Shun Classic Review After 3+ Years: Razor-Sharp Knives With 1 Major Flaw

In this review, I break down the pros and cons of Shun Classic kitchen knives. Although they’re incredibly sharp and have a beautiful Damascus-clad blade, there's one major downside that might be a dealbreaker for you. Let’s get right into it. The first thing you’ll notice when you look closely at Shun Classic knives is this distinct wavy pattern on the blade. While it serves a practical purpose by reducing drag and minimizing sticking, it also adds elegance and intrigue. This design is a result

of the way Shun Classic knives are made. Each blade is made with 69 layers of steel that are forged into a single piece. When they grind the blade from the spine to the edge, the patterns become visible. They also dip each blade into an acid etching solution, which reacts with the different layers of metal. The layers with more carbon become darker, while the nickel silver remains light. The alternating layers of darker and lighter metal further accentuate the rippled pattern. This type of laye

red steel is called Damascus or Damascus Clad. The next thing you’ll notice is the dark PakkaWood handle. Pakkawood is a wood and resin composite that’s durable and resistant to heat and moisture. If you look closely, you’ll see subtle wood grains, which gives these knives a natural look without the maintenance of a completely natural wood. The polished finish and a steel cap on the butt end elevate the design even more. You can choose between this dark Pakkawood or a lighter color they call Cla

ssic Blonde. Shun Classic handles are not symmetrical. Instead, they’re D-shaped. This design provides a comfortable ergonomic grip, especially for right handed cooks. When you grip the knife, your hand wraps around the curved part on the right side and your fingers rest nicely on the flatter left side. Overall, Shun Classic handles are durable, elegant, and comfortable. So far I’ve talked about the design of these knives, but the performance is just as good. Simply put, Shun Classic knives are

incredibly sharp. The edges are ground to a razor sharp 16-degree angle on both sides. They glide through even the most delicate ingredients with ease. As you can see, this knife slices through paper without any effort and without the paper bending or ripping at all. The best part is that Shun Classic knives have excellent edge retention. In other words, you don’t need to sharpen these knives often. They hold their edge so well because of the quality and hardness of the steel. The cutting core,

or the edge of these knives, is VG-MAX, which is one of Shun’s proprietary super steels. VG-MAX is similar to VG10, which is a common steel used to make high end Japanese knives, but includes additional carbon, chromium, tungsten, molybdenum, and vanadium content. These metals improve strength, durability, and corrosion resistance without sacrificing sharpness and cutting performance. The Rockwell Scale measures the hardness of materials, and most kitchen knife blades are between 55 and 62 on th

e Rockwell scale. Shun blades are a 61, which is on the harder side. You can sharpen harder steel to a finer edge and that edge will stay sharper for longer, but there’s a downside to hard steel, which I’ll talk about in a minute. Most Japanese chef’s knives have a straight edge, which supports an up-and-down motion. This blade profile is ideal for making straight, clean cuts and slices. However, Shun Classic chef's knives have a more rounded blade profile that enables a smoother rocking motion.

If you’re used to using the rocking technique with western style knives, the blade profile of Shun's chef’s knives will be more familiar. Another thing I really like about Shun Classic knives is their weight and balance. They’re not as heavy as most workhorse German knives, but not as lightweight and delicate as other Japanese knives. Just to make this real, the 8-inch Zwilling Pro chef’s knife, which is a heavy German-style knife, weighs 9.4 ounces. The Shun Classic 8-inch chef’s knife weighs

7 ounces. And the Oishya 8-inch chef's knife, which is a very traditional style Japanese knife, weighs 5.7 ounces. In my opinion, Shun Classic knives are the ideal weight for most tasks. They have enough heft to push down on dense ingredients, but won’t strain your wrist if you're chopping for long periods. Also, they have excellent weight distribution. The balance point is right at the bolster where the handle and blade meet. Cheaper brands tend to be blade heavy and tip forward which can add s

tress to your hand and wrist. The last pro I’ll call out is the excellent fit and finish of these knives. The metal is completely smooth with no sharp corners on the spine and there are no gaps in the handle or end cap. Clearly, a lot of care and attention is put into these knives and the quality standards are extremely high. Now that you know what I like about Shun Classic knives, let’s talk about the downsides. The vast majority of reviews are positive, but if you take a minute to browse the s

mall percentage of negative reviews, the most common complaint, by far, is that the edge is prone to chipping. I mentioned that the blade is made of hard steel which keeps the edge sharp, but the downside of hard steel is that it’s more brittle and prone to chipping. This is such a common problem that Shun addresses it multiple times in the FAQ page on its website. One question says, “Why are there so many reviews complaining of chipped blades?” Shun explains that microchipping is a downside of

a very hard steel blade. They suggest avoiding hard cutting boards and to use a gliding slicing motion rather than a forceful up and down chop. Another question says “Why did my knife’s tip break off?” Shun says that dropping the knife, or a preexisting condition like a chip or bend in the tip can weaken it and cause it to break. They also say that sideways movement can twist the tip and break it. Fortunately, I read their FAQs before I started testing Shun knives. And since I follow their instr

uctions, I haven't personally experienced any chips. But chipping is the number one complaint, so I needed to let you know. If you don’t drop or slam these knives, don’t throw them in the sink, and don’t try to cut through bones, frozen meat, or other really hard ingredients, you shouldn't have an issue. And if you do notice some microchips in the edge, don’t stress out about it. Those can be sharpened out. Besides chipping, another downside to consider is that Shun Classic knives are designed f

or right-handed cooks. The asymmetrical D-shaped design can feel a bit awkward and unnatural for lefties. About 10 years ago, Shun sold left-handed Classic knives, but those have been discontinued. Shun claims the D-shaped handle works well for both lefties and righties, but that’s a personal judgment call. To me, it feels a little off in my left hand. Because the PakkaWood handle has a polished finish, I noticed it gets slippery when my hand is wet. You need to keep your hands dry and use cauti

on when using these knives. The premium steel, elegant design and razor sharp edge that you get with Shun Classic knives come at a cost. As you can see, these knives are expensive. However, their prices are in line with other brands that make premium Japanese knives, like Miyabi and MAC. If you like Shun knives but don’t have the budget for Classic, the Kanso and Sora Series are much more affordable. So should you buy Shun Classic knives? If you’re right handed and you’re looking for aesthetical

ly pleasing and ultra-sharp knives with ergonomic handles, Shun Classic is one of the best options. The Damascus steel is beautiful and the VG-MAX cutting core holds an edge as well or better than any other knife I’ve ever tested. If you’re looking for a workhorse knife that can handle a ton of abuse in the kitchen and cut through bones, squash, and other hard ingredients, you’re better off with a Zwilling or Wusthof. Shun Classic knives require more caution and the edge will chip if you’re not

careful. If you buy these knives, I would suggest buying one heftier knife with a softer blade for those harder, more dense ingredients. Save your Shun for the tasks that require sharpness and precision. If you’re ready to buy, I’ll link to websites that sell Shun Classic knives in the description of this video. Those are affiliate links so I’ll earn a commission if you click and buy, but at no extra cost to you. If you found this helpful, check out this video where I highlight the best kitchen

knife brands not made in China. And don’t forget to click the logo to subscribe to the channel. Thanks for watching, we’ll see you in the next video.