Shun Knives….

[Its_Raw]

Just thinking about knives today…. Not that I “need” a good knife, but I would like to have a decent knife. All we have now is a cheap set that I have to constantly attend to the edge because they roll so easily. I have been looking at the Shun 8” chef’s knife. Any experience with them?

Thank you!

 

[normanaj]

To rich for my blood. I'll stick with my ol' faithful Dexter Russell.

 

[Culinary Otter]

My biggest issue is for a similar price point you can get into handcrafted/artisan makers. Trolling around knife forums, I've read a lot of complaints that Shun's heat treating allegedly makes them easier to chip than other similar knives, but I've never personally had the issue. I have one Shun knife (not the 8" chef however). Performs fine.

See if you can find a store that carries it to see if you're happy with the weighting/balance of it. The best knife you have is one you enjoy using!

I'd also suggest looking at Tojiro. They come in at a price point I'd expect for a mass-produced knife, and are quite good.

Myabi might be worth a look too. Zwilling bought two knife factories in Japan, and that's where Myabi comes out of.

 

[texomakid]

We purchased a set of Shun knives about 5 years ago. Shun makes excellent knives. They were recommended by a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable in cutlery. Much lighter than others knives I've used (I've got a lot of knives.) You can pay more and you can pay less but Shun is a quality product. The Damascus steel blades are beautiful and they hold an edge better than any of my other knives.

 

[nlife]

See if you can find a store that carries it to see if you're happy with the weighting/balance of it. The best knife you have is one you enjoy using!

This basically sums it up.

It's best if you can handle the knife to see how it feels to you. I have the Shun 8" chefs knife, my wife has their Santuku. They are very nice knives. I also have a Zwilling, Henkles and a couple Victorinox. Each has a use and I enjoy them all.

 

[jcam222]

I'm sure the Shun chef is an exceptional knife. That said if all your knives are sub par perhaps you are better but ng a few very good knives at a lower price point. Zwilling Pro are excellent knives. I have quite a few knives and reach for my Zwilling Pro Rocking chef more than any other knife I own. I'd consider that knife and a boning knife from the same collection. Add a Mercer granton edge slicer and you've got 99.9% of anything you do covered. Trust me that Mercer will make your brisket and ribs slicing game soar. The rocking chef is awesome for all traditional chef knife tasks and amazing for chopping herbs.

 

[civilsmoker]

We have had Henkel 4 Stars (now Zwilling) going on 30 years now and they are still going strong. I'm a fan of them and I make custom knifes (limited #s).... I would make myself a set, but our 4 stars get "used" and left in the sink (never dishwasher), but I do have plans to make a set for myself in the future. The only issue we have had with our 4 stars is my wife broke the paring knife (about 25 years ago) while using it to "create" an opening in a condensed milk can. IE pound the tip in through the top and twist........ At the time it was $60 to replace it so let's say they don't get used to open cans anymore....... All that said, I highly recommend the 4 Stars.

If you enter the Forum Throwdown you can get a chance to receive this custom one....

 

[mforsta]

I have a set of Shun Knives and could not be any happier with them. They hold a edge very well and a few quick passes on a steel keeps them razor sharp. I think you can even send them in and they will sharpen them for free. I've own mine for about 7-10 years and have not had to send any in to be sharpened. I bought mine one a time depending on which knife I wanted. They are a little pricey but you can find them on sale at Cutlery and More.