If you are looking for a multipurpose kiritsuke knife to add to your kitchen, then you must have come across shun. Shun is making different knives for centuries and is famous for its incredible, sharp blades, stylish finishing details, and Japanese styling. Shun has a large kiritsuke knife and shun premier kiritsuke is one the most high-end kiritsuke among them. It is a multipurpose kiritsuke knife perfect for master executive chefs to the home cook. With proper cutting, slicing, and mincing it is the knife that you will reach for again and again in the kitchen.
Let’s dive deep into this shun premier kiritsuke review to know about the different features of shun premier kiritsuke knife. I have also added customer’s questions and thought about this knife.
Quick Overview
If you are in hurry then before going through this whole shun kiritsuke review you can go through this quick overview.
- The blade core of shun premier kiritsuke knife is made with VG-MAX super steel with tough hardness and durability.
- The blade core is clouded by 64 layers of stainless steel, 32 layers on each side. These layers protect the core.
- Super lightweight with only 7.6 ounces.
- The cutting edge is hand-honed to an extreme sharp 16 degrees at each side.
- It is a full tang knife.
- Blade length is 8 inches with a 5.5-inch handle.
- The handle is made from durable pakkawood which is a resin-based composite material.
- The handle features a symmetrical contoured shape.
- The blade exterior has 3 layers of design. The top half part has a tsuchime hammered finish, the middle part has a plain Damascus pattern and the cutting edge comes with a mirror polish.
- Comes limited lifetime warranty with free sharpening.
shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke knife review (tdm0771)
Where it’s made
Shun knives are handcrafted in Seki, Japan for centuries. Seki is called the knife-making capital and heart of Japanese cutlery for hundreds of years. Shun maintains their ancient tradition by handcrafting each piece of knife with ancient Japanese knife-making techniques. So, Each knife takes more than 100 steps to come to its final look.
Along with traditional techniques, they use modern technologies, quality materials, and the expertise of expert balde smiths.
Other Shun premier Knives:
1. Shun Premier Chef’s Knife Review
2. Shun Premier Santoku Review
3. Shun premier Nakiri Review.
Blade material
Shun premier kiritsuke knife blade core is made with fine ground VG-MAX super stainless steel. And the core is clad with 64 layers of stainless steel that means 32 layers on each side. A total of 65 layers of steel give premier shun kiritsuke knife a beautiful Damascus pattern along with strength, long-lasting edge, and durability.
VG-MAX steel is the newest and upgraded VG line of steel. This exclusive steel formula is only used for shun. This is enriched with different necessary components like carbon, cobalt, chromium, and vanadium. The presence of high carbon components makes the steel harder. Chromium makes the knife rust and corrosion resistant and other components like cobalt, vanadium make the knife more strong and durable.
Moreover, those 64 layers of steel around the core make the knife more flexible and protect the core from any pressure.
Blade Design
The blade has a thin Japanese profile. As it is a kiritsuke knife the shape is a little different than an ordinary chef’s knife. The blade has a straight angle from the top side at the knife end. This ensures a very sharp knife tip.
You will find a different layer of finish and design on the blade body as mentioned before in this shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke knife review The most beautiful is tsuchime hammered finish on the top portion of the balde. Then the bottom half part has a wavy Damascus pattern with a flat finish and the edge has a shiny mirror finish.
The beautiful tsuchime hammered finish not only adds beauty to the knife, but it also prevents the sticking of food. It creates small air pockets which reduce friction and sticking of food.
Sharpness and Edge
shun premier kiritsuke features a hand-honed 16-degree cutting angle at both sides. Its edges are hand sharpened by expert craftsmen. As it is made with durable material it retains its sharp edge for longer. You won’t need to sharpen this kiritsuke knife so often.
As a double bevel knife shun kiritsuke premier is sharpened from both sides. So, both left-handed and right-handed people can use it quite comfortably.
Hardness
The longevity of a knife and its retention depend on the hardness of its material. And hardness depends on the balde material and making, forging process. shun premier kiritsuke tdm0771 knife ensures both quality material and traditional handcrafting process with develops the hardness of the balde.
Its core component VG-MAX steel contains a high amount of carbon that increases the hardness. With this tough hardness shun kiritsuke knife will last its edge for a long.
Handle Material
shun premier kiritsuke knife handle is made from walnut-colored pakkawood. Pakka wood is not a natural wood, it is a composite of hardwood, resin, and other materials. As a resin-based material pakka wood makes the handle very durable and adds bright color along with a unique design.
Pakka wood doesn’t absorb water or moisture so it is easy to maintain and clean. Moreover, the handle won’t slip from your hand. The most important thing, as pakka wood is not a natural wood it doesn’t harbor bacteria. So, the handle lasts for a long and remains in good condition.
Handle Design
shun premier kiritsuke features a contoured ambidextrous shape that is comfortable in grip. It is a quite straight handle without any right-hand or left-hand bias contouring. The full handle has a beautiful brown color that looks like natural wood. Even you will see the curve of real wood in the handle.
As the handle doesn’t have any aggressive curve at one side it is comfortable for both right and left-hand users.
Moreover, there is a steel cap at the end of the handle with shun logo. It adds beauty to the knife along with contributing to the proper balancing. In addition, the black and golden brass ring in the handle makes it more elegant and sophisticated.
Tang
Shun kiritsuke premier knife features a full tang that means the tang goes all the way through the end of the handle. A full tang knife is always preferred over any half tang knife. It adds more balance and extra strength to the knife.
