Shun knives are more like the ideal tool for precision cutting. They are not meant to be part of your kitchen for piercing, chopping, or stabbing. They are ideal for use over vegetables and meats and not on the bones or vegetables with thick skin. 

They are quite preferable in terms of being used as kitchen knives. And when you are looking for a feasible set, it is time you should consider all of the available options on your list. Shun knives are ideal to be used as daily-use kitchen knives, but with certain restrictions, as stated above. 

All of the shun knives are mostly made up of Japanese steel. Each of the shun knives that you come across in your life is either made up of SG2 or VG10 steel. Moreover, these knives are mostly surrounded by multiple layers of special Damascus steel. As these knives are made up of stainless steel material, they prevent rust from damaging the blade. 

With ideal care, the shun knives can last for a long time or forever without experiencing damage due to corrosion. So, if you have already heard about shun knives and their efficacies, you might have landed on this page to learn about the best product in the lot. You need to buy the best of all shun knife sets that you think will help you with your daily kitchen work at ease. So, to help you find the best, this guide has narrowed down the 10 best shun knives available in the online market. 

Following that, this guide also intends to help you out with the right buying guide to choose one amongst the best 10. So, count on following this article till the end! 

Here Are The Best Shun Knife Sets – Tried & Tested

Here is the list of the best shun knives and sets that you can buy and use in your daily kitchen use. These shun knives are chosen after rigorous comparison with the humongous stocks available in the online market. The one you need is definitely within this list of the 10 best shun knives. 

#1  Shun Premier Santoku Knife- 7 inch

Price: The price of this knife is $189.95, which is nominal pricing for such an efficient knife. You can also go for a 5.5-inch type shun knife of this brand at lower pricing of $174.95. 

Key Specifications:

It comes with 68 steel layers and has a coating of Damascus steel. It allows the blade to stay sharp even after regular use. In addition, the price is nominal comes with a hammered tsuchime finish that makes the blade act as hollow-ground indentations. Hence, it reduces friction whenever the blade travels through food. 

The blade of this knife is hand-sharpened and has used VG-Max super steel that offers corrosion resistance, strength, and durability. This shun knife is ideal for cutting, slicing, chopping, mincing, cubing, trimming, and other such applications. 

#2 Shun Cutlery Classic 5-Piece Starter Block Set

Price: The price for this set of shun chef knife set is $551. It is evidently on the higher side, but the price is nominal as per a set is concerned. 

Key Specifications: 

The 3 main shun classic knives that you get with this set are ideal for all types of cutting jobs. The honing steel over the blades maintains the sharpness of the blade edge for a long time. In addition, the bamboo block makes these knives appealing for the kitchen. 

This set comes with a 3.5-inch paring knife, 6-inch ultimate utility knife, and 8-inch chef’s knife. The 3.5-inch paring knife is very much suitable for slicing moderately thick-skinned vegetables. The 8-inch chef’s knife is very much robust in terms of cutting meat and dicing the vegetables. The set completes with a honing steel and 6-slot bamboo block. 

#3 Shun Sora 6-Piece Block Set

Pricing: The price for this set of Shun knives is $299.95. It is a cheaper option with moderate-quality products. 

Key Specifications:

This set of shun sora knives comes with a 3.5-inch paring knife, 6-inch utility knife, 8-inch chef’s knife, herb shears, honing steel, and 11-slot block made of bamboo. The honing steel available with this set is smooth and comes with micro-ribbed surfaces for weekly honing of the shun knives. 

The chef knife in this shun sora set comes with a curved blade to give better hold over cutting applications. It has a gentle roll-off tip and demands lesser lifts for giving perfect slices or cuts. In addition, the herb shears have a built-in blade notch that helps with the delicate cutting of stems and stripping herbs. 

#4 Shun Premier Kitchen Knife Starter Set, 3 Piece, Paring knife, Utility Knife

The color of these knives is silver, and they are magnificent in all sorts of cutting jobs in your kitchen. 

Price: The price for this Shun Premier Kitchen Knife set is $399.99, which is a nominal price for such high-end products. 

Key Specifications:

This set comes with a 4-inch paring knife, 6.5-inch utility knife, and 8-inch chef knife. These knives come with a Damascus steel layer and have a hand-hammered finish. This finish aims to reduce the drag outcomes while cutting and prevent the food from sticking onto the blade. 

The paring knife is also known as the slicing knife, and the one in this set has immense sharpness; it slices out even the thick vegetables. The handle material is made up of PakkaWood and is of walnut color. 

#5 Shun Classic Blonde 8” Chef’s Knife

Price: The price for this Shun Classic Blonde 8 inch chef knife is $159.95, which is reasonable for a Damascus layered chef’s knife. 

