ShunPremier 8" Chef's Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knife for Professional and Home Chefs, VG-MAX Core with Damascus Stainless Steel Cladding, Pakkawood Handle

A little background. I've cooked professionally for the vast majority of my adult life.. so roughly 20 years now. A bit of a late bloomer, I'm just now going to culinary school at the age of 36. That said, I've been around the block a couple times and I know a quality product when I see one.This knife is a bad ass. You know that guy that seems cool, but has that weird look in his eye and you're fairly sure he could end you if he really wanted to? Yeah, that's this knife. Compared to the knives that are provided by the vast majority of restaurants, well its like putting Butter Bean versus Jon "Bones" Jones. I've put this knife through its paces and here are my observations. Take it as you will.Pros:(1)Beautiful. I get alot of "Ooohs" and "Aaahs" from people who haven't seen it before. "Oh my God" is a common phrase by people who hold it, and "Holy s*** I want one" is common by those who take a couple swipes with it.(2)Sharp. Out of the box you can cut ripe tomatoes, apples, onions, etc extremely thin very, very easily. Thin enough that light passes through it. Can you shave arm hair with it? No. You cannot. You'll need to sharpen it yourself or have it sharpened professionally for that. Nevertheless its night and day what this knife can do when compared to your average professional kitchen knife.(3)Comfortable. I've tried quite a few different lines from quite a few different knife companies and this knife ranks right up there in the top for me. I'm 6'2" 255 lbs, mediumish hands and I have plenty of room on this handle. Fits very well to my hand and is easy to maneuver. I didn't think I would like this rounded handle as much as I do the "D" shape of the Shun Classics, but I find I prefer the Premier weight/handle.(4)Weight. I've used German-style knives pretty much my entire career and I was fairly certain I would hate this knife simply because it doesn't have the heft that a German brings to the table. I was wrong. I hate to admit it, but I was. The blade is so thin and so sharp that heft becomes nothing more than an unnecessary entity under most circumstances. Not only is the heft unnecessary in most cases, but this blade allows extremely precise cuts. On a lark, I wanted to see what it would do versus a plastic 3 1/2 oz souffle cup. It went all the way through it in a single pass without even the slightest crinkle in the cup. Quite literally hot knife through butter. Cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc are a freaking joke. Quite literally effortless.(5)Durability. I'm putting this as a pro mostly because the steel holds an edge decently well under normal usage. Cutting vegetables, breads, deboned meats etc this knife will make you giggle with glee. It is not however designed for bones or for being a can opener. It is a precision tool. If you want something that will smash through product then you are probably looking for a higher end Henckel, Wustof or F.Dick knife. With a simple daily honing after use the blade will hold a close-to-factory edge. Sharp enough to shred paper, but not quite as sharp as when you pulled it out of the box (obviously).Cons:(1)Price. If you're like most cooks, buying a knife at this price point is an investment. Its beautiful and performs extremely well, but you're always nervous its going to get dropped or misused by some idiot on the line that has no qualms about using items that aren't his/hers when you're not looking. Or it magically walking off. There are some pretty respectable SETS of knives that can be had for the price of this single knife.(2)Blade height. Honestly, most of the time the blade will simply slice through things making this con inconsequential, but there are times where it is necessary to use the heel to cut through something and in this circumstance the blade isn't tall enough to accomplish the task without you smashing your knuckles into the product. There are only really one or two items in my current menu where this happens, but it absolutely makes me cringe when it does.(3)Debris. While the handle is beautiful and very comfortable to the hand, it tends to collect pretty much anything it comes in contact with. The blade isn't much better. The "hammered" texture doesn't seem to have as much impact as one would think.To say that I'm not in love with this knife would be a complete lie. It is easily the best knife I have ever owned and I would recommend the knife whole-heartedly. That said, the price point that this knife can be had at will make the vast majority of professional cooks cringe simply because of the environment that it is expected to survive in. Even as I write this review I am seriously considering buying a cheaper set that hopefully performs pretty close simply because the idea of this knife getting ruined makes my fists clench. Also, don't let water or acidic products sit on the blade for extended periods of time. Its kind of a no-brainer, but when you get used to abusing house knives, seeing the discoloration on this knife can make you a sad panda even though it wipes off pretty easy if caught in time.UPDATE January 20, 2013: I've been using this knife for almost a year now. I have since purchased several other chef knives, including a $240 gyuto made with CPM-154 steel. I still keep coming back to my Shun. It is my go to knife for 90% of the stuff I do in the kitchen. I still have not experienced any of the chipping that some reviewers were complaining about, so it makes me assume they are mistreating this knife. For me, the Premier is the perfect balance of weight, utility, and beauty at a very competitive price. The blade is rigid(no flex) and while noticeably heavier than most gyutos and lasers, it is also noticeably lighter than German-style French knives. The VG-10 is about as good a steel as you're going to find at this price point. Good edge retention, but not superb. One of the best investments I have ever made.UPDATE March 21, 2013: I figured I should mention my absolute favorite trait about this knife, and that is the finish and the geometry of the blade create a surface with virtually no drag. The combination create a performance trait that I have yet been able to replicate with another knife. It is particularly evident when doing your horizontal cuts for dicing an onion. With the grinds on other knives (Henckel/Miyabi products especially) they seem to create alot of drag and you almost have to rip the knife through the cut. The Premier is nearly effortless and it has caught some experienced cooks by surprise who had their hand on the back of the onion instead of on top where it belongs. Caution is warranted while you get used to this knife's characteristics.

