# First knifes



## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Hello everyone.

Let's make this quick and easy, yet informative (so i don't waste too much of your time)

I've already read a ton of stuff about knifes (sadly after i made a purchase). I bought the shun premier knifes et. Now the more i read, the more it seems like i made a bad purchase.
I'm still able to return the product until a week from now.
I'm from Denmark, i really don't know what i prefer, because i've only ever delt with low quality knifes.

To make you help me i will inform you why i bought them.
Here is what i like about the shun premier.
The handle.
The way the look.
The fact that (what the seller told me) they only need to be sharpend maybe every 8 month or so.

What i'm unsure about.
The fact that they might spliter.
The fact that he might have sold me a product that don't live up to the price.

So my question to the experts in here are.
Return them or not? 
And what should i buy in i choose to return them.

Thank you in advance.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Okay. I'm happy for your advice.
I'm following this thread https://cheftalk.com/threads/chefs-knife-recommendations-for-a-hobby-chef.95278/. 
Of a person who is a bit better in english then me, but i actually feel the same as him. Except for the fact that i have litterly no experience. I just wanted to start of with something that would last me a life time, and be sharp at the same time. I always go for quality over quantity. 
But after reading all about shun here, i feel like the qulity is not with the product. And i'm even unsure if i should go for high end in the beggning or just go for a "beater" knife to begin with, because i have zero exsperience.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

I believe you indicated you bought a knife "set," which right away says most of the purchase price was for stuff you don't need anyway.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

I bought a chef's knife and a utility knife.
https://foodgear.dk/collections/knivsaet/products/shun-premier-knivsaet-2-stk 
it's a danish site, but it's just to show what it is.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Now i've actually been to the shop, and tried different types. And i felt like this one, had the best grip and design, but then again, i care more about the product then the looks.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

For a differing perspective... I have those two knives and find them quite useful in the home kitchen. I have no complaints or regrets about buying and using them over the past 5 or so years.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

It's alot of money for sure, ill return them.
But then i'm back on square one!


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Good luck...


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Thank you.
Do you think i should just start with a beater knife to learn, or should i go for something highclass already ?


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Pandaven123 said:


> Thank you.
> Do you think i should just start with a beater knife to learn, or should i go for something highclass already ?


If you are asking me, you need to know that I'm a minority in this forum. I find the Shun to be quite high quality, expensive, but worth the money. Unlike some critics I own and use 6 of them... and have so for quite a while. I'm very happy with them. Only had one problem and that's when I dropped one. It chipped and tip bent and had to be repaired. Other than that I have no issues. Sure, one can buy less expensive and get something that will work, maybe better and maybe not. But here's my philosophy: I drive a Mercedes because I like it better than a Chevy... better quality, Better stylin, better fit-and-finish, and yes it strokes my ego... but both would get me to work. It's up to you and you should use your own judgement rather than blindly following internet postings. Use them for information but think for yourself... only you know your needs and desires!

Ask yourself this: is the Shun not doing something you expect or are you just "freaked out" and having buyers regret because of internet chatter? If it's the former I'd suggest returning it and figuring out what will meet your needs; if the latter, I would have no regrets about keeping the Shuns if I were you.

It's up to yo, ultimately.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

The question, of course, is why spend Mercedes prices for a Chevy? Mass Majority Opinion, free of cognitive dissonance.

Do you need a beater knife - haven't you already had a bunch of those?

Do you cut without twisting your knife on the board? Do you have a good cutting board? Can you control your force?

And then of course there is sharpening.

Maybe practicing all of these with the knives you have is the thing to do before buying any more knives.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Both of you make perfect sense, and in a way i never felt more confused about how i feel, just like cognitive dissonance.

As i said, i've never had any knifes myself, i live at home, but i'm about to move out from my parents. Only ever had the shitties of the shittes knives, and some beat up plastic cutting boards.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

Unfortunately you should feel confused. Rick and I have different experiences and different opinions, especially about Shun.

I speak as a daily user of The two Shun knives you now have. Whether better knives, or better value, can be had or not... those two knives are my go-to knives.

I speak only of my experience and cast no judgement or doubt on other opinions... other than to state that some opinions keep getting repeated by non-users or folks who describe problems they have “heard about” or can’t show pictures of for whatever reason.

I wish life was easier for you with regard to knife opinions but knife users have differing needs and tend to be both parochial about their beliefs and somewhat absolute.

You really need to decide if you want to return then and go shopping all over again. Flip a coin if you must...

Sometimes too much information is a handicap. We call it “analysis paralysis”.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

if this helps, I think the factor you can assess the easiest is regarding the blade profile. Are you comfortable with the German profile of the Shun or not. I use knives with German, French, and Asian profiles and, frankly, don’t seem to have problem or preference either way.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Pandaven, I wasn't implying cognitive dissonance on your part, Brian, as he intimated, is an islands unto himself. The facts of the matter have been thoroughly discussed, over many posts, and may forums, and by those with real knife knowledge. Myself, Benuser and many many others have all used Shun knives, and lots of others to compare them too. So let's put accusations of mere speculation to rest, shall we?

You've been given what you need to go on. Anyways I think you know better now than to pay a Mercedes for a Chevy.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

This is an example of an ideal Japanese starter knife
https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/products/gesshin-240mm-stainless-gyuto

Not too hard, not too soft, thin at the edge but not too thin, light, all around good profile, easy to sharpen.


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## brianshaw (Dec 18, 2010)

...

...


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Ahaha, just an example.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Okaay, if i could ask you a favor then.
maybe pick one from this site https://foodgear.dk/ . i know it's in danish, but if you press "køkkenknive" in the top. then you get all the products that they sell, now 1000kr is about 140 euros.
Because i was wondering how i could order form the internet, since most of the specialized forums (on almost everything) is always from the great USA. So often i can't order what people recommend.


