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

I purchased this Shun Classic 8" hollow ground Chef's knife after using the 8" Victorinox and the 8" Calphalon Katana 8" Chef's knife.The Victorinox was my first "real" Chef knife, and it has held up very well for the money. I used it to slice through every vegetable imaginable and have used it for things I probably shouldn't have like slicing through a lobster tail to remove the meat. It holds it edge very well, but requires steeling daily to keep the edge aligned. I also sharpen this monthly to keep it's razor edge so that it can remove hair from my arm. I know I'm weird but that's how I judge the sharpness. I also hone this on the smooth steel and leather strop. It gets razor sharp but doesn't stay that way long. Great knife for the price. It fits my large hand nicely and I use the Chef's grip.I purchased the 8" Calphalon Katana Chef's knife because I wanted to try a Japanese knife with the dimascus effect. I didn't know when I purchased this at BB&B that the edge was ground on 22 degree like the above Victorinox not the 16 degree like the Shun below. It is very sharp and holds it's edge very well. I don't have to steel it daily, but probably every other time I steel and strop it and it stays razor sharp. I've been using this daily for approx. a month and haven't had to take a wet stone to it yet. It is my go to knife now... and I use it almost daily. It fits great in my hand with the Chef's grip.I originally went into BB&B to try the difference between the Shun Chef's and the Calphalon but the BB&B I went to didn't actually have the Shun displayed. I guess some do but mine didn't. Anyhow, purchased the Shun *' Hollow ground knife here on Amazon and wow it is razor sharp. The 16 degree bevel and thin steel really make it like a hot knife through butter. I can definitely tell a difference between it and the Calphalon. However, it is too small for my hand. If I hold it with the Chef's grip, my pointer finger gets too close to sharp edge while rocking through peppers etc. If I hold it with my pointer under the bolster and grip it hard with my thumb (the way it's designed to be held I guess) it cuts really well, I just am not used to holding a knife like that. I do use this knive a little because a) it is very sharp and really is nice to use, and b) I paid so much money for it. The VG10 steel has held up exceptionally well and I haven't really had to do anything to it except hone on leather strop (and I probably didn't even have to do that just wanted to play with my knife).So to finish this review, I use the Victorinox and Calphalon Katana almost daily, and the Shun once in awhile. I will try and attach a pic of all three together so you can see the difference. Not sure if Amazon will allow me, this is the 2nd time writing this review because it disappeared the first time around.

I loved this knife. It lasted me a few months until my wife dropped it in the sink at work while washing it, breaking the tip. It keeps a nice sharp blade and is very pretty IRL. I used it as my tomato/delicate vegetable knife.

Ive had for a year now and still haven't needed to sharpen it. 2 thumbs up

I bought this chef's knife in 2008 and never needed another. It holds its edge well and only requires sharpening once every other year even when used daily. The trick is to use a honing rod once in a while. The blade has dimples ground into its sides that makes cutting into yams and potatoes easier, as it reduces the surface area for starchy tubers to stick onto while you slice into them, which makes it safer as the blade is less likely to unexpectedly jam mid-cut. The blade is sufficiently thin that it could bologna-slice meats and abalone. I like the ergonomic D-shaped grip, as it nicely fills the inside curvature of the knuckles. There's also a left-handed version of this knife, in which case the handle would be C-shaped. In the 13 years I've owned it, I've never seen it rust, discolor, chip or otherwise fail to meet my daily needs as a chef, and as such, deserves my highest endorsement.

This is a nice and generous house warming gift!

Hands down the best knife you will ever own. Ridiculously sharp, well balanced, comfortable grip and holds an edge better than any other blade out there. I have Henkle as well as wusthof. Both are good quality but neither is as good as Shun.

For the incredibly high price of this knife, it performs much worse than most cheaper made-in-China knives. We’ve owned it for a couple years now, and soon after buying had to send it in to get a chip repaired on the blade. Currently, it doesn’t hold an edge at all and is very dull. I just used it and had trouble cutting through apple skin. Yes, it’s that bad. Buy something cheaper and better.

It's everything I imagined. Though it took me a month to get my hand on it. Not all of the stores within Amazon are what you'd expect. The one I was dealing with, Ace Digital, was selling the knife I wanted, but didn't actually have it or a certain time stated when they were going to have it to send out to me. My order was cancelled twice because of this glitch and when I asked Amazon why?, they didn't have an answer for me. I turned to an outside source for the knife and they gave me the answer that could have been supplied by either Ace or Amazon, it was on back order at Kershaw (the maker of the knife). Eventually I found it at another Amazon store, bit my lip, ordered it and it finally arrived. It's a great knife, best in my collection, holds an edge better than most. Nice big, well balanced and comfortable handle. I will buy more, but not on here.