Wasabi by Kershaw 6-1/2-Inch Nakiri Knife

Wasabi Nakiri Knife
This is my first single-bevel knife of Japanese design and I am very impressed. It came out of the box with a very sharp edge, and the excellent, relatively hard steel holds this edge very well. The concave "flat side" allows the knife to pass through foods much more easily than a conventional knife. One of the first uses I put it to was dicing a bell pepper. However, it was so easy to produce perfect, paper-thin slices that I got carried away and it came out as brunoised instead.

Some reviewers talk about the small size of the handle, I just do not see it that way. I have larger than average hands, easily being able to palm a basketball, and as far as I am concerned this is one of the most comfortable knives that I have ever used. The size is not a problem at all and it has a good feel as well.

Neither do I find the back of my knife as having sharp edges, even though this complaint has come up a couple of times. Quality control may vary, of course, but my knife...

Great Knife at an Outstanding Price
I had been looking at many different knives for over a year and I came across many different types and price levels. I tried a few knives at various kitchen stores and I even found some great German knives at good prices.
I purchased a Henckels Henckels International Classic 8-Inch Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife for a line-cook friend and she really liked it and I used it a few times and thought it was a good knife at a good price. I also bought a Wustof Grand Prix Wüsthof Grand Prix 8-Inch Cook's Knife for my former Exec. Chef (I am a restaurant manager) on sale for $40 (the Grand Prix II came out and now the Grand Prixs are reduced).
I found that I really didn't like the German designed knives and I looked at Japanese knives. I really liked the Shun line of knives from KAI but they are truly an investment at $120 for a Shun...

One of my favorite knives.
Holds an edge very well. Light weight. Two things I'm not crazy about but can live with, the handle could be thicker and the edges on the top of the blade are kind of sharp. I notice that when I have my finger on the top of the blade to bear down on something hard I have cut my finger.

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