If it’s a ULU knife then I can say it with confidence that this is the quickest way to chop and dice. Loaded with benefits people say it is fabulous, sharp, and cuts almost everything!!
We can believe them, but let us know more about them in detail, the features, uses and benefits which many of you are not aware of I am sure.
Ulu knife…. Where did they come from?
It’s a knife from ancient times, roughly as early as 2500 BCE from Alaska. Some myths are probably attached to these knives. It was believed to pass on this knife from one generation to the other so that what was inherited had the ancestor’s knowledge attached to it.
It is a traditional knife and was also known as a woman’s knife. An all-purpose and versatile one. Apart from kitchen use, it is used for manifold applications such as skinning, cleaning animals, trimming snow blocks (building igloo), cutting a child’s hair, food and also as a weapon.
3 Best Alaskan Ulu Knife - A Quick Look-up
Low Tendency To Rust
Aesthetically Pleasing Handle
Best For Cutting, Chopping, Dicing
Durable & Comfortable Handle
Resist Stain & Rust Design
Protective Cover for Cuts
Easy To Sharpen Edge
Large And Easy To Hold Handle
Comes With A Walnut Stand
Why These 5 Ulu Knives Are The Best - Detailed Reviews
1. Ulu Skinning Knife With Bowl set
A beautifully designed ulu Bowl set. This complete set from the Ulu factory consists of one cutting bowl and ulu knife. This chopping knife is designed in Alaska (the origin country) and has the Alaska logo carved beautifully on the wooden part of the knife. Check out the first hand review by a real user.
The measurement of the knife is about five inches across and is broad in structure. Birchwood is used for making the knife handle. The sight of this AK Cutlery set just makes you fall in love with it.
The blade is of high-quality stainless steel. The fine steel blades of the knife let no stains or rust stay on it easily. This knife can be placed anywhere in the kitchen and will surely let other people turn their heads.
PROS:
➽ This ulu knife needs very low maintenance. If the knife is kept clean and dry then it will be corrosion-free.
➽ The cutting bowl of the set is sturdy and doesn’t slip away easily if placed properly on a counter top.
➽ It serves as a proper utility item as it allows proper cutting, dicing, and chopping.
➽ Any tool can be used for sharpening this knife either it is stone or knife sharpeners whenever required.
➽ The bowl is flat enough from the bottom and can be used as a cutting board with ease.
➽ This efficient cutting bowl can be kept and stored at a dry place along with the ulu knife.
CONS:
➽ The handle of the knife is of wood and has to be kept completely dry so that the knife should not rust. If the knife is kept in open for air drying, it might lead to corrosion.
➽ If the knife is soaked in water, the handle of the knife can come out easily.
➽ There are chances that after moderate use the bowl might break and lose its sturdiness.
2. Alaska Ulu Knife And Chopping Bowl Set
This Alaskan designed Ulu knife set from Arctic circle is uniquely designed and comprises of an Ulu knife and a cutting block. A 6” insert bowl is fitted to the knife blade and this inset serves as a storage place for the knife. It has an 8”x 8.25” cutting block. Please do look into the accessories that are included with the pack.
This sharp knife is of stainless-steel blade and is attached with a wooden handle. The stainless-steel blade measures six inches in size. There is a slot in the wooden cutting block which serves as an amazing knife stand.
PROS:
➽ The best feature of the knife which I felt is that it is a combo pack in which chopping can be done with ease and the amazing knife stand keeps the knife intact.
➽ There are no separate attachments necessary as the whole bowl set is quite compact.
➽ The edges of the ulu knives maintain their sharpness and edge for a long time as the bowl set is manufactured as such.
➽ We often worry about the staining of the knife, but this knife is of a stainless-steel blade, and if kept clean and dry, it will certainly catch no rust.
CONS:
➽ As far as the product is concerned, the shallow part of this cutting bowl supports only a small amount of chopping of veggies and herbs. Though if we talk on a positive note small amounts of cheese and herbs can be sliced or diced easily.
➽ The corrosion or rusting aspect is always attached to a knife, in the same way, this knife should be kept clean and dry to avoid that.