I saw this knife used on a TV show named the Secret Meat Business on AWE network and was impressed with the appearance and the apparent sharpness of the knives he used. At the end of the show, they said that "Shun Knives" was one of their sponsors so I did an online search and sure enough, they sell them right here on Amazon!The knife is just as beautiful as it was on the TV show and I can now personally say that it is RAZOR sharp and it holds an edge fiercely. The first thing I cut with it was a dead-ripe garden-fresh tomato -- the knife never even pressed the skin down, it just slid through it with almost zero resistance. I've used it on beef and veggies so far but know for sure it would handle ANY kitchen item needing sliced/diced/chopped/slivered/whatever. The knife feels good in my hand (male who wears size X-large gloves) but it also feels good to my wife (female with slender fingers). It is SCARY sharp so unless you have good knife form (fingertips curled under and thumbs tucked in as an automatic reflex rather than a conscious thought) you should use a cut resistant, Kevlar glove on your non-knife hand.This knife is an investment worth making if you are a serious cook. The Damascus steel will hold an edge extremely well but you DO need to be careful with it or the edge can chip. It's like anything in life, there are trade-offs -- the Damascus steel is SUPER hard so the edge lasts for ages but in exchange, the harder the metal, the more brittle so it can chip more easily if dropped or abused. Don't use this knife to whack through bones, use a cleaver if you want to do that.With a little common sense care, this knife will easily last the rest of your life and you can pass it on to your heirs along with your cast iron cookware and such!

I really appreciate this Shun. It was my first high end Japanese knife and introduced me to that style of knife which I am now in love with. It has a stunning mirrored finish, damascus pattern and handle. The knife itself is super sharp and holds an edge really well. It is true VG10 steel and holds its edge as such. Large blade makes short work of veggies and meats, however knife is nimble enough for delicate tasks as well. Shun includes lifetime knife sharpening for only like $5 for the first knife and $2 per additional knife which is just shipping costs which I view as a great value, not that you will need to sharpen these a ton.As for some of the negative reviews about chipping... honestly ignore them. As I have gotten into cooking and moved into the world of high end products I have seen a myriad of negative reviews on products like Le Creuset, John Boos Blocks, KitchenAid stand mixers, etc. In my pretty substantial experience these all seem to be from people who enjoy cooking so they buy a high end item and have absolutely no idea how to use or care for the item. They think because its expensive its invincible which is just not the case. I have use this knife a lot, accidentally nicked bones, cut on harder surfaces, etc. and nothing has damaged this knife with reasonable care. Yes, if you are going to take it and whack it on a chicken bone or cut on a marble countertop you may chip it. These are all things it says not to do. There is no way in hell you are going to cut veggies or meat on a wood block or plastic board and chip this thing, especially using the correct cutting motion.All that being said, I have a Miyabi Birchwood SG2 8" chefs knife that I mostly use instead of this. Its just got an even sharper angled edge and is made of an even harder material making cutting even easier. But it should be, this knife goes for $180 that one goes for $250-300 depending on sales. If you have the money I would consider looking towards a Shun or Miyabi with SG2 level steel.