Kershaw Shun Knives

[Megaroo]

Since my knife set is so bad (really, the WHOLE set was $19.99 and they're dull as can be) I've asked for an Alton's Angle 6" utility knife for Christmas. I've done a little research on Shun knives and they seem to be very nice... some people have complained that the handles are smaller, but since I have small hands, I doubt that will bother me at all. I figured that would be a nice starter knife and would give me a better idea if I'd like to buy more of their knives, or switch over to Wustof.

What are your thoughts on these knives? Does anyone own one of these knives? I'd really appreciate your thoughts...

[Sam Salmon]

Since it's a gift I'd say go for a Wusthoff Grand Prix 12 cm now-you will sooner or later anyway.

I've never used a Kershaw that was worth the money m'self.

[Behemoth]

Since it's a gift I'd say go for a Wusthoff  Grand Prix 12 cm  now-you will sooner or later anyway.

I've never used a Kershaw that was worth the money m'self.

←

I have the Shun Chef's knife. I got it as a gift last XMas and I love it love it love it love it love it. I too have small hands. It has a great grip, looks great, stays sharp, great blade. With the damascus steel on the sides I was nervous about sharpening, I am really careful -- and to be honest it barely ever needs much more than honing, like once so far with heavy use (!) -- and it came out of the box perfect. I never thought it would replace my beloved German chef's knife (high quality WMF), but for the most part it is now the one I grab first. The German knife has the advantage of being heavier, which is nice for certain tasks, but less nice for others IMO...But knives are a very personal thing. The best advice I can give you is to go to a kitchen supply place and hold a bunch of them, see how they feel in your hand before choosing one.

[ScorchedPalate]

I have the santoku; bought it for about half the list price on ebay. It's really gorgeous. I love it a LOT more than I thought I would. It has replaced my 10" wusthof as my main knife. It's very nimble and I love the handle shape. The only thing I would caution about is that the handle is molded for right hands, so if you're a southpaw, you may not be as delighted as I am. (I'm primarly left-handed but I use implements like knives right-handed.)

~Anita

[robyn]

Since my knife set is so bad (really, the WHOLE set was $19.99 and they're dull as can be) I've asked for an Alton's Angle 6" utility knife for Christmas.  I've done a little research on Shun knives and they seem to be very nice... some people have complained that the handles are smaller, but since I have small hands, I doubt that will bother me at all.  I figured that would be a nice starter knife and would give me a better idea if I'd like to buy more of their knives, or switch over to Wustof.

What are your thoughts on these knives?  Does anyone own one of these knives?  I'd really appreciate your thoughts...

←

Just in general - I'm not sure what a "starter knife" is. What kind of knife are you looking for? We have a bunch of knives (although no Shun knives) - and the 2 best knives we've bought in the last few years are a Santoku and an offset utility knife. Use them more than we would have imagined.

I have *extremely* small hands (like kid's hands) and my favorite handle style is the Henckels 4 Star. Note that the Wusthof Grand Prix has been discontinued (it's GP II now) - and the handles on those knives are too big for me. My husband has larger hands - he likes larger knife handles - and he can also handle larger knives than I can.

I think it's all very personal - and you should definitely "try on" a knife for size before you buy it. Robyn

P.S. The single best thing we do with our knives is get them sharpened professionally about once a year.

Edited November 28, 2004 by robyn (log)

[lambfries]

I've always preferred german knives until I held one of these babies in my hand. Perfect balance, not too heavy (less fatigue), comfortable grip, and it looks really cool too. I fell in love with immediately. I've used my Kershaw 10" chefs knife everyday at work since I bought it 6 months ago, and other than a few passes with a steel I still haven't had to sharpen it. I think they're incredible knives. You should still shop around and try different knives before you decide. Remember you don't choose the knife the knife chooses you.

[Chris Cognac]

I have the bread knife and its awesome..I use it for lots of stuff, it works great for carving roasts and stuff like that....I would love to get a few of them but they are pretty damn expensive!

