Shi•Han Knives - has anyone tried one?

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Yeah so +\- $500 US for a mono steel knife chef, with some kind of belt finish, and a handle made out of house seems bit steep. But the market will support what it will so good on him.
 
jessf said:
Yeah so +\- $500 US for a mono steel knife chef, with some kind of belt finish, and a handle made out of house seems bit steep. But the market will support what it will so good on him.
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Oddly enough the reasons mentioned is why I was interested in the knife in the first place. I prefer mono steel, yet wanted something nicer than the typical options. Even though I get custom work from time I feel right at home with a high quality ho wood handle. Ootb finish is nothing more than a starting point for me anyway, as I will thin it overtime and do my own thing. One man operations aren’t cheap, but the benefits are worth it if one can afford it, as the quality control is at the makers fingertips every step of the way. And this particular maker has a prestigious resume.
 
One explanation for Shi Han's pricing is that he mostly sells through really solid retailers e.g. JKI and Bernal that provide a high level of service to their customers.
Jon and Josh wouldn't carry the knives if they couldn't make a fair profit.
I have no idea the margins, but Shehan only sees a percentage of what we pay for his knives, unless we purchase directly from him.

It's not really fair to compare those prices to what we pay direct to a maker.
 
jessf said:
Yeah so +\- $500 US for a mono steel knife chef, with some kind of belt finish, and a handle made out of house seems bit steep. But the market will support what it will so good on him.
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Well, that says little about how the knife cuts. People around here have been seen to pay more for rough finished Japanese knives which arguably are produced much more efficiently.

Anyhow. I know that maker worked with Jon no nail the grind and HT and JKI was indeed the first vendor to offer his knives. To me it means that the knife is going to cut well.
 
parbaked said:
One explanation for Shi Han's pricing is that he mostly sells through really solid retailers e.g. JKI and Bernal that provide a high level of service to their customers.
Jon and Josh wouldn't carry the knives if they couldn't make a fair profit.
I have no idea the margins, but Shehan only sees a percentage of what we pay for his knives, unless we purchase directly from him.

It's not really fair to compare those prices to what we pay direct to a maker.
Click to expand...

These are compelling reasons to buy/not to buy the knife. It’s just a matter of what’s important to you. One could go the custom route if they choose to and get something cheaper or more expensive or customized. Personally, I liked the smiths work as it was, it’s even nicer that it’s available off the shelf.
 
parbaked said:
One explanation for Shi Han's pricing is that he mostly sells through really solid retailers e.g. JKI and Bernal that provide a high level of service to their customers.
Jon and Josh wouldn't carry the knives if they couldn't make a fair profit.
I have no idea the margins, but Shehan only sees a percentage of what we pay for his knives, unless we purchase directly from him.

It's not really fair to compare those prices to what we pay direct to a maker.
Click to expand...

The prices i saw were from Shi Han’s website so Isn’t that 100% fair?
http://www.shihanfineknives.com/kurouchi
I haven't looked to see what they sell for elsewhere.
 
labor of love said:
This photo exemplifies the finish for ginrei.
https://instagram.com/p/BYG3JAugJYE/
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Thanks for that. I would agree the out of box finish is less important. I just wanted to gauge people’s reaction. I would add that his makers mark being indented into the face means it will last through many thinning scessions. Etched logos unfortunatly run the risk of being rubbed off sooner.
 
jessf said:
The prices i saw were from Shi Han’s website so Isn’t that 100% fair?
http://www.shihanfineknives.com/kurouchi
I haven't looked to see what they sell for elsewhere.
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Of course it's fair.
My point is that because he chooses to wholesale his knives to other retailers he has to set his retail prices higher than if he only sold directly. Otherwise JKI and Bernal would not carry his knives.
He charges the same as his retailers so he's not undercutting them. As such he makes better margins on knives that he sells direct, and lower margins on the knives he sells through retailers.
 
parbaked said:
Of course it's fair.
My point is that because he chooses to wholesale his knives to other retailers he has to set his retail prices higher than if he only sold directly. Otherwise JKI and Bernal would not carry his knives.
He charges the same as his retailers so he's not undercutting them. As such he makes better margins on knives that he sells direct, and lower margins on the knives he sells through retailers.
Click to expand...

How do you know for sure the prices wouldn’t be the same if he did 100% of his own retailing? Retailing takes plenty of time to do. It’s work on its own that I imagine would involve a labor costs of sorts. I couldn’t imagine waiting tables and cooking at the same time.
 
True...I'm just saying that when i bought my Shi Han at Bernal cutlery I realized that a substantial percentage of my spend was supporting Josh and his business and not just Shehan and his venture...that's all.
 
parbaked said:
True...I'm just saying that when i bought my Shi Han at Bernal cutlery I realized that a substantial percentage of my spend was supporting Josh and his business and not just Shehan and his venture...that's all.
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*** did you expect?
 
labor of love said:
The 240mm is the only one I’ve used. I can take a pic of the flat spot on the cutting board for you eventually.
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Here ya' go. The board is a Hi-Soft.

IMG_0703.jpg

IMG_0704.jpg
 
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