Cutlery Reviews

This is the best and most useful knife I have ever owned. My hands are small and I delight at a nice well balanced untensil such as this one. Excellent, everyone needs one of these if they spend any time in the kitchen !!!!!!!!!!!!

I just recently purchased this knife and I was blown away. I am used to crappy knives - you know, those hand-me-downs that always get chucked into the back of the drawer... well not anymore! This knife is very sharp and easy to maintain.

I started collecting Henckels Four-Star series because I find that the price is right and the quality is very high.

This is the perfect size for a versatile paring knife and the 4 Star line is the most underrated line on this sight. When a rookie comes to work in my kitchen and asks me what line of knives to invest in I send 'em here for 4 Starz. These are the knives I started with in 1979 and I still use an 8 inch chef's.
A bargain in price,indestructable, sharp, easy to keep sharp, attractive and built since 1976...timeless.

Buy this one, an 8 inch chef's, an 8 inch bread, a 5.5 inch boning knife, a 10 inch steel and the Santoku. Add more as needed. Buy 'em now!

We be givin' the max...5 mojo*z

I researched santoku knives before I bought this one. I have a Wusthof Santoku with the dimples in the blade that is supposed keep items you're slicing from sticking to the blade, it doesn't. The Wusthof is light and just didn't perform like I expected it too. I checked a professional chef's site that rated Santoku knives from 1 to 10 and #1 was Shun. Wusthof and Henckels tied at number 7. The Wall Street Journal also recommended Shun highly. In fact, everything I read about Shun was positive. When I received my Shun, I liked the heft and the handle immediately, it is extremely sharp right out of the box. It slices cleanly, no problems with thin skinned or stringy fruits or veggies. Working with this knife doesn't require the effort that the Wusthof knife does. The only downside to owning this Shun, is that you want to replace all your other knives with Shun.

Shun knife's are unbelievably sharp and well made. I started my knife collection with Global, not bad but nothing like Shun. When I was in Sydney, I found a knife ship at the fish market that had a great selection and was introduced to Shun. I've wanted a Santoku and was going to go Global to go with the collection but when I was told about Shun (did some research on the web at my hotel that night), I went back the next day and purchased this knife. It's very, very sharp, keeps an edge much longer than my Global's ever did. If you're looking for the ultimate knife, this is it. Since then, I've picked up a Shun pairing knife which I love as well.

Absolutely the best vegetable knife ever, I do have small hands, and while these are heavy, they are ergonomic and so comfortable to hold. The blade has stayed sharp with months of heavy duty vegetable cutting use and the dishwasher too... I've spent a lot more on german and french knives whose ergonomics don't work for me, and those knives did not hold their edge as long, I just freshen with a sharpening steel every few days so far.

The other reviewer was absolutely right, I am going to forgo a little LCD for my kitchen and will indulge in more of these Shun classic knives instead. Just gave away two knife blocks and their contents ! I can slice 4 lbs of beets to transclucent slices without my hands feeling fatigued -- this knife has made cooking a so much fun, I don't groan when I look at that huge pile of veg I picked up at the farm market since I know it will be a breeze to slice thro them. I don't feel compelled to turn to the mandoline as often. I can see how I would want to own and treasure these for a lifetime. Makes me feel silly in the kitchen -- can imagine myself in the kitchen stadium iron chefing away almost. I plan on getting the Alton angle set tho, can see how the angle would make this fabulous knife even better! Plus I bought this on Alton Brown's recommendation.

We have several Shuns, and they are a cheaper alternative to Hattori. They are worth what you pay, but not the best out there, as some have declared. They, like other top Japanese knives, need to be sharpened at 12 to 15 degrees to get the best performance. This negates their use for heavier use, so a traditional 10 degree knife needs to be kept as well. The Spanish Henckels or Forschners do this well.

They are available for lefties, too, but you have to ask or special order them.

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. Check them out on the Web at kershawknives.com.

