Shun Classic 7-Piece Block Set with Bamboo Block

This set is wonderful in that it includes everything you really need in a cutlery set. Most of the commercial stamped sets include upwards of twenty knives, but you'll end up using five or six on a regular basis. The quality of these forged blades is stunning and the edges are razor sharp. With proper honing, using the steel included in the set, these blades will keep their edge for over a year of daily use. I would recommend finding a local bladesmith and having the edge sharpened professionally. It isn't expensive and will maximize performance.

The handle itself is comfortable and the balance feels natural. Although the manufacturer says that these are dishwasher safe, I would suggest immediate hand washing after use and complete drying before returning it to the block.

Allow me to elaborate on the title of my review; couldn't wait for this set to arrive (came pretty quick). I had to go all out with dinner that night and had nothing but praise for my new set of super-cool knives, with their resplendent blades and exotic wood handles. Flash forward a couple weeks... while quartering a chicken for dinner that night, I was horrified to discover a chip in the blade edge; not a little chip, but a ¼ inch by ¼ inch chip. You might ask yourself, "was he hacking away at this poor chicken?" I have no such disdain for chickens, these were basic joint cuts; ones I've made for years with my Wüsthofs and without incident. The packaging for the knives had warranty language inscribed all over the place stating you should contact the manufacturer directly with any issues. As such, I was on the phone with the warranty department promptly the next morning. The conversation was as follows:

Me: "Hi, I was quartering a chicken last night and a large piece of the blade chipped off."

Operator: "Yeah, you're not supposed to quarter chickens with our knives."

Me: "What? Why?"

Operator: "Because they're precision slicing knives."

Me: "But I was precisely slicing my chicken!"

Operator: "Doesn't matter; we have a disclaimer on our website"

Me: "So what am I supposed to do with this thing?"

Operator: "You can send it to us at your cost and we can test it for defects."

Me: "And if there are no defects to be found?"

Operator: "Then we could send it back to you in a few weeks."

Me: "I presume at my cost as well..."

Operator: "Of course."

Me: "Super, thanks!"

End of conversation.

I found a guy at the Ferry Building Farmers Market here in San Francisco who can hone the blade down to a more uniform edge at a cost of losing a ¼ inch off the entire length of the blade and ruining the Damascus finish that ultimately kindled my desire for these knives.

This was a very hard lesson learned, and one I will never make again. The fact is, these knives are beautiful, but impractical. I would liken them to a Ferrari; beautiful, fast and they get a lot of attention, but use them for day to day tasks, and you're inviting devastation; like when you discover that chip...

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I bought these knives not knowing too much about cutlery. They were recommended by a chief I met and I decided to try out the recommendation. Suffice it to say I LOVE these. I use them everyday and I have nothing but the utmost respect for knives that are as sharp as they can possibly be. I had them sharpened by a professional knife shop and they did a good job but the second time I needed sharpening I decided to use the free sharpening service provided by Shun(Kershaw). The difference was astounding! The Shun sharpening brought them back to their original sharpness .... I like to refer to these knives as long Razor Blades! I'd buy these again in a heart beat.

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These knives are great and make preparing meals a treat rather than a chore.

The Classic Shun knives look lovely, and their customer service has been fantastic (free sharpening service).

I recommend this purchase and this supplier.

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My wife and I love to cook, so we finally decided to splurge on a real quality knife set. Simply put, they are wonderful knives and they came as advertised. I've had them now for 6 months and I use them just about every day that I am home. My set came with the block, honing steel, shears, paring knife, utility knife, bread knife and chef's knife. These are all the knives you really need.

We did add two extra shun classic knives that we bought separately to make it a nine piece set, more for fun and enjoyment than anything else. These were the santoku and the hakiri. My wife is Japanese and grew up in Osaka, and she remembers as a child watching her mom use a hakiri or something similar in the kitchen to cut, chop, slice and do just about anything else. I've always wanted a santoku, and although it performs the same function as a chef knife, I thought the shape was cool so I said what the hell, why not ? I now use the santoku more than the chef, mostly because it seems to "feel" and balance better in my hand, and the slightly curved edge makes chopping and dicing veggies easier. Both the hakiri and santoku fit nicely into the block.

The handles are made of beautiful and sturdy pakka wood and balance well in my hand (I'm right handed). They are D-shaped and designed for right handed people, although I've read reviews where lefties have enjoyed using them as well. I do not know if they make left handed knives with the D-shape in the opposite direction.

Most importantly, these knives are SHARP. I needed a couple of band-aids the first two weeks and quickly learned to respect the sharp steel. Much better now ! Some people do not like the "Damascus" design on the blade, and I understand that. But I do like this design, I think its groovy looking. You can also send the knives back to Oregon once a year to be professionally sharpened, you pay shipping there, and they pay shipping back. Not a bad deal.

All in all, I could not be happier with these knives. Next on the list will be the carving set and the steak knives, and Christmas is less than six months away ! I hope my wife is reading this (hint, hint).

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