Xinzuo Feng Series Nakiri & Chef’s Knife Review: Japanese SRS13 Steel 

Thank you for sharing your experience with the handle, really appreciated!

What hand size do you fit with the chart? 2:24 (for the chart). Very curious about that, as I want to include the chart for future reviews.

Thank you for objective reviews. Yours video is reason I gave the brand a chance.I'll have to measure, but I use L size kitchen gloves. Also the Lan series composite steel I took about 9 months ago. Also had no problem with the handle.

​@@ouroboros_on_the_orange Thank you! Glad you like them I will see if I can improve the measurement guideline. As it is more intended to be measured with the measuring tape as displayed on the image. Closely wrapped as displayed with the fingers slightly spread out. Tested it with around 15 people from various hand sizes, but I also noticed that those that already familiar with bigger handles generally fit in faster. For this series it depends on how they finished the narrow part as the Chef's knife version was less noticeable and keeping them side by side I noticed that the handle on the Chef's knife is a bit wider digging less on my pinky finger compared to the Nakiri handle.

Very unfortunate to hear that. Xinzuo/Hezhen is pushing a lot of series lately. Hopefully, they can keep implementing improvements with each new series.

I think I have the PM8 not sure which one as I'm currently finishing other series and brands but I think I had one send over. Can't say much about it until I have unboxed and tested it.

Late reply I think I might have an M390 from them but still unboxed have been quite busy lately. But once I get to it I will review that one.

Yeah, thank you for the comment it was harder for me to recommend mainly due to the handle shape. It is also hard to display something like that in a video, so I have added a hand-size chart for those who cannot test them in person (although holding the knife in person is one of the best ways in a retail store for example, the second best way is to actually use it for a longer period but that is something you can't do without buying it first).

WOOOO!!! 😀

There will be more improvements coming in future series, as I have met them in person at the Ambeinte event in Germany. I have spoken to the designer/co-founder too, and they will be discussing it with the R&D department. I also realized they are essentially still an OEM despite having their own brand they distribute knives under various designs and brand names across the world and they get feedback from those brands and retailers too as to what the retailer's own customer base wants. Geometry is being pushed to newer series on cheaper steels, glad to see that being implemented. Also when I was at the event where they did not have a name on some of the series. I told them that I liked a particular knife, especially in comfort. That series has a name now the Hezhen X1 series. To my surprise, they recently told me that the knife series I told the designer I wanted to see more of, actually won a London Gold Design award in 2024. (While it was a design award I told the designer that I wanted to see more of that due to the comfort, and unique handle that directly felt good in my hands despite not having the standard design on the handle). Other things I have discussed were the materials used, like the black buffalo horn and how it shrinks/cracks in environments with high humidity or temperature changes. They did some more testing and they decided to remove the metal ring dividers as that is one of the main causes along with the humidity levels. Since it is a natural material there will always be some shrinkage involved unless they replace it with a man-made one. (But those materials are very popular with the retailers they provide OEM services too). More steels are being experimented with and some are already out. Other concerns I had (review will still be published need to finish 3 more videos of other products/brands), they told me they entirely stopped production and will no longer sell them once it is sold. As they agree with my points on those series. While I told them I found the handle sizes on some of them a bit too big on the circumference size, I also realized after talking to them that they also get feedback from reputable retailers taking OEM services from them. One of them is that many home cooks like bigger handles as told by retailers, and those in a commercial environment prefer a lighter-handled knife. (also geographically dependable). looking forward to what Xinzuo has to bring, one thing for sure is that the prices will no longer be as low as they used to be since the brand has now been established compared to when I first discovered the brand. I will keep pushing them on the improvements that they can make!

@@chefpanko It's good to know they are developing. They are an honest brand and seem open minded while trying to get better. As for steel choice there is one hidden gem among Chinese steels most people don't know about. 6Cr13 and 7Cr13 have similar composition to AEB-L and 13C26. They are the Chinese steel with the highest edge stability. With optimized heat treatment it probably could be hardened to 62-63 HRC and still retain good toughness. It's a cheap steel with premium performance and would be an awesome choice for fine edges.

To be honest I expect better when taking the price into consideration. Imported Japanese SRS13 cost more but I expect a taper on the chef's knife, the profile flaw on the Nakiri is unfortunate not sure if only my review sample was affected or not. The handle makes it hard to recommend as the contours favor a certain position and hand size. For the rest the knife is solid, I hope to see them improving it in future series I like the blade shape, a different handle, and lighter weight in the newer series. I have spoken to the lead designer, at the ambient event in Frankfurt so hopefully newer series will see more improvements incorporated. Since there is competition on the rise from other brands I'm currently testing a video of that brand that will follow soon but based on my first impression they are doing great for their first attempt in the kitchen knife world since they are known for their pocket knives (recorded the first impression video not sure if I will upload it or just only upload once the review/testing is completed).

@@chefpanko IMO, these are both beautiful designer knives that will work extremely well with enthusiasts looking for something new and different.

@@drrayeye Yeah design-wise they are great to look at, if they add some extra improvements the knives will be better overall. So definitely looking forward to seeing more with the same blade shape to suit a wider audience.