Classic 8" Chef's Knife

My dad owns a broad assortment of knives: some German, some Japanese, some chinese. One of his santoku's is sharper (though more plain in appearance) than his Shun santoku, but it was a gift from a Japanese business partner and the guy who sharpens his knives was jealous and wanted to know where it originated. Ultimately, he has quite a hodgepodge collection of knives that have been accumulated over the years some nice some not, some even falling apart from wear. I'm a pretty young guy (22), but came into an absurd amount of money recently. When it came time to look at buying some knives I decided to buy something I'd be able to enjoy for a very long time (hopefully my lifetime) and to do it before I crowded my kitchen with knives I wished I hadn't purchased. Shuns aren't the nicest knives under the sun, but in the retail market, they're the best you'll find. Having used my dad's single Shun Classic 7in Hollow Ground Santoku for some time, when it came time to invest in a nice set of edges, I thought of Shun first. Then I went out and researched all the main competitors and tested their knives, Henckels, Wusthofs, and Calphalon. I only tested the high end knives from these respective companies, so I have nothing to say on their cheap counterpart editions. Compared to Henckels and Wusthofs which are still very fine knives I prefered the edge and construction of Shuns. Shuns are just that extra little bit sharper. When you go to slice into something with a mild skin you notice the difference. When you touch a tomato with a Shun it just slides right in, no sawing, no pressure. The same is true for things like sausage, the outer wrapping cuts before you apply any pressure. Other than that slight bit of cutting power, you probably won't notice the difference. I also tried out some Calphalons which I was actually quite impressed with. They're every bit as sharp as Shuns and quite a bit cheaper. If you're on a budget, but still looking for a great set of knives, seriously give them a look. The only reason I picked Shun over Calphalon was aesthetics. If this isn't important to you, by all means buy the Calphalons. The first thing I tested this knife out on was some green onions, and what a world of difference between it and my bargin bin Henckel. No effort perfect slices. This isn't the ideal knife for this purpose, but my Santoku has yet to arrive so I gave this blade a go at mincing garlic. With something as sticky as garlic, the blades steel didn't help at all with keeping things from sticking, so while the design is great, don't expect miracles. This still went very well and I appreciated that a 10" knife can still be so light weight and quick for this kind of work. Next I used it to score a flank steak to prepare it for a marinade. I actually had to be very careful not to put any pressure on the knife and pull very gently to keep from slicing too deep. During this process I must have accidentally knicked the ziplock I was using to marinate in because it kept leaking all over the counter and I thought I just hadn't shut it, turns out I put a half inch slit in it without even realizing by accident while the knife was just sitting on the cutting board. BE CAREFUL WITH THESE KNIVES THEY ARE SCAREY SHARP! Finally I used the knife to slice the cooked flank steak nice and thin on a bias. This is the perfect job for a knife like this. Flank steak can be quite tough, but this was done without excessive sawing. The blade made quick easy work of my steak (another first in my kitchen). These are expensive knives, and compared to Calphalons, overpriced. The blades are beautiful and among the sharpest you can find anywhere. If you have the means I recommend them, you won't be disappointed.

I love this knife. So much so that we purchased the matching 6" chef knife as well and have plans to buy more!! I researched a LOT before I bought this blade. And I chose it because it is light weight and has a thinner blade than the European-made competitors. It is SO EASY TO USE. It has *just enough* heft to get the job done without tiring your hands out. Being an average woman, my hands aren't huge (ladies' size 7 gloves). This knife fits my hand well, and ALSO fits my average-guy-sized hubby's hand despite that it's much larger than mine. These blades are works of art. They're each unique and beautiful. I enjoy using them more because I like looking at them! I know it is silly but it's true. Same reason my dish cloths are my favorite color and my cutting board is a thing a beauty... cooking is more fun when you enjoy looking at your tools! We purchased this knife in I think June 2019, it is now October 2019, it has been around 4 1/2 months of daily use (we cook almost every day), and it has lost the super keen edge and needs to be honed, but it's *still* sharper than any other knives I have ever owned! We are going to hone them soon, honestly we haven't yet because we are nervous about doing it, I'm paranoid I'll mess up and damage the blades. I don't actually expect it to give us any trouble, though, and a few moments of work will hone them back to a dangerously sharp edge. I kid you not, I have accidentally sliced through my fingernails several times, and had no idea until I either started bleeding or saw I was missing a slice of nail!! It was so sharp at first I could literally cut through a fingernail and not feel it. Let that sink in for a minute... like i said, dangerously sharp when brand spanking new. I have had to learn to be less sloppy with the knife!!! However, I am OK with the crazy sharpness, I have learned not to accidentally amputate my fingertips, and after 4 1/2 months I am still in love with my Shun knives.

