Customer Reviews

Shun Ken Onion DM0502 7-Inch Santoku

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Shun Ken Onion 7-in Santoku is perhaps the best knife I have ever held in my hand.

For years, my knife collection consisted of assorted Henckels 4-star and Wusthof Grand Prix knives, which I found to perform very well. However, I recently became curious about the recent hype over santoku knives and what qualities, if any, set the santokus apart from chef's knives.

Given the Shun reputation, I decided to try several of their santoku knives. My evaluation of them was primarily based on weighting and feel. I tried the Shun Classic 4" and 7" santokus, as well as the Ken Onion 7" santoku. I found the Classic 4" to be surprisingly unbalanced and would therefore -not- recommend it. The Classic 7" santoku felt good, and has a weighting that is on par with the good weight distribution of Henckels 4-star knives. However, the Ken Onion 7" absolutely blew the others away in terms of weighting, balance, and control.

The Ken Onion 7" Santoku has a superbly weighted feel that truly sets it apart from other knives I have tried. It is noticeably heavier than German and Shun Classic knives (chef's and santokus). While some prefer the lighter weight of other santokus (lighter due to the thinner blade), I find that the weight of the Ken Onion santoku provides superior control for chopping and dicing that cannot be achieved by a lighter knife. The blade of the santoku is already thinner than the blade of a chef's knife, so because of that, you still get the greater precision of the santoku blade without sacrificing control.

The balance of this knife is superb. It is unlike any other large knife that I have held. This knife has become the one that I always reach for, and my Henckels chef's knife has become obsolete. Most things can be done using a santoku instead of a chef's knife, I've found. In fact, it is better for chopping vegetables and works well on meat. (However, I still recommend a carving knife for thin cuts of meat.) My other knifes, while very good by general knife standards, just don't feel as good as the Ken Onion 7" santoku.

The hollow ground features of this knife will cost you a bit more than the straight blade santoku, but it does keep vegetables from sticking as much. It does not, by any means, prevent sticking altogether, but there is an improvement. It is hard to say whether it is worth the additional cost -- it really is a personal preference.

Finally, this knife is gorgeous. Its form and function are unparalleled -- the Ken Onion 7" santoku is not only a pleasure to use, but a masterpiece to the eye, as far as knives are concerned. The handle fits extremely comfortably into my smaller hand, and I have been told, repeatedly, that this knife works for both rightys and leftys.

While I cannot say say that this knife is a bargain, its performance is superb and I truly enjoy using it. Many of the German knives or the Shun Classics will work very very well for the typical chef, but Ken Onion knives are great for collectors and avid chefs. The quality is outstanding -- made using a technique employed by japanese swordsmiths. The stiffeness of the blade is remarkable compared to others that I have tried.

Most of the cooking process deals with preparation, and a good knife is perhaps the best investment that you can make. Ken Onion knives make prep time so much more pleasurable that it may easily be worth the additional dollars. I assure you that you, too, would be proud to own one of these.

My wife typically gets me kitchen knives for fathers day and Christmas. Without a doubt, this is the best knife of all those I've used. I've used Henkles at friends' houses, and the Wusthof Grand Prix Collection forms the foundation of our knife set. I even have two ceramic knives that were given to me this year. While each knife has specific uses where it excels, I find myself going for the Shun over and over again most of the time.

Interestingly, what makes the knife look so beautiful also makes it practical.

The ceramic knives tend to be sharper, and their edge lasts far longer. But they also have a smooth flat, which means vegetables stick to the blade. The Shun's textured surface, in addition to being gorgeous, also keeps most food from sticking to the blade. Additionally, the Shun is sturdy, meaning you can slip it between bones and twist to pry joints apart. Never try that with a ceramic knife.

My Wusthof knives are getting along in years, but are still regularly used- especially when friends are over cooking. I still go for those knives when I need a thin blade or a small paring knife. However, it is surprising how the Shun can do most of those duties easily (so that I don't have to dirty multiple knives getting dinner ready).