[irodguy]

I purchased a 10 inch Shun Chef's knife @ the Chef's Catalog sale here in Dallas. I looked at them at the summer sale and then purchased one at the october sale after kicking myself for not buying it in the summer.

It's a GREAT knife. I have a complete set of Henckel and several Wustof knives including the 10 inch extra wide chefs and assorted Globals.

The Shun is much sharper and more exact. I have large hands and have no problem. The only thing that I wish is that it was a tad wider. I really wish I would have purchased one of their santoku knives also. They were both on very deep discount at the sale. I paid $75 for the 10 inch chefs and the 7 inch side santoku was on sale for $125.

Now what you need to ask for is a Chefs knife and a Santoku

[bilrus]

Add me to the chorus. I have had the Santoku and the 4 inch pairing knife for about 9 months and they are my two regular knives. (I still use my Henkels 4 star bread knife and meat slicer).

I have been very happy with them - much sharper and more "accurate". I sharpened them last week before the big Thanksgiving push and was reminded how nice they are. And I really like the handle shaape, even though I have really big hands.

[JAZ]

I know I'm unusual in this, but I find the Kershaw Shun handles really uncomfortable -- the "D" shape just doesn't fit my hand (it actually fits my left hand better, but I'm not left handed).

I'm not trying to dissuade you from buying them -- they're very good knives -- but I do recommend handling them before buying, just to make sure the handle fits well in your hand.

[Octaveman]

Shun knives are indeed great knives. I have two of them...Granton edge Santoku and a parer. I love their look and feel very much. It was extremely sharp out of the box and the steel is very hard so only honing is needed for a long while. If you use the pinch grip with your bigger knives rather than holding by the handle I don't think the handle size will be a problem for small handed people. If anything I'd think the bigger handle would give you more to hold therefor more control over the knife. Since I bought a Japanese Gyuto I don't use my Santoku much anymore but I can tell you Shun truely is a great knife. You can't go wrong by buying them. I see them on Ebay all the time. A good basis for comparing prices on ebay is Chef Depot.com. They have the lowest retail prices and this is where I bought mine. One note though, Shun chef knives are blade heavy but the Santoku's are more balanced so keep that in mind if you're considering both a chef knife and a Santoku. Another thing to think about is that Santoku's don't come very long. I think the longest is about 6.5 inches. This is why I use my 10 inch Gyuto more often. There was a previous post that said he/she wishes the knife was wider. Shun does have a wide Santoku too. Also, don't spend the extra money to get the granton edge Santoku because it doesn't come close to keeping food from sticking to the knife. If you have a store close by to check them out that would be ideal but I can pretty much guarantee you'll like the Shun Santoku.

Cheers,

Bob

[russ parsons]

i like the shun gyotou, but do visit korin and check out the missono and the hattori. the shun has a traditional japanese handle (not molded to the hand). if you're used to european knives, you might like these better.

[Megaroo]

I forgot to add that I did check out the Shun knife line when I went to a kitchen store the other day... they felt wonderful - not too heavy (which is a big thing for me) and the handle was just the right size for my hand. I also liked the feel of it, so I am quite excited!

Thanks to everyone for letting me know you like the line!

Edited November 29, 2004 by Megaroo (log)

[RETREVR]

First of all The 8" chef knife is not blade heavy. I haven't held the 10", but I can tell you that the 8" is ballanced.

I have used Wusthofs in a pro kitchen for about 15 years. I bought the shun 8" chef knife and haven't used my wusthof since. The old german knives have a place in my heart but not in my kit.

Shun uses a cobalt alloy for the interior layer of the knife. This is much harder than a typical german solingen steel. It is also more brittle, thus the layers of softer steel on the exterior. The blade is lighter and thiner than a german knife. The hardness allows you to put a more acute bevel on the edge thean a german knife could hold.

The shun also lacks the full bolster. This allows you to sharpen the entire blade.The handle is fine. You should not be holding a chefs knife by the handle anyway.

The shun line is a western patern with a quasi-japanese handle. Korin sells gyutos that are quasi-western patterns with western handles but have assymetrical bevels on the blades. Many of the gyutos use extremly hard steel or layers of steel. The gyutos make my Wusthofs look like something from Hasbro.

