Kershaw Shun 6″ Blue Utility/Butchery Knife

Introduction:

My lovely Bride bought me this for my birthday. We got it from a local specialty shop, and the price was the same 199.00 as about everywhere on the net. So a stupidly expensive kitchen knife. More expensive than the last 3 swords I’ve bought. And worth every penny (more on that later). I have a number of Shun kitchen knives, and love them all, so I decided I needed to try the next flavor.

Full Disclosure:

My wife bought this knife for fair retail price. I am not being compensated for this review, nor do I have any affiliation with either the seller or manufacturer. I’m not that lucky….

Specifications:

(From the Shun/Kershaw site, my notes between *’s)
Hand-sharpened 16° double-bevel blade (32° comprehensive)
• Japanese san mai blade
• Steel: “Blue” carbon steel cutting core between two layers of mirror-polished stainless (*VG 10 from research*)
• Full composite-tang
• Handle: Grey PakkaWood®
•Blade length: 6 in. (15.2 cm)
• The razor-sharp, easy sharpening benefits of carbon steel & easier maintenance
• Includes wooden saya (sheath)(* I call bullsh*t, it’s plastic of some sort*)
• Handcrafted in Japan

Initial Impression:

The knife came quadruple wrapped to protect it from ham fisted retailers…unwrapping was like a cruel joke…it never seemed to end. But the knife was well protected, I have to give them that.
The blade had a light coat of mineral oil, easily washed off. The pics aren’t mine, my camera fu is very weak….

Knife:

Saya/Scabbard:

Blade:

The 6″ blade is probably the sharpest factory edge I’ve ever encountered. The edge is scalpel sharp, maybe sharper. Polish is very nice, the transition between the stainless and mild steel is very attractive, and reminds me of a nice hamon. The stainless is polished to mirror with a pebbly acid etch look as it transitions to the mild steel. The mild steel is polished but not to the level of the stainless, and my one gripe is that there are a few small waves from partially polished grind marks in the transition to the true edge. Not anything most folks would see, but I tend to look at blades with a microscope….(you know you do too) :cheer:

Handle:

The handle is stabilized Pakka wood, a nice gray. Initially the hexagonal handle gave me pause, but I find it very comfortable to use.
Very nice…

Sheath/Saya:

Not sure how to be objective on this. The sheath is a throw away afterthought. It’s some kind of nylon/plastic, so not wood…it’s loose enough the blade rattles in it, and the peg that keeps the sheath from falling off needed light sanding to get it in the hole, as it was far too tight a fit. Now to be fair, most folks would toss the sheath and put this baby in a nice block or magnetic holder. But it feels like a Windlass sword scabbard…bleh.

Handling:

I’ve used every excuse to use this over the last week or so. The knife is scary responsive and transitions nicely between a pinch and hammer grip. It’s so sharp I’ve cut thru 3 cheap cutting mats (note to get more). Everything about this knife is elegant and user friendly. Boning a chicken was a dream, and mundane slicing was just…fun.

Final Thoughts:

The knife is a dream. An expensive one, but very nice, and will last me…forever. The saya is a cheap afterthought, but if you had the blade in it, and it was rattling around in a drawer, it would do its job and protect the blade, and keep you from losing a finger playing *Kitchen Roulette*. I plan to get this blade on my Wicked Edge and refine the edge waaaayyyy past the factory edge, so watch for reports of that exercise in silliness.

So getting anything by Shun, while you’ll pay for it, you won’t regret it. I’m really loving this knife.