Look closely at the shape of the knife. Not only does it look great, but it adds versatility. The balance and the handle angle make this knife very easy to wield. The slight upwards angle as blade and handle meet make this knife naturally slide forward and backwards in a slicing motion, perfectly aligned with your arm. The slight bulge at the front of the knife gives a little more weight at the point where the knife is typically engaging things for chopping (making it more accurate and effective) while the extra taper at the tip of the knife make it easy to do more fine cuts in a pinch (again, if you don't want to go dig out the paring knife).

I rarely let friends use this knife, but when they have, they remark about how scary sharp it is. It cuts through squash and potatoes with such ease (mainly because there is no sticking) that they worry about how easily it could go through their fingers.

The only down-side is that it must be sharpened by the factory- though I've had it sharpened once in the time I have sharpened my Wusthof 2 times. (And considering I use the Shun to or three times as often, that says a lot). Treat this blade well by honing regularly, washing it immediately after use and it will be your most prized kitchen possession. That's certainly the case for me.

I've had this knife for about a month now, and continue to really enjoy it. The sharpness of the knife is almost uncanny. The handle looks odd but is one of the most comfortable I've ever used. A friend with very large hands says he has difficulty holding the knife properly, but it's ideal for anyone else.

All the knives in my kitchen are sharp. However, none of them will cut through sinew the way this one does. Forget the standard tomato or paper tests - any sharp knife will go through those with ease. When a knife can make a clean cut through a sinewy pork shoulder roast in one soft effortless motion, like a hot knife through butter, THEN it is special!

The handle on this knife takes a little getting used to, but once you find the balance of the knife, it is very comfortable and secure to hold.

As the other reviewers have stated, this is a top notch knife. Extremely comfortable to hold and well balanced like all of the Ken Onion knives, and of course razor sharp.

My only qualm is that this knife does not 'feel' like a santoku, it feels more like a chef's knife due to the fact that it has a bolster which santoku do not traditionally have. This may or may not be a bad thing depending on your personal preference, but I would suggest trying it out before purchasing.

Note that I am not knocking the bolster or handle design itself. The ergonomics are fantastic and the Ken Onion chef's knife is probably my favorite knife, but personally I do not like the way that it applies to this particular style of blade.

I decided to purchase the Shun Elite santoku instead, which is only slightly more expensive and has SG-2 powdered steel which is harder than the VG-10 steel on the Classic and Ken Onion lines.

This is the "Romanee Conti" of kitchen knives -- by far the best and most useful I've ever owned. Holds its sharpness and is better balanced than anything on the market I've ever tried.

I've had this for about 2 months, and most of my other knives just sit around now - there's rarely any occasion to use anything else. Screaming sharp, fits my hands perfectly, slices things I would've hacked through before. I had a really nice German santoku before, but this just blows doors. Slices meat, veggies, fish perfectly. It's so sharp it took some getting used to - most knives follow the line of least resistance, and if you come up against something tough, like a layer of gristle in meat, the knife will sort of deflect and follow along the boundary. This knife just slices right through everything you aim it at. Took me by surprise at first, but my knife work in the kitchen has risen to a new level only possible with a knife this good.

I just got my Shun 7" santoku knife. I made a salad immediately. The blade slid through the vegetables as though they were made of air. The rest of my cutlery will be merely for show from now on.

This is an amazing knife! I've used it to cut through chicken bones, slice a cabbage in half,chop cilantro, etc. It makes any cutting/chopping/slicing chore extremely easy and fast. My new favorite knife!

you get what you pay for with this knife. it is incredibly sharp, requiring almost no extra force to slice cleanly through onions and tomatoes. i'm no knife connoisseur, so i can't tell you how it compares to the best knives on the market. but it far outperforms any chef's knife or santoku knife that i've used. the ergonomic handle is a nice bonus. and it looks really cool, with its curved shapes and visible layers of steel.