If you want to educate yourself look at some of the reviews over at http://www.knifeforums.com/ubbthreads/post...=&Board=Kitchen

[Placebo]

I love my Shun 6.5" santoku. The day I bought it it prety much completely replaced the 8" Wusthof Grand Prix chef's knife that had been my primary every-day knife for the previous 4 years. It's sharp and thin as hell, well-balanced and as a bonus is pretty as well. I like the short blade length as I tend to like piling my ingredients on the cutting board as I prep them and it leaves me a lot of room to maneuver.

[SG-]

thought I would mess people up with this pretty pic of a true damascus knife

[sassybat]

SG: that's just heartlessly cruel of you.

i bought my SO a shun 9" slicer since he loves making sushi. that knife is his baby and he's actually afraid to sharpen it because he's afraid of ruining the nice, straight edge. i like it because it's a beautiful, sturdy knife that is comfortable to use and retains its edge rather well.

[JC]

SG,

That piece from Bob Kramer sure is pretty. But the construction is similar to the Shun, i.e. a sanmai laminate, since it's got a 1600 layer outside and a 52100 core.

[Behemoth]

My understanding was that damascus steel is too soft to comprise the main part of the blade? But that knife sure is pretty....

[mrsadm]

The shun also lacks the full bolster.  This allows you to sharpen the entire blade.The handle is fine.  You should not be holding a chefs knife by the handle anyway.

←

Sorry maybe this is a newbie question, but if you don't hold a chef's knife by the handle, how do you hold it?

[SG-]

SG,

That piece from Bob Kramer sure is pretty. But the construction is similar to the Shun, i.e. a sanmai laminate, since it's got a 1600 layer outside and a 52100 core.

←

Hey JC, help me understand I always thought the Kershaw's were some form of faux damascus finish and not the true results of constantly folding the metals...

[winesonoma]

SG,

That piece from Bob Kramer sure is pretty. But the construction is similar to the Shun, i.e. a sanmai laminate, since it's got a 1600 layer outside and a 52100 core.

←

Hey JC, help me understand I always thought the Kershaw's were some form of faux damascus finish and not the true results of constantly folding the metals...

←

Alton's shameless promotion with explanation. http://www.altonbrown.com/pages/kershaw.html

[RETREVR]

The shun also lacks the full bolster.  This allows you to sharpen the entire blade.The handle is fine.  You should not be holding a chefs knife by the handle anyway.

←

Sorry maybe this is a newbie question, but if you don't hold a chef's knife by the handle, how do you hold it?

←

For most tasks I hold a chefs knife by pinching the heel of the blade and letting the handle run through my palm. I only realy hold it by the handle for sharpening and washing. The more ergonomic bumps and shapes a handle has...the less practical it becomes.....for me at least.

Other knives (boning, cimetar, slicer) are held by the handle. Again...anything beyond a basic shape tends to make the handle less comfortable....for me anyway.

It is my understanding that Shun is layered steel, not a faux finish.

[slkinsey]

The shun also lacks the full bolster.  This allows you to sharpen the entire blade.The handle is fine.  You should not be holding a chefs knife by the handle anyway.

Sorry maybe this is a newbie question, but if you don't hold a chef's knife by the handle, how do you hold it?

From Marsha (zilla369) Lynch's excellent eGCI course on basic knife skills are these two pictures of a "pinch grip" on a chef's knife:

Front view

View from the other side of the knife

[mrsadm]

The shun also lacks the full bolster.  This allows you to sharpen the entire blade.The handle is fine.  You should not be holding a chefs knife by the handle anyway.

Sorry maybe this is a newbie question, but if you don't hold a chef's knife by the handle, how do you hold it?

From Marsha (zilla369) Lynch's excellent eGCI course on basic knife skills are these two pictures of a "pinch grip" on a chef's knife:

←

Is this pretty much a universally accepted way to hold a chef's knife? Or are there variations? Just curious...