Nakagawa Ginsan 寬斜角 Kasumi Petty 150mm

The Nakagawa Ginsan Wide Bevel is a line commissioned by Hatsukokoro that offers a series of very solid blades that are good for both professional works and home use. This line combines moderate thickness, decent profile and good detail finish in a completely stainless package, making these knives good all-rounders in most situations, wether at home or in a more professional setting.

The wide bevel in the name refers to the grind that these blades takes on. Usually Japanese double bevel knives will have a flat grind, where the secondary bevel starts all the way at the spine, in cases where the secondary bevels start halfway, they tend to blends into the flat zone slightly. This line however, have a very distinct boundary at the begining of its secondary bevel,creating a very sharp and geometrycall look, especially on the Kiritsuke Gyuto, which distinct the entire line from other plain Migaki finish knives.

Performance of the kinfe on the chopping board is great, as the bevel takes a concave grind, it is of a good sharpness even the thickness of the spine is not as thin as some "laser" knives, though there is a slight tendency for the food to stick due to this grind. This combination allows the edge to be thin, while having more material behind the bevel to provide toughtness in a professional setting.

The Ginsan steel used in this line is what makes these knives truly all-rounders in my opinion. Comparing with VG10, two steels have similar hardness and edge retention, but the higher alloy content in VG10(Mo,V and Co) makes the sharpening harder than a more "pure" composition like Ginsan's. Thus, in a commercial kitchen where the wearing and sharpening of knives happens more often, the Ginsan will often save time and efforts.

A drawback comes with Ginsan is that knives made with it tend to have a higher price, which is true on this line. Also, even the rounding and polishing on the spine and choil are all pretty good, the Migaki finish is not the aesthetically pleasing one in this price range. If these minor concerns don't bother you, this Ginsan wide bevel line will offer s me very good user's knives.