Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Nakiri Vegetable Knife will be your go-to knife for chopping up vegetables and fruits
What We Like
- German Steel
- Taper ground edge, forged blade
- Extremely sharp
- Santoprene handle offers superior grip
- Very affordable
What We Don’t Like
- Does not come with a sleeve
- Can’t be soaked
Bottom Line
With a reasonable price point, the Mercer Culinary Genesis Nakiri knife will be your go-to knife for chopping up vegetables and fruits.
Due to the high quality steel blade, this knife is downright razor-sharp- an easy to use a knife that your hand will love holding, and you’ll enjoy showing off your knife skills with it.
A Quick Mercer Culinary Genesis Nakiri Knife Intro
When you’re just not in the mood to cook, meal prep can feel tiring and challenging. So, you decide to settle for a sad bowl of mac and cheese once again.
With a Nakiri knife, chopping up food is super easy and quick. With the Mercer Cutlery Nakiri Knife, which has a German forged blade paired seamlessly with a super comfortable handle, cutting veggies is a breeze.
Let’s dive into more details about the knife so you can decide if this is the right one for you.
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Mercer Culinary Genesis Nakiri Vegetable Knife Design
At first sight, the knife looks sturdy and sharp, but aesthetically, not that special. However, upon closer inspection, you’ll find that this knife is masterfully designed to serve the purpose of chopping. It has a 7-inch blade, making it easier to cut bigger fruits and veggies, like watermelon.
A thick, super sharp, forged blade will help you slice through even the hardest veggies, such as potatoes, with ease. Moreover, it has a taper ground edge for added stability. The knife also has a half bolster, which has its upsides(discussed in the next section).
As far as the handle is concerned, you’ll love its ergonomic design and firm grip. Holding a Nakiri knife can sometimes be uncomfortable due to its size, but as long as you have a well-designed grip on the handle, as is the case with this knife, it shouldn’t bother you.
Mercer Genesis Forged Nakiri Vegetable Knife Features and Performance
Here’s a bit more about what this knife has to offer:
Blade Structure
German steel is also known for its hardness, and when you pair this with the strength of high carbon content, the result is a very durable piece of stainless steel that is stain and corrosion resistant.
This is exactly what this knife gives you. You won’t have to worry about chipping off the tip or the edge of the knife either, because it has a Rockwell hardness of 56+/-.
Plus, if you’re a fan of forged blades, you’re in luck with the Genesis Nakiri Knife. The single piece of steel bar in this knife makes it durable and also adds a nice bolster at the end of the blade.
However, this is a half bolster, which is important for a Nakiri knife. It allows you to use the full length of the blade to cut, without any interference. Furthermore, it’s easier to sharpen knives with a half bolster.
This Mercer Cutlery Nakiri knife also has a taper ground edge – at an angle of 15 degrees – for added stability while chopping. Also, the full tang gives a nice heavy feel to the knife, giving you optimum balance and leverage to cut through just about anything with ease.
Handle
The Mercer Genesis Nakiri knives have Santoprene handles. Santoprene is a type of rubber that is very strong but also pretty flexible. This gives you a comfortable hold and a firm grip so that nothing can make the knife slip through your fingers.
Moreover, the ergonomic shape of the handle makes it even more comfortable in your palm. This is why chopping vegetables and fruits will surely be easy peasy with this knife.
It’s not the most stunning handle, however, but with its comfort and superior grip, we’re not complaining. A nice little stamped logo at the end of the handle adds a bit of a premium touch, and that’s enough for a knife at this price point.
NSF Approved
All Mercer Cutlery knives, including this one, are NSF certified. This means they are good quality kitchen knives that are safe and ready to use in the kitchen.
What’s more? You get a limited lifetime warranty with it as well, which is a big plus.
Related article: Mercer Culinary Millennia 6-Inch Curved Boning Knife
Handling the Mercer Forged Nakiri Vegetable Knife
As mentioned before, the purpose of a Nakiri knife is to let you chop any kind of fruit or vegetable with ease. This knife’s full tang and razor-sharp blade help you do just that.
The full tang adds weight and helps you get a better balance while cutting. Most importantly, it gives you the leverage to slice through anything as if it’s butter, making the task less fatiguing.
Hence, using this Mercer cutlery knife in the kitchen is going to shorten the time you take to prep your meals. Keep in mind, though, that this knife is razor-sharp, and yet it requires hand washing instead of dishwashing, so you need to be extra careful while washing and drying it.
Another thing we want to point out is that it doesn’t come packaged in a sleeve, even though it’s pretty sharp, so that’s one more thing to be careful about.
Other than that, this knife is going to stay with you for a long time if you take some necessary measures, such as not using harsh chemicals on it or soaking it.
How much is the Mercer Culinary Genesis Nakiri Knife?
While other high-end brands have Nakiri knives well over a 100 bucks, this knife has a pretty eye-catching price if you consider all it has to offer.
For around 50-60 bucks, you get a full-fledged Nakiri knife that has a full tang, a bolster, German high-carbon forged steel, and a super sharp edge.
Specifications
- Dimensions: 2 x 1 x 12 inches
- Weight: 8.5 ounces
- Made in: Taiwan
- Material: German steel, Santoprene
- Warranty: Limited lifetime warranty
- Certificates: NSF
Related reading: Best Mercer Knives
Mercer Nakiri Knife Review Final Verdict
Here is the conclusion to our Mercer Forged Nakiri Vegetable Knife review: if superior sharpness and grip are the things you’re looking for, then this will be the perfect choice for you, especially if you consider its attractive price tag.
This knife isn’t winning any beauty pageants, though, and it doesn’t have a full bolster either. But if those things don’t bother you, then this Nakiri knife will quickly become your best bud during meal prep.
