SHARPENING STONE AND NAKIRI KNIFE BY SHAN ZU

We got two new toys: a whetstone and a Japanese Nakiri knife from Shan Zu.

I had been looking for a new knife for a long time. I had settled on the type of blade quite some time ago: it had to be a Japanese Nakiri chef’s knife. What I found difficult was choosing a manufacturer. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a type of knife I had never used myself, but it shouldn’t be too cheap in terms of quality either. So I had been browsing the American department store for a long time and repeatedly decided against making a purchase.

But this time I was convinced I would find a knife for myself, and I was right. I found the Nakiri knife from 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 and has a 16.5 cm-long blade. It made a really good impression in the pictures, especially for a price of just €29.99. 

AND ANOTHER WHETSTONE TO GO WITH IT!

Once I had the new knife in my shopping cart, I thought I might as well finally order a whetstone too.

In the last video, I was reminded once again that you shouldn’t pull the knife across the cutting board because it will become dull. I know that myself, but I simply can’t get it into my head; I keep forgetting. If you can’t prevent something, you should at least be able to correct the mistake, so I ordered the Shan Zu whetstone as well.

The whetstone has two grits: 1000 grit for sharpening and 6000 grit for polishing. Before use, the whetstone should be placed in a water bath for 5 minutes so it can absorb water. A rubber holder on the underside provides a secure grip, and a sharpening guide is included to ensure the knife is sharpened at the correct angle.

It’s also so tempting when Amazon displays “Frequently bought together”—that must mean it’s meant to be. Into the shopping cart it went, and I finally pressed the order button. One day later, my Shan Zu whetstone and Nakiri knife had already arrived.

DELIVERED AND TESTED

As usual with Amazon, the goods arrived the very next day, so I unpacked them and got started.

The knife comes in a box with a magnetic closure. It makes a good first impression. The knife itself looks just like it does in the picture, the handle feels high-quality and is excellently finished, and the blade has a comfortable weight. They seem to have done everything right.

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

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

WHAT DOES NAKIRI MEAN?

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

UPDATE

You know how it is: when you don't know a company, you usually buy something inexpensive first and then move on to the products that cost a little more. That's what we did as well. We were so impressed with the Nakiri's value for money that we also ordered a Damascus steel kitchen knife.

The appearance: You can tell that you are holding a higher-quality product. The knife is slightly heavier than the Nakiri, and the handle feels better. The logo on the end of the handle is not etched but engraved. The handle's workmanship also seems somewhat better than that of the less expensive products. The blade looks great with its small rose embellishments.

The quality: The knife is already pre-sharpened and can be used right away. The knife sits comfortably in the hand (I would describe my hands as average-sized) and cuts fantastically.

The manufacturer has ground the knife at an angle of 15 °, so the sharpening guide on the sharpening stone can be used for the blade, as the guide is designed for 15°.

CONCLUSION

After Mahika received her first  chef's knife last year, it was my turn again this year. The first tests were great fun, and I can hardly 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; you will see it more often from now on.

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