Shun Classic 7" Asian Cook’s Knife, Handcrafted Japanese Kitchen Knife, VG-MAX Core with Damascus Stainless Steel Cladding, Pakkawood Handle, Gyuto-Style Tool for Professional and Home Chefs

I have a few other good knives in the kitchen. However, when I want precision and guaranteed cutting to any thinness, I choose this knife. It's weird, but because of the price and the VERY sharp edge, I feel...different...in my food preparation when I use the knife. I think, "Whoa, you lucky onion!" I'm not kidding (weird, I know). But it's so precise; I know that whatever I set out to do to my vegetables, etc., it WILL be done the way I want, and with ease. It's like doing surgery or using Photoshop and zooming way in to do professional, detailed work.I have a dry rag nearby and I just quickly rise and wipe (since they don't recommend you put it in a dishwasher).The 7" is great for me since I already have a heavy, 8" chef knife, a santoku, etc.And the FIRST thing that I noticed upon picking it up was the LIGHT weight of it. Other people say the say thing. I don't miss the typical, heavy weight of most knives (that I do have). It's like a scalpel...and the sharpness, I guess, takes the place of the need for the heaviness of many other knives.I do love it. Buy it. And it's very pretty, too (the wavy pattern of the metal as well as the wooden handle).

I got this Classic 7" Asian Cook knife and after a year of use I love it even more. It's much lighter in the hand that the 8" Wüsthof chef knife I have but cuts like crazy as well. Please note that for only $5 more the Shun Classic 8" Chef knife has a more pronounced belly, better for rock-chopping, and for that reason, more versatile – remember the three basic cutting techniques in the kitchen: tap chop, rock chop, and cross chop. I decided for the Shun 7" for size variety, since the heft of the Wüsthof is better for chunkier pieces of meat, anyway. The manufacturer, KAI, is a reputable company and offers free lifetime sharpening. Yes, get yourself a Shun, but please follow the care instructions carefully. This is a delicate, precise, wonderful piece of cutlery. If you'd rather throw everything in the dishwasher, go ahead – but you'd be better off getting your kitchen knives at the dollar store.

I love, love, love this knife. My first Shun experience was at a neighbor's house - he burned his hand pretty badly cooking our Christmas dinner, so I popped over to help out. Grabbed his Shun and started slicing, dicing, and chopping. Felt like everything I prepped was made of butter! So naturally, I had to have a Shun of my own. This 7" knife is just about perfect for me - I am not a large person, and prefer knives in the 6" range. This fit the bill. So sharp, and easy to handle. Just be careful...sharp means SHARP!(And be mindful of your cutting surface. My husband used this knife on a glass cutting board at a ski condo we rented and completely mashed the blade. I was able to straighten it some with a honing steel, but ultimately needed to send it in for sharpening.)

While the packaging is not something to write home about, I wouldn't judge a book by it's cover. The knife out of the box is simple and elegant. It is light, but very balanced. It may be short at 7", but it feels like it will do the job well. It is extremely sharp out of the box. Effortlessly passing the paper test. Visually, the I have no visual comments on this blade. It is very clean from the blade up to the bolster and transitioning into the handle of the knife. I am looking forward to using and testing this knife out and giving a more thorough review of it.

Bought it for myself for Christmas. My first "good" kitchen knife. Came absolutely razor sharp. Looks like great quality. I've been using it for over a year now. I use a ceramic honing rod to keep it up. Wash by hand and dry immediately and keep it in a block. I anticipate it lasting my lifetime. Perfect size and weight for me for pretty much every kitchen task. I dont use it on bone or heavy stuff though.

Another great knife from shun. Most of my kit is Japanese knives, shun and yoshihiro being the majority... the classic D shun handle fits perfect and the weight of this knife is perfect, super light and very easy to control, but with just enough weight the knife does all the work without having to be forced through product. I use mainly for veg prep, and this thing is a workhorse! Used with a combo 1000/6000 grit whetstone and this knife keeps a razor edge through hours of prep! I bought a wooden sheath from yoshihiro and it fits perfectly as I don't like using the plastic edge guards... but that's just personal preference.

This knife cuts like a dream come true and is very comfortable to use.

I have been using this for the past week during my culinary classes. During my final the which I had used it for only cutting vegetables, the blade snapped a piece off. It's missing from dead center of the blade and has visible warping on either side of it. I couldn't even use it the rest of my final. I'm pretty shocked and upset at the quality after hearing so much good from this brand.