Customer Reviews

Shun DM0706 Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'll start by saying that I own both this knife and the Wusthof Classic 8" chef's knife, and I love them both to death. I tend to use the Shun more for cutting up poultry and such, because the steel is harder (less steeling when doing heavy work); and I use the Wusthof more for mincing and dicing veggies (much easier to use the bolster grip when doing these tasks). Quite frankly, in my humble opinion, when you are in this price range, comfort and aesthetics are going to be bigger factors than relative sharpness. Provided you clean and maintain the knives properly, you will be putting them in your will to a deserving heir.

Note to sharpness snobs: NO stainless knife can touch an old-fashioned carbon steel knife for sharpness. If you don't believe me, go and see what your butcher uses. The problem with old-fashioned carbon steel knives is that they are very high- maintenance and will look ugly after a while no matter what you do.

Personally, if I had to choose, I'd take the Wusthof solely on the basis of my personal feel and the fact that the blade is a little easier to hone than the Shun. I am just glad I don't have to choose, but if you do, I can't recommend strongly enough getting out to a store and handling the knives before you buy. When you're in this neighborhood, about the only way you can choose badly is by not buying the knife that feels best in your own hand. You're going to get a top-quality product whichever way you go.

After using a few of the Global knives, with the 7" oriental chef's knife being my everyday knife, I decided after a marathon day of chopping that I wanted someting a little heavier. After holding a few 10" chef knives, I decided these were bigger than I needed, and settled on the 8" chef as my new workhorse. It came down between the Global GF series 8", a Ryussen, and the Shun. After holding and test-driving all three, I settled on the Shun. It is by far the best combination of sharpness (wow!), weight (slightly heavier than the Ryussen and the Global), handle comfort (you don't notice the offset handle when you hold it, until you pick up the Ryussen or Global and it's not there, and then you miss it terribly), and price. In fact, for the rather small price difference between this beauty and the Global, I wouldn't even consider not spending it. Of course, it doesn't quite have the balance of the $1300 Hattori they also had on hand, but this is a great knife that makes me want to stop writing this review and go out and slice something. Highly recommended.

I'll get this out of the way: I love Wuesthof and Shun knives. I prefer Wuesthof and Shun over Henckels and Global because the handles of the latter two brands don't fit my hand well. The MAC 'Ultimate' series feels good in my hand (their other lines don't), but I can't justify spending double of what a Shun costs if I'm not a professional cook.

These are my personal needs. Try different knives, and choose what fits your hand, budget, and cooking style. If you do like the way a Shun feels, I guarantee that you'll like it.

Despite the pleasure one gets from turning a mound of raw ingredients into a beautiful meal, that prep is a b$7@h! So, having a good knife (or knives) is essential for making things go quickly and smoothly, counter-side.

I have to admit that I was a total kitchen-hypocrite, in that I had THE BEST knives for my outdoor activities (I worked as a fishing guide in Alaska, so I filleted a lot of fish and just plain cut up a bunch of stuff), and I always preached about having the best tool for the job, but all I had for kitchen use were REALLY bad knives. I would tirelessly sharpen my work knives so that I could literally shave my face with them, but I would rarely keep my cooking knives keen.

I recently inherited my grandmother's Wuesthof 8" chef's knife. It was sharp, but so old that the wood (yes, wood. It was _that_ old) handles were splitting off of the tang, and her white, mechanical, counter-top sharpener from hell had ground out the belly. I wanted to get another chef's knife to keep it company, and after a lot of research settled on this 8" Shun.

The Shun has a slightly thinner blade, so it's not uncomfortable to forego the bolster-grip that I feel is required for the heavier Wuesthof (unless you're hacking the crap out of something with a Wuesthof) for a whole-handle grip. Each knife has it's place in my kitchen, though, so I'm glad that I have them.

This knive is beautiful to look at, beautiful to hold, and beautiful to work with. It does what it's supposed to do -slice and chop things- really well.

