Shun Elite 9-Inch Bread Knife Review

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(More customer reviews)First and foremost, let me start with a few important notes...
I am NOT a chef by trade- I work in finance. I am simply a cooking enthusiast and I readily admit that my needs are vastly different from those of a culinary professional. I must also mention that while reviews are helpful, the only sure way to know what is right for you is to try before you buy. Luckily, Amazon has a great return policy to make buying online feasible.
One more general word of wisdom- don't buy a set unless you would unhesitatingly buy each and every component independently. Manufacturers have a bad habit of including one or two superfluous items like a tomato knife or three different sizes of utility knife. Common sense says don't pay for the extras you don't need and likely won't use. Don't give into the temptation to buy a set for the pretty block that comes with it either! I've never met a block I liked. I don't like being restricted to the sizes and quantity of pre-cut holes, but even worse- they are havens for dirt and bacteria!! For storage, try a magnetic strip. Why hide those beautiful, expensive blades- show them off and be more hygienic in the process! Almost every manufacturer makes a decent strip, so you're sure to find one that fits your collection and your budget.
Now, let's review this knife...
At $200 it should go without saying, but this knife is sharp... *extremely* sharp. My personal feeling is that all of the high-end knives will give you an adequately sharp blade. The significant differences will be found in edge durability and comfort.
As for durability, when spending this much on a single knife you should expect to get something that will last decades, even a lifetime. The differentiator in durability is all about how often you'll need to hone and sharpen your blades, not whether or not the knife will break. By the way, honing and sharpening are NOT the same thing. In the interest of staying on point, I'll let you do a quick Google search to find out why.
According to the manufacturer, the SG-2 alloy used in the Shun Elite line will hold it's edge for quite a long time. While I've only owned the bread knife for a week, I've had the Chef's and Paring knives for a couple of months now and I rarely need to hone them. So far they are definitely living up to the expectation set by Shun.
Last but not least, we consider comfort. This is, of course, something you'll have to feel for yourself, but here are a few of my thoughts. If they sound like what you'd be looking for you might have a match.
First, what I *didn't* like about the competitors I tried:
Global: Weight & handle length. For me, the Global was just too light. It is a proverbial feather. This would be a huge benefit if I were chopping, dicing, and mincing for hours every day... but I don't. I'm fairly strong and just found the lack of heft disorienting. The handle is also a little on the short side for my big hands, which left the end of the handle bumping into the inside of my palm. Lastly, the stainless handle was slippery when wet.
Wusthof & Henckels: Weight & handle shape. Both of these German-made knives are battle axes. Wielding a Wusthof or Henckels, I felt certain that I could defend my kitchen from raging barbarian hordes. They both seemed to lean toward power/brute force at the expense of agility and nimbleness. I also felt that the handles were quite boxy and lacked any elegance to their touch. For what it's worth, the Henckels was a little smoother than the Wusthof, but still boxy.
Shun Classic: Actually I loved the Classics as much as the Elites and had a hard time deciding between the two. The Classics have a D-shaped handle the really helped the blade stay steady in my hand. Since I'm a lefty while my wife is a righty, the clincher was that the Classics came in either right OR left handed while the Elites are ambidextrous. For those of you who don't care about ambidexterity, consider that the SG-2 steel of the Elites is supposed to be even better than the fabled VG-10
used in the Shun Classics.
Ceramic knives: These are fairly new on the scene and boast super sharp edges that stay sharp longer than any metal blade. My complaint is simple: they break and/or chip easily. It does no good to have an edge that only needs to be maintained once a year if that edge chips or the tip breaks.Now for what I liked about the Shun Elite...
The handle is curvaceous, contouring to the peaks and valleys of my fingers and palms. The knife also felt perfectly balanced in my hand. The weight was neither too heavy nor too light. I felt like I had enough force available to chop through anything, yet maintain grace and control while doing so.
In the end, I have been nothing but highly pleased with my Shun Elites. I absolutely recommend putting them in your list of knives to try.

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The ancient traditions of Japanese samurai sword-making, meet today's state-of-the-art steel technology in the new Shun Elite series of knives by Kai.Like the traditional samurai sword blade, Shun Elite is extremely sharp and flexible; ideal for food preparation.But unlike the traditional blade, Shun Elite features a center layer of a new type of "super steel" called SG-2.This new "super steel" starts out in a powdered form.Under heat and pressure it combines to make a much denser alloy which in turn creates the finest molecular structure used in knife making today.The result is an edge that will hold longer than any other steel on the market.Even better for busy chefs.Shun Elite's superior edge will respond quickly and easily to a honing steel when it needs a quick touchup.For added strength and protection, the SG-2 is clade between two outer layers of quality 410A stainless steel for beauty and tireless handling.Shun Elite features an ergonomic handle of handsome PakkaWood®.This premium-quality hardwood laminate combines the beauty and feel of hardwoods with the strength and performance of plastic.Inlaid with a traditional symbol, the handle is also enhanced by thin rings of brass and copper separating it from the bolster. With this kind of beauty and performance, Shun Elite will soon become the knife chefs reach for again and again.

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