# Nexus knives



## aliphares (Jan 7, 2018)

Anyone seen the new line by cutlery and more? It's called the Nexus, pretty much the same run of the mill set as all western knives, I don't think they even sell a 10 inch chef's, but it's BDN1 steel and they're cheaper than a tojiro.


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## aliphares (Jan 7, 2018)

benuser said:


> BD1N you mean.


Lol yes.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

For starters, for $60 you can't expect they actually deliver a knife properly hardened and tempered to the max this steel can give, as claimed. Typically the mass manufacturers are about 2 or more points off their claims. The Grind is another issue needs to be discovered. BD1N certainly is preferred to VG-10, some very expensive knives from F Dick and Perceval, and some others, are made from it. But only time will tell if Nexus shows doing a consistently good job with it.

Yoshihiro is a company that puts out a lot of knives that appear to be bargains, but there have been QC issues with them. Return policies make a lot of difference here, C+M probably has a good one, but I'd make certain of that first.

So Aliphares, you think you'll be the first to review this one here? I'd certainly like to know more.


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## aliphares (Jan 7, 2018)

Oh I know, and I couldn't agree more. It still got me curious, seeing a decent steel being so agressively priced. Even though the last time I saw it was the tojiro ITKs and God knows how many f&f issues those had. 
I don't live in the US, and paying 50 bucks for shipping plus taxes And customs is a bit too much for me, especially since I'm just a med student (aka perpetually broke)


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

A few comments about previous posts.

1 yes they are BD1n. the same steel as in a ken onion sky or a Apogee/Yaxell Dragon. I also own each of those.
2 Yes, they may be cheaper than a Tojiro DP, but they cater to different needs. Tojiro ITK and DP are in that price range. They are both JAPANESE knives by a company with superb reputation ITK is MV steel. DP is a 3 layer with VG10 core. Both have great 'hand" but they are budget models. Don't expect much fit and finish from them, but DO expect great value and reliability.
Nexus is a CHINESE knife. It is marketed as one of C&M's house brands. Because it is a house brand and because it is COMMUNIST Chinese, it can offer great value because they do not have environmental or workman rights. But it IS made by a what I would say IS the best in terms of social responsibility of all the Chinese companies. I am not sure if they are going to reveal who the manufacturer is. I just happen to know from other sources. I have a dozen of their other knives under their own brand and under other companies. Additionally you have C&M insisting on decent employment practices and also in good QC. I personally own 2 gyutos and 2 paring from this series. And you have C&M SUPERB customer care. I can verify C&M has excellent practices and is very ethical.
3 BD1n is NOT preferable to VG10, nor is it less preferable to VG10. It can get higher Rockwell and it can be much tougher (less delicate) than VG10, but it is net even close to being as fine grained. It has very little finesse and it is a major bummer to sharpen. I like both steels. I think Carpenter did a great job, (but they are two completely different types of steel.) I do see a time 10 years from now that BD1n will seriously eat into sales of "German steel" (4116 steel) but it won't hurt the samles of VG10.
4 I personally own two gyutos and 2 paring of these. They are not bad at all. Right now there is an introductory price and at that price I highly recommend getting at least one. But it is NOT a replacement for a Japanese knife of aogami or shirogami or even VG10. It's a supplement to one. It is very functional very tough, but it has no finesse. Except that it is a major bummer to sharpen, I'm probably going to have it replace a "german steel" knife in my roll as my "beater" knife.
5 Yoshihiro is a company like many Japanese companies that has specs, then subcontracts those specs to quality workmen. They are VERY well curated and well thought out. I've used them for 20 years as have many others, their reputation is very good, but they are priced according to what you'd expect for a Japanese knife. Issues of F&F are relative to the series you buy. I probably have half a dozen from Yoshihiro and would buy from them again.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

The actual knife is actually BETTER F&F than the pics on C&M website. I was not impressed at the pic they have where the scales meet the bolster. On both of my actual production modesl, it is perfect.

Mild belly. MUCH less belly than most german knives, but more than a French. Point below the centerline. A little heavy overall, and "tip light" so it does have authority near the heel, and is nimble in the tip.

Nice distal taper The taper shape is nice. Sometimes you are afraid to use knives when the distal taper is too extreme. Also knowing it's a tough steel gives you confidence in the taper. Nice shaped handles. Nice feel on the pad of your hand. Needs a touch up on the spine and choil. This will give those who have not built up a callus at the base of their index finger a bit of discomfort. But because it's BD1n, instead of being 5 minutes with sandpaper it's more like 15-20 minutes. I've been using one a few weeks. At 63 Rockwell, I haven't had to sharpen it yet, but I know because of my Ken Onion Sky's and my Apogee Dragons, it will NOT be fun to do.

