Picked this set up a few weeks before Christmas. If my set was stolen . . . I'd, without hesitation, buy this set again.

ThunderThighs wrote:Earn your quality post right here. Review these knives if you bought this previously.

Haha. Be forewarned, left handed cooks out there, the 'D-shaped handle' that these list as a feature is actually super annoying if you aren't right handed like most. Instead of your hand form fitting to that D shape, a lefty will have a super uncomfortable time using these knives. It's not exactly as bad as trying to use right handed scissors when you're a lefty, or vice versa, but it's in the ballpark.

Wow! 3 knives for $300. You just have to be kidding.

slotter wrote:Wow! 3 knives for $300. You just have to be kidding.

If $100 per knife seems high to you, consider the retail is over $200 per knife! This ain't your run of the mill target knife set with 50 knives for $25, no doubt. These are chef's tools. $75 is a lot for a hammer, unless you use it everyday. I bought this set a few months ago, and have since added 5 more Shun Classics to the block. They are unbelievably sharp, will stay that way, and will be handed down to my son. If you are serious about cooking, don't even hesitate.

jameshaddow wrote:Haha. Be forewarned, left handed cooks out there, the 'D-shaped handle' that these list as a feature is actually super annoying if you aren't right handed like most. Instead of your hand form fitting to that D shape, a lefty will have a super uncomfortable time using these knives. It's not exactly as bad as trying to use right handed scissors when you're a lefty, or vice versa, but it's in the ballpark.

Can I review vicariously? Yes? My brother is a lefty, he says that the symmetrical weight distribution and their true cut/slicing makes the "D" handle a minor issue.

Holy Schnikes!
You could duck tape one of these to the end of an air rifle and totally hurts some peeps!

Too soon Woot.


On a side note I would like to mention that the knife block would be more useful if it had room for a half dozen steak knives in the base.

I recently bought a similar set from Woot. It contained a nakari instead of the block and bread knife. So far I've been very happy with these knives. They slice through meat, potatoes, etc with very little effort. It's awesomely disconcerting how sharp these knives are. I just have remind myself a few times that a sharp knife is a safe knife and then I can get back to cooking.

These knives are a great buy if you're in the market for really nice knives.

I wanted to add that Woot seems to frequently sell various sets of these knives. These sets are almost always bundled around a chef's knife or a santoku. That kind of limits you to a single knive set purchase, unless you want duplicates, so feel free to wait if you're looking for a slightly different combination.

This is a 3 piece block set, is it not?

EricInMaryland wrote:This is a 3 piece block set, is it not?

The block is considered a piece. That is standard for knife sets.

My disappointment with this set is the missing honing steel that usually comes with a block. But it's still a very nice set.

I did buy this set at Christmas - and later also purchased the Ken Onion set available here a few weeks later. I do like these knives a lot, but I prefer the Ken Onion knives. The downside is Ken Onion are more expensive. If you are looking for quality knives, you can't go wrong with any Shun. The classic line is the least expensive, but it is still very, very good. They are sharp, well balanced, and handle well. And it doesn't hurt that they are beautiful to look at, too. This is not a bad set, especially since it has a block. If you don't already have a block, this set is definitely worth it. If you do have a block, because as someone else mentioned all the sets on Woot have one of two knives included, you might want to wait and get a different set. I find that I don't use the other knives in this set as much as I do some of the ones in other sets. Of course, having two of the same knife isn't the end of the world.

They are absolutely gorgeous knives, that hold their edge for a long time. I own a couple Shun knives, and they are pretty much the same as any other similarly priced knives, with the exception of looking cooler.

I would not hesitate to buy another one, and if you are looking to start a set of knives with a chef's knife and a block, this would be a good way to start.

bmoller wrote:If $100 per knife seems high to you, consider the retail is over $200 per knife! This ain't your run of the mill target knife set with 50 knives for $25, no doubt. These are chef's tools. $75 is a lot for a hammer, unless you use it everyday. I bought this set a few months ago, and have since added 5 more Shun Classics to the block. They are unbelievably sharp, will stay that way, and will be handed down to my son. If you are serious about cooking, don't even hesitate.

