Shun Classic 6" Utility Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knife, VG-MAX Core with Damascus Stainless Steel Cladding, Pakkawood Handle, Precision and Sharpness for Professional and Home Chefs

First off, this knife is beautiful. The wood handle and steel cap give it a sophisticated look, but most of all, it is the Damascus blade that really makes it a show-off.Back before guns, a lot of effort went into making steel sharp for swords. The Damascus technique involves folding steel tens or hundreds of times to achieve the ultimate in sharpness, and it dates back hundreds of years.This knife is a reference to those ancient swordmakers, but not exactly. Unlike true Damascus knives, Shun knives are laminated: the inner layer is a high-tech piece of expensive super-steel (called VG-10) and the outer layers (protecting the inner and bringing down the cost) are a more ordinary stainless steel. Unlike the swords of old, only the outer layers on this knife are folded. The VG-10 inner part, the part the edge is made from and the part that cuts, is a single forged piece. So in this knife, the Damascus pattern is more for looks than performance. Perhaps it also helps keep food from sticking.However I don't care what it is for - it looks fantastic. It also gives an exotic, handmade look to your kitchen cutlery. Normally Damascus knives are much, much more expensive.As for cutting, the VG-10 super steel combined with the Japanese obsession with ultra-thin, ultra-sharp edges make this knife wickedly sharp. The VG-10 core is designed to keep an edge for a long time, however all straight edged knives will need sharpening. If you never bother to sharpen your knives, get a serrated knife instead.The handle is a wood product. It is based on wood, but resin-injected and sealed so it repels water. Shun advertises it as dishwasher safe, but that would be like putting your fine china in the dishwasher - you could do it, but why take the chance? If you do dishwash it, you might want to take it out before the drying cycle, and keep the blade away from anything that could nick it.This knife is very light and sharp. The 6" length is very useful to me. I use it sometimes as a slicer, sometimes as a parer, and sometimes as a sandwich knife. It has become my main go-to knife for small jobs. Unlike other, duller knife brands, this straight-edge knife has no problem cutting bread or tomatoes.All in all, this is my ideal balance of performance and looks. There are cheaper knives on the market that perform just as well (some 1/3rd the price) but none that look as good, at any price. It is worth it to me, especially since knives generally last for decades, sometimes lifetimes.

The utility knife is verry sharp, easy to clean,and fits my hands nicely. These knives are slowly replacing my old set with no regrets for knives I've had for over a decade.

Excellent knife, quick shipping, packed very well and nice presentation in the box. Hope they like it.

The Shun Cutlery Classic Utility Knife 6" is the best knife I have ever used. The knife is very sharp and easy to use. Great to cut vegetables, fruits, hard cheeses, and meats. The Shun utility knife 6" is worth the cost for an excellent knife.

Look, if you’re serious about cooking, like I am, then like my pappy said, you need the right tools for the job. I mean, what’s a doctor without a speculum? Or a roofer without a pick up truck? Or a government employee without an intelligence problem? You need the best stuff you can get ITK – in the kitchen. Keep up with me here. First of all, you’ll need a really good molecular slicing utility. You non-geeks might refer to this as a knife. I prefer the Shun line of professional knives because of how they look and feel. I mean, how cool is it to have a sexy Japanese knife? It comes super sharp, so be careful with it. Yes, they’re a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. You’ll need to sharpen these once in a while, but they’ll last forever. I have had my set since 2011, and they're still sharp and wonderful. There's something about how Shun engineering manages to balance these knives - it's like they become part of you. They are so comfortable to use, and when maintained properly, it takes very little effort to cut vegetables and meats. I'm now expanding my set of Shuns for a new cooking show. Try one - you too will be impressed.

Love these knives! Super sharp and efficient! Cuts through a tomato w ease!!! Allows me to chop & dice small pieces w precision cuts!Again super sharp!!! Have the paring knife & utility knife! Excellent quality!

I am very impressed and pleased with this knife. I waited until I had a couple of months use with it before I reviewed just to see how it held up. I have used the knife on onion, celery, peppers, cabbage, chicken, beef and fish and it is still remarkably sharp. So sharp that I recommend having band-aids handy until you develop a proper respect for the sharpness.The knife came from Amazon with an extremely sharp edge. After 3 months of regular use it is still as sharp as it was when it was delivered.There are no "chips" in the blade and the point isn't broken. Of course I haven't opened cans or tried to cut bolts with it either and that's probably why it is still so sharp.I'm saving my pennies to buy another Shun. The only problem that I see with this knife is the small tan logo on the blade which I keep trying to wash off! On a more serious note however, I highly recommend this knife to anyone who will use it correctly and care for it.

This is quite a 'pointy' knife. The point itself is very sharp and the shape of the cutting edge means you can often end up stabbing what you're trying to cut and getting the knife caught. The quality is perfect, but the shape might not be for some uses.