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Shun Elite 8-Inch Chef's Knife
Shun Elite is an innovative combination of aesthetics and performance in kitchen cutlery. Handcrafted in Seki City, Japan, the center of the ancient samurai tradition, Elite???s stunning design is directly inspired by the artful aesthetics of samurai swords, down to the smallest detail. The blade is made of a unique core of SG2, an exotic powdered steel that???s hardened to 64 Rockwell (compared to the 56-58 Rockwell of European kitchen knives), resulting in an exceedingly sharp and smooth edge. This amazing metal means that Elite knives stay sharp several times longer than comparable stainless cutlery. The knife is then clad with two layers of SUS410???a softer stainless steel that provides strength, flexibility and corrosion protection. The only thing more beautiful than the knife in your kitchen is the way it performs in your hand. Hand wash. Lifetime warranty.Features:SG-2 Powdered Steel.Comfortable Ambidextrous Pakkawood Handles with samurai family crest inlay.NSF approved for professional use.Traditional Japanese styling.Lifetime Warranty.
Although a bit intimidating at first, this 8-inch chef's knife from the fabulous Shun Elite collection will soon become a favorite for everyday chopping, mincing, and slicing. The blade is so sharp it practically melts through even the toughest winter squash. Like all Elite knives, this one features a sleek black PakkaWood handle, made of a hardwood-resin fusion, which showcases an inlaid traditional Japanese emblem and fine rings of copper and brass near the bolster. A distinctive flourish, called a "hamon," along the edge of the blade recalls the samurai swords once made in Seki City, Japan, where Shun Elites are handcrafted. Any chef would feel honored to receive this exceptional, gift-boxed knife. Shun Elite knives stand out for their incredible sharpness, sharper even than Shun Classics, thanks to the newest powdered steel alloy known as SG-2. The process used to make SG-2 results in a fine-grained, very dense blend of ingredients that creates a smooth-as-silk knife edge. Shun edges are formed to an unusually keen 16 degree angle, which is one reason they're so prized among chefs who value uniformly thin slices, a necessity in Japanese cuisine. Covered by a lifetime warranty, Shun Elite knives should be washed and dried--carefully--by hand, and stored when possible in a wooden block to protect the blade. --Ann Bieri
Shun Elite 8-Inch Chef's Knife Accessories
 Shun Sharpening Steel
Shun Elite 6-Inch Utility Knife
Shun Elite 3-1/2-Inch Paring Knife
Shun Elite 6-1/2-Inch Santoku
Shun Elite 10-Inch Chef's Knife
Shun Combination Whetstone
I'm Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0
Shun 11-Slot Bamboo Block
Shun Professional Chef's Knife Case
Shun Classic 6 Inch Utility Knife
Shun Elite 8-Inch Chef's Knife Reviews
Shun Elites are wonderful work of art. Its build quality is truly exeptional, a highly recommended purchase. I own both Globals and Wusthofs and this knife without doubt surpasses them in every aspect. The steel used to manufacture this knife is the best I have ever seen, it takes a sharp edge easily and holds it extremely well (I sharpen my knives). I have been using this knife for a couple of months now and it continues to impress me with its amazing quality and sharpness.
First, Unlike the Shun Classic series, the Shun Elite does NOT use the D shaped handle, and can therefore be used by left handed people like myself without having to find the left handed knife. Now my global is a great knife and I still use it at home, but it has been worn down quite a bit from years of constant use and abuse at work, and as preparation for my last competition, I really wanted something new and unblemished so as not to interfere with my knife cuts. And while I strongly feel that this is a step above the others, only the serious professional with immaculate knife skills would really see an extreme difference. Here are a few things to note about this knife that may help you decide whether or not to spend the big bucks:. I work in a professional high class kitchen, and I also enjoy competing in cooking competitions where extreme accuracy and precision are essential with all of my knife cuts.
I have quite a collection of chef's knives to include Global, Wusthof, and F.Dick. But if the money isn't an issue, you will not be disappointed with this as your choice of purchase. Next, it's a beautiful knife and impeccably sharp just like all the other high end knives. Honestly, if I did not work in a high class professional kitchen, and I were looking to buy a nice knife for occasional home use were extreme precision wasn't necessary, I probably wouldn't spend the extra dollar on this knife.
I bought this knife about three months ago to replace my global 8-inch chefs knife that I had been using for the last five years. News Flash - There isn't one. The other knives of its class such as Wusthof and Global are absolutely great knives. I use this knife primarily for knife work that requires perfection, and break out another knife for more workhorse related tasks such as chopping through chicken bones, or making miropoix. I wouldn't use this as an everyday "beater" knife.
Each has their own place in my arsenal, but this Shun is my top pick when perfect knife cuts are needed.