I think you're a bit optimistic to think they will stay sharp in perpetuity. If you keep using them they won't be good to pass down to your son. I'd give 'em 15-20 good years of sporadic use.

Pro chefs, for example, might use a shun for their home cooking, but for long term use, a Shun is too expensive. Instead, they'll get a 50 dollar knife set and sharpen it themselves.

Shun knives are great, and this is a good price for a set of them, but am I the only one who finds it odd that the chef's knife in this set is longer than the slicer? If you have a sharp knife (which these most certainly are) you really don't need "extra leverage" with your chef/chopping knife, but the extra length would be nice on a slicer if you are working with a big piece of meat, like slicing prime rib or cutting steaks from a primal. Longer slicer means you are more likely to cut with one continuous stroke without having to saw back and forth.

It would be a better set with a 8" chef and a 10-12" slicer in my opinion (but then again maybe that is why it is on a clearance site).

I'm not sold on the "really expensive serrated knife" thing either. They are often nearly impossible to resharpen and therefore disposable. It also doesn't matter nearly as much how sharp a serrated knife is, because most of the "cutting" is really tearing done by the teeth. A decent serrated knife is invaluable for cutting tomatoes and bread, but really has few other uses if you keep your straight knives sharp. Hard for me to justify paying $100+ for that.

tldr: Great brand, good price, odd combination of knives, be sure you are getting what you want.

robmaeder wrote:I think you're a bit optimistic to think they will stay sharp in perpetuity. If you keep using them they won't be good to pass down to your son. I'd give 'em 15-20 good years of sporadic use.

Pro chefs, for example, might use a shun for their home cooking, but for long term use, a Shun is too expensive. Instead, they'll get a 50 dollar knife set and sharpen it themselves.

davemays123 wrote: They are often nearly impossible to resharpen and therefore disposable.

Same response to both of these: Shun offers lifetime resharpening service for free. You pay for shipping both ways from your home to their facility, so it's not completely free, but the sharpening part is free.

davemays123 wrote:Shun knives are great, and this is a good price for a set of them, but am I the only one who finds it odd that the chef's knife in this set is longer than the slicer? If you have a sharp knife (which these most certainly are) you really don't need "extra leverage" with your chef/chopping knife, but the extra length would be nice on a slicer if you are working with a big piece of meat, like slicing prime rib or cutting steaks from a primal. Longer slicer means you are more likely to cut with one continuous stroke without having to saw back and forth.

It would be a better set with a 8" chef and a 10-12" slicer in my opinion (but then again maybe that is why it is on a clearance site).

I'm not sold on the "really expensive serrated knife" thing either. They are often nearly impossible to resharpen and therefore disposable. It also doesn't matter nearly as much how sharp a serrated knife is, because most of the "cutting" is really tearing done by the teeth. A decent serrated knife is invaluable for cutting tomatoes and bread, but really has few other uses if you keep your straight knives sharp. Hard for me to justify paying $100+ for that.

tldr: Great brand, good price, odd combination of knives, be sure you are getting what you want.

A 10" cooks knife is my kitchen go to knife. But I prefer to cut at different parts of the blade depending on what I am cutting/slicing. I don't cook meats much so most of what I cut are veggies.

If you are having a tough time sharpening your serrated knives, take them to a professional knife sharpener. I have my knife sets professionally sharpened at least once a year. If I was cutting more meats it would probably be more like every 6-9 months. Professional sharpeners will restore your edge which will hold nicely on a GOOD knife. Between sharpenings you only need a ceramic, steel or leather strop.

If you pay for good knives, take care of them properly!! They WILL last a lifetime at home.

aprilbolin wrote:Same response to both of these: Shun offers lifetime resharpening service for free. You pay for shipping both ways from your home to their facility, so it's not completely free, but the sharpening part is free.

Sharpening removes metal. It can't last forever.

They know their knives aren't super durable (because of how thin they are sharpened).

From the product description
"Do not use to cut through bone

Only cut on wood or plastic cutting boards; never cut on stone, metal or glass"

robmaeder wrote:
From the product description
"Do not use to cut through bone

Only cut on wood or plastic cutting boards; never cut on stone, metal or glass"

That's good advice for any kitchen knife. None of them will really cut through bone. Bone will kill the edge on any knife. Professional butchers use a band saw for that kind of thing. Smaller bones you might be able to chop through with a cleaver, but again, you're going to kill your edge.