Key Specifications:

This shun knife has a sharp cutting edge and houses 34 Damascus cladding layers with a D-shaped blonde PakkaWood handle. The handle is optimized in order to implement balance and reduce unwanted rotations. 

The grip for right & left-handed grip is what adds comfort to the use of this knife. The design is lightweight and has an ergonomic profile like that of a Japanese knife. It is honed with a razor-sharp edge of 16 degrees, which adds balance to its usage. This blade can glide through the thickest-skinned food items at ease. 

#6 Shun Shima 4-Piece Steak Knife Set

 Price: The price of this Shun Shima 4-piece steak knife is $229.95 and is a reasonable rate for a 4-piece knife set. 

Key Specifications:

The handles of these knives are crafted with PakkaWood, which is genuine hardwood infused with resin. These handles demand moisture resistance and easy care. In addition, the Shima handles come with steel rondels in order to look more decorative. 

It comes with a full tang construction for ideal strength and perfect balance. The blade edges are plain and come with a 16-degree cutting edge for making clean cuts. The blades are thin, light, and sharp, which allows you to make just a few strokes to make a slice. 

#7 KYOKU Shogun Series 8″ Professional Chef Knife + 7″ Boning Knife + 6″ Utility Chef Knife

In addition, the design is well-balanced and lightweight for speed kitchen prep sessions. 

Price: The price for this set of Shun knives is $195.88, which is pretty much affordable for such high-end products from one of the top brands. 

Key Specifications:

The blades of these shun knives are forges and are made of strong alloy steel. These shun knives consist of an 8-inch chef knife, a 7-inch boning knife, and a 6-inch utility chef knife. These blades come with a ruthless cutting edge that is crafted by hands. 

These blades have mirror polish on either side at 8 to 12 degrees. They are crafted using the Honbazuke method. As a result, these knives are treated for incredible flexibility, hardness, and resistance from corrosion. 

#8 Shun Classic 8-inch Kiritsuke Knife

Price: The price for this Shun Classic Kiritsuke knife is around $174.95. 

Key Specifications:

It is an 8-inch kiritsuke chef’s knife that comes with a plain blade edge. Even though it is entitled as a chef knife, it is still a versatile knife that serves various uses. The blade has a rounded belly that intends to make rocking cuts easily. 

It is made up of VG-MAX stainless steel, which prevents all sorts of corrosion and rust aspects. In addition, it has Damascus cladding over its blade that gives it a cutting-edge sharpness that is long-lasting. The edge retention potential is also commendable with these knives. 

#9 Shun Classic 8-Piece Student Set

The students can attain the utmost job satisfaction with these knives. 

Price: The price for this 8-piece set of Shun knives for students is $1021. The price might be high, but the knives are of optimal quality. 

Key Specifications: 

This Shun classic knife set comes with an 8-inch chef’s knife, 6-inch utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, a fillet or boning knife, hollow edge carving knife/slicing knife, 9-inch bread knife, Nylon knife roll, and shun honing steel. 

These are the handcrafted Japanese knives that are sharper, thinner, and lighter in nature. Moreover, it consists of Damascus cladding layers to ensure blade strength and performance to attain maximum precision control. 

#10 Shun Premier 6-Piece Slim Knife Block Set

Price: The price for this 6-piece slim knife set is $449.95. 

Key Specifications:

The blade edge is hollow, and it is made up of high-carbon stainless steel. This set comes with a 3.5-inch paring knife, 8-inch chef’s knife, Honing steel of 9-inch, 8-slot slim wooden block, kitchen shears, and 7-inch Santoku knife. 

These Japanese knives have a double-bevel blade angle of 16 degrees, with Rockwell Hardness of 60-61. It comes with a PakkaWood handle that is strong, durable, sharpening process and moisture resistant. These knives are handcrafted in Seki, Japan, and can be hand-washed with dish soap. 

Shun Hiro vs Premiere

If you are looking for chef knives, then, Shun is one of the best brands that manufacture the most elegant VG Max steel knives, and each one has an extremely sharp edge. Shun Hiro and Premier collections are the ones that are always compared with one another in terms of quality and proficiency. 

Here is a brief comparison between Shun Hiro and Shun Premier knives in terms of differentiating aspects:

1. Construction

The Shun Hiro knives are made with the Damascus cladding and layering tradition. It means that several layers of high-performance steel get hammered on the top of a steel core to create a pattern, as well as a durable knife. 

The Shun Premier knives are made with walnut-colored PakkaWood handles for giving a rustic appeal. However, these blades have Damascus knives features, with a hammered finish on the blade’s top. 

2. Shun Knife Steel

The Shun Premier makes use of a VG-MAX cutting core with 34 layers of Damascus steel cladding. It is a tough material and consists of lots of carbon for enhanced durability. Home chefs can find it easy to use these knives, as they don’t demand much maintenance. 

