Shun Premier Nakiri Knife Review

Looking for a high-end knife to level up your food prep skills?

This Shun Nakiri knife review will introduce to you a premium Japanese knife perfect for prepping all kinds of vegetables.

Regardless if you’re a professional chef or an experimental home cook, this knife will surely make a big difference in your kitchen.

It’s supposed to last a lifetime, so you can rest assured you’ll get great value for your money.

Shun Premier Nakiri Knife

A Nakiri knife is a kind of Japanese knife commonly used for cutting vegetables.

Its blade is squarish, polished, and sharpened from both sides (unlike a Usuba).

This one comes from Shun, a well-known Japanese cutlery company whose products are produced in a state-of-the-art facility.

Since its release, the design has remained the same, and it’s still one of the brand’s best-selling Nakiri knives.

Who Is This Product For?

This Shun Nakiri knife is a truly high-end blade with a hefty price tag. As such, it may not be for amateur cooks.

As a premier Japanese knife, it is ideal for professional restaurant kitchens with trained staff for cutting vegetables.

It’s also a good choice for any chef for their personal knives collection, as its beautiful construction makes it a collectible.

For a home cook, this is likely a bit too pricey.

You’d be better off with a more versatile Chef’s knife for prepping vegetables for different dishes.

What’s Included?

The package only includes the Shun Premier Nakiri knife.

While there isn’t any case nor sheath included, it does arrive nicely packed.

Overview of the Features

Now, let’s get on with the Shun Nakiri knife review and talk about its many interesting features.

First off, know that this knife has a 5.5-inch blade.

Despite looking like a bigger knife, Shun has made sure to make it as light as possible.

In fact, it weighs just 1.6 ounces, so you won’t feel any bulk using this.

• Blade

The blade on this Nakiri knife is truly sleek, which is what you would expect from a knife like this.

It is made of proprietary Japanese steel with a layered Damascus construction and VG10 core.

You’ll find that it is a very sharp blade that pierces through vegetables seamlessly, even tougher ones.

The angle on the bevel of the blade can be as low as 16 degrees with proper sharpening.

The hardness is also impressive, as Shun uses traditional Japanese techniques using heat treatment to achieve such a high level.

More importantly, it has a Tsuchime texture on the surface of the blade.

Tsuchime is the Japanese term for hand hammering, and this hand-hammered texture improves the blade’s performance.

There’s less drag when chopping, and, consequently, vegetables don’t get stuck on to the surface.

Since this blade is handcrafted in Japan, the quality is simply superior to any other name-brand vegetable knife you’ll find in the market.

• Handle

The handle on this Shun Nakiri knife is Pakkawood.

This material is pretty common for Japanese knives, as it’s lightweight, soft, yet durable.

Also, this wood is naturally antibacterial, so it doesn’t go bad with time due to bacteria or germs.

You will notice that it has a contoured silhouette to fit in your hand smoothly.

Another welcome plus is the handle’s beautiful walnut finish, which complements the whole aesthetic of the knife.

It also features a steel cap on the upper corner of the handle with embossing.

How To Use This Shun Premier Nakiri Knife

Nakiri knives make it easy to cut, slice, and chop vegetables, even if you do so for hours on end.

Still, you should know how to use one properly so that you can get the best out of it.

After all, it is an expensive knife that you wouldn’t want to just sit in your cupboard.

This tutorial by Chris Cosentino shows how to use a Nakiri knife the proper way.

He uses a Classic Nakiri knife from Shun, but the instructions can apply to this Premier knife as well.

Most importantly, your grip on the knife should be firm so as not to let the handle slip out of your hand.

Then, with your other hand, make a claw to hold and guide the knife as it moves.

For the Nakiri knife, you have to follow an up-and-down motion. There’s no sliding or rocking like regular knives.

When it comes to cleaning the knife, we recommend washing it by hand using a gentle soap, nothing too bleachy or corrosive.

Afterward, dry it with a towel immediately and store it safely wherever you house all your kitchen knives.

Alternative

As much as this Shun Nakiri knife is exceptional, it is also pretty expensive, so you may want to look at alternatives.

The DALSTRONG 6-inch Nakiri knife from the Shogun X Series is a beautiful vegetable knife that’ll also bring good value for your money.

It has an AUS 10-V Japanese steel core and 66 layers of Damascus steel cladding.

It’s a pretty sharp knife with a hammered texture that ensures there is no drag.

The blade is wider, allowing you to use it to pick up the cut veggies off the chopping board.

As for the handle, it’s an ergonomic G-10 Garolite handle suitable for long hours of use, even in professional kitchens.

Another great thing about this knife is that it comes with its own sheath or case featuring the company’s branding on it.

You will also find a beautiful lion head logo engraving on both the blade and the metallic cap on the handle.

All in all, it is a truly professional Nakiri knife that can improve vegetable prep by reducing time and avoiding fatigue.

Conclusion

This Shun Nakiri knife review shows that while it is an expensive knife, its features make it worth it.

If you’ve purchased a Shun knife before, chances are, you’re already a fan and convinced that this will be good as well.

For those making their first Nakiri purchase, this can become your go-to knife for cutting all kinds of vegetables.