• Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – detail view
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – side profile
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – handle detail
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – blade close-up
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – view 6
  • Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi – view 7
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Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi

Nakiri 130mm AEB-L Wabi Sabi

By Jim Dobbler

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Jim Dobbler

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A 130mm Nakiri vegetable knife from Jim Dobblers Wabi Sabi line. The profile, paying homage to its Usuba heritage, is very flat with a slight curve just before the end of the blade. At 130mm the blade feels nimble and agile, comfortable working with produce in hand or on the board. The edge is super thin and feels razor sharp perfect for detailed vegetable prep.

The blade is forged in AEB-L stainless steel, a very high quality steel with great edge retention and hardness (64HRC). Featuring a subtle hollow grind geometry the blade is very sharp and performs exceptionally well for fine slicing, while still making its way through more robust produce with ease. The hollow grind is subtle enough to give the knife a razor sharp edge while not impacting food release considerably, its very balanced an a joy to use.

The handle is made from a combination of Arizona Ironwood, imitation ivory and patinated brass. The combination is stunning!

Fit and finish on this blade is of the highest standard and and the knife is a joy to use.

    Product Specification
    • Blade Type:
    • Edge Length: 130mm
    • Spine Heel: 3.2mm
    • Spine Mid: 2.9mm
    • Spine Tip (20mm before): 2.8mm
    • Blade Height: 53.5mm
    • Weight: 1.94g
    • Cutting Edge Steel:
    • Steel class: Carbon
    • HRC: 64+
    • Blade Construction:
    • Blade Finish: TexturedKurouchi
    • Grind:
    • Handle Construction:
    • Handle Materials: Arizona Ironwood, Imitation Ivory and patinated brass
    • Handedness: Ambidextrous

    Blade type

    Nakiri

    菜切

    A double-bevel vegetable knife with a tall, rectangular blade and a straight edge that meets the board along its full length. That flat profile is built for one job done exceptionally well: clean, full-contact push and chop cuts through vegetables, with the height giving knuckle clearance and a broad face to guide sliced produce. There is no belly to rock, because rocking is not what it is for.

    The nakiri's specialisation is also its limit. It is superb on vegetables and unhurried prep, but the straight edge and squared-off tip make it poor at the tip work, rocking, and protein tasks a gyuto or santoku handle easily. It is best understood as a dedicated vegetable knife that earns its place alongside a more general blade rather than replacing one.

    View full knife type guide →

    Cutting edge steel

    AEB-L

    Fine-grain martensitic stainless steel

    Typical HRC
    60–63
    Corrosion class
    Stainless
    Production
    Conventional
    Origin
    Sweden (Uddeholm)

    AEB-L is the original fine-grain razor stainless — a steel developed for safety razor blades and rediscovered by knifemakers as one of the most refined stainless choices available. About 0.67 percent carbon and 13 percent chromium, with very low impurity content, allow the steel to take a near-carbon-grade edge while remaining genuinely stainless.

    In a custom or boutique kitchen knife AEB-L typically lands at 60–62 HRC, sharpens with the easy feel of a clean carbon, and produces a polished apex that holds an edge longer than its modest carbide content might suggest. Toughness is exceptional: at 62 HRC, AEB-L compares well to 52100 at the same hardness in published toughness data, which is the point that contemporary metallurgical writing on the steel has emphasised. It is the steel that taught a generation of makers that stainless need not feel coarse.

    AEB-L is heavily used in the modern American custom scene and is an honest answer to the cook who wants the feel of a clean carbon without the maintenance burden. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Lew Griffin and Oliver Märtens work in AEB-L. It is closely related to Sandvik 13C26 and a direct ancestor of 14C28N.

    View full steel guide →

    Blade construction

    Mono Steel

    A knife forged from a single piece of steel — no laminations, no clad layers. The simplest and most direct construction. The entire blade is the cutting steel, with no softer outer jacket to protect or contrast it. Most contemporary Western kitchen knives in carbon and stainless steel are mono-steel constructions, as are honyaki and most European bladesmith work.

    The trade-off is straightforward: mono-steel knives are easier to forge, sharpen, and reason about, but the entire blade carries the cutting steel's properties — including its reactivity if it's a clean carbon. There is no soft jacket to protect a more brittle core from impact, so the heat treatment and geometry have to do all the work.

    View full construction guide →

    Grind

    Hollow

    A grind with concave bevels, ground into the blade with a curved wheel so the sides scoop inward toward the edge. Removing that steel leaves an exceptionally thin, keen cutting edge and a noticeable air gap behind it, which can aid release on certain foods. The geometry produces a very sharp apex with minimal effort.

    That thinness is also the weakness. A hollow-ground edge has little steel supporting it, so it is more prone to rolling or chipping under hard use and loses its bite once sharpening reaches the thicker steel above the hollow. It suits slicing tasks and precision work, and is poorly matched to heavy or careless cutting.

    View full grind guide →

    Handle construction

    Hidden Tang

    A construction in which the tang runs into the handle but stays concealed inside it, rather than showing between two scales. A narrower tang — a full-length stick or a shorter projection — is set into a drilled or burned channel in a one-piece handle and secured with adhesive, a friction fit, or a threaded fitting drawn up against the blade. This is the traditional construction of Japanese wa-handles and many European hidden-tang knives.

    The design puts the handle material in charge of the look and feel: a single piece of wood, horn, or composite — often with a ferrule or spacers at the front — is shaped into any cross-section the maker wants, from the classic octagonal and D-shaped wa profiles to fully rounded Western forms. With no steel showing along the grip, the handle can be slim and light, and is frequently made to be removed and replaced, with the balance sitting toward the blade.

    View full construction guide →

    Shipping & Returns

    Shipping

    We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

    We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

    Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

    For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

    Returns

    If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

    • Returns are accepted for 14 days
    • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
    • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
    • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

    Faulty or Damaged Items

    You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

    Product Care

    Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

    Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

    Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

    Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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