My 20 year old Henckels (that have served me well) needed sharpening recently, and while picking them up I had to inspect the Shun knives so many are talking about; I ended up buying two Shun Classic knives--an 8" Chefs Knife and the 3.5" paring knife. After getting home and using them wildly for two days, side by side with my freshly sharpened Henckels, I was less than impressed with these supposedly "wicked sharp" Japanese knives.
Yes, they were sharper than my freshly sharpened Henckels 4 Star's, but not in a great and dramatic way, and considering I had spent $180 for two knives, I wasn't exactly thrilled. The Shuns were, however, much more comfortable and much more sexy (for cutlery) than my classic Henckels, no doubt about that. Still, I wanted something ultra "Japanese" sharp with those insane 16 degree edges. I returned the two Classic knives and invested even more (almost double the original amount) in the same two knives from the Shun Elite line--an 8" Chefs knife and a 3.5" paring knife. I had done my homework and read about the new powder steel technology involved with these Elite knives (and how many see this as the future for finer cutlery), and how the blades started and stayed sharper because of this harder SG-2 powder steel (Rockwell rating of 64). All in all, it sounded good, but these were BIG bucks I was laying out, and I had been less than thrilled with the Shun Classic knives...
Well, happy to report that these are the Japanese knives I have been dreaming of--EXTREMELY sharp and sushi-knife like; they go through food as if they are powered, as if everything is butter. The Chef's knife is the sharper of the two and dicing a raw potato or cutting through a butternut squash is a marvelous experience with these knives. While examining the chef's knife's edge at a restaurant over lunch, right after purchasing them, I semi-cut myself on this incredibly sharp knife-it sliced the top layer of skin, though there was no blood. It delighted me actually, as this is how the sharp single edged Japanese sushi knives are--scary (as in you have to be careful) sharp.
I love the handle and grip on these knives--the Classics were comfortable enough with their D shaped handles, but the Elite's handle is more ergonomically designed for the hand, and very beautiful to look at it too with it's copper trim and tiny inlaid plaque midway in the PakkaWood handle. I must say however that the PakkaWood finish is much better on the paring knife--glossy black and shiny; on the Chef's knife the PakkaWood is much duller and you can literally see visible scratches from the polishing process; perhaps this is Shun's final touch for the ancient Samurai effect, but personally on a $200 knife I would like a perfect glossy finish. This is really nitpicking, I realize, but I did examine 4 brand new 8" Elite Chef's knives at the store and they were all like this, and one in fact was more severe than the others (the scratches were severe enough to mar over the inlaid plaque).
The relationship between knife and cook is a very personal thing--you really need to feel and handle a knife before buying when investing this much in cutlery. The Shun Elites fit my big hand wonderfully, creating second nature from the first moment, and the balance is perfect (for me). I adore how these Elites have turned daily chopping and cutting and mincing into a sensuous and delightful experience. I quarter and then filet fruits such as Kiwi for my parrot and I, and with the Elite paring knife it is like doing so with barely any effort at all--as if the knife is following my mental plotting through the fruit, all on its scary sharpness own.
Adoring these 2 Shun Elite knives, I honestly feel it was worth the almost $340 that they cost me. And I know from experience that are a definite and BIG dramatic step up from the Shun Classic line. The Elites are truly about performance and the cutting edge in knife sharpness, and not just a hype "fancier embellished" product for wealthy kitchen freaks looking to unload their disposable dollars.
My only caveat? BE CAREFUL, these are the sharpest knives I have ever experienced (short of single edged Japanese sushi knives) in 30 years of being in the kitchen and around knives, including graduating from CIA and working as a professional chef for a few years.
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***UPDATE:
A friend, inspired by my kitchen equipment renovation, went out and bought Global knives, preferring them for his high-tech shiny stainless kitchen. He asked me over for a cutlery show-down with my new Shun Elites. I was ready to rub his Globals into the dust!
