Shun's

Find deals on amazon
Shop Knives and stones on ebay
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I had one Shun (classic 8") that I purchased on Ebay a while back just to see what all the fuss was about. My take: like many have said...they are not necessarily bad knives. Personally, I did find it VERY handle heavy. Which, is just not my thing at all. It almost feels in your hand like a German knife that is pretending to be Japanese. ;) And yes, the blade was quite thick. Personally, it was not my thing. And yes, I think there are a lot of other knives that I like better in the same price range. After using the Shun a few times I sharpened it really well and put it back up on Ebay and even made a few bucks. :) For a home chef that is looking for a "knife for the masses" I think the Miyabi line is probably a slightly better choice and the Mac knives are a WAY better choice. They all have very consistent fit and finish and have a good company backing them. But, these are all still japenese knives made for the US market for sure.
 
rodneyat said:
It almost feels in your hand like a German knife that is pretending to be Japanese. ;) And yes, the blade was quite thick. Personally, it was not my thing. And yes, I think there are a lot of other knives that I like better in the same price range. .
Click to expand...

thats because thats basically what it is... any knife mass marketed in the U.S. is going to be at the very least a tad handle heavy... because american's as a large general consumer base associate the weight of a knife with quality and dont take balance into account. they'll sell better with heavier handles.
 
There are 6 Shuns in my home. Two of them are my son's. I bought all of mine from eBay either used or "floor models". They continue to serve me VERY well, sharpen to an edge that I'm quite impressed with, have shown no sign of chipping, or failing in any way. To this, I add the following caveats.

1. I am NOT a working chef. My needs aren't nearly as demanding as those who are "on the line" will have.

2. I am NOT a knife snob. I LOVE great knives. I also LOVE solid, functional knives, especially when I can get a steal of a deal on them.

3. I have been told I have "hobby ADD". This means I've been on lots of web forums over the years. I've noticed common human trends on all of them. Some folk absolutely MUST have "the best" and what they have must be the end-all be all. Some folks are like that. It doesn't make them bad. Others could care less about "brand" and are seeking to get the job done with some level of "affordability" that is unique to them. They demand quality, but not necessarily "the best". They are very loyal to the task at hand, but not so much to "brands". These two basic personalities annoy the snot out of each other. Transparency demands that I confess my membership in the latter group.

For me, getting great deals on Shun knives has served me well. The knives serve me well. I included the rest to provide context, since I'm new to the discussions here.
 
I picked up all of my Shun/Kai products for substantially below retail price. The only one I really no longer use is the Classic 8" chef's knife. The tip is too high for my liking. The Fuji line is excellent, and are much more Japanese in design, not to mention flawlessly made.
 
Bigdaddyb said:
There are 6 Shuns in my home. Two of them are my son's. I bought all of mine from eBay either used or "floor models". They continue to serve me VERY well, sharpen to an edge that I'm quite impressed with, have shown no sign of chipping, or failing in any way. To this, I add the following caveats.

1. I am NOT a working chef. My needs aren't nearly as demanding as those who are "on the line" will have.

2. I am NOT a knife snob. I LOVE great knives. I also LOVE solid, functional knives, especially when I can get a steal of a deal on them.

3. I have been told I have "hobby ADD". This means I've been on lots of web forums over the years. I've noticed common human trends on all of them. Some folk absolutely MUST have "the best" and what they have must be the end-all be all. Some folks are like that. It doesn't make them bad. Others could care less about "brand" and are seeking to get the job done with some level of "affordability" that is unique to them. They demand quality, but not necessarily "the best". They are very loyal to the task at hand, but not so much to "brands". These two basic personalities annoy the snot out of each other. Transparency demands that I confess my membership in the latter group.

For me, getting great deals on Shun knives has served me well. The knives serve me well. I included the rest to provide context, since I'm new to the discussions here.
Click to expand...

A lot of wisdom shared here. I'm in the echelon crowd but appreciate those that are not. Can't stand those in the middle
 
There is a lot of room between "the best" and shuns though. It really isnt challenging to find a nicer knife in the $100-150 price range whatsoever. But enjoy what works for you.
 
I fully agree with the abundance of nicer knives in a lower price range but for what they offer in better performance they sorely lack in marketing and brand recognition that the Shun does have.
 
Mucho Bocho said:
A lot of wisdom shared here. I'm in the echelon crowd but appreciate those that are not. Can't stand those in the middle
Click to expand...

I'm a skilled home cook. I dislike when my friends call me a "chef". I'm not. I haven't earned that title and would fail in the job.

I have no argument for those who posit that there are better for the money. There are probably better at the killer deals that I got on mine. I've long used Kershaw knives as daily carry tools, so dealing with KAI was a comfortable starting place for me.

I take issue with those who declare Shun, Wusthof, and other reputable "retail" brands "junk", etc. Mine have served me well. Are they overpriced off the shelf? Absolutely, though not nearly so much as the real garbage that's out there.

Thanks for the kind words.
 
Just finished repairing a Ken Onion 10" chef knife. The tip was bent & broke.The scale on one side was separating from the tang.Quite a bit of epoxy after blasting the bacteria with a hot hair dryer.This is a 200.00 dollar knife on Amazon.

I do not have to have the best however a knife like this brings out the snob in me.It has many artistic curves,very little blade contact on the board 1.5" at the heel,on a 10" blade the rest is in the air. It has a thick heavy bolster with built in pinch grip curves.If you do use the pinch grip the rest of the handle is extremely uncomfortable with a big bulge on the bottom of the grip.I cannot find any position where this crappy handle is comfortable.

I don't hate all shuns,think the premier chef knives are not bad.However I can think of at least a dozen Japan blades at 200.00 & under that would take over a Shun.Probably a lot more out there that I don't know about.
 
I've got 3 shun Fuji, and 2 of the shun Bob Kramer meiji. The BK's are nice, but their handles are among my favorites ever. The Fuji line is darn near impeccable. Things like chipping and sticking are practically non-existing with mine and they do get their turns in rotation at work.

Certainly didn't pay store prices for these. Some were floor models plus my 20% discount and others off the bay.
I would put my 8.5" Fuji gyuto up against most of the knives I have, it will hold it's own. In fact I'll go ahead and say the same about the Fuji slicer and honesuki as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top