When I got my first Kershaw Shun knife, it was a gift from my girlfriend’s parents. A small six-inch chef’s knife out of their classic line, it wouldn’t look all that impressive. However, to me, it was like a kid on Halloween. I had been fawning over the knives for possibly years before ever getting one (cost is somewhat prohibitive).
I can honestly say in the years since owning my knives, that I’ve put them through their paces and tested the limits of the steel numerous times. Overall, I like my knives, but I suppose just giving you my opinion on satisfaction isn’t enough, so here are some top reasons why I like these knives so much.
The D-Shaped Handle
The handles on Shun knives have a somewhat D-shape to them, where one side of the handle curves inward to match your grip. This provides a sense of stability which allows more confidence over knives with a more standard grip. Additionally, if you’re working for a long time at the cutting board, the shape offers less hand fatigue.
The drop-point shape
The tip of the shun knives curves forward in to a design called “drop-point”, which modifies the direction of the force applied when pressing the knife down. This design allows force to spread across the knife more evenly, making your cuts with the tip feel just as strong as those made at the base. This is important when you’re working with primarily one or two knives during food preparation (as most of us are when cooking at home).
The generous hand room
Shun knives have a lot of space between the edge of the blade and the handle, which provides ample room for your hand. This avoids the annoying tendency of your hand to end up in the food you’re working on, or against the cutting board.
The hardness of the steel
Shun blades are made out of VG-10 Stainless Steel, which, in case you didn’t know, is really, really hard steel. Shun knives are so hard that they only need to be sharpened rarely, and some people have yet to sharpen theirs. That means more time cutting, and less time worrying about the sharpness of your knife. Additionally, since sharpening removes material from a knife, it means your knife lasts longer.
But, the party can’t last forever, and even the best products have draw-backs. Here are some of the things I’ve been unhappy about with my knives.
The cost
Shun knives are not cheap. They may not be the most expensive, but they certainly don’t run in the mid-ground of kitchen knives most people own at home. Buying a whole set is a multi-hundred dollar adventure.
The hardness of the steel
While the hardness of the shun knives is a great benefit, it’s also a draw-back. Sharpening shun knives can’t be done on a standard sharpener, since the metal is so hard it’ll likely dull the sharpener before the steel of the knife. Shun offers to sharpen your knives for you at their factory, which is great, however you’d be down a knife for most likely a couple of weeks. Beyond that, you have to ship said knife, and if you don’t have the original box, packaging can be kind of tricky.
What’s more, sharpening the knives is not as simple as others, since it uses a different angle on the blade than most standard, European-style knives. This means almost all automatic or electric sharpeners aren’t going to cut it (get it!?).
The stress
Possibly the most difficult part of owning my knives has been watching other people use them. Some of my friends don’t understand how expensive these knives are, and tend to do things with them like try to cut food on the piece of Corian I keep on the counter top for hot pots and pans to sit on. I was about mortified when I found one of my knives sitting under dishes in my sink because some one used it and put it there to be cleaned. Don’t even ask me how I felt when I saw some one using my paring knife to spread mayonnaise on their bread.
Still…
Over all, I really like my knives. Using them is somewhat cathartic for me. Slicing tomatoes makes me feel like I’m showing off a knife for an infomercial. Even with the draw backs, I recommend these knives, if only because I have found that owning a quality set of knives has made me enjoy cooking so much more. And that’s sort of the point, isn’t it?