Also with the cutting boards, that's good advice for any knife. Glass, stone, and metal look pretty, but they'll destroy the edge on any knife in short order. The blade of the knife can't actually cut in to those surfaces, so what's going to happen after you've cut through your meat or veggies and the blade is running along that hard surface? The edge is going to bend and dull.

This looks like a nice compliment to the Shun Classic 3pc Set DMS382 that I bought from woot! the other week.

I just wish I could justify another $300 after having just dropped two bills on the first set. Stupid budget!

Oh, for those picky about the way they like to hold their knives, the "classic" line Shuns are weighted and balanced for a pinch-grip where the blade flares into the bolster/handle with your thumb and the side of your index finger resting in the curve of the bolster. If you're OCD about gripping only the handle, the Shun Classics are likely to feel awkward and imprecise in your hand.

wfarmer wrote:I wanted to add that Woot seems to frequently sell various sets of these knives. These sets are almost always bundled around a chef's knife or a santoku. That kind of limits you to a single knive set purchase, unless you want duplicates, so feel free to wait if you're looking for a slightly different combination.

eBay is a great place to sell off those duplicate knives and recoup some of your cost, so don't let that stop you. Woot away!

WANT! I've played with these knives in Sur La Table, and I keep drooling each time they come up for sale, but I just don't have the cash.

Great knives! I've had the Shun Utility knife since 2009 (managed to snag it for $60). I have wanted the matching 10" chef's knife ever since.

I finally bought a set of these from one of the last woot offers, and after using cheap knives all my life, I love these things! Makes cutting soooo much easier. I feel like I just wasted money constantly repurchasing cheap knives, these are well worth the cost.

Question, if it's a 4 piece set(including the block) why does the block have 11 slots??? Why don't they sell a 3 slot block with this, or give us a 12 piece set with this block??????

Ohmygosh!Ohmygosh!Ohmygosh!!!! I hate you Woot. You are tearing my willpower to shreds!

I looked hard at asking for this chef's knife for Xmas. It was about $180 or $190. I decided against it and got a $30 Victorinox instead. Maybe some day when I have some more money is what I thought (even though it's a gift, there are other things I want and would otherwise buy for myself--I got a sous-vide controller and some other stuff if you're wondering).

But damn... $300 for 3? I'm so tempted. Problem is: I'm not really sure the two extra knives are worth $120 to me in actual value. I have a perfectly acceptable bread knife and the other knife I could always give to my parents, but it doesn't leave any knuckle room making it a less useful knife.

Just a word of advice: though it says that the blades are corrosion resistant, I'm skeptical. My understanding is that they will rust if you leave them sitting and wet (the sides at least--the edge isn't as much of a worry, so it's more of an aesthetic consideration). So if you get them be sure to care for them. Part of the reason I couldn't pull the trigger was that I knew I'd forget someday.

Also, knife blocks are bacteria motels. Get a magnetic knife strip.

jmdavis333 wrote:Question, if it's a 4 piece set(including the block) why does the block have 11 slots??? Why don't they sell a 3 slot block with this, or give us a 12 piece set with this block??????

Because a 3 slot block would be useless and wouldn't allow for expansion, and a multi-piece Shun block set would cost between $420 and $2100.

Instead, they'll get a 50 dollar knife set and sharpen it themselves.

When I was in the restaurant biz we had a sharpening service. Knives would go away for a couple days and come back sharp, the next trip the other knives would go.
And this was at Steak & Ale, not exactly a 4-star kitchen.

jameshaddow wrote:Haha. Be forewarned, left handed cooks out there, the 'D-shaped handle' that these list as a feature is actually super annoying if you aren't right handed like most. Instead of your hand form fitting to that D shape, a lefty will have a super uncomfortable time using these knives. It's not exactly as bad as trying to use right handed scissors when you're a lefty, or vice versa, but it's in the ballpark.

Thank you! My wife is a lefty, you saved me some trouble!

mroulier wrote:When I was in the restaurant biz we had a sharpening service. Knives would go away for a couple days and come back sharp, the next trip the other knives would go.
And this was at Steak & Ale, not exactly a 4-star kitchen.

