Kai PRO Pure Komachi 2 Nakiri Knife 5.5", Ideal Chopping Knife for Vegetables, Great All-Purpose Chef Knife, Professional Nakiri Knife, Hand-Sharpened Japanese Kitchen Knife

This Komachi Kai Nakiri knife was my Christmas gift to myself (one of them!) as it was selling for a slight discount. I already had a Komachi 2 set purchased from Costco and wanted to add this Nakiri knife as I slice a lot of vegetables and it's very useful for that.I use the Santoku knife (see Fuschia knife in the uploaded pic) for mincing and chopping herbs as a rocking motion is needed. For slicing onions and other vegetables a Nakiri is great, especially if you're making stir fry - Thai, Indian, Japanese or Chinese cuisines.This knife is very sharp, the rectangular blunt shape makes it light and the right design for slicing which is a up and down motion rather than a rocking motion.I love my Komachi knives, the colors are fun but the coating also helps prevent rusting. They're easy to clean in the dishwasher but mostly I just rinse and wipe and resheath. The included color coordinated sheaths helps keep hands safe whether you store them in drawer, or put them on the wall on a magnetic strip like I've done. It also makes it easier to take with you, as I sometimes take them camping or on vacation. They're light and sharp and handles are ergonomic and best of all they're available at very decent prices as a set.This Nakiri knife was not included in any set I've seen so it had to be purchased separately. One month of usage later, I am very happy with it's performance. It's become my most used knife as I am always slicing onions, peppers, mushrooms or cucumbers. I also use the mandoline but that makes the veggies too thin for grilling or stir frying so this is a really useful knife.After 5-6 months of every day usage you will probably need to sharpen and 1-2 swipes of a Accusharp Knife sharpener (also on Amazon) will do the trick.

I've never owned a Nakiri knife before this one, and I wish I'd known about this design ages ago. This knife is excellent for chopping and dicing onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. The shape of the knife just lends itself to chopping tasks quite nicely. I've purchased several different knife styles from this Pure Komachi 2 line as I'm pleased with how sharp they are, how well the handles fit in my oversized hands, and how reasonably priced they are. I'm finding that it is very convenient to have several different blade designs available when preparing food as each design seems to excel at a specific type of prep work. The only drawback is you want to be careful cleaning these things because they are wicked sharp.

These knives are great, especially for the price paid. I bought them to replace some old wooden handled dull knives I had for years since I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year. I didn't want to spend a fortune as I am too lazy to hand wash knives, so if they get ruined in the dishwasher I can replace them without worrying about how much I paid.The knives are super sharp as I have cut myself on them more than once-my fault. They are comfortable to use and cut through everything really well. My only complaint is that the handles are a bit larger than I expected and therefore they take up quite a bit of room in my utensil organizer. I ended up getting a new one to accommodate these and some chef's knives (same brand) that I was given as a gift.

Review for the KAI steak knives: Seems like lots of reviews for the other Pure Komachi2 line, but not many for the steak knives, so here goes. These are excellent for the price. They are very non-traditional in appearance but feel good in the hand and are very sharp. It's hard to tell in photos, but like other Pure Komachi knives, these have a non-stick paint coating on the sides. The steak knives are grey which is less "in your face" than the other brightly colored knives in the line, but again contribute to their non-traditional appearance. The handles are black plastic and are nearly identical to the handles on the PK2 paring knife. While I prefer non-serrated steak knives, these cut very well and do not tear meat but slice cleanly and efficiently. The serrations are single bevel (meaning one side of the knife is flat all the way to the edge) and this may contribute to their cutting qualities. Definitely worth it for under $20. I'd much rather watch my kids learn how to cut correctly with these than with an expensive set of Shun knives that I knew I would need to hone after every meal.

OK, so I thought a knife is a knife is a knife. I've had the same basic set for 20 years and I never knew the difference. That was true until my dad gave me a chef's knife of a different brand. I was actually afraid to use it at first as he warned me it was very sharp. Well, once I did, I fell in LOVE and became obsessed with adding more knives to my collection of one. I spent hours researching, learning and reading reviews about knives. KAI knives kept coming up over & over with top notch scores at a FRACTION of the cost. I was not about to spend hundreds of dollars on a knife set... Isn't it still just a knife? I purchased a set of 6 KAI knives at Costco for $24. This one was not included and I knew I just had to have it. I no longer cringe when I chop herbs and cooking is actually more fun. By no means do I have any knife skills and I am still slow (don't forget it is very sharp), but chopping is no longer a chore. If you are anything like me, BUY this knife. The difference is night and day. The colors are great - it allows you to designate knives for different purposes which apparently prolongs their usefulness and avoids cross contamination (who knew?). I will buy another one as a gift for my mom. She thinks a knife is a knife is a knife.