After an entire afternoon of chopping and comparing, we both came to the same overwhelming conclusion--the Globals were sharper and easier to use. It's not that they are sharper per say, but if you examine them closely, the Global's edges are slightly concave, and are burred and rough, while the Shun Elites are polished to a gleaming and shiny, and taper to a much more straight point. My friend and I both felt that the Global's burred concave edges allowed the Globals to sorta gripe and slice/slid through everything from carrots to meat with more ease than the Shun's polished and acute edge. Because of this ease, we can also logically foresee the Global's staying sharper longer as well, despite the higher rockwell rating of the Shun's high tech SG-s powder steel. However, who knows...?
We even tried shaving hair off of our arms, and the Globals won this test with ease.
I loved my Shun Elites--they were sexy and beautiful. But the Globals were obviously designed by and for chefs--they are much easier and nicer to use, and as I said, they just effortlessly (read rip) through any food with no effort at all; I was very impressed--so much so that I returned my Shun Elites and exchanged them for a complete set of Globals, which are less than half the cost of the Elites--and I got twice as many knives (never have had a good bread or boning knife before!)
While everything I originally wrote above is still very true, I highly recommend that if you are searching for truly sharp (as in Hello, Mr. Winter Squash!), easy to use kitchen cutlery, that feels like an extension of your hand and arm, that you check out Globals as well as the Shun Elites. They are both wonderful knives, but I genuinely have to say I see why Globals are so popular with professional Chefs--they are awesome knives--maybe not as sexy and hand crafted as the Shun's, but they more than make up for that with an incredible ergonomic ease and free flowing sharpness that makes them a joy to use.
Added 5/3/11......I'm not removing any stars. I am not retracting anything written below. However, I did just become aware that Shun's previously advertised complimentary resharpening service has been discontinued. I am resentful. It's one of the reasons I purchased the knife. It was a value-added component of the item which has been taken from me without consideration. I understand it, but I resent it.
Here is my original post: A few months ago I finally got tired of my el-cheapo parers and got a Tojiro 3 1/2" (blind purchase for me; it came out on top of one internet review) Excellent blade steel but straight edge configuration not to my liking. Prefer a slightly curved edge, sort of like a mini-chef's knife curve, like most of them have.
Finally gritted my teeth and bought the Shun Elite 3 1/2". I'm no longer gritting my teeth. This is a wonderful knife! Better (maybe best?) blade steel, substantial easy-to-manipulate handle, and the gently curved edge I prefer. Comes to my hand like an old friend and really performs in-the-hand or on-the-board. Wish it was cheaper, but it is absolutely the best parer I've ever used -and that would be a lot of them over the decades. This is my second Shun Elite (also have 8" chef's knife) and I'm becoming quite a fan of SG2 blade-steel. It's quite rigid, very little flex -a quality I prefer, especially in smaller knives.
I really like the larger Mac knives but Mac's smaller knives all have handles that are annoyingly short for my hand. Some people like that, but I absolutely do not. I think a quality blade needs a substantial handle to really perform and be easy and safe to handle. This Shun has one.
Can't speak to edge-retention at this early date but if it's anything like the Elite 8" chef's I already have, I'm not concerned in the least.
Promptly bought two more for gifts. If you've got the bucks, I recommend it without hesitation.
Buy Shun Elite 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife Now
This is one lovely knife, from the beautiful blade to the handsome handle. It is a joy to use. It has a perfect weight and balance.
If there is someone special in your life who is getting married and they like to entertain, 4 or 6 of these would make a splendid gift. To my knowledge, there is no box available to store them between between dinner parties. I'd make a roll out of nice leather. If the party menu included meat to be cut, the dining experience would be substantially enhanced. It is a perfect steak knife.
Read Best Reviews of Shun Elite 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife Here
It's a well crafted knife but it got dull very easily; I'm still not sure how the sharpness will hold after having it sharpened for the first time.
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I was using a Wustof Classic chef's knife to do everything in the kitchen, and wanted a set of "beater" knives that would provide some other functions, and also so I wouldn't yell at guests for mistreating the Wustof. I chose the Victorinox set over lower priced sets such as Chicago cutlery because nearly every knife in this set was rated #1 (over much fancier knives) by Cook's Illustrated. In fact, when Cook's Illustrated rated knife sets, I guess victorinox didn't have one available, and their recommendation was to buy a block and populate it with Victorinox models.
