KiltyMonroe wrote:I have a culinary degree, and I fully endorse the quality of the Shun line of knives. They do outperform Henckels and Wusthof, though not by enough to justify the MSRP. Fortunately, they're often on sale.

That said, all the knives in this set are too short to be useful. The chef's knife is the most important, and it should be at minimum 8" long, preferably 10".

I actually don't recommend knife sets in general to anyone, though. Nobody needs all those specialty knives, nor do they all need to be top-of-the-line. If you're looking to get a quality set that will handle most anything for cheap, these are my picks:

8" or 10" chef's knife or santoku: This will do 80% of the work, so don't skimp. Get Shun if it's on sale, otherwise go with Wusthof, Henckels or Global. Also get a honing steel to maintain it.
Bread knife: You can go cheap here, since maintaining a serrated edge is too impractical to justify over just replacing it after a few years. I like the one in the Pure Komachi line.
Kitchen scissors: There's nothing wrong with using scissors. Messermeister makes a pair for $20 that are just perfect for the job.

And that's it. That's all you need to handle 95% of cutting-related kitchen tasks, and it shouldn't run you more than $150. A paring knife will take care of 4 of that last 5%, if necessary (again, go Shun, Wusthof, Henckels or Global). From there, only buy another knife if it fills a role you need a lot.

As a cook I can tell you that this man knows his stuff.

ZanduarMagnus wrote:As a cook I can tell you that this man knows his stuff.

Well.... it depends. If I'm filleting a whole salmon, I don't want any of those knives. If I'm turning veggies for a formal French presentation, I don't want them either. If I'm breaking down a half a pig to make guanciale and pancetta, same story. If I'm trying to get paper-thin slices out of a gravlox, if I'm cutting radish roses, if I'm cutting the bile ducts out of a foie gras, and on and on, there's a set of tools which is going to work better than some other tools, and the quality of what I do is going to be aided or hampered by whether the tools are fighting against me or working with me. Nothing is as depressing as spending a couple of days on a dish, and having it look like something the dog threw up by the time it gets to the plate.

I read the headline as "the more lawyers you peel back, the more it stinks."

Just me?

lunchbox6 wrote:I am amazed at the amount of people on here trying to talk bad about these knives. I have purchased 2 sets of them and they ALL are great knives with no quality issues. I guess some people cant be happy unless they are trying to drag others down. Just because you cant afford them doesnt mean they arent worth the money.

It's a recession economy. The Woot! demographic is lower-middle to upper-middle class and in the best of economies most people don't have the means buy six knives at $65 per piece.

Nothing against you that you have $400 -- no, wait, $800 -- to spend on knives. No one's dragging you down to make himself happy.

Two quick words of advice if you purchase any fine cutlery....
1. Hand-wash your knives only. Don't put the knives in the dishwasher, use a gentle brush and soap and scrub by hand.
2. Do not use a glass cutting board. Use a wood or a food safe plastic. Glass will absolutely destroy the blade on any knife.

How can you guys even argue about knife brands? Ninjas own anyone's ass in that department. :D Ninjas have been using knives for thousands of years, how can some German brands compete? :lol:

let me guess. The discussions to this point have been between the frugal people who have a perfectly fine set of knives from Walmart for $70, and the pompous eliteist better than everybody elses that think you can only make gourmet food with a set of knives like these.

Let's move on to more important things like discussing the intimate relationships formed with your Roomba.

As an owner of both Cutco (longtime) and Shun Ken (more recent), I can safely say that Cutco knives are "good" - they arrive sharp and hold their edge for a reasonably long time. Frustration comes when they begin to dull and you have to send them back to the company for sharpening (eternity...) The Shun Ken is "very good" in that they are EXTREMELY sharp on arrival. Although I have only owned two of the knives in this set for about a month and a half, I have put them to work and am very impressed. If I didn't already own two of the knives in this set, I would JUMP on this offer... seriously.

xarous wrote:How well with it cut human flesh?

Very well, chines lettering make knife strong like dragon.

markbiss wrote:let me guess. The discussions to this point have been between the frugal people who have a perfectly fine set of knives from Walmart for $70, and the pompous eliteist better than everybody elses that think you can only make gourmet food with a set of knives like these.

Let's move on to more important things like discussing the intimate relationships formed with your Roomba.

Uh, so it's this or Wal-Mart? Sigh.

Shun are amazing knives. They have a thin spine and deliver precise cuts. They have a true Damascus steel blade. Very well balanced. Great deal. I have several shun knives that cost more than this for just one knife.

sparkerjc wrote:Are these better than CutCo?

Not quite as good but but for this price you can get 3000 cutco sets that will last long after the Onion is rotten.

