Kanso Shun 3pc 3.5" Paring, 6" Utiltiy & 8" Cook's Starter Knife Set

I like this series of knives because they are visceral. Generally speaking they give a good feel cutting and are weighted appropriately. I also bought the Kanso Honesuki, and out of the four I only dislike the utility knife. I feel it is too light and flexible. Depending on the task at hand I suppose it could be okay, but for some reason it does not feel quite as sturdy as the others. Easy to sharpen, and maintain their edge well. I wish the 6" utility were a bit more solid but I find myself using the honesuki in its stead.

Shun makes some of the best knives in the world and these are no exception. Forged in the fashion of ancient swords these knives are solid, well weighted, incredibly sharp, and hold their edge better than my Wusthof knives.

Pros:Very sharpAmbidextrous (unlike other Shun shaped handles)Good value in this 3-piece setCons:Quality control issueUnnecessary lanyard loop in handleOverall I will say this is a great price point for these three knives. I don’t know if Shun packages these three together or if this is just the seller bundling the knives, but purchased separately they would total around $250I won’t go into great detail as you can find reviews on the individual knives elsewhere on amazon and also on YouTube but after ordering a second set I am satisfied with my purchase.The issue I encountered with the first set can be blamed on poor quality control. Two of the three had a visible bend in the blade. This was more than the blade being bent at a slight angle from the handle. There was a noticeable curve in the blade. The knives were not damaged. Presumably they came like this from the manufacturer. Although inconvenient, this is not surprising for stamped blades, as opposed to hand forged. I just didn’t expect that at this price point.If you are shopping for a professional level knife and spending hundreds, that type of flaw is unacceptable.I ordered a second set and found the blades to be straight enough. More so than the first set anyway.Other than that one issue, I do not see any of the other problems (rough handle finishing, dull edge,etc) that other reviewers of the single knives have written.Also, while the lanyard loop at the end serves no real purpose (unless you are hanging you knives from a hook for some odd reason) I did not find it to be in the way as some reviews mention. Perhaps those with smaller hands have an issue.