➽ The handle might loosen with time.
➽ The wooden bowl gets cuts with frequent use and appears a little messy.
3. Alaskan Ulu Legendary Knife
It is one of the best knives which the chefs love the world over. It is certainly a rocker knife. This knife is manufactured in the Ulu factory. It is made up of fine stainless steel and comes with a walnut knife stand. The large wooden handle of the knife is easy to handle. Here is a genuine usage review by an original user
This knife is best suited for single-handed people or people who have weak hands. This knife is skilfully designed which gives more agility and leverage. Very easily and efficiently all sorts of chores can be performed with this knife.
This knife is certainly a unique one and has an amazing feature that it can be sharpened easily, giving the knife a much longer life and usability. This uniqueness of the knife sets it apart from the other rocker knives. The stainless-steel blade measures 6 inches across. This knife was fondly used by native people of the Arctic.
PROS:
➽ This knife has a large handle which is easy to use and hold.
➽ The knife can be easily settled on the beautiful walnut knife stand when not in use.
➽ The unique quality of this knife is that edges are easy to sharpen.
➽ This special knife possesses a lot of dexterity.
➽ Certainly, a worthy knife which is an asset to own.
CONS:
➽ Extra care of the knife has to be taken by keeping it clean and dry to avoid rusting.
➽ Frequent sharpening of the blade is required.
➽ Proper oiling of the wooden handle and knife stand needs to be done.
4. KoBza Sharp Rocker Slicer with Protective Cover
A marvelous pizza cutter knife with the stainless-steel blade as a wheel and mezzaluna chopper. It’s one of the best as compared to other knives. As far as the comfort aspect is concerned, this knife is so flawless that it can be used efficiently for cutting meat, vegetables, cheese, fruits, pizza, and nuts, etc. William an user reviewed this product after one month of usage, there is what he said.
The moment we grip this knife in hand it gives a great sense of ease and the movement of the hand is so smooth. It also comes with a specially designed cover to keep it secure when not in use. It can easily be cleaned in a dishwasher. This knife has a perfect weight and size and can be easily used for your outings, picnics, BBQs, etc.
It is a robust knife that comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. The blade of the knife is 6.5 inches across. It comes with a durable rubber handle. This is not just a pizza cutter knife but a multipurpose one. It has a stainless-steel blade with an ergonomic slip-resistant handle. This knife just slides off and there is no chance of getting the food to be stuck.
PROS:
➽ A flawless knife in which food doesn’t get stuck.
➽ The cutting and slicing can be done in both directions, vertically and horizontally.
➽ The steel blade is designed is such a way that it can resist any kinds of stains and rust.
➽ The knife has a protective cover which helps in proper storage of the knife and prevents accidental cuts also.
➽ The edges of this ulu knives are easy to sharpen.
➽ The maintenance is quite easy.
CONS:
➽ Despite the cover, which is used to keep the knife intact the risk prevails for accidental cuts, as the cover is loose and fragile.
➽ The rusting happens easily.
➽ There is a risk of the blade being chipped, splintered or broken in case of moderate use.
5. Alaska Natural Exotic Wood Ulu Knife
Another knife straight from the Arctic circle. This is a differently designed knife as it features an etched blade. It features an unconventional wooden handle and a beautiful matching wooden stand. I just can’t stop my eyes from staring at this beautiful one. You can also see the reason of negative reviews by few users.
A very fine stainless-steel blade is attached to it. An image of the state of Alaska has engraved the knife. The knife stand and the knife handle both come in natural earth stones and shades of bright reds. The wooden stand of the knife is very exotic.
Most of the Alaskan Ulu knives have a standard size of 6 inches, similarly, this knife also measures six inches across. This knife is boxed properly. It is a very sturdy knife for tough cutting. The maintenance of the knife is also very easy. The knife is designed in such a way that it gives resistance to any kind of stains or corrosion. The sharpening of the edges of this knife is very easy.
PROS:
➽ The stainless-steel blade is designed beautifully. The handle and the knife together look very good together.
➽ The knife blade is beautifully edged also.
➽ The edges could easily be sharpened.
