegetable soup, in addition to preparing my daily dose of veggies.  This knife has risen to the occasion each and every time.   

A note about my use of the nakiri…  For the harder, and larger vegetables I have found that I default to my Tojiro DP gyuto.  The nakiri is not suited for cutting through, for example, large butternut squash.  But for potatoes, parsnips, peppers, and even the smaller vegetables like shallots, this knife works great.  Naturally, it can chop up fruit too so don’t be afraid to use it on tomatoes and the like.   

The nakiri could probably be used for peeling tasks, but my Kyocera ceramic paring knife is easier for me to use when it comes to peeling fruits and vegetables.   

The factory edge is definitely sharp. Right out of the box, it is about as sharp as my Tojiro.  The knife’s sharpness has declined nominally, but it is hardly noticeable and I am more or less nitpicking here.  Given the amount of vegetables I have cut lately, the knife has performed admirably and really held its factory edge very well.   

Don’t forget about how comfortable the handle is! It makes going through all the vegetable prep work seem like a vacation and a joy.   

Whether I am mincing up shallots, chopping celery and carrots, or quartering potatoes, the Tamahagane Nakiri can do it all – and it can do it all very well.   

Conclusion 

To sum up, this knife is highly recommended! If you do a lot of work with vegetables, need a sharp knife, and don’t exclusively work with huge butternut squash, then I promise you that the Tamahagane Nakiri will serve you well.

Written by David Elliott