If you're not the type of person who will properly hand-wash, sharpen, hone, and all-around love your knives, you should go with a knife that has a serrated edge and a synthetic handle. If you treat your Shun knife well, though, it will make cooking fun... trust me. This thing is a work-horse, despite it's beauty, so be prepared to let it chop as much as IT wants to.

WARNING: DON'T USE BASIC MECHANICAL OR PRE-ANGLED SHARPENERS ON YOUR SHUN! Shun knives have a smaller-angled edge, and this will be ground down to a wider angle if you use most standard sharpeners. Wider-angled blades are less prone to getting dinged edges (and the bane of any knife: a chipped edge) and their sharpness will "last" a little longer (for what we can tell, comparatively), but they'll never be as blisteringly sharp as knives with smaller-angled edges. Be careful, or your razor-sharp knife will become plain-ol'-sharp.

I read a lot of reviews before making this purchase, then I went to a Williams Sonoma and handled the knife before making a final decision. Many have recommended that you handle the knives before purchasing... I also recommend this. Holding the knife in my hand is what locked the sale for me! I own a set of Trident (Wusthof) Grand Prix kninves, and wonderful knives they are. As I've been trying to teach myself better knife skills, I've been working at forming the proper hold (what chefs call the "pinch" hold). With the Wusthoff, I have to concentrate on it, because the knife never fit in my hand perfectly. The Shun is amazing in this regard. I will also say that I do have small hands... that seems to make a difference in whether many will like the Shun or not, but it definitely felt natural in my hand. I handled the Global alongside the Shun and put it down immediately (don't like the grip at all!). I've only been using the Shun for two days, but have already started thinking about a couple more additions to the ol' knife block. Is it sharp? Absolutely, everything cut like warm butter. Is that design, or the fact that it's brand new? I'll know in a few weeks! Again, before you purchase, handle the knife in a store, or a freinds kitchen or something. The way a knife feels in your hand should be the major decider.

I got into Japanese knives via Shun, and they are fine knives in general, but in the case of their chef's knives I think there are better alternatives. The Shun 6" Chef is lightweight, to my way of thinking, and the radical shear of the blade is not the most useful on the cutting board. The 8" doesn't suit me either, the handle too long and the edge of the blade too curved to provide a good chopping edge.
I've done better with the 7" Hattori HD, also of the "Damascus" type, though more discreetly banded. It's a less exotic-looking knife than the Shun, with a conventional Western handle, but makes for a more useful cutting tool and, for me, is better balanced and more comfortable in the hand. The blade is sharper too, but may be more fragile. Finer still are the somewhat more expensive Misono UX 10 chef's knives, among the best short of truly serious-money Japanese masterpieces. The Misono is still more Western-looking than the Hattori--no Damascus effect, not a single Japanese ideogram on it, and even the steel is Swedish, although the cutting edge is honed 80/20, nearly one-sided, rather than the Western 50/50--but it's as fine any reasonably affordable knife I've seen and it's sturdier than the Hattori. The edge differential shouldn't scare you off unless you're left-handed, in which case you need the appropriate model.
Shun makes good knives, but can be faulted for going for exotic looks above all--a marketing move that has worked well for them, but showy. On the other hand, the blades are good, and the D-handles have a special ergonomic appeal. I think their santokus and utility knives provide good value. With the chef's knives, though, I'd suggest investigating other possibilities, though it will cost you a few dollars more in the case of Hattori and nearly 50% more for the Misono UX 10s.
For less money and greater sharpness than anything I've mentioned, you can hunt up the Hiromoto AS series. Their downside is that their high-carbon edges require more care against corrosion, and as Japanese knives go, they look crude, even ugly; but you can split an atom with them, easy.

I've cooked with this knife for two years now, as the sous chef in a restaurant. It's really the work horse of my kitchen; I probably use it twice as much as any other knife. Before the Shun, I used a Henckel set, which were perfectly adequate, but now when I pick up my Henckel 8" it feels blunt and a little unwieldy.