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 (chefsresource.com for lefties). The handles are made of wood and are specially treated so they are diswasher safe!! The steel used for the blades is harder than what you would find in most other knives. The knives are EXTREMELY sharp (cut myself day one). 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.

This knife is light and just feels right in my small hands. My old knife was 4", but the difference isn't that noticable to me. This knife makes quick work of garlic. It is so sharp that it seems like I just have to lay the knife against the food.

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, check out cooksillustrated.coms' equipment ratings.

This is probably the best kitchen purchase I've made and the one I'm most proud of.

Before I started doing any serious cooking, I never quite saw the point of the 'big' knives and ended up doing practically everything with a cheap stamped paring knife. Then, I discovered the beauty of the mid-sized chef's knife and the rocking action you can use to make short work of veggie prep. Finally, I discovered the sheer bliss of very sharp large knives starting with the great German brands and graduating to these new Shun knives after my hero, Alton Brown started shilling for Shun and Khershaw. It was easy to forget the utility of a great little paring knife, especially if it was just as sharp as its big brothers.

Now that I've gotten one of these little beauties, I have come back to admiring its qualities. Without a very sharp paring knife, jobs like cleaning and butterflying shrimp can be a real drag in that the flesh of the shrimp is so soft, a dull knife won't even cut into it without really dangerous pressure or shear. Here's a poster case for the dangers of dull knives, as you are typically not pressing down on a nice firm cutting board, you are usually cutting toward your thumb or index finger.

All lecturing aside, if you do a wide range of cooking, you may not use a paring knife often, but when you do,you will really appreciate having this little sharpie on hand!

In general, I like the Centurion line of knives. I own an 8" chef, 8" slicer, 5" utility and 3.5" parer. I use them daily and am very satisfied. They're attractive, well-balanced, sharp, and hold their edge well.

However, their Santoku knife wasn't nearly as sharp out of the box and, despite considerable effort, I couldn't get it sharp enough to suit me. I ended up giving it away. I use my chefs knife for my heavy chopping and prep work. It does a fine job.

This knife is actually quite a good value. The forged blade is full tang (the same piece of steel runs all the way through the handle allowing the manufacturer to adjust the balance by the thickness of steel in the handle)and is pretty nicely balanced. The Far East is making some darn good cooking utensils which means that serious home cooks on a budget can finally own very good equipment without the need for a second mortgage. I sharpen ALL new knives...even $200 ones. Once sharpened, this knife has turned out to be a good one. If you are itching for a Santoku, this is a good one. After you sharpen it.

Nice heft, handles well, excellent value for the money. Not razor sharp, but good enough for most uses.

If you love your knives and use them often, you're going to need to hone and sharpen the steel regularly as well. It's best to learn how to do this. Your other option is to buy an electric knife sharpener. Here's the deal about sharpening your knives - different knife manufacturers and different knives, have different blade angles. An electric knife sharpener is a cookie-cutter gadget that puts one set angle on the blade. That's not a problem if you get the electric sharpener with the right angle for your blade. It IS a problem though if you put a blade with a 15 degree angle into an electric sharpener designed to put a 18 degree angle on the blade. Get the picture? Electric sharpeners can also eat your blade or scratch it all up. They're a good gadge for some people but any true knife connoisseur will tell you that a good sharpening steel and stone is the way to go. Go manual, it's a act of delicacy, precision and love.

Now that we got that out of the way, there are two main tools. The sharpening steel and the stone. I won't go into the stone since this is a review of the Shun Sharpening Steel, but know that the stone is what you use to actually Sharpen a Knife.

A "Sharpening Steel" is a misleading name. It makes people think that it "Sharpens the steel", when a more accurate term would be "honing" or "re-aligning" the blade. The Sharpening Steel is used daily or every other day. Basically, whenever you use the blade, tiny molecules at the very edge of the blade get mis-aligned. By sliding your blade along the Sharpening Steel, you're simply "Re-aligning" those molecules, honing and putting your blade back to tip top shape. So you use the Sharpening Steel every day or so, and you use your Sharpening Stone only when your knife is truly dull.

