A shun knife set really is the cornerstone of any kitchen, at least any kitchen inhabited by a serious chef or cook! It’s been amazing to see how quickly these knives have taken the world by storm to become some of the most popular cutlery on the market today, and for good reason.
Today I’m going to talk about several different options you have when it comes to buying your very own Shun set. I’ll talk about different price ranges you can expect to encounter and give you some tips to steer you in the right direction by way of reviews and things of that nature.
There are tons of different sets to choose from but, because of their popularity I’m going to focus mainly on these four classic sets:
- Shun Classic 6-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
- Shun Classic 8-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
- Shun Classic 9-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
- Shun Classic 23-Piece Mega Block Knife Set with Bamboo Block
Shun Classic 6-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
At $380 you might consider this the sort of entry-level Shun set. It comes with a standard 8-inch chef’s knife, utility knife, paring knife, sharpening steel, Taskmaster kitchen shears, and an attractive bamboo storage block. This is a very good deal when you consider that he inch chef’s knife costs $130 on its own! This is a great set to build on by adding a few of your other favorite individual shun knives like a 10-inch chef (not included in the actual set).
Shun Classic 8-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
Next up we have this $500 eight piece set that contains a 4-inch paring knife, 6-inch tomato knife, 7-inch santoku knife, 8-inch offset bread knife, 6-inch boning knife, shears, sharpening steel and bamboo block. I’m not sure this is such a great deal when you consider that it really just comes down to one extra knife, though it is a santoku knife. For the extra money you may just want to bump up to the next set.
Shun Classic 9-Piece Knife Set with Bamboo Block
This is a very nice all around set the cost about $640. It comes with a 9-inch bread knife, 9-inch slicing knife, 8-inch chef’s knife, 6-inch chef’s knife, 6-inch utility knife, 3-1/2-inch paring knife, sharpening steel, TaskMaster kitchen shears, and a very attractive bamboo storage block. The fact remains though, that at this price you may instead wish to pick and choose individual knives and make your own set. It really just depends on what you’re looking for.
Shun Classic 23-Piece Mega Block Knife Set with Bamboo Block
All right, this is the set you’ve been waiting for! At $1,900 you really get a little bit of everything. The 23 pieces include a 2-1/2-inch bird’s beak paring, 3-1/2-inch paring, 4-inch paring, 3-1/2-inch vegetable, 6-inch utility, 6-inch chef’s, 6-inch boning, 7-inch santoku, 8-inch chef’s, 10-inch chef’s, 9-inch bread, 9-inch slicer, carving fork, Chinese vegetable cleaver, 9-inch offset deli, 6 steak knives, sharpening steel, and a large block to put them all in.
$1,900 for shun knives may seem like a lot of money until you think about the individual costs of each of these kitchen knives and then you realize what an exceptional deal this is. It makes an incredibly nice gift to newlyweds or college graduates who are just starting out in their own home. There’s a reason why so many of these knives have customer reviews of 5 out of 5 stars.
A Shun knife set is a set that you can be proud of and one that you know will last virtually forever. The stunning look of Damascus steel (stainless steel) really stands out in any kitchen setting and the balance and comfort of each individual blade makes food preparation a joy. You simply can’t go wrong with Shun.