Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First and foremost, let me start this review with a few general notes...
I am NOT a professional chef- I work in finance.I am a cooking enthusiast who decided to get serious about my kitchen.I admit that my needs are vastly different from those of a culinary professional.
That said, I must mention that reviews are great but I highly recommend going to a local kitchen supply store that will allow you to test drive knives.
Just about every celebrity chef has his or her own preference- I first heard about Shun knives from Alton Brown, who uses Shun Classics.I happen to prefer the Elites and my brother swears by Wusthof.The other reviewer of this item prefers Global.
The reason for the wide variety of opinion is that buying knives is a very personal thing- what's right for one might be very wrong for another!The only way to ensure you are happy with your investment is to take each for a spin and decide for yourself.
One more general word of wisdom- don't buy a set unless you would buy each and every component independently.Manufacturers have a bad habit of including one or two items that you really don't need, like a tomato knife or three different sizes of utility knife.Common sense says don't pay for the extra knife/accessory you don't need and therefore won't use.
Now, let's review this knife...
At $220 it should go without saying, but I'll say it for the sake of being thorough: this knife is sharp, *extremely* sharp.However, my personal feeling is that when you reach these high end price tags, you will find that all of the major brands will give you an adequately sharp blade.Beyond that, you need to concern yourself with edge durability and comfort.
As for durability, I'll say again that at this end of the price range you should naturally expect to get a knife that will last decades- no matter what brand you buy.The differentiator here has little to do with whether or not the knife will break, but rather how often you'll need to hone and sharpen your blades.(Honing and sharpening are NOT the same thing.)
While I haven't owned this knife long enough to make promises regarding the edge durability, the SG-2 alloy used in the Shun Elite will supposedly hold it's edge for quite a long time- even longer than the VG-10 used in the Shun Classics.If true, this would mean you could expect to get more cutting done between honings.Again, I can't vouch that this is true but that is the expectation Shun has set.
Finally, we come to comfort- you just have to feel comfort for yourself, but here are a few of my thoughts.Let me start with the comfort factors I *didn't* like about the competitors:
Global: Weight & handle length.For me, the Global was just too light.It is a proverbial feather.I fully understand that this would be a huge benefit were I chopping, dicing, and mincing for hours every day- but I don't.And since I'm a somewhat burly fellow, the lack of heft was disorienting for me.The handle is also a little on the short side for my big hands, which left the end of the handle bumping into the inside of my palm.
Wusthof & Henckels: Weight & handle shape.Both of these German-made knives are like battle axes.Holding them, I felt that if raging barbarian hordes stormed my kitchen I would be able to defend myself by wielding a Wusthof/Henckels as a broadsword and my dutch oven lid as a shield.They both seemed to be strong on power and brute force at the expense of agility and nimbleness.The handles felt quite boxy and lacked any elegance to their touch.(The Henckels was a little smoother than the Wusthof but both were very boxy.)
Now for what I liked about the Shun...
The handle was curvaceous, contouring to the peaks and valleys of my fingers and palms.The length was just right so that the knife felt perfectly balanced in my hand.The weight was neither too heavy nor too light.I felt like I could muster enough force to chop through anything, yet maintain grace and control while doing so.I attribute this to the thin 16 degree edge of the Shun, as opposed to the "normal" 22 degree edge of most knives.
While the Classic and the Elite had different handles, both were quite comfy and ergonomic.The winning element of the Elite over the Classic was the ambidexterity of the handle.You must choose either right or left handed with the Classic, which is a problem for me since I'm a lefty and my wife is a righty.In the end, settling on the Elite was a very easy decision for me but it could not have been made without holding and cutting with each knife myself.Even if everything I have just described resonates with your personal tastes please please please make sure you go out and try before you buy.
Admittedly, I did not purchase from Amazon but not because of price!There was actually no material price difference between Amazon and my local store.I simply felt honour-bound to buy from the folks who allowed me to test drive the knives.
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Shun SG0404 Elite 8 Inch Chef's KnifeProduct Description: The ancient traditions of Japanese samurai sword-making, meet today's state-of-the-art steel technology in the new Shun Elite series of knives by Kai.Like the traditional samurai sword blade, Shun Elite is extremely sharp and flexible; ideal for food preparation.But unlike the traditional blade, Shun Elite features a center layer of a new type of "super steel" called SG-2.This new "super steel" starts out in a powdered form.Under heat and pressure it combines to make a much denser alloy which in turn creates the finest molecular structure used in knife making today.The result is an edge that will hold longer than any other steel on the market.Even better for busy chefs.Shun Elite's superior edge will respond quickly and easily to a honing steel when it needs a quick touchup.For added strength and protection, the SG-2 is clade between two outer layers of quality 410A stainless steel for beauty and tireless handling.Shun Elite features an ergonomic handle of handsome PakkaWood®.This premium-quality hardwood laminate combines the beauty and feel of hardwoods with the strength and performance of plastic.Inlaid with a traditional symbol, the handle is also enhanced by thin rings of brass and copper separating it from the bolster. With this kind of beauty and performance, Shun Elite will soon become the knife chefs reach for again and again.
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