I would recommend this knife. Stays sharp- you get 90% of the knife for 10% of the cost.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2

Wow, now this is an item I can really comment on.

My wife and I have had the shun classic knives for almost six years now and I would not trade them for anything. These are without doubt the best knives I have ever owned. They are well balanced, well made and crazy sharp. The work as professional knives should by slicing beautifully and smoothly rather than trying to saw food apart.

This summer I was cooking at my mom's house 7-8 times and after the first time using her set of knives (cutco) I went online and ordered her a set. She had no idea how much nicer cooking can be with a good set of knives.

So now that I have made myself sound enough like a shill, I will leave you with this.

In for one for my mother-in-law and maybe a second for my brother-in-law.

jameshaddow wrote:Haha. Be forewarned, left handed cooks out there, the 'D-shaped handle' that these list as a feature is actually super annoying if you aren't right handed like most. Instead of your hand form fitting to that D shape, a lefty will have a super uncomfortable time using these knives. It's not exactly as bad as trying to use right handed scissors when you're a lefty, or vice versa, but it's in the ballpark.

I have some [Woot-purchased] Shuns and a number of Henckels Miyabi knives I purchased in Asia a couple of years ago that also have D-shaped handles. While I definitely can feel a difference when I hold the knives in my right hand versus my left, I don't find these uncomfortable to use when I'm actually cutting things with them. If I were buying more of these, I might consider seeking out the left-handed versions, but in the end, I enjoy using these knives even in the "wrong" hand. As noted elsewhere, if you use a pinch grip, it's relatively irrelevant.

Saying "These knives are sharp" is like Coors selling "beer as cold as the rockies" or saying "man, these new pants I bought are really clean". One would hope they came that way, otherwise you have a much larger problem. I've purchased some f***ing sharp $2 paring knives.

The question is: do they stay that way? Shuns are a fairly hard steel (HRS of 58 or 59, I think), compared to the popular German cutlery brands. The result is a blade that keeps an edge longer, but is a little more prone to chipping. This is why they say not to try cutting through bone (though I don't usually have a problem with chicken bones).

I only own 1 shun knife, the 7" santoku. Its a great knife, and I use it for upwards of 70 percent of my cooking at home. Despite what these knife companies want you to think, you really only need one or two knives to get almost everything you need done. I'm also a sushi chef, so I know how to sharpen my knives, and do so on a regular basis.

My personal opinion is that Shun is just about the best brand out there for the home cook. Any knife more expensive is over-kill. I also don't think either the slicer or the bread knife are worth the investment. Find one good, mid-sized chef knife and be happy.

Do these three knives fit in the block? Mostuniversal blocks cannot accomodate 10" and 9" knives.

They aren't very great for throwing.

davemays123 wrote:Shun knives are great, and this is a good price for a set of them, but am I the only one who finds it odd that the chef's knife in this set is longer than the slicer? If you have a sharp knife (which these most certainly are) you really don't need "extra leverage" with your chef/chopping knife, but the extra length would be nice on a slicer if you are working with a big piece of meat, like slicing prime rib or cutting steaks from a primal. Longer slicer means you are more likely to cut with one continuous stroke without having to saw back and forth.

It would be a better set with a 8" chef and a 10-12" slicer in my opinion (but then again maybe that is why it is on a clearance site).

I'm not sold on the "really expensive serrated knife" thing either. They are often nearly impossible to resharpen and therefore disposable. It also doesn't matter nearly as much how sharp a serrated knife is, because most of the "cutting" is really tearing done by the teeth. A decent serrated knife is invaluable for cutting tomatoes and bread, but really has few other uses if you keep your straight knives sharp. Hard for me to justify paying $100+ for that.

tldr: Great brand, good price, odd combination of knives, be sure you are getting what you want.

It is short for a slicer, but I've got this 10" Classic chef's knife, and I really like it.

I've also got a 8" Shun Steel chef's knife, which is like a Classic but with a metal handle.

The balance point of the 10" is slightly forward of the bolster area, but since the blade is more often than not touching the board I don't notice it when using it.

The extra length allows me to slice more or larger things without lifting the blade off the board.