The Shun came out of the package with an incredible edge, and with proper care it keeps that edge for a long time. This knife is pretty easy to keep razor sharp if you steel it regularly. It does hard vegetables like turnips and rutabagas with a lot less pressure than other knives I've used, and it does regular dicing very quickly. I found that the curve on the blade was nicely suited to my chopping style, not too steep or shallow. The handles are also well-formed, and my hands don't get tired even after hours of prep work.

This knife is very pretty, but looks aren't really a consideration if you're looking for a utilitarian knife to use in a restaurant. It's performance that matters, and this knife delivered. Since purchasing it and falling in love, I've added other Shun knives to my collection, and my knife set at home is now Shun too. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat.

These Shun Classic knives look beautiful, feel wounderful, and work like a charm. The first thing I noticed when I picked up this knife was the weight of the knife. It's a very well-balanced knife. Second, I noticed the comfort of the handle. It has a "D" shaped handle specifically designed for a right handed chef. This knife is NOT designed for LEFT-HANDED people. I would recommend these knives for the serious home chef who knows how to handle a professional knife (sharpening, care, safety, etc.) or for the professional chef.

I was in the market for a good chef's knife and after doing a bunch of research I narrowed it down to the Global 8 in chef and this Shun classic 8 in. So I brought with me celery, carrots, and onions to a william and sonoma and did a serious amount of cutting...here is what I personally found (keyword being personally you really cant buy a knife on reviews alone you MUST try it out first)

Celery: Both knifes went through this so easily that I couldnt even make a comparison

Carrots: With the global I was able to cut faster but it felt less secure because of the of the light weight. The shun was excellent, slicing through the carrots with a perfect weight and rhythm that I wasnt able to get with the global

Onion: This is where the Shun knife shined. The lack of weight on the global and the somewhat narrow handle made the onion haphazard and unsafe feeling for me. I found I had to constantly start and stop with the global knife. With the shun it was a constant effortless motion. It easily and accurately sliced and diced the onion.

After having the knife for a few weeks now, I can safely say I have been able to cut everything with ease. I was worried that the global might be better, but for me atleast, the shun was easily superior.

I got this knife for my wife who is a Chef. She says it is the best present I have ever given her. The weight and balance are perfect, and the edge is amazing. She just placed the edge of the knife on a piece of paper and suddenly we had two pieces of paper. The knife is also visually impressive.

She does a lot of cooking and now wants a whole set of these knifes. At least I know what to get for her next birthday.

We hoped that the knife would come with some 'how to care for' type instructions, but it does not.

I believe if you're serious about cooking, you should own great cookware and excellent knives. I finally stepped up and got excellent knives. For those who haven't heard the hype, Shun is one of the most respected knife brands in the world. Check them out on the Web at kershawknives.com.

Great features of the entire line include these cool "D" shaped handles that fit your hand better. Each knife is made in a right- and left-handed version (chefsresource.com for lefties). The handles are made of wood and are specially treated. The steel used for the blades is harder than what you would find in most other knives. The knives are EXTREMELY sharp. One thing to note about Asian knives is that they must be sharpened at a different angle, 16-18 degrees vs. 20 degrees for German knives. The Shun steel takes the guesswork out of getting the angle correct because of the flat edge on one side of the metal disc below the handle.

I have small hands and this knife felt perfect. The weight was just right and it just fit well in my hand. This knife makes quick work of everything because it is so sharp. It is also much lighter than my previous knife, so I feel like I'm using a lot less force to slice and chop. I have the 7" santoku as well, but this is the knife that I will use for the majority of the prep.

This is an expensive, but lifetime investment. I encourage you to visit stores and feel the knives in your hand to make sure you are comfortable with them. For more info on Shun, check out Alton Brown's website. For ratings on various brands and types of knives, check out cooksillustrated.coms' equipment ratings.

This is probably the best kitchen purchase I've made and the one I'm most proud of.