As of this review, you can find this knife for around $160 USD and I consider this an absolute bargain (compared to the $300+ you can spend on similar knives). I love the D-shaped, Pakkawood handle where it feels comfortable in either hand, so this knife will work well for righties and lefties. It weighs in at 240.4 grams (.53 lbs) and feel "just right" in my hand, not too heavy, not too light. The handle is scalloped near the tang, and feels good in your hand when you use the "chef's pinch grip" technique at the base of the blade. Note that I have slightly larger than average hands, but the blade's vertical height is such that your knuckles won't hit the cutting surface when chopping (whether doing a "rocking" cut or "push" cut). Out of the box, this knife is literally razer sharp and comes with a factory default 16 degree angle. I've cut a wide variety of vegetables and meats with this knife, and it's a joy to use. 10/10 would recommend highly! Edit: Here we are a year later, and I stand by every word of my review above. This knife rocks!

Best chef knife I have ever owned. Razor sharp, looks and feels beautiful, perfectly balanced. You will definitely know the difference when you start cutting and chopping.

This knight is gorgeous. Perfect length for a chef knife. You get better durability from a German knife but Japanese knives are a close second. Most functional knife in my kitchen. Great value, quality of a $300 knife for half the cost, best part is you only need one, stop buying knife sets and get yourself a quality chef knife

Outstanding but delicate. These are not knives to throw in the sink with the pots and pans, (never do that with anything sharp.) They will damage easily but perform outstandingly. They are so sharp. If you are willing to take an extra second and understand sharp things, Shun is absolutely excellent. I’m using them at home and at work (Greek deli,) and I don’t think I’ll ever own a different brand, but I’m a little scared anytime anyone asks to use my knives. Most people assume everything is the same as the butter knife they have in their kitchen drawer. I became a big fan of this brand after a random interaction presented me with a very random knife. I needed a little care and a sheath. Shun or Kai took care of that in seconds. I’m not feeling the need to look around for any other options. I’ll give the same review for my Nakiri and my utility knife. They are all of very good quality.

This Shun is a must have in the kitchen. It is balanced, retains edge and is a workhorse.

I have recently bought the 8 inch chef knife. So far I'm loving this knife. I also own the J.A. Henckels Twin Two Star II 8inch chef knife, I do love the weight and balance better. However the great thing about these Japanese knives are they have a much lower angle on the blade. They are more prone to bend on the tip of the blade, so make sure you take care of them. Because the blade is at an lower angle they slice thought most things like butter. This knife uses a special VG-10 steal on the inside of the blade and coated with stainless, which makes it as strong as a thicker blade that uses high carbon steal. Pros: For the price that I paid for this knife it's the best so far. The handle is very well balance with blade. The D shaped handle works really well (Shun makes a left handed one but I think you might need to order it directly thought Shun). Shun offer free knife sharping for the life of you or the knife, depends on which one comes last. They stay sharp for a very long time. (Most expert recommend sharping the knife once a year.) Cons: The cost of these are more than what most people wants to spend on one knife. (I say spend more for a really good knife and never have to buy another knife) They use a different kind of steal and the angle is very different from most knife, so you can't really buy a knife sharpener or take it to most pro. knife sharpener, must be sent in to have it sharpen correctly. Have to be more careful with these knifes because, from the drop point of the knife to the blade it is very thin, so it could bend. (If you don't want to be careful, high carbon steal would be better. Like Henckels Twin series or Wusthof Classic.) All in all, I would buy these if these where to get lost or something. In the cost around $100 to $200, these are the best in my opinion. I have tried many Chef knife before I came to these knifes but I do also use my Henckels also, because I love them both. I did received them very quick from Amazon, their time from payment to ship is like the same day which is why I love about Amazon. But remember one thing about buying knifes, it must and have to feel good when your holding it. No matter how sharp they are, if it doesn't feel right in your hand its pretty useless like a two knife. Make you go down to your local store and try them out before you buy them.