The Shun Hiro knives are made up of SG2 Super Steel, unique material in powdered steel. Hence, it is one of the hardest materials you will find in the present era for knives. This material can be sharpened to form a very thin yet sharp blade. It is mostly preferred in professional kitchens. 

3. Price

The traditional Japanese knives, Shun Hiro, are made out of premium materials that add professional charm. Naturally, therefore, it comes with a hefty price tag. So, if you want a bread knife, slicing knife, herb knife, or chef knife of Shun Hiro, then be ready to make a substantial investment. 

The Shun Premier is also an expensive collection, but it is slightly cheaper than Shun Hiro knives. So if you are looking for professional yet household knives at cheap rates, then Shun Premier can be an ideal pick for you. 

Sharpening Shun Knives

If you own shun knives, then it becomes truly important for you to know the right process of sharpening them. There are two ways with which you can revive the lost cutting-edge sharpness of your shun knives. You can either use honing or a traditional sharpening process. 

Honing is often preferred as it uses shun steel that is mostly sold to the buyers in the respective sets. It is just about rubbing the blade of knives over the honing steel to sharpen them. You can seek to hone the blades after every use. Honing realigns the edge of a blade to ensure that it remains sharp after use. 

Sharpening is more like the act of taking out the medal from the blade for the sake of sharpening it. Therefore, the sharpening process should be followed only occasionally, depending on how frequently you use a particular knife. 

Buying Guide: What to look for in a Shun Knife Set?

Type Of Knife

A few varieties of shun knives are stated as Shun Classic knife, Shun Premier knife, Shun Hiro Knife, Shun Sora knife, Shun Kanso knife, Shun Seki Magoroku, and Shun Dual Core knife. All of these different types of knives have different features, efficacies, and abilities. 

These are Japanese-style knives and have no strong competition that can match their potential in serving dedicated cutting purposes. However, different shun knives vary in terms of blade size, cutting application, durability, built material, and other such aspects. 

So, consider all of those features before you can decide upon which type of shun knife suits your needs. 

Blade

Just like the different types of shun knives, there are different blades as well. For example, VG2/VG10, VG MAX, VG10 Cutting Core, Solid VG10, Solid AUS10A, Blue Carbon Steel Cutting Core, Composite Blade Technology, Stainless Steel-Damascus layered, Graffiti etched, and others. 

All of these materials are different in terms of their sharpened edge, durability, and longevity. Therefore, your sharpening process should preferably use stainless steel, VG MAX rated steel, and all VG10 rated steel knives. They are the best in terms of bringing out the true knives of the future. These are the razor-sharp blades that last longer without blunting away. 

Tang

The tang of a shun knife is how far the blade steel reaches into the handle. There are full tang and partial tang knives available in the market. The full tang ones are more durable and last for a longer time span. 

But the partial tang at times is preferred to reduce the overall knife’s weight. The full tang design ensures that the knife is well-balanced. The Shun Dual Core series comes with a rabbet tang that blends the handle with the blade. Compare the tang style before you choose your shun knife set. 

Handle

Mostly two materials are highly preferred to make handles for shun knives, which are natural hardwood & synthetic composites. However, shun knives differentiate in handles with PakkaWood, a resin and wood composite. It gives a hardwood look! 

Full synthetic handles are cheaper to buy, while natural hardwood-handled knives are more expensive. Check the material specifications to ensure that you get the best handled shun knife. 

Knife Care (IMPORTANT)

The hard steel that is being used for Japanese knives is what offers you razor-sharp edges. But with hard steel, you should also understand the need for high maintenance. Harder steel is very much brittle and might chip over time. 

You need to be aware of the practical measures to care for your knife. For example, you need to count on cutting your kitchen ingredients in a push & pull motion. But do not cut any harder surface with it, as it would hamper the steel’s integrity. Also, you are not allowed to wash them in the dishwasher. 

So, make sure that you learn all of the care tips before getting the best knives. It will help enhance the life of your knife without chipping problems. 

Competitors

Shun is one of the leading brands making the modern version of ancient Japanese knives. However, before you get one from the list above, you must compare their products with their competitors. 

You can either go with German knives made by competitors or stick to the Japanese knives by Shun, depending upon your preferences. Top brands such as Korin, Miyabi, and others give substantial competition to Shun but are still lagging. 

FAQ’s

Verdict

If you wish to purchase the best shun knife set for yourself, you should consider all the factors mentioned above in this write-up. Then, depending upon your budget, expertise, and need, get the one that is best suited for you.

Also, read our post on Best Pocket knives, Bushcraft knife under 100 and best scout carry knife.