ShunClassic 8" Kiritsuke Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knife for Professional and Home Chefs, VG-MAX Core with Damascus Stainless Steel Cladding Pakkawood Handle

A dream knife. A cross between a nakiri and chef knife. It’s well balanced and feels great in hand. The handle is perfect. This knife looks amazing. It’s easy to use. The slicing capabilities of this knife is tremendous… super thin slices or intricate cuts. The blade size is just right. It’s easy to clean and stays sharp. Excellent value. I purchased a Nakiri and utility knife from this same line. I highly recommend this quality knife.

I've gone through a few knife sets over the years, and I always found myself using only a couple of knives while the rest just sat in the drawer, gathering dust. It felt like I was paying for more than I needed, and honestly, it was frustrating. Then I came across this knife, and it completely changed my perspective.This knife is hands down the best I've ever used. From the moment I held it, I could feel the difference in quality. It’s perfectly balanced, with a comfortable grip that makes it easy to handle, whether I’m slicing, dicing, or chopping. The blade is very sharp and cuts through everything effortlessly, from tough vegetables to delicate herbs. It has made my time in the kitchen such a pleasure.One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that sometimes, less is more. Instead of buying an entire knife set where half of the knives go unused, investing in a high-quality knife that you’ll actually use every day is worth every penny. This knife has become my go-to for almost every kitchen task, saving me time and making the whole process of preparing meals a pleasure rather than a chore.I highly recommend investing in this knife. It’s versatile, reliable, and has completely streamlined my cooking experience. This knife is truly all you need!

This knife has been a game changer for learning knife skills. I purchased Classic Kiritsuke 8" after trying my wife’s Premier Santoku 5.5, which she got about a year ago after she injured her shoulder and needed a knife that would cut without much pressure. I wanted a different style and length to add to our collection and one that fit my taste.When the knife arrived, it looked even better in person. about the review stating that this knife has been a game changer for learning knife skills, and the sharpness and feel were just what I was looking for. I am still learning my knife skills, but I am amazed at how easy this knife is to work with. I had some reservations about going to an 8” blade since, until then, I had used a cheap 6” Chef, so the size seemed intimidating the first time I used it. However, I could control it better than the 6”, and the cutting was effortless and impressive, just how paper-thin you can cut with this. This has made meal prep much faster and more enjoyable to work with the knife.I am already looking at the Master Chef utility to add to our collection since I am so happy with the knife's style and performance. I am trying to find a local store that has one that would allow me to demo it to see how it performs, but if it is anything like this one, I will buy it for sure.If you are looking at this knife, I highly recommend adding it to your collection. Hope this was helpful to you :-) Read Less

i worked in a kitchen for 2 years and one of the other chefs recommended this brand. i will never use any other brand now. they are absolutely beautiful, sharp, and hold a great edge. only complaint is how much they are but it is well worth it. just wish it was cheaper to finish my set.

At first I was skeptical about the price. Let’s say I was so wrong amazing quality I bought 3 more. Love it so much worth every penny if you enjoy cooking highly recommended

I have some nice kitchen knives but I had never truly splurged on a main chef's knife. Fast forward 5 months after buying this and I don't think I have used another one since (except for specific duty knives, pairing, bread, etc.).Out of the box = sharp, like dangerously sharp if you don't know how to cut well. It has held its edge well too. I've only had to do some basic honing. I'm worried about trying to use my stones with it because I doubt I can get it as sharp as the workshop in Japan did.Big thing to note about knives like this: they need to be maintained. Cheaper, stainless knives you can keep in your sink no problem. This you need to keep dry and occasionally oiled to keep it from getting rust stains or tarnish.

Shun is well known for producing quality knives. I was impressed with the company itself before I decided to purchase the Shun 8" classic.The blade came well packaged. There's something about the simple sleek look of the box that screams excitement.The blade itself is beautiful. The damascus layering is quite clear. It's not etched. This is Shun.. It is indeed folded and forged.The blade is wicked sharp out of the box. Seriously. You can remove the covering, give it a quick rinse and go to work. It's light weight and fast. Even my wife comparing my western chef knife could tell the difference.Another review mentioned it chipping upon cutting a semi frozen piece of chicken. This is not a meat cleaver or a $10 aluminum knife were you can beat it to hell.The sharpness comes from the fact that this blade is very hard. Which means it's by nature brittle. Western chef knives are not as hard so they can take more abuse. But they don't hold as sharp of an edge.Veggies, meats, fruit, fish, this blade will cut through with ease.My only complaint is the western style curve to rock the blade while cutting. It means nothing, just a traditional thing with me.Definitely a great gift for someone or a great addition to any kitchen!! Simply beautiful.