BD1N does not have the finesse of aogami, shirogami or VG10. This is NOT a replacement for a Japanese knife. This is a supplement to a roll that features Japanese knives. As mentioned I think this will be a replacement for a german steel beater knife.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Great info Harrison, thanks. I take it that is is a completely flat grind also, like Vic/fibrox and most Germans?

Speaking of cheap bargains, a knife by Homeer in AUS-8 was on Amazon for a while but disappeared. KKF post seemed to indicate it might win the award for best 8" chefs you can get for $15.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

wow! AUS8 for 15 bucks?????!!!!!
I'll keep my eyes out in the future.
By flat ground, you mean is it a tamped knife? No it has distal taper. It's also somewhat convexed, but not a ton. As far as flat belly, it has a moderate belly bwtween a French and a german, but the tip is below the centerline like a german.

There are some very very interesting developments in the at of steel in the very near future. the technology has been around for years, but some companies will be leading the way in terms of several different powdered metal technologis such as Metal Injection Molding as well as traditional PM to make ingots.
I think BD1n may be a game changer in the future because even though it's hard, it's also pretty tough. but in addition to brining toughness to a relatively hard knife, it will also drive down the costs, making hard steel availible to the average home cook.
But as I mentioned it's relatively coarse grained and doesn't have the finesse of VG10 or other steels in it's hardness range. It's not going to replace VG10, Aogami or Shirogami, but if I had money I'd be selling shares of Krups and buying shares of carpenter.

I just got a sintered knife from an American knife maker. Not bad, I love supporting local business, but more importantly MIM may really change the mass produced knife market in the next 5-10 years. (I think the market for handmade knives will always be there)


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

On the iHomeer blade:

$13.99 in stock from and fulfilled by Amazon.


Do be careful about which blade you are purchasing. The site also has an AUS-10 core steel Damascus blade choice at $69.99 and a 4116 blade choice at $39.99.

So far, 42 positive 5-star reviews, including verified purchases (no lesser ratings shown). However, all 3 choices have the same reviews, so I would advise a degree of caution - you won't know which blade is being discussed.

Heat treatment not known. On the not-so-approving level, there's more belly in the blade than is my preference, but that's just me.

Since, from time to time, I need some less expensive "guest" and "group" knives, I may buy some.

That would probably be better than some very cheap 4116 steel 9-inch chef's knives I picked up a week ago for $7.99 each at an off-price chain store. Really wierdly-shaped molded plastic handles, which I need to use a rasp to re-configure.

GS


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks GS, I forgot the little i. I'm pretty sure the Chinese have their own version of AUS-10. Had a paring knife by them I swear must have been made with it. Held an acute edge very well.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

wow! that's amazing AUS8 for less than 4116!!!!!
That's a mind blower!

I might have to pick some of those up to give to students
13.99 is amazing!
I just switched out two "beater" knives of 4116 to the nexus in bd1n because I know C&M has great customer service and because it's pretty easy to figure out who the subcontractor was. (IF it's who I think it is, they do very good work under their own name as well)
never heard of Homeer, but for 13.99 and free shipping, why not?
thanks for the referal


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## Brocklion (Apr 23, 2018)

One of those reviews looks like a copy of marketing literature. For the pride, I'd give it a try. Hardness is related to brittleness. I'm not likely to drop a knife onto a concrete floor to find out if it's a problem. I'll wait for reports from others to find out about that. as for more work to sharpen, it should worth the effort. I'll take it to the lab to see if it is as hard as claimed.


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

which reply sound like marketing?

hardness CAN be related to brittleness, but with new metal technology and with tools steels, that is not always the case. Nitrogen fixing is a way to increase hardness without significant loss of toughness or impact resistance. You're trapped in a 20th century metallurgy mindset. BDN1 is tougher than VG10 or AUS10 at a higher Rockwell. that does NOT mean it is an ideal steel. AUS10 and VG10 have more finesse (and are easier to sharpen). BD1N isn't going to replace them, but Iif I had stock in Krupps I'd be selling them and buying shares in Crucible, Carpenter, Sandvick, Aiichi, Daisu, and Boders Udenheim (they aren't the only makers, just the leaders). I also do NOT think that even the new supersteels will be replacing shirogami and aogami (Hitatchi),


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## james adcock (Dec 14, 2016)

I just bought the Nexus BD1N 8-inch Chef's Knife from cutleryandmore via Amazon. I was disappointed in the knife. Fit and finish were better than what I expect. Handle is good. Spine was left quite square-edged. Wider spine means the knife wedges more in hard vegetables. Tip arrived somewhat ground-off -- almost as if they had chipped off the tip and then reground it. Knife arrived sharpened to more-like 20 degrees than 15, but when I resharpened it to 15 degrees it started to perform better. But the killer for me is that the blade curves up towards the handle at the heel, meaning that my knuckles have to hit the cutting board to complete the cut. This is a strange design defect that cannot be solved without regrinding the whole knife. Depending where you look online, some of the knife images show this design, other images show the heel finishing parallel to the handle, which would be more normal. Almost like they couldn't decide whether they were designing a push chopper or a rocking chopper, and then at the end decided to go with a rocking chopper -- but even for a rocking chopper hitting my knuckles on the cutting board is a "no go" for me.


