ThreeDJ16 Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 Ok, need to take some new pics as I am not at all happy with these (any suggestions JD?). But as far as the knives go, OMG they are super! I thought my vegetables were falling apart at the sight of the edge coming towards them. Without a doubt, these knives are the sharpest from the factory of any I have ever seen. The handle is a little larger on the santoku than others I have used and might be a bit awkward for someone with small hands (not the case here); to me, it gave good control over the blade. The dark pakkawood handles are beautiful and make cleanup easy (rubberized handles or grips tend to get lint from drying or stain/discolor). Blade to handle angle was spot on leaving plenty of room not to hit fingers, yet not having so much angle your arm was at an uncomfortable position (IE, the Atlon's Angle Set). Also the knife has heft for serious cutting, but balanced so it feels light and easy to control. Now for the main reason I purchased this set; the SG2 steel. This is one of the newest of the Japanese super hard exotic steels. Having a Rockwell hardness of 64 verses the VG10 rating of 61. This translates into a knife staying sharp longer. Another added benefit of the SG2 is due to the fact it is a powdered damascus verses the folded damascus. This allows for more uniform mixing of the materials and lessening potential weak areas. I will update over time to mention when I have to sharpen the factory edge. I should mention that any knife will need to be aligned fairly frequently (use a ceramic verses a steel for better alignment of the edge which also lessens the sharpening frequency). Knife alignment is the process of straightening the edge after being bent to one side or the other through normal use (micro bends). You can feel this by dragging the flat part of your finger down from the spine (back of the knife) towards the edge and noting a slight grabbing feeling. Please do not drag your finger along the edge, duh, your gonna get cut (only use a back to front motion). Using the ceramic tool (or the steel, as that is usually all that comes with most block sets), push it back in place till neither side has any grab using the finger test. Lastly, these high carbon content type knives require a little more care. The VG10 or SG2 knives should be hand washed and immediately dried. Don't use them on acidic foods and leave them out without being cleaned. If you do, Bar Keepers Friend should take care of any stains. -=Jasen=- Comparison of the Shun verses the Katana (can really see the blade steel differences). Also the Pakkawood handles on the Shun are way better. Opps, the greens and reds on the blades are reflections from hot sauce bottles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNakedWhiz Posted November 14, 2007 Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 I love my Shun santoku knife. The only complaint is the gold "shuh" on the blade wore off, LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2007 I love my Shun santoku knife. The only complaint is the gold "shuh" on the blade wore off' date=' LOL![/quote'] The santoku is my favorite style of knife now. It is the perfect all around knife. Mate it with a paring knife and you practically have every knife you will ever need. Which is why I bought this set since it is a paring and santoku set. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2007 Updated the review! Updated the review. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestik Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Hmm... Still waiting on those useless Katanas of yours... do I need to send a SASE or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saucier Posted November 19, 2007 Report Share Posted November 19, 2007 Shun DJ, glad you like your new knives. I am happy thus far with the Shun / Ken Onions I posted about. I will put in with you on it being the sharpest factory blade ever. I kind of like the wood stand for it too, lets you show it off a bit, instead of hiding it in a block or knife case! I too like the angle, works great. Can't speak to how long it holds an edge, as I haven't had it long enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted December 30, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2007 Quick Update! Have sliced everything I can get my hands on long enough to slice! Awesome is all I can say! From raw meat, cooked meat, vegetables, cheese, bread and whatever else that has the misfortune of finding itself on my butcher's block...effortless. Not required any sharpening yet either, just a couple of quick, touch up alignments with the ceramic stick. My pocketknife of the same manufacturer and SG2 steel is also going strong with all the abuse it gets. Have probably wasted a ream of paper (and cardboard) at work shredding trying to dull the edge. Truly the best pocketknife I have ever owned. http://www.knifeworks.com/index.asp?Pag ... rodID=9874 -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunkylover77 Posted December 31, 2007 Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 DJ at another website I have heard that you can send these knives back to Shun for sharpening. All you do is pay shipping. If they can't sharpen the knives back to new they will replace the knives. Seems like a real good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted December 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2007 DJ at another website I have heard that you can send these knives back to Shun for sharpening. All you do is pay shipping. If they can't sharpen the knives back to new they will replace the knives. Seems like a real good deal. Yeah, I read that somewhere too. But I have this sharpener ( viewtopic.php?t=928 ) and it does a fantastic job. The Shun's do carry a lifetime warranty too. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetgeek Posted January 6, 2008 Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 DJ at another website I have heard that you can send these knives back to Shun for sharpening. All you do is pay shipping. If they can't sharpen the knives back to new they will replace the knives. Seems like a real good deal. Yeah, I read that somewhere too. But I have this sharpener ( viewtopic.php?t=928 ) and it does a fantastic job. The Shun's do carry a lifetime warranty too. -=Jasen=- DJ, I may not have read the whole thread... but the Shun is a sham... It is a better knife than most knives but it is NOT a Damascus blade.. It is processed to look like a Damascus blade but there is no folding, no bi-metal (or tri-metal) or anything... Once you have used a TRUE Damascus (mostly Japanese) chef's knife you could not be fooled with the Shun Illusion. I almost hate to come down on a better knife than most, but honestly, the Shun is a sub-set of the great Damascus blades enjoyed by chefs and swordsmiths. See: http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HATTORI.html On the other hand, it may be as good for you as the knives I use? . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted January 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2008 Actually the Shun Elite is not a Damascus steel, but rather powdered steel, mixed then forged to allow for a greater consistency than with folding. Then they apply a SS layer to the exterior. Hey, to each is own, but the proof is in the pudding. I have never owned a knife that has the edge retention of the elite series (including Damascus knives). So there is no sham in Shun as you say in my opinion. BTW, I considered Hattori when purchasing, but specifically wanted the SG2 steel verses VG10 or other Damascus steels. Have not been let down yet. I imagine it will be harder to sharpen, but wouldn't know since there has not been a need yet!! -=Jasen=- You may also find it interesting that the web site in your posts sell knives made with the same powdered steel technique - http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Tenmi ... eries.html . The powered steel knives are also not a subset of Damascus, but rather a new iteration all together building on old tech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gadgetgeek Posted January 7, 2008 Report Share Posted January 7, 2008 Actually the Shun Elite is not a Damascus steel, but rather powdered steel, mixed then forged to allow for a greater consistency than with folding. Then they apply a SS layer to the exterior. Hey, to each is own, but the proof is in the pudding. I have never owned a knife that has the edge retention of the elite series (including Damascus knives). So there is no sham in Shun as you say in my opinion. BTW, I considered Hattori when purchasing, but specifically wanted the SG2 steel verses VG10 or other Damascus steels. Have not been let down yet. I imagine it will be harder to sharpen, but wouldn't know since there has not been a need yet!! -=Jasen=- You may also find it interesting that the web site in your posts sell knives made with the same powdered steel technique - http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Tenmi ... eries.html . The powered steel knives are also not a subset of Damascus, but rather a new iteration all together building on old tech. I am always in the corner to learn... I used to have a cookware store, so any knives were available to me. I have way too many of the known name brands of knives and have given boxes of them away over time. I still keep my Henckels, and some of the low-dollar boning knives and what -have-you... You are perhaps more up-to-date with the new technology in metal than I am DJ, I have had (several years ago) some Shun knives sent to me because of a photo article I did about knives, and passed them along quickly. They perhaps were NOT the knives you have or speak of? I just know that they were not up to the standard that I had set for high quality kitchen knives and others. I am sure that a large portion of our home cooking population would be delighted with ANY knife that would cut and hold an edge, and I am sure that you and I know the differences between good and really good. I love the several Hatori knives I have and use the Chicago Cutlery knives when I am butchering. It is really "to each his own" in this field. I love a couple of the Global knives I have and have all of my Kyocera knives in for a sharpening this January. The old Sabatier paring knives that were passed down from my father are still in constant use and the hand made Damascus filet knives and sashimi knives are always going to be favorites. A full magnabar in several places and a knife rack by the cutting board will keep me in touch with the past, and the present. I hope that you, DJ, will keep me in touch with the future.... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted April 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2008 Sharpening Time! Well, I finally broke down and sharpened my Shun's this week. They were still very usable, but just could not get that scary sharp edge back on the santoku. Now it is my fault on that as my ceramic realignment tool was not at my block and for some stupid reason I grabbed the old steel tool instead. Duh, it is just way too course for this fine of an edge. Needless to say, that was it and the sharpening stone was the next step. Oh well, still got 6 months of great usage before needing to sharpen. Pretty much abused them too by cutting things the cleaver would have been better for...hehe. Anyway, still very pleased with them and would recommend them to anyone. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DachsieSlave Posted November 22, 2008 Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 Drunk_J How would you rate the edge retention between the SG2 and VG10 steel. I can never get my wife to hone a knife when she uses it, I try to keep up but you know how that goes. So I am looking for something that keeps the edge a long time, in all honesty though, anything will last longer than the Chicago Cutlery I have had for years, just a lot of work to keep them sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2008 Drunk_J How would you rate the edge retention between the SG2 and VG10 steel. I can never get my wife to hone a knife when she uses it, I try to keep up but you know how that goes. So I am looking for something that keeps the edge a long time, in all honesty though, anything will last longer than the Chicago Cutlery I have had for years, just a lot of work to keep them sharp. Well worth the money in my opinion. It is ridiculous how many times you can bring back the edge with a simple blade realignment on the SG2 steel. Though the VG10 was much nicer than any SS knives I owned. What I recommend is buying two knives of higher quality instead of a whole block set of lower quality. The Asian 2-piece Shun set I bought takes care of almost everything needed.....except for my cleaver. But hey, if you do decide to go with the VG10, PM me as I am willing to sell my almost perfect set of Calphalon Katana knives. They are great knives, but once I got the Shun Elites, they have not been picked up again. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg_R Posted November 24, 2008 Report Share Posted November 24, 2008 I've been using the Shun carving and Shun boning knife (VG2 versions) for the past year and have been very pleased with their longevity. The boning knife in particular is great for prepping meat for the KK... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