Size
The blade length of shun 8-inch kiritsuke is 8 inches with a handle of 5.5 inches. This handle size is perfect for both large and small hands. 8-inch blade-sized knives are more preferred for wide ranges of kitchen works.
Weight and Balance
It’s an amazing and common quality of Japanese knives that these knives are made more lightweight than western knives. So, in the same way, shun premier 8” kiritsuke is a very lightweight knife. It’s only 7.6 ounces that is really very light. It will feel like a part of your hand and you will be able to continue your work for a long time without any pain in the wrist.
Moreover, the combination of the steel end cap, full tang, blade and handle weight shun premier 8 kiritsuke provides a proper balance and weight distribution.
Clean and Maintenance
Proper caring ensures the longanimity of a knife, whereas without proper care a very high-end knife can get damaged in few days. Same for this shun kiritsuke knife.
Like most other Japanese knives shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke prefer hand wash. It is not dishwasher safe and washing it in a dishwasher may cause damage to the edge and create chips. So, after light use just wash the knife with clean water. If necessary after heavy use you can wash it with soap and a cloth.
It is a better practice to dry the knife properly after every wash. So, after washing just put the knife in an open place so that water dries out properly.
When it comes to storing knives, never put any knife in the drawer without sheath. Because it may cause accidents or damage the knife edge. You can also use a wooden knife block and it is better to not use a magnetic knife holder.
How the knife will feel in your hand
With an extremely sharp edge, lightweight, proper balancing, and effortless cutting this knife will feel like a part of your hand while working.
The rounded-shaped handle fits comfortably in hand. Moreover, the handle doesn’t absorb moisture so it ensures a slipless grip.
As the knife is lightweight, you will not feel pain in your hand even after working for a long time. And the razor-sharp edge cut through any food like butter and you won’t need t to create pressure.
The balancing of the knife is almost at the connection point handle and blade so you will get used to the knife very easily.
Warranty and Free sharpening
It’s one of the most amazing and unique qualities of shun knife that it comes with a limited lifetime warranty along with free sharpening.
It may be clear to you from this shun kiritsuke reviews that as one of the most famous Japanese knife-making companies shun has full confidence in their knives. So, they provide a limited lifetime warranty on each of their knife. So, if you find any kind of manufacturing defect in your shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke just send it back to shun.
You will get a free sharpening service with shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke knife. Sharpening a knife with expert costs a good amount. So, shun will sharpen your kiritsuke knife for free. When you feel that your knife has lost its edge send the knife to shun they will sharpen it for you for free.
Customers thought
Most of the reviews about this shun premier knife are positive with a few negative mentions.
One user was not satisfied with the only handwash. He said that if you wash the knife in the dishwasher then it may cause a chip or damage the edge of the knife. Another customer said that it would be better if the prize was a little less.
But most other users said positive about shun premier 8 kiritsuke. They mentioned different features like razor-sharp edges, proper balancing as mentioned in this whole shun premier kiritsuke knife review. One user was amazed at the beauty, he said that it is not just a knife it is a art of the kitchen and very easy to use.
Pros
Though the whole shun premier kiritsuke reviews explain about different features and usefulness of shun 8-inch kiritsuke, I am gathering them here briefly.
- It is a multipurpose knife with proper cutting, slicing, mincing, and dicing.
- Razor-sharp edges provide precise cut.
- Proper balancing and control.
- The handle fits comfortably in the palm
- Handle provide a slipless grip.
- Hammered finish on the knife, prevents sticking of food while cutting.
- Very lightweight and doesn’t create pressure on the hand after long use.
- Easy to use and maintain.
- Comes with a limited lifetime warranty
- Free sharpening service till you own the knife.
Cons
From this shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke review it may be clear to you that 8 inches shun premier kiritsuke chef’s knife has very few drawbacks to mention.
- shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke is not dishwasher safe like most other Japanese knives.
- The price may feel a little bit higher.
- Always be careful about the sharp edge while using.
FAQ
- Is there a left-handed option of shun premier kiritsuke?
Shun premier 8-inch kiritsuke knife is not a one-handed knife. This is perfect for both left and right-handed people. The handle doesn’t have any curve on only one side. And the edge is a double bevel as mentioned before in this shun premier kiritsuke reviews so it is comfortable for both hands.
- Does shun premier kiritsuke come with a sheath?
NO, this knife doesn’t come with any sheath. You have to use an extra sheath or an knife wooden block for it.
- Does this knife come with a nice box?
The box is nice enough but not fancy. If you are thinking about gifting this knife to someone then the box is beautiful enough.
- How does one sharpen this shun kiritsuke knife?
You can use a shun sharpening stone to sharpen this knife. But it is better to send it to shun. As shun provides free sharpening service for their knife as mentioned in the warranty part of this premier shun kiritsuke knife review
- How is this knife for chopping?
Heavy chopping should be avoided using this knife, especially bone. The steel of the cutting edge is very hard and sharp so it may brittle or chip if you try to chop hard bones. But as mentioned in this shun kiritsuke review this is a multipurpose knife it is master in cutting, slicing, mincing and you can chop soft bones and meats.
Conclusion
From this whole shun premier kiritsuke review you may have got a crystal clear idea about shun premier kiritsuke knife. I am pretty sure that those unique and amazing features of this knife have left you surprised. With durable material, solid construction, and a beautiful look it can be the perfect kitchen partner.
It is a high-end multipurpose Japanese knife that will help you to make your kitchen work more perfect and smooth.
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