Nakiri most definitely cannot use any steel. Using a very sharp nakiri made of a very hard steel is incomparably more enjoyable than using one made of ordinary

Nakiri most definitely cannot use any steel. Using a very sharp nakiri made of a very hard steel is incomparably more enjoyable than using one made of ordinary steel, due to the reduced force required for slicing, and it avoids the need for frequent sharpening. As long as it is used for its only intended function, i.e. cutting/slicing/chopping vegetables, nakiri has the optimum shape, at least for people like myself, who do not like the rocking motion required with French-style chef knives, but who prefer to slice or chop with precise rectilinear motions. For some things that might require the use of the point with European knives, like removing some defect in a vegetable, the heel of a nakiri blade is actually more convenient. Of course the nakiri shape is not versatile. If you want a multi-purpose blade, I prefer the kiritsuke shape (i.e. a trapezoidal blade, not much different from a box cutter with a longer point), because that kind of point allows a maximum precision in cuts. Using a Japanese peeling/paring knife with very thin, sharp and hard blade is much more enjoyable than using an ordinary paring knife made of stainless steel, due to much less effort for using it and more precise results (i.e. lower vegetable waste). A long time ago, I had been using knives like those described by you, but replacing them with up to 3 better knives (paring/peeling, cutting/slicing/chopping and boning) has completely changed cooking from something that was more of a chore to an enjoyable activity.