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Knife Buying Blog

Varmint

By Varmint
in Kitchen Consumer

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Varmint

Varmint

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They're here!!!!!

Initial impressions: I think I like the feel of the Shun more than the Ryusen. The "D"-shaped handle is a fantastic configuration and is very comfortable in my hand. It's wild to have the blade be slightly off center from the handle, but I like it! Also, the tang on the Ryusen is slightly noticeable in the hand, unlike the Shun, where it is buried. I love the lack of bolsters in both knives. The Shun's weight, taking into account its larger blade length, is proportionately a bit heavier than the Ryusen. I think that's because of the handle and the blade width. The height of the Shun's blade is larger than the Ryusen. God, I want to use these suckers!!!

Dean McCord

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Varmint

Varmint

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The 9-1/2 inch Ryusen would add about 0.6 ounces and make the blade height slighly broader than the Shun. I'm torn. The Shun I have sells for $116. The larger Ryusen sells for $184. But I really think I like this D-shaped handle.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

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Chad

Chad

Posted
Posted
The 9-1/2 inch Ryusen would add about 0.6 ounces and make the blade height slighly broader than the Shun. I'm torn. The Shun I have sells for $116. The larger Ryusen sells for $184. But I really think I like this D-shaped handle.

The Shun is a great knife. If the handle fits your hands, go for it. The Ryusen is theoretically a "better" knife. It has 63 layers of damascus to the Shun's 16. So what? The damscus is largely decorative. The core of both knives is VG-10 hardened to about 62-63Rc, so the cutting edge is going to be exactly the same. This was my dilemma late last year. I wanted the Shun. I ended up with the Hattori/Ryusen because I found a really great deal.

If I recall, you mentioned that the Ryusen is sharpened to a steeper angle (13-15 degrees?). BFD. It'll have a slightly better out-of-the-box sharpness than the Shun (15-17 degrees), though you'd be very hard pressed to tell the difference. And the edge angle is really up to you. Ahem. There is a sharpening tutorial, you know :raz:.

Damascus, VG-10 and esoteric angles aside, go with what feels good in your hands.

Anyway, if it were me, I'd keep the Shun and spend the extra money on a Spyderco 204 sharpening system.

Chad

Chad Ward

An Edge in the Kitchen

William Morrow Cookbooks

www.chadwrites.com

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robyn

robyn

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Robyn, you mistake my intent, I think. My point was that the vast majority of "professional" knife sharpeners, just aren't professional kitchen knife sharpeners. You, obviously, have found one of the good ones. That's a joy. Treasure him. He and his ilk are few and far between.

A good knife sharpener will have, if he's under 50 or so, a Tormek grinder with integral blade guides, a slack belt sander for convex edges, a paper wheel for finishing edges, and numerous other toys with which to ply his trade. Older sharpeners might have a less elaborate setup, but be able to get more out of it by dint of their experience. Again, that is a rarity. Most itinerant sharpeners deal mainly with garden tools rather than high end kitchen knives. The professional sharpener who deals primarily with restaurants and discriminating customers is a dying breed. When I said to tip him well, that was a way of saying that you have found one in a million -- keep him happy. It's like finding an artisanal cheese maker.

Chad

Don't worry - I will try to keep him very happy - without doing anything that would upset my husband :smile:. Robyn

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AzRaeL

AzRaeL

Posted
Posted
In addition to not being able to test drive a knife in stores and the lure of exotics (like those Hattoris posted recently) only available via mail order, I would hate to move to a Japanese knife and then in 3 months wish I had the heft of a German style knife. Has anyone had regrets in this area or felt the need to use a heavier knife frequently?

How important is heft?

i use a 6" Santoku which is very light. When i need to cut something reallly firm, like a Galangal, i whip out the Chinese Chopper (no. 1 size, weighs damn near a pound or more).

Do not expect INTJs to actually care about how you view them. They already know that they are arrogant bastards with a morbid sense of humor. Telling them the obvious accomplishes nothing.

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bobdavis

bobdavis

Posted
Posted (edited)
The 9-1/2 inch Ryusen would add about 0.6 ounces and make the blade height slighly broader than the Shun.  I'm torn.  The Shun I have sells for $116.  The larger Ryusen sells for $184.  But I really think I like this D-shaped handle.

I have never held a Ryusen, but I have a 10" Shun chef's knife - and love it. I use it all the time, rarely picking up one of the others I have (unless the nature of what I'm doing really calls for something different). The handle is wonderful. I love how it feels in my hand.

If you keep it - you'll be happy.

(edit - I see you're keeping it - you'll love it)

Edited by bobdavis (log)
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Varmint

Varmint

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I took pictures last night, but I couldn't get the lighting right.

I used the Shun last night, and it's wonderful to have a knife that really works. It does have a bit more of a German feel to it than the Ryusen, but I ultimately liked the handle a bit more. Give me some time with it, and I'll try to give y'all some details. I still almost sent both knives back to get the big Ryusen, but I ultimately decided that the only reason I'd be doing that was because Shuns are so much more common than Ryusens -- it was an elitist thing. And I shun elitism (sorry, I couldn't help).

Dean McCord

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bilrus

bilrus

Posted
Posted (edited)
And I shun elitism (sorry, I couldn't help).

Not surprising considering the following quote from jhlurie on another hot thread:

Dean McCord ("Varmint") is whatever is the exact opposite of a food snob.
Edited by bilrus (log)

Bill Russell

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