Why is there so much neg about Shun Pro?

[akilia]

Hi all,

I wondered, as a newbie, why there seems to be so much neg vibe here relating to Shun products. In particular, whenever I read any comments, they are negative ones about the Shun Classic range (whihc I have never used).

Is there any seasoned view about the Shun Pro range, which uses the VG10 steel (I am told it is one of the best stain-resistant steels for combination of hardness and toughness to take a durable and extremely sharp edge due to the high carbon and the cobalt content)?

As a keen domestic cook, and loving sashimi and sushi cut very sharply, but not wishing to spend a zealot's time massaging the kinves I use, if I were to choose a 270mm single bevel Yanagiba with a UK budget of £110, what would be a sensible alternative?

With sincere thanks
Akilia

[mainaman]

if I remember correctly they re not traditional knives , they do not have concave back and the bevels are somewhat ridiculous to flatten. Pretty much at the price point you can get a true traditional Japanese knife made right.

[thombrogan]

The Shun Pro knives are related to the commercially popular Shun Classics and therefore don't provide the snob appeal of more esoteric knives. They're hollow-ground on the back, too.

[Newbflat]

The issue with them is that while looking like traditional knives they are not. They are thin. A traditional yanagi, deba, or usuba is much thicker. With a traditional knife you sharpen the blade by laying the bevel on the stone and sharpening the blade to that angle. With the shuns there very thin and the angle of the bevel is way to shallow and the steel will never support the edge. So you have to sharpen it like a regular knife on one side and like a traditional on the other. I have a Shun Nikiri pro i picked up at a estate sale and i hate it. It is ground like a usuba but is thin like an nakiri. It doesn't work like a nikiri and it sucks as a unuba..... whats to like?

[akilia]

The issue with them is that while looking like traditional knives they are not. They are thin. A traditional yanagi, deba, or usuba is much thicker. With a traditional knife you sharpen the blade by laying the bevel on the stone and sharpening the blade to that angle. With the shuns there very thin and the angle of the bevel is way to shallow and the steel will never support the edge. So you have to sharpen it like a regular knife on one side and like a traditional on the other. I have a Shun Nikiri pro i picked up at a estate sale and i hate it. It is ground like a usuba but is thin like an nakiri. It doesn't work like a nikiri and it sucks as a unuba..... whats to like?

I'm not sure I get this. The bevel is 15 deg. The steel is hard and tough, being VG10 and much loved by Hattori amongst others. A 15 deg bevel is typical for a Yanagi. Is it the case that shun's VG10 cannot support a 15 deg bevel without microchipping and fracturing, only a double bevel (30 deg)?

I have no knowledge of the nikiri but I am looking at the Yanagiba style.

[willspear]

you talk about vg-10 likes its magical and universally amazing

Steels while being steel are not the same across all makers as the way said steel is handled changes the properties of it.



I wouldnt buy a shun yanagi period

[akilia]

if I remember correctly they re not traditional knives , they do not have concave back and the bevels are somewhat ridiculous to flatten. Pretty much at the price point you can get a true traditional Japanese knife made right.

Sorry? I think you may be referring to the Shun Classic Western style range.
The Shun Pro Yanagibas have the profile of a traditional Yanagi with hollow back and 15deg Rt bevel. I am not sure I understand how the 15 deg bevel can fail to take a sharp edge with VG10 steel which is hard and tough.

[mainaman]

Sorry? I think you may be referring to the Shun Classic Western style range.
The Shun Pro Yanagibas have the profile of a traditional Yanagi with hollow back and 15deg Rt bevel. I am not sure I understand how the 15 deg bevel can fail to take a sharp edge with VG10 steel which is hard and tough.

Fair enough, the Pro is hollow ground on the back, however VG-10 although good steel is not the cream of the crop, there are better performing steels out there that also are used in similarly priced yanagis. You can get a 270mm Tanaka yanagi for your price range and shipping is only 5 bucks from japan.

[kcma]

buy yanagi directly from japan, shipping is always prolly cheaper than your domestic shipping.

shun is just too expensive, and shun's "traditional" patterns are... HORRIBLE... eeeek.....

[expatCanuck]

buy yanagi directly from japan, shipping is always prolly cheaper than your domestic shipping. ...

Yeah, I was marveling the other day that for $7, Koki can get a knife from Japan to Brookline, MA in two or three days.

Shows how heinously overpriced or inefficient (or both) domestic delivery services are.