I use the 10" more than the 8".

robmaeder wrote:I would recommend this knife. Stays sharp- you get 90% of the knife for 10% of the cost.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008M5U1C2

We hear from another Cook's Illustrated fan.

Having actual experience with both knives, I'd say the Victorinox is maybe 60% of the knife for 25% of the price. It's still diminished returns, but that's the way everything works.

The Victorinox is certainly usable. I bought one for my parents so there's a knife I can stand to use when I'm visiting. I've spent a lot of time with it.

For people who don't want to spend more than $30, it's a fine choice, but in no way is it "90%" of a Shun chef's knife.

re: person who said blocks are bacteria magnets. i always dry my knives in a rack before putting them away.

quality knives are well worth it. Having grown up with crap knives and cutco (step up from crap IMO). When I got my first place, I went with a suggestion of my chef friend to buy the best knife I could for a chefs knife then went about buying more. So I went wusthof, then sabatier, had some henckels, global and some shun.

I have to say the shun and global do handle best for me. But all the top brands are all exceptional.

For the person who commented about bone, I would never use a good knife on a big bone. That's like using a ferrari to offroad. I use a cheap heavy high carbon steel chinese cleaver for chopping a chicken in half or hacking at the joints of meats.

for sharpening, be wary of cheap sharpening steels. I typically suggest keeping a 2 sided whet stone. I have a japanese one that has two different coarse sides. I also keep a sharpening (ceramic) rod around too when I don't need as much removal as with a steel. For those of you with space and are 'handy' types, get a multispeed grinder and you can get different discs like stone, leather, or cotton wheels that will help you sharpen many knives quickly and efficiently.

Interestingly enough, if you go to asia, many times, you can get some amazing knives that aren't brand names, but have the same type of steel. I have one japanese knife that I don't know the name of (it'sin japanese) but the sushi chef in town gets them every time he goes back to Japan so i had him get me one. amazing filet knife and probably on par with a shun any time of the day but half the cost at $65 US.

davemays123 wrote:Shun knives are great, and this is a good price for a set of them, but am I the only one who finds it odd that the chef's knife in this set is longer than the slicer? If you have a sharp knife (which these most certainly are) you really don't need "extra leverage" with your chef/chopping knife, but the extra length would be nice on a slicer if you are working with a big piece of meat, like slicing prime rib or cutting steaks from a primal. Longer slicer means you are more likely to cut with one continuous stroke without having to saw back and forth.

It would be a better set with a 8" chef and a 10-12" slicer in my opinion (but then again maybe that is why it is on a clearance site).

I'm not sold on the "really expensive serrated knife" thing either. They are often nearly impossible to resharpen and therefore disposable. It also doesn't matter nearly as much how sharp a serrated knife is, because most of the "cutting" is really tearing done by the teeth. A decent serrated knife is invaluable for cutting tomatoes and bread, but really has few other uses if you keep your straight knives sharp. Hard for me to justify paying $100+ for that.

tldr: Great brand, good price, odd combination of knives, be sure you are getting what you want.

Pretty sure Shun sharpens all their products for life, so the serrated thing isn't an issue, plus their tooth design totally negates the "disposable" nature of most serrated knives, being designed to be sharpened and maintained for life.

I do agree about the slicer being a bit short. I'm all for the 10" chefs knife though. I would agree with shorter out of instinct, but I find that with enough practice/skill, a long chefs knife can be wielded with nearly the precision of a boning/paring knife... plus the longer the chefs knife, the narrower the tip, theoretically, since the angle would be smaller to reach the tip.. if you follow... assuming blade height is the same for 8" vs 10".. think: tip of a square vs. tip of a diamond. sorry .. can't explain it without drawing.. what a dam tangent
Oh yeah, and: GodaMMM I wish I had $300 right now! I love Shun design/philosophy/theory with all my heart. Where engineering meets art, IMNSHO ;)

slotter wrote:Wow! 3 knives for $300. You just have to be kidding.

I know right? You could buy like 1.15 video games for that! Jeez. JK ;P
Honestly if you go read their wibsite on the philosophy/science of their design process, I think you'll understand. They don't look like Samurai sword steel for nothin.