Shun Chef Knife 7-3/4 Inch
- 7-3/4-inch Chinese chef's knife; suitable for cutting meat and poultry bones
- Precision-forged stainless-steel blade; rectangular cleaver shape; razor-sharp edge
- Clad with 16 layers of high-carbon stainless steel to produce a rust-free Damascus look
- Durable D-shaped Pakkawood handle; comfortable offset steel bolster
- lifetime warranty; manufactured in Seki City, Japan
Product Description
This stunningly beautiful line of cutlery features the look and benefits of Damascus steel, yet without its rusting problems. The Damascus-look blade profile reduces sticking and results in less damage to the food being cut and faster prep times.
A member of the stylish Shun Classic line, this heavy-duty Chinese chef’s knife comfortably handles hearty kitchen tasks ranging from cutting through poultry bones to chopping vegetables. Essent... More >>
Shun Classic 7-3/4-Inch Chinese Chef's Knife
Shun Chef Knife
 |
Shun DM0712 Classic 7-3/4-Inch Chinese Chef's Knife List Price: $225.00  |
|
A member of the stylish Shun Classic line, this heavy-duty Chinese chef’s knife comfortably handles hearty kitchen tasks ranging from cutting through poultry bones to chopping vegetables. Essentially a cleaver, this tool features a wide, rectangular blade measuring 7-3/4 by 3-3/8 inches... |
 |
Shun Classic 3-1/2-Inch Straight Vegetable Knife List Price: $88.00 |
|
A member of the stylish Shun Classic line, this durable paring knife deftly handles intricate dicing and trimming tasks alongside its requisite peeling and skin-removal role. The paring knife’s compact size makes it easy to handle and thus a favorite when control and precision are a priority... |
Related posts:
While very sharp and quite pretty to look at, I’ve found this cleaver notches easily, say when cleaving a chicken. My regular stainless cleaver is more resillent.
Rating: 3 / 5
Rarely in life does something that garners so much hype and attention stands up to expectations. However the Shun knife I received not only met, but beat expectations. My parents will never understand how I can pay more than a $150 for a knife, but after cutting some vegetables and onions, I was out of words. The D shaped handle fit my hand very well, it was not as heavy as I expected. It was sharp out of the box and the Damascus pastern was very attractive. The sad thing about having one shun knife is, I am sure to buy more…. My next target is the 8″ classic chef’s knife, replacing my Twin Henckels 4 star.
Rating: 5 / 5
I have a Shun KenOnion style knife, but then I’m chinese and always wanted a asian style knife. The quality of Shun is good, but the price tag is really really out of reach.
At first site, the knife looks intimidating, it looks very big and heavy compared to the normal chef knives. Once you pick it up, you’ll be amazed. The weight is perfectly balanced, and the wide edge makes picking up chopped veggies or meat a cinch. In fact, this one feels more ergonomic than the ergonomically designed Ken Onion Chef knife, hardly even use that one anymore since I got this.
You can slice, chop, dice with ease on this blade. Now I need to find a holder for this thing, it’s too cool looking to go into a drawer. Wish for $180 it would come with a holder.
Rating: 5 / 5
Many of the other reviews critique this tool as either too expensive or that it is inadequate somehow for cleaving bones and parting out. This is a misinterpretation of what the knife is designed for. The Chinese use two different blade designs in the cleaver pattern. One is a cleaver in the western sense, in that it is an impact cutter, this pattern has a blade about 2x as thick as a vegetable pattern (like this one.)
This knife is meant to be used more like a thin chef’s knife, santoku or large nakiri. Once you get used to using it this way the method is very practical and flexible. Instead of the full block of various knives, you can reduce yourself to one of these, a 6″ utility, a 3″ paring and a meat pattern cleaver if you do a lot of parting out. I find that I use the cleaver for virtually everything, slipping back to regular pattern knives only when I need a sharper point for something. For those who critique it as too expensive, I would encourage them to take a look at what pro-quality forged tools go for on other sites, I’ve seen comparable tools going for over 2x what Shun is marketing these for.
The biggest drawback is that stainless steel tends to hold a rounder edge. By that I mean that the edge is very durable but slightly less sharp, and harder to sharpen than high carbon steel. However, that is the price one trades for easy maintenance. A sushi chef, for instance, will sharpen and wipe down his blades at the end of every day. For those of us who are less conscientious, this is perhaps a rational trade off.
Rating: 4 / 5
i’ve been working with this knife for several weeks now, and really enjoy using it.
i was initially a bit concerned about the bolster – or lack thereof – and how that would translate comfort wise in my hand. i’m used to a wusthof chef’s knife with a fairly beefy bolster, so initially this felt a little thin. after working with it for a while, i’ve found that the knife is actually very comfortable to hold and my concerns were unnecessary.
the knife is fairly heavy, not due to it having a thick blade, but simply because of the size of the blade itself. it’s not as heavy as a meat cleaver, but it’s heavier than a 8″ german chef’s knife. the weight combined with the size really turns my wife off, so this is a knife you need to hold for a few minutes before you purchase it. make sure it’s your style.
on the flip side of the weight issue, the blade has great momentum and the weight just lets it drop through foods with very little effort. i like this a lot. i also like having the ability to scoop large amounts of chopped foods onto the blade so i can transport them to a bowl or a pan.
sharpness? yes, this is definitely sharper out of the box than most german knives. a minute with a sharpening steel got it extra sharp. this knife isn’t WAY sharper than my wusthof chef’s (that i’ve got a really nice edge on), but it is a bit sharper and is definitely a smoother cut. i think this is probably the function of the 16 degree angle of the cutting edge. it cuts very well, and with very little effort.
on the topic of the angle of the edge: shun makes a steel with a angled guard that lets you align the knife to a perfect 16 degrees off the steel. this is nice, but i already had a german steel and really couldn’t justify buying a new one for one knife if i didn’t have to. i contacted shun and they told me that you can use a german steel on these knives without worry, and it will work fine. they’ll just lack the 16 degree alignment guide, so you have to learn your angle and make sure you steel it properly.
so overall this is a great knife. it’s clearly very expensive, but i’ve seen the traditional round wooden handles coming loose on other less expensive versions of chinese chef’s knives, and figured i’d spring for something i felt would really last. i don’t regret the decision.
an excellent knife – but make sure you hold it for a while before you buy it to make sure it’s right for you.
Update 4/29/08: after using this knife for a while longer, i can still say i highly recommend it. one thing that has suprised me is i find myself using it for more detailed work. for instance when i’m very thinly slicing mushrooms, i always thought i’d stick with a smaller knife to allow me to move really quicly and precisely. turns out that the weight behind this blade lets you work quickly and accurately, even when making thin slices in a small vegetable. it’s also a piece of cake to smash cloves of garlic or ginger with the wide blade. finally, the large blade is also great for guiding your hand. where smaller knives tend to come away from my knuckles when i’m chopping, this blade is always right there, and that makes me feel safe. a really good knife.
Rating: 5 / 5