Go figure its California and Massachusettes buying all these things up. 2 states that couldnt balance a budget even in the face of bankruptcy.

But hey, Im not that way. I hope someday to to find a trust fund hid away with my name on it. Then Ill really want to come back and buy a set of these knives.

tetchypoo wrote:That's why I had kids. They fetch upwards of $20,000 on the black market and they only take 9 months to make new ones.

I wish I'd thought of that. Foolishly, I only had 1. She's of premium quality,sharp as a Ken Onion knife, and would fetch a pretty penny. But then who would I leave my Burl Ives record collection to?

I agree, I have two large knifes that chip very easily. I am not sure if I like these as much as the German steel, but they very precise.

cleverett wrote:Very well, actually. However, there's a big caveat (from the manufacturer's FAQ): "Is there anything Shun knives shouldn’t be used on? Please do not use Shun knives — other than the Ken Onion meat cleaver — on bones or joints. These knives are designed for precision slicing rather than chopping through bones."

That's because these high-end Japanese knives are so hard that they tend to chip if they so much as see a bone nearby. So, I'd either invest in a heavy cleaver or a circular saw if you're looking to dismember a corpse, be it bovine or...whatever.

tetchypoo wrote:That's why I had kids. They fetch upwards of $20,000 on the black market and they only take 9 months to make new ones.

ProTip: Unlike most things your spawn is worth less than the sum of it's parts. You can get $8,000 for just one kidney!

PDXPDW wrote:Well.... it depends. If I'm filleting a whole salmon, I don't want any of those knives. If I'm turning veggies for a formal French presentation, I don't want them either. If I'm breaking down a half a pig to make guanciale and pancetta, same story. If I'm trying to get paper-thin slices out of a gravlox, if I'm cutting radish roses, if I'm cutting the bile ducts out of a foie gras, and on and on, there's a set of tools which is going to work better than some other tools, and the quality of what I do is going to be aided or hampered by whether the tools are fighting against me or working with me. Nothing is as depressing as spending a couple of days on a dish, and having it look like something the dog threw up by the time it gets to the plate.

So, what are you recommending?

To all those complaining about the price i'll reuse an old line

"Buy the best, cry once" - Pasquale

Again, I have to ask- where are the Fatherly items, in anticipation of this weekend?

I'm a dad, and while I love knives, I don't think I'd pay $400 for a set of steak knives. Heck, I didn't want to pay over $40 for a Bowie knife.

If you are thinking of getting these knives, i highly recomend you do. I have 2 kai shun knives and they are, to say the least very impressive. Each knife easily purchases for around $100 each so this is a very good deal.

The 16 degree cutting edges is unheard of for kitchen knives but still more impressive is the actual edge. These knives are unGodly sharp. The first time i used one was cutting uncooked chicken breast. I only applied a small ammount of pressure and all i could feel is the tip of the knife on the cutting board.

Eventhough they are expensive, you have to appreciate that woot managed to "slice" $300-400 off the MSRP.

riteshg1987 wrote:400$ !! wow.can i just pay 250$!
i have seen iCook 5-piece knifeware set designed exclusively by Ken Onion on another website for $250 something. As i read there,Knifeware Set includes:

Chef’s Knife – 9-inch blade
Santoku – 7-inch blade, hollow ground edge (grantons)
Slicer – 8-inch blade
Petty Knife – 5-inch blade
Paring Knife – 4-inch blade
Storage Tray

heres the link http://bit.ly/cXf20g . that thing is a steel(pun intended) ! and its not 1-day deal. why buy this?

I went to the link and it is $349.70 plus $30 shipping for a total of $379.70

I agree that *most* people don't need a vast assortment of specialty knives.

As for a pairing knife, I recently picked up a ceramic Kyocera from T.J. Max for like $14 and it is an absolutely wonderful addition to my collection. Nothing I've used comes close for most fruits and veggies.

I also have a relatively cheap Chinese style cleaver for chopping up chickens or doing a load of herbs (it doubles as a pastry scraper while you chop).

KiltyMonroe wrote:I have a culinary degree, and I fully endorse the quality of the Shun line of knives. They do outperform Henckels and Wusthof, though not by enough to justify the MSRP. Fortunately, they're often on sale.

That said, all the knives in this set are too short to be useful. The chef's knife is the most important, and it should be at minimum 8" long, preferably 10".

I actually don't recommend knife sets in general to anyone, though. Nobody needs all those specialty knives, nor do they all need to be top-of-the-line. If you're looking to get a quality set that will handle most anything for cheap, these are my picks:

8" or 10" chef's knife or santoku: This will do 80% of the work, so don't skimp. Get Shun if it's on sale, otherwise go with Wusthof, Henckels or Global. Also get a honing steel to maintain it.
Bread knife: You can go cheap here, since