Customer Reviews

Shun DM0716 Classic 4-Inch Paring Knife

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I own three knives: a Shun 8" bread knife, a German 9" chef knife, and this one. This is only one of the three I seem to use day in and day out. It's incredibly sharp, incredibly comfortable to hold, and is the perfect utility piece. I see no need to own a knife block full of specialty blades you'll never use. If you're just starting your set, start with this one. Highly recommended.

I bought this knife to complement the rest of my selection that I have been purchasing one knife at a time. I had tried Wustoff, Henckels, and Global before settling with Shun knives. I am a culinary student at the art institute and was turned on to Shun knives by my chef instructor who gave me a lead on certified Shun Dealer. I fell in love with these knives the first time I tried them. I knew I wanted the 2-1/2 inch bird's beak knife, which is why I decided on the 4" paring knife instead of the 3-1/2". If you are not pursuing the bird's beak knife then the 3-1/2 inch paring knife is great. Also, if you own any Shun knives, make sure you get the Shun Honing Steel with the built in angle. Shun knives retain their sharpness longer than other knifes in this category because they are fabricated with a smaller angle to make the blade than their competition. Most knives form a 45 degree angle to make the blade with two sides at 22.5 degrees each. However, Shun forms their blades with 16 degree angles on both sides to form a 32 degree blade. You should use the steel at least once a week and Shun offers "lifetime" warranty with free "factory-edge" sharpening any time you want. Depending on use, you should send the knives into Shun once a year for sharpening.

I recently purchased this Shun 4'' paring knife along with Mac 8'' chef's knife and a Global 5-1/4'' santoku, and this knife is every bit as sharp as the more expensive Mac and Global brands--scary sharp, in fact. Plus, the Damascus style steel is simply a work of art. I've used this knife for everything from apples to mushrooms to green onions, and it moved through all of them effortlessly and without damaging the food. I sharpened it recently--not that it needed it really but just because I wanted it as good as when it came--and it regains its original edge in a just a few swipes across a ceramic steel. Finally, the handle I think is the most comfortable of all the knives I purchased, long enough to fit easily in your hand but not so big that it reduces functionality. While Shun knives are certainly becoming very popular in the U.S., it's popularity well deserved, and this knife has found a busy role in my kitchen and was worth the extra cost over its inferior competitors. I'm glad I made the investment--there's simply no comparison between this knife and a Forschner paring knife, which I used previously.

Like a previous reviewer, I don't believe in a huge collection of various knives. I only user a 9" chef's knife, a bread knife, a long pairing knife (occasionally), and now - this amazing 4" Shun utility knife.

It feels great in my hand, is perfectly balanced, and its blade is so sharp it makes me think of a surgical blade. It's the knife that I reach for most often, and it's a pleasure every time. I've had it for about 6 months so far and don't feel the need to professionally sharpen it yet.

I would share the accolades of other reviewers for Shun knives as not only being super sharp but also that they are tools of extreme beauty. The Damascus finish is distinctly eye pleasing and the handles are strikingly georgeous and functional. Despite the extreme price difference with the 3.5" paring knife, I purchased the 4" size because it offers that extra half inch that I need to thoroughly slice thru cucumbers, bell peppers and the like. Because of the thinness and Damascus finish that this knife possesses, cucumbers do not stick to this knife, making my task much faster.
I own other Shun knives and would highly recommend the Ken Onion designed 8" chefs knife. The combination of the Ken Onion and the 4" paring knife should fulfill 90% of your cutting needs. In fact, the 8" knife if so sharp that I use it to slice crusty breads.
If you would like to take your preparation experience to another level do yourself a favor and acquire a Shun. You will find, as I have, that your German knives will never again see the light of day.

There is not much I can add that hasn't been covered in the other reviews. I completely agree with all of the accolades. I am 6' tall and have large hands so I went to a cooking store and held every paring knife they had and the Shun's larger handle was the only one truly comfortable for me.

My wife has small hands and she loves this knife as well. She was not used to really sharp knives when we got married and even though I warned her, she did cut herself the first time she used this knife. As other reviewers mentioned, this knife arrives scary sharp out of the box.

For cutting and chopping anything smaller than an apple, this is the knife we use. The blade is wider than that on many paring knives which makes it easier to get even slices off items like cucumbers or tomatoes. But I agree with the culinary student's comment that the blade is a bit long to comfortably use the tip of the blade for cutting the eyes out of potatoes for example.

I use my Shun Paring knife often as well as my Shun Chef Knife; but for some tasks the paring knife is essential and easier to use than the Chef Knife. I like the Shun knives for how well they work. They hold their edge well; but I do use a tool to keep the edge true. I like the handles too. They come in Left-handed and Right-handed handles which really work great to allow one to get a good grip on the handle and control the knife blade. The blades look very nice too. The knives are balanced. I have large hands and yet the paring knife is not too small to use.

Shun knives are very high quality. My wife asked me why I bought the first one and now rarely uses any other knife. The Santoku, the 4 inch paring make a great combination for almost all your general cutting needs in the kitchen. Buy an Asian sharpener. This knife will last a lifetime.

Yes the knife is sharp. It is a very nice cutting tool. It is a Shun Classic, that should say it all. Hand wash it and use it to cut things that should be cut with a nice kitchen knife and it will do what it was designed to do.
I read reviews so I started to write practical reviews.

I own several Shun knives and this one is as good as all the rest of them. Most chef's recommend the smaller 3 1/2 inch paring knife and when I first got this knife in I did find it a little big. Once I got use to the blade I found it to be the perfect paring knife for me. I highly recommend this knife as I do any shun knife.