➽ Having one such a robust knife in the kitchen is a chef’s charm.
CONS:
➽ Proper care of the wooden handle and the knife stand should be taken.
➽ The handle of the knife can sometimes get loosened due to moderate usage.
ULU VS Mezzaluna Knife
Both the knives ULU and Mezzaluna are similar in their appearances. But to point out they share a few differences too.
Difference 1
The ulu’s feature a one handle which is perpendicular while the mezzaluna features two-short handles. Hence, one-handedness like the ulu can’t be seen in the latter that features two hands.
Difference 2
Many types of herbs can be chopped with mezzaluna and a cutting bowl, or a board with a depression becomes essential to prevent them from scattering all over the kitchen. As far as slicing a pizza pie, meat, and veggies the ulu knife performs in a much better way.
Difference 3
The mezzaluna features either a single-curved blade or a parallel pair to one another. While the ulu has a curved blade that intersects the handle (made of antler/horn/bone).
ULU Knife Types
The four varied types of ulu knives are named after their original region.
Alaskan (or Inupiat): This comes with a part that’s cut out of a blade. The ends of the blade from both sides are fitted into the handle of the Alaskan ulu knife.
Canadian: In this ulu knife type the handle is attached with a thin stem. This comes in two versions:
1. A triangular blade that is from the Canadian Arctic (western part).
2. A more pointed blade that is more utilized in the eastern part.
East Greenlandic: This is another unique design with a curved and a small handle attached to a rectangular blade.
West Greenlandic: This knife design owns a small, thin handle. This is further attached to an oval-like, pointed blade with a thin stem.
ULU Knife Uses
The four varied types of ulu knives are named after their original region.
You can put the ULU knife to a variety of uses and tasks. In the good old days, these knives were used by women for fulfilling everyday needs. Some of their wonderful uses are here:
Cutting and slicing food
Skinning animals
Cutting hair
Self-defense
Trimming blocks of snow and ice for igloos
In modern times as of today, the ulu knives are confidently used in the kitchens for various purposes. You can cut, chop, slice, dice, mince with absolute ease. Any of the foods such as fish, meat, vegetables, and poultry can be cut through effortlessly.
This is appreciated by hunters, fishermen, and other knife users as they work wonderfully for skinning animals, dressing any large or small game, filleting fish, cleaning animals etc.
As we have mentioned earlier also the single-handedness of this knife brings the differently-abled people much ease when they are involved in kitchen chores.
It feels really nice when the people suffering from arthritis, wrist pain, nerve disorders, carpal tunnel, or any other medical conditions can participate more often in the kitchen. This feature undoubtedly makes these knives more special.
Wrapping Up:
In the end, we can say it with confidence that Ulu knives are one of the best commercial knives of the modern world today. They are multifaceted knives. They were centuries back used by the tribes of Alaska. Today’s Ulu knives are completely transformed ones.
The beautiful handles and attached cutting bowls are definitely an added attraction to it. I am so fond of my ulu knife and chopping bowl set and it feels great while using it. It is a rocking knife and can be used for chopping with great ease and comfort. It has very fewer maintenance issues. A complete package in one.
So, what are you waiting for? Just buy your ulu knife set and be a proud one!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Where Did The Ulu Knife Come From?
Ans: It is a knife from ancient times, roughly as early as 2500 BCE from Alaska. Some myths are attached to these knives. It was believed to pass on this knife from one generation to the other so that what was inherited had the ancestor’s knowledge attached to it.
Q2. Can The Knife Get Corroded?
Ans: The handle of the knife is of wood and is to be kept completely dry so that the knife does not rust. If the knife is kept open for air drying, it may lead to corrosion. If the knife is soaked in water, the handle of the knife can come out easily.
Q3. The Utility Of The Ulu Knife Depends On Which Factor?
Ans: The utility and usage of this knife depend on its size. The ulu knives with smaller blade sizes like 2 inches would be used to cut sinew. In ancient times patterns on animal skins (caribou and seal) were prevalent, a Kimagtuut was used for it. For general tasks, a 6-inch ulu knife was being used and even today, this size is a standard size for most of the ulu knives.