The Shun Sharpening Steel is a good one, but may be small for some people. It only comes in 9". The basic rule of thumb is that you buy a steel that is as large or larger than the length of the blade you are honing. Since most of the knives in the Shun Classic line are under 9", this 9" Sharpening Steel does the job. If you have longer blades though, you'll want a longer steel.

The handle is made of the same "D"-shape, polished dark, Pakkawood handle, so it matches with the rest of the Shun Classic line very nicely. Other than that, there is nothing truly outstanding about this sharpening steel over any other. It does the job it was designed for very nicely and it matches the set as well.

These are excellent knives with fine craftsmanship and excellent materials, but if you look at cutco the craftsmanship and materials are equal while the design is unique and pure genious.

I hate to think of how many years I used cheap knives -- about a year ago I needed to replace some kitchen tools and this set is the HEART of my kitchen, WORTH EVERY PENNY! When I opened the box I was impressed at the weight and balance of the chef's knife. It's a work of art. I realized all at once that I'd never even HELD a real knife before. Saying that these tools are a pleasure to use is an understatement! There is a day and night difference between these knives and the cheap knives you've probably got in your knife drawer. Life is short. Use good tools. This is an excellent set at a great price! You will never regret having upgraded to these knives!

I bought my son this set for a gift (he has worked in restaurants and attended cooking school and asked for them) and enjoyed using them so much I bought my own. I have owned Chicago cutlery for thirty years. These knives are much sharper and make chopping much easier. I plan to buy additional knives. Well worth the price.

My parents have had ginsu knives for years now. They use them all the time and to this day they still cut like they are brand new. This price is a steal. You are getting the best knives for the best price. I am now moving out and I am going to make sure I have ginsu in my kitchen. I will not use anything else. I can't believe the rice they are selling these for. You have to get these knives! You won't regret it.

Just got my Ginsu knife set and I'm still looking for things to slice. After years of going through the latest, overpriced, fashionable knife, it's nice to get back to a knife that does exactly what it was designed to do at an EXTREMELY reasonable price. I could have purchased the set with stainless steel handles but there's something warm and comforting about the feel of bakelite. I think anyone over 40 would agree.

I bought this for my mom as a Christmas gift. She just loves it and has nothing but good things to say. This was her first new knife in 30 years (used to replace some aging Cutco knives).

Just remember though... this is coming from my mother! I doubt that she would tell me she hates it.

I recently received this knife, and several others of the same brand. What a pleasure to use!! And a great value for the price. You can't go wrong with these knives.

I was using "regular" knives, nameless utensils that cut things for me, until I bought this knife as part of a set that was on sale. The first time I used it, I saw the light. This knife was sharp, fit beautifully in my hand and made cutting much less of a chore. We've since purchased several other knives in this line, but this one holds a special place in my heart.

Though we've been using it for several years, it's only been sharpened occasionally and the only sign of wear is that the Calphalon insignia that was on the blade has worn off after many washings. Compared to more expensive brands, like Wusthof, these knives are an incredible value.

You can't beat the price. I take off one star because I've had problems unlocking the lid of the spagetti cooker. I had to use screwdriver the first time this happened. Then I found out you can just use cold tap water to wash the edge of the lid then it would come off. All in all, I am very happy with the purchase.

I've had it for a few months now, and I'm not disappointed at all. Yes, it's not the best quality, but that's why you didn't pay $150 for a name brand cookware. I've used it about 5 out of 7 days a week so far since I bought it, and the non-stick still works. The pasta cooker and cutlery set are flimsy but, hey, they work. The only thing that bothered me is the red color of the pasta cooker. If they'd made it match the set, I'd of given it 5 stars. This is the best inexpensive and complete cookware set you'd find anywhere. But, it isn't a long term investment or something you want to consider if you love cooking, so I recommend it only to the occasional cook.

For this price it is an excellent deal.
This covers all my kitchen needs.