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

I also picked up both a 240mm Nexus gyuto and a Nexus paring knife.

I'll second james adcock's experience with the lack of a flat section along the edge, with the blade profile having a continuous curve all the way back to the heel. I wasn't sure if my experience was atypical, and I've had too many items on my to-do list, so I just put the blade into my "mebbe get around to it later" pile of project knives. But, having two different purchasers having this problem strongly suggests that many of the blades may have this design issue.

And an update on the iHOMEER knife - the Amazon price is no longer $13.99 - the new price is $29.99. Ahhhh, the inconsistancies of Amazon pricing over time.

GS


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

james adcock said:


> I just bought the Nexus BD1N 8-inch Chef's Knife from cutleryandmore via Amazon. I was disappointed in the knife. Fit and finish were better than what I expect. Handle is good. Spine was left quite square-edged. Wider spine means the knife wedges more in hard vegetables. Tip arrived somewhat ground-off -- almost as if they had chipped off the tip and then reground it. Knife arrived sharpened to more-like 20 degrees than 15, but when I resharpened it to 15 degrees it started to perform better. But the killer for me is that the blade curves up towards the handle at the heel, meaning that my knuckles have to hit the cutting board to complete the cut. This is a strange design defect that cannot be solved without regrinding the whole knife. Depending where you look online, some of the knife images show this design, other images show the heel finishing parallel to the handle, which would be more normal. Almost like they couldn't decide whether they were designing a push chopper or a rocking chopper, and then at the end decided to go with a rocking chopper -- but even for a rocking chopper hitting my knuckles on the cutting board is a "no go" for me.


1 It's not that they don't know if they are rocker or chopper. Just like many knives, they are hybrids.

2 your style IS a valid style, but it's not the only style.

3 the blade angle is 15 degrees. I measures it with an electronic angle guide it IS correct within one degree. And I have two of them. So you've had your knife that sort a period of time, and you know bd1n has a certain range of edge retention, but you claim you've already resharpened it to the same exact blade angle? I find that more than a bit odd.

4 blade angle is NOT the only thing that gives the perception of sharpness. grain and tooth based on which stones you use. I DO believe that by using what I would consider to be a moderately coarse stone, you got a better perception of "sharpness". but that's the same with ALL machine finished knives. The out of box tooth is going to be minimal.

5 Also this is bd1n steel. ALL steels have benefits and detriments. There is no perfect steel. bd1n isn't fine grained. It' lacks the finesse of other steels but it is not delicate for it's relative hardness.

6 As far as knuckle clearance, I DO believe your experience is true for YOUR ergonomics and YOUR style. I 100% support your experience , for you. I've heard similar complaints about just about every mass produced knife on the market and not just ones that have a low blade height. I heard that same comment about the Bob Kramer Euroline knife the other day and I'd say that knife is uncomfortably tall, FOR ME. Every person's style and ergonomics are different. You're the only person I've ever known to go heel down. I can tell you that most working cooks would nave no trouble using this knife. If you're going "heels down" in your cutting, I think you're going to have a lot of issues cooking with ANY knife you choose.

I measured my knife it's 45 mm height. 43-47 is the standard height for most knives. If you need a 47, I believe you, but that does not mean other people do and that does not mean it isn't good or isn't bad.

7 again, this is nowhere near my favorite knife. I HIGHLY favor a flatter belly for MY style and ergonomics. But other people like a belly and other people like a hybrid.
Bd1n is not my favorite steel or even close to it, but it DOES make a good choice for people looking to upgrade off "german steel"


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## harrisonh (Jan 20, 2013)

harrisonh said:


> 1 It's not that they don't know if they are rocker or chopper. Just like many knives, they are hybrids.
> 
> 2 your style IS a valid style, but it's not the only style.
> 
> ...


_______________
separately I missed the deal on the ihomeer. It is a THIRD PARTY sale, not "amazon price". I don't doubt that eventually it will go on sale again. I would not have used it for myself, for more than 10 minutes, but it would have been great to give to my students who are people who used to be homeless/chronically unemployed to help them transition in to self-sufficiency for themselves and their families. I usually give out one tojiro DP and a few mercer genesis, mercer rennaisance this would have allowed me to help more people. But when a new cook walks in with a DP or a mercer, it's pretty likely they'll at least get a stage. If they showed up with an ihommer, it's better than showing up with no knife at all. 
But thanks for the tip gallery swiller. Fingers crossed it will go on sale again.

_______________


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

Just for my own amusement, I just looked up the 8 inch AUS-8 steel iHOMEER on Amazon.

Current price is now $11.99.

No idea as to how long that price will last. But, it is fulfilled by Amazon.


GS


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