Nakiris are becoming a popular choice in many western kitchens of late. Their compact size and interesting profile have found a new legion of users in both professional and home environments. This is a vegetable cutter of the highest order. The flat edge and extra finger clearance make it a great choice for users who prefer push cutting over a rocking style. The thin blade is made from a super hard steel called HAP40, which is a powdered metallurgy (PM) alloy. The steel is exquisitely heat treated to a high 65-66 HRC.
This is a knife that takes a very sharp edge and holds it for a long time. The blade profile is very flat, even for a
nakiri, with a small radius right at the tip end for smaller rock-chopping tasks.
The core HAP40 steel is wrapped in a stainless steel outer layer to aid in strength and wear resistance. The cladding is nicely polished and, together with the lovely, semi-custom oak octagonal handle with urushi finish.
As mentioned, the blade is quite thin with virtually no taper. The height at the heel is about 50mm, which is slightly less than average for a nakiri of this length. Fit and finish are of a high standard which combines with its other fine attributes to qualify the Gihei HAP40 nakiri as a great value.
Brand: Gihei
Blacksmith: Mr Hosikawa
Region: Sanjo City Japan
Construction: San Mai
Cladding: Stainless Steel
Edge Steel: HAP40
Weight: 5.0 ounces / 142g
Blade Length: 160 mm
Spine Thickness at Heel: 1.5 mm
Blade Height: 50 mm
Handle: Oak Octagonal Burnt Urushi
Handle Is New. Trust the pictures not the video