Whetstone and Nakiri Knives from SHAN ZU

We got ourselves two new toys, a sharpening stone and a Japanese Nakiri knife from SHAN ZU.

I had been looking for a new knife for a long time. I had already decided on the type of blade for the knife—a Japanese Nakiri chef's knife. What was difficult for me was choosing a manufacturer. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a type of knife I had never used before, but it also shouldn’t be too cheap in terms of quality. So I had been checking the American warehouse for a long time and kept deciding against buying.

But this time I was convinced I would find a knife for myself, and I was right. I found the Nakiri knife from the company SHAN ZU. Never heard of SHAN ZU? Neither had I! But the listing made a good impression, and the reviews were consistently positive.

The knife is made of German stainless steel with a 16.5 cm long blade and really made a good impression in the pictures, especially for a price of just 29.99 euros. 

AND ANOTHER SHARPENING STONE TOO!

Once I had the new knife in my shopping cart, I thought about finally ordering a sharpening stone as well.

In the last video, I was reminded again not to drag the knife across the board because it dulls the blade. I know that myself, but I just can't get it into my head; I keep forgetting. If you can't prevent something, at least you should be able to fix the mistake, so I also ordered the sharpening stone from SHAN ZU right away.

The sharpening stone has 2 grits, a 1000 grit for sharpening and a 6000 grit for polishing. The sharpening stone should be soaked in water for 5 minutes before use so it can fully absorb water. A rubber holder on the bottom provides a firm grip, and a sharpening guide is included to ensure the correct angle while sharpening.

It's also tempting when Amazon shows "Frequently bought together," so it must be meant to be. Into the shopping cart it goes, and finally pressing the order button, and one day later my sharpening stone and Nakiri knife from SHAN ZU were already here.

DELIVERED AND TESTED

As usual with Amazon, the goods were already there the next day, unpacked, and ready to use.

The knife is delivered in a box with a magnetic closure. It makes a good impression right away. The knife itself looks like in the picture, the handle feels high-quality and is excellently crafted, and the blade has a pleasant weight. Everything seems to be done right.

The sharpening stone is securely packaged and feels very valuable after unpacking. The wooden feet and the anti-slip rubber look good and are well made.

Everything really looks top-notch and feels high-quality.

WHAT DOES NAKIRI MEAN?

Literally translated, Nakiri means “leaf cutter” and is therefore more intended for vegetables. The blade makes it easy to chop vegetables and, thanks to the blade height, quickly scoop them up afterward. Working with the knife is so pleasant that it is now used as an all-purpose knife and will also be used for meat with us.

UPDATE

You know how it is: when you don’t know a company, you first buy the cheaper products and then the ones that cost a bit more. That’s exactly what we did. The Nakiri impressed us so much in terms of price/performance that we ordered a Damascus steel kitchen knife as well.

The appearance: You can tell you’re holding a higher-quality product. The knife is a bit heavier than the Nakiri, and the handle feels better. The logo at the end of the handle is engraved, not etched. The handle’s craftsmanship seems a bit better than the more affordable products. The blade looks great with the small rose decorations.

The quality: The knife is pre-sharpened and ready to use right away. It feels good in the hand (I would describe my hands as average size) and cuts fantastically.

The knife is sharpened by the manufacturer at a 15° angle, so the sharpening aid on the whetstone can be used since it is designed for 15°.

CONCLUSION

After Mahika received her first kitchen knife last year, it was my turn again this year. The initial tests were a lot of fun, and I can’t wait to really work with it. For just 30 euros, I bought a top-quality knife that you can work with really well. Just check out our upcoming videos where you’ll see it more often.

So now we not only have sharpening stones and Nakiri knives from SHAN ZU, but also a Damascus chef's knife. The value for money has completely convinced us. If our opinion changes during daily use, we will share it here.