Beyond that, you need to concern yourself with edge durability and comfort. Common sense says don't pay for the extra knife/accessory you don't need and therefore won't use. And since I'm a somewhat burly fellow, the lack of heft was disorienting for me. Finally, we come to comfort- you just have to feel comfort for yourself, but here are a few of my thoughts. Now for what I liked about the Shun. 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. Global: Weight & handle length.
I am a cooking enthusiast who decided to get serious about my kitchen. The handles felt quite boxy and lacked any elegance to their touch. Both of these German-made knives are like battle axes. (The Henckels was a little smoother than the Wüsthof but both were very boxy). Now, let's review this knife.
I simply felt honour-bound to buy from the folks who allowed me to test drive the knives. The winning element of the Elite over the Classic was the ambidexterity of the handle. 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. 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.
Again, I can't vouch that this is true but that is the expectation Shun has set. There was actually no material price difference between Amazon and my local store. I happen to prefer the Elites and my brother swears by Wüsthof. First and foremost, let me start this review with a few general notes. It is a proverbial feather. The length was just right so that the knife felt perfectly balanced in my hand.
Wüsthof & Henckels: Weight & handle shape. I felt like I could muster enough force to chop through anything, yet maintain grace and control while doing so. The only way to ensure you are happy with your investment is to take each for a spin and decide for yourself. Let me start with the comfort factors I *didn't* like about the competitors:. 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.
While the Classic and the Elite had different handles, both were quite comfy and ergonomic. 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. I fully understand that this would be a huge benefit were I chopping, dicing, and mincing for hours every day- but I don't. If true, this would mean you could expect to get more cutting done between honings. The weight was neither too heavy nor too light. The handle was curvaceous, contouring to the peaks and valleys of my fingers and palms. I am NOT a professional chef- I work in finance. 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.
At $220 it should go without saying, but I'll say it for the sake of being thorough: this knife is sharp, *extremely* sharp. I admit that my needs are vastly different from those of a culinary professional. 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. For me, the Global was just too light.
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. 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. (Honing and sharpening are NOT the same thing). The other reviewer of this item prefers Global. I attribute this to the thin 16 degree edge of the Shun, as opposed to the "normal" 22 degree edge of most knives. Admittedly, I did not purchase from Amazon but not because of price. Just about every celebrity chef has his or her own preference- I first heard about Shun knives from Alton Brown, who uses Shun Classics.
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. 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. Holding them, I felt that if raging barbarian hordes stormed my kitchen I would be able to defend myself by wielding a Wüsthof/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. One more general word of wisdom- don't buy a set unless you would buy each and every component independently.
He asked me over for a cutlery show-down with my new Shun Elites. 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. The Shuns were, however, much more comfortable and much more sexy (for cutlery) than my classic Henckels, no doubt about that. The relationship between knife and cook is a very personal thingyou really need to feel and handle a knife before buying when investing this much in cutlery. 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. 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. It delighted me actually, as this is how the sharp single edged Japanese sushi knives arescary (as in you have to be careful) sharp.
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. I loved my Shun Elitesthey were sexy and beautiful. 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). They are both wonderful knives, but I genuinely have to say I see why Globals are so popular with professional Chefsthey are awesome knivesmaybe 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. 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. However, who knows.
And I know from experience that are a definite and BIG dramatic step up from the Shun Classic line. Adoring these 2 Shun Elite knives, I honestly feel it was worth the almost $340 that they cost me. 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). We even tried shaving hair off of our arms, and the Globals won this test with ease. 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.
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. I was ready to rub his Globals into the dust. 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. 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 knivesan 8" Chefs Knife and the 3.5" paring knife. 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. 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. 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. After an entire afternoon of chopping and comparing, we both came to the same overwhelming conclusionthe Globals were sharper and easier to use.
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 allas if the knife is following my mental plotting through the fruit, all on its scary sharpness own. 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. I love the handle and grip on these knivesthe 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 knifeglossy 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.
I returned the two Classic knives and invested even more (almost double the original amount) in the same two knives from the Shun Elite linean 8" Chefs knife and a 3.5" paring knife. 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. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Still, I wanted something ultra "Japanese" sharp with those insane 16 degree edges.
My only caveat. But the Globals were obviously designed by and for chefsthey 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 impressedso 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 Elitesand I got twice as many knives (never have had a good bread or boning knife before). ***UPDATE:. A friend, inspired by my kitchen equipment renovation, went out and bought Global knives, preferring them for his high-tech shiny stainless kitchen.
Well, happy to report that these are the Japanese knives I have been dreaming ofEXTREMELY sharp and sushi-knife like; they go through food as if they are powered, as if everything is butter.
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