I own Kyocera ceramic knives and other Shun knives so I'm used to quality knives in general. This knife has exceeded my expectations in every way: it's balanced, beautifully finished, it can handle any loaf size with its long and sturdy blade, it glides through soft and hard breads with ease allowing me to cut almost transparently thin slices. This is a wonderful knife worthy of the high price you pay.
I purchased this after reading, looking, and thinking a lot. This is a very nice knife. Mine is much more polished than the one in the photo, so it doesn't look as rugged, especially since the hammer marks are all polished, though still present. Anyway, it's smooth to the touch everywhere but the cutting edge of the blade. And the blade is super thin at the cutting edge. Goes through bread with very little work and cuts the straightest pieces I've ever made. Used it to carve a whole chicken the other night... it would be perfect for thanksgiving! I've used cutco for a while and I believe that this will hold an edge better than cutco's french chef knife, mainly because it is thinner at the edge. Not sure about longevity, but if I take care of this I think it will last a really, really long time. Also, as for the metal work in the blade... most of the knives out there ($75 and up) will last a life time with a bit of care (shun, wustof, cutco).
Our ability to make steel really hard, or really soft, at will makes creating blades like this a lot cheaper and more consistent than 100 years ago. I looked around and most of the serious cutlery is running around 58+ rockwell, which is pretty darn hard when it comes to it. So what I wanted was a beautiful knife to look at, hold, and use for a long time. This particular series of blades fit the bill because they have that hard cutting core and a softer wrapping welded to that core, and they reveal the core by grinding. That makes each knife unique, very well made, and for $200 (after taxes and shipping it's a lot, but it gives good incentive to take good care of it) I'm only purchasing ONE knife like this in my life time (assuming all goes well).
I'd like to purchase more of the series as the need arises. Oh, yeah, I do really like to get this one out!
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I was so pleased with the Shun knife that I ordered. I ordered it right before the Christmas season, and it came within 5 days of my order. It was beautiful and I am so pleased. I will absolutely order again!
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BOTTOM LINE
Shun Premier Knives are made with the same technique as traditional samurai swords. After months of moderate use on the toughest items, my Shun Premier knives haven't dulled, chipped, scratched, or otherwise marred their initial perfect finish. I know what I want daily in the kitchen and by my side in the Zombie apocalypse. However, consider looking for a better price elsewhere.
SHARPNESS AND STRENGTH
I have used other Shun Premier knives for cutting through the toughest things, like pineapple. The outside of a pineapple is as hard as wood, and my Santoku does it with only gentle application of force no sawing required. After months of use on only the tough stuff (I use different knives for for different things), this knife still hasn't dulled noticeably. Notice, this knife is for bread, but I mention the pineapple as an example of how sharp Shun knives are generally.
BEAUTY
This knife is a thing of beauty it has a beautiful wooden finish on the handle, and the knife has this pretty blotted ink look, referred to in the description as Damascus. I love to show off my $160 knife to all of my friends.
SHARPENING
Shun allows you to sharpen their knives easily by sending it into a discounted, professional service center for professional sharpening and restoration. The price is cheap (25% off of $3 per inch of sharpening). Just google "Shun Sharpening."
I won't risk sharpening my knife at home because I don't know how to properly use a whetstone. I have a Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Sharp Duo Knife Sharpener for use on my cheaper knives, but the instructions on the Shun recommend you don't use that kind of sharpener, since this knife is sharpened to a different degree than European knives.
PRICE
Surprisingly, the price on Amazon is not the best price I've seen for the blade. You may want to check your local high-end home-goods or kitchen-goods store like Crate and Barrel. Still, I would consider ordering from Amazon, simply because shipping to my door is so convenient.
ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE
I'm so impressed with my Shun Premier Line's ability to cut through poultry, ligaments and all, that I'm already planning on how to adapt my knife for the zombie apocalypse. Considering these things are made like samurai swords, I'm confident I'll be more well-equipped than my regular knife wielding buddies when we're out of bullets and the zombies are inevitably bearing down upon us.
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Amazingly sharp and holds it edge due to the layered construction and the wave in the blade. If you own any shun knives then you know they make some of the best quality and most beautiful knives on the market. If you aren't then this is a great way to get your first one. They are not cheap but very well worth the money if you use knives in the kitchen and it doesn't hurt that they look like they are works of art.
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The knives and set are well worth the price. They look neat in their own block. So far they are very sharp and I like them much better than cheaper serrated knives.