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## Pandaven123 (Nov 5, 2017)

Okay so 155 dollars is 1000 dkk. So that you can see the pricerange. you should know that in denmark there is a tax on 25% on everything, so products will be a bit more exspensive then in USA sadly.
i'm look for maybe a 350 dollar knive, that's about the limit.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Excellent advice, and you will still find this rugged performer indispensable when you upgrade to the next level.


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

I have a MAC HB-85 and I can attest to its quality. Same steel (MAC "Original" steel) as most of the MAC "Mighty" Professional knives, just without a sintered bolster. The knife is 2.0mm thick, and is not as "whippy" as you might first guess from that thickness.

You won't regret it.

GS


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## dave kinogie (Feb 16, 2013)

Shun Premier's are great looking knives and solid performers, but way overpriced imho and myself personally, I don't like all that belly. 

I've owned a Shun Classic, my good friend has a premier and I many years ago gifted 2 different Shun Edo's which I have used a decent amount. I've found in my personal experience that they are a bit of a PITA to sharpen to a standard I prefer. 

Idk if I'd personally say Chevy quality for Benz money, but I do believe you're paying more for the aesthetics and the name, then the functionality and performance for sure. You can get much better knives, which are easier to bring back to life on the stones for less money, let alone the same money, then a Shun, especially the Premiers. But I don't believe they're actually bad knives.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

dave kinogie said:


> Idk if I'd personally say Chevy quality for Benz money,


How about Volvo money for a VW? ;-)~

Big belly, high tip, way too thick at the edge, steel whose allure wore off long ago, as you intimated the numbers speak for themselves, not something to spend $150 on (typical selling price) for an 8" chefs. Especially when you can still get a Tojiro DP for less than half that.


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

Well ...

Is Shun going out of business? People seem to keep buying their products. French style ... German ... Japanese ... different strokes for different folks. Everyone spends their own money. Everyone gets to feel however they want to feel ... this, I don't believe, should necessarily be influenced by anyone else's opinion. My go-to knife, as I've said numerous times ad nauseam ... is a 1974 vintage Chicago Cutlery. _(viewable in my "Dish of the Month" post)_. I'm very happy with it. Who is to challenge me on my own opinion? Everyone knows my cockyness in the skills department. Capitalism ... You charge what the market will bare ... until you go out of business.

The last M-Benz I had was disgustingly expensive to repair. I've also bought a couple-3 used Volvos for cheap Chevy money. The one that got stolen was a '68 P1800. WOW ... that was a cool car.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

So all that aside, Pandaven are you any closer to making a decision?


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## DavyDevaux (Nov 14, 2017)

Pandaven123 said:


> Hello everyone.
> 
> Let's make this quick and easy, yet informative (so i don't waste too much of your time)
> 
> ...


That is funny my first knife was also a shun, then later I kind of also regretted it.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

DavyDevaux said:


> That is funny my first knife was also a shun, then later I kind of also regretted it.


That does seem to be the consensus of 99.9%+ of Shun buyers who later find a knife forum or other reliable source of information.


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## scott livesey (Jan 25, 2013)

you need to check local laws on mail order knives. as far what knife, go to a kitchen supply store and see what they have, touch and feel. this is from the UPS website about shipping to Denmark:
Knives
Knives with blades 6.0 cm (2.4 in.) or longer require permission from the police. Single handed operated knives are prohibited by law and illegal to import.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

There are quite a number of merchants, like Knives + Stones, who have had no problems shipping all over the world.


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## LZ365 (Dec 27, 2017)

I’m new to this site and I hope I can help in this debate. I had the same problems when I was looking for knives. I like quality stuff and I wanted to upgrade my knives. The problem is there are SO many knife makers out there and so many opinions on the subject that if I wasn’t bald already I would be know. The short answer that I’ve found to this dilemma is that this purchase is just like buying anything else, it’s about you and what you want!! Only you will use them, only you will care for them. I do not understand people tearing down other knives ( unless they came from a big box store) it’s about personal preference and budget. I would love to have a REAL Bob Kramer but that will probably never happen!! Shun knives are great knives period I own 6 of them along with Messermeisters, Wusthof Consakas and others! I love them!! But again it’s me, others may not. They have great edge retention and look good too! I’m lucky enough to have a knife shop near me, so I have all my knives sharpened every 6 months, the rest of the time I maintain them. Any knife of good quality will last a lifetime if you take care of it properly. But what YOU want and if you don’t like them sell them and get something else, but hopefully you haven’t sold them they will be great knives for you, give them a chance!! Happy Cooking!!


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## Rudee (Dec 22, 2017)

When it comes down to it ya gonna be chopping kilos of onions. Kinda like my fancy bicycle: it don’t pedal its own self up the hill. Getcha a tool suited to the task. Bang on it hard. If ya break it, get another or a different one. Then get back to work.


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## Teaweasel (Dec 28, 2017)

Knifes...

Such a personal thing.

I use only one company, from the US. New West Knives. Based out of Montana, I truly appreciate the craftsmanship and for some reason the handles are both completely unique in their style and perfectly complementary to my grip. Which is all I care about after long hours of daily use.

The last plug I will give them, is they replace knives worn down by sharpening, at 50% cost (takes me about 7 years to do that, but it’s made me a repeating customer).

I like Shun, but only when preparing Eastern dishes, and I just don’t do that to the regularity to warrant an Eastern Knife Manufacturer. 

In terms of cost, New West aren’t cheap. 

I just figured with the normal names being thrown around, I would throw out a weird one.

Good Practices,
Tea


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