Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Hollow Ground
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List Price: Our Price: $124.75 You Save: $32.25 (21%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Shun Classic 7-Inch Santoku Hollow Ground
Customer Review: Very nice, but Kin nicer looking
Summary: 4 Stars
I have a Shun Santoku, and it is very nice -- a good, sharp cutting knive. However, I have found something even better for roughly the same cost -- a Kin. The Kin is more decorative, just as sharp, and offers that extra cache of owning a smaller brand (more exclusive). Try a Kin --[...]-- and get Amazon to carry them. Customer Review: Best. Knife. Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
I received this knife the other day as a gift and immediately noticed how fantastic it was. It absolutely out-performs any knife that I've seen or with which I've had contact. I had to scramble to find an immediate use for it and found myself cutting up oranges. I was shocked when I noticed that the knife practically fell through the fruit. It was absolutely like a searing knife through butter. In one word: amazing. If you only have one knife, this should be it.Customer Review: Better Than 5 Stars!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
11/11/06 Update: I can say now that I have no regrets. This knife is actually my favorite knife and the one I reach for first. I have to force myself to use my chef's knife. My Shuns are still sharp!
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.
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 [...]. 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.
About the 7" scalloped santoku ... this is my first Shun knife. It is honestly the sharpest knife I have ever used. I minced onion with relatively no effort. I didn't feel any resistance while cutting and the job went amazingly quickly.
I have small hands and this knife felt perfect. The weight was just right and it just fit well in my hand. I will have to make adjustments to my grip as I get used to the knife. (I used the traditional grip you would use on a German blade chef's knife my hand slipped toward the blade.) This knife will not replace my chef's knife, but it will see a lot of action.
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 see Cooks Illustrated.
This is probably the best kitchen purchase I've made and the one I'm most proud of. I can't wait until the rest of the set arrives.
Customer Review: Shun Knives are Beautiful, Elegant, and the Sharpest around
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a whole set of these blades, so I'm breaking down my review to two parts: Review of the Shun Classic Blades, and the portion as it pertains to this knife in particular.
This knife comes in a scalloped and regular edge. Although the scalloped edge looks kind of cool, I don't know if it really offers any additional advantage. I would have bought this straight version instead, except, I bought my knives as a set and the scalloped version came in my set.
The 6-1/2 inch knife is a utilitarian knife with many uses. It's definitely one of the steady work horse knives that you'll be reaching for all the time. It's a little on the small side, but perfectly in the middle between the real work horse (an 8" blade) and the smaller utility or paring knife.
Shun knives are beautiful creations period. Since I'm Asian, I love the tradition look and feel of this Japanese knife. I love the beauty of the blade and the dark, polished, Pakkawood handle. The unique "D"-shaped, Wood handles are preferable. The shape fits my hand perfectly, and the wood does not get slippery when wet - providing a very secure hold. The steel is of utmost quality and sharpness. Do not put this blade into any old electric knife sharpener! Electric knife sharpeners are made to put one angle on any blade. These blades come with a 16 degree angle and you don't want to be changing that angle. There are electric knife sharpeners that can sharpen these knives, but you'll have to do some research and find out which ones can be a fit with these knives. I prefer to hone with a sharpening steel and manually sharpen with a stone if necessary (and I don't see it being necessary to touch it to a stone any time soon). The blade is sharp straight off the factory and as Alton Brown says - it's the sharpest straight out of the factory edge as he's ever seen.
These knives are more expensive than most, but I think it's definitely worth it. To have the sharpest, most beautiful knife around - it's no contest. If you are on a budget, build your collection slowly. It's been said that there are only 3 knives that are the absolute basics for any kitchen: A 8" Chef's Knife, a Paring Knife, and a Long Serrated blade for cutting bread and larger items. I would add a thin utility knife and a boning knife to that list next. Then I would add those "in-between" sizes as I get more money flow in. =)
If you plan on spending any time in the kitchen, good kitchen knives are a definite must. Preparation is the bulk of cooking and when you have good knives, it cuts down on the danger of cutting yourself, it adds pleasure to the work, and it cuts down on prep time. Knives are also a very personal choice and it's best to at least go to a store and try it out for yourself first. Shun Knives are designed by the Japanese, so remember - it's designed for small hands. This makes it fit most women's hands perfectly, but I've heard of guys with larger hands not like it so much and going back to the German knives. So definitely try it out. It's a personal thing, it needs to fit you.
Why spend so much money on a knife? Well, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and you almost always have to bust out a knife to prep a meal from scratch - why not use the best? Why spend that time with items that you love and brings you pleasure to use? Many times, it's the small things that brings us the most pleasure in life, and I consider my Shun knives as one of those things. Having something so beautiful and yet so sharp and perfect - it makes my time cooking just that much more enjoyable.
Another good thing to know is that although the Shun Knives are usually offered for right-handers, you can get these knives for left-handers. You just need to find the guys who stock and sell those ones as they are less known, and less common.
Customer Review: Great knife and very sharp
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been reading a lot about Santoku granton edge knives lately and decided to get one. All my knives are from Kershaw Shun line and I'm very happy with them, so I bought this one to add to my collection. First impression on opening the box "WOW this thing is BIG." I didn't think I'd be able to use this knife because I have small hands and the balance felt off. So it sat in its nice presentation box for a while. I finally decided to use it and almost took couple of fingers off. It's an extremely sharp knife and my other Kershaws weren't this sharp. It did take some getting used to, but now I love this knife. I don't use it every day, but if I need to do a lot of slicing and chopping I take it out. It gets the job done much quicker than my other knives and is a pleasure to use. Almost no pressure is required to cut, just let the knife fall and it cuts all the way down to your board. This knife requires all of your attention on it, otherwise you'll seriously hurt yourself. I wash it as soon as I'm done with it and put away immediately. Overall, after initial fears about size, heft and self-mutulation subsided, I'm very happy with it.