Shun Classic 8" Kiritsuke Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knife for Professional and Home Chefs, VG-MAX Core with Damascus Stainless Steel Cladding Pakkawood Handle

I've gone through a few knife sets over the years, and I always found myself using only a couple of knives while the rest just sat in the drawer, gathering dust. It felt like I was paying for more than I needed, and honestly, it was frustrating. Then I came across this knife, and it completely changed my perspective.This knife is hands down the best I've ever used. From the moment I held it, I could feel the difference in quality. It’s perfectly balanced, with a comfortable grip that makes it easy to handle, whether I’m slicing, dicing, or chopping. The blade is very sharp and cuts through everything effortlessly, from tough vegetables to delicate herbs. It has made my time in the kitchen such a pleasure.One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that sometimes, less is more. Instead of buying an entire knife set where half of the knives go unused, investing in a high-quality knife that you’ll actually use every day is worth every penny. This knife has become my go-to for almost every kitchen task, saving me time and making the whole process of preparing meals a pleasure rather than a chore.I highly recommend investing in this knife. It’s versatile, reliable, and has completely streamlined my cooking experience. This knife is truly all you need!

A dream knife. A cross between a nakiri and chef knife. It’s well balanced and feels great in hand. The handle is perfect. This knife looks amazing. It’s easy to use. The slicing capabilities of this knife is tremendous… super thin slices or intricate cuts. The blade size is just right. It’s easy to clean and stays sharp. Excellent value. I purchased a Nakiri and utility knife from this same line. I highly recommend this quality knife.

I am a serious home cook with over 10 years of past professional cooking experience. I have used many different knives, and while there are a lot of very good brands available, Shun has become my favorite. I now own several different Shun Classic pieces. All have exceeded my expectations. The 8" classic kiritsuke is my newest addition, and it is perhaps my favorite. Out of the box, no knife I have ever used is sharper than Shun. They hold their edge very well, especially for how sharp they are, and are beautifully crafted. The kiritsuke is extremely well balanced and comfortable to grip. The size makes it perfect for any application in which a traditional chef knife would be used, and it's lightweight and balanced enough to even be used in smaller applications that a utility or paring knife would be used. Shun knives are undoubtedly expensive, but I believe them to be worth the price. I've owned my other Shun knives for several years (I believe I bought my first one 6 years ago) and they are still just a effective as the day I got them. Because of the angle at which the blade is cut, they may need to be sharpened somewhat more frequently than a traditional European knife. Shun will sharpen them for free, and I don't need to send mine for sharpening more than once a year (I do religiously take care of my knives, which probably extends the interval between sharpenings). I highly recommend this knife.

This knife has been a game changer for learning knife skills. I purchased Classic Kiritsuke 8" after trying my wife’s Premier Santoku 5.5, which she got about a year ago after she injured her shoulder and needed a knife that would cut without much pressure. I wanted a different style and length to add to our collection and one that fit my taste.When the knife arrived, it looked even better in person. about the review stating that this knife has been a game changer for learning knife skills, and the sharpness and feel were just what I was looking for. I am still learning my knife skills, but I am amazed at how easy this knife is to work with. I had some reservations about going to an 8” blade since, until then, I had used a cheap 6” Chef, so the size seemed intimidating the first time I used it. However, I could control it better than the 6”, and the cutting was effortless and impressive, just how paper-thin you can cut with this. This has made meal prep much faster and more enjoyable to work with the knife.I am already looking at the Master Chef utility to add to our collection since I am so happy with the knife's style and performance. I am trying to find a local store that has one that would allow me to demo it to see how it performs, but if it is anything like this one, I will buy it for sure.If you are looking at this knife, I highly recommend adding it to your collection. Hope this was helpful to you :-) Read Less

Shun is well known for producing quality knives. I was impressed with the company itself before I decided to purchase the Shun 8" classic.The blade came well packaged. There's something about the simple sleek look of the box that screams excitement.The blade itself is beautiful. The damascus layering is quite clear. It's not etched. This is Shun.. It is indeed folded and forged.The blade is wicked sharp out of the box. Seriously. You can remove the covering, give it a quick rinse and go to work. It's light weight and fast. Even my wife comparing my western chef knife could tell the difference.Another review mentioned it chipping upon cutting a semi frozen piece of chicken. This is not a meat cleaver or a $10 aluminum knife were you can beat it to hell.The sharpness comes from the fact that this blade is very hard. Which means it's by nature brittle. Western chef knives are not as hard so they can take more abuse. But they don't hold as sharp of an edge.Veggies, meats, fruit, fish, this blade will cut through with ease.My only complaint is the western style curve to rock the blade while cutting. It means nothing, just a traditional thing with me.Definitely a great gift for someone or a great addition to any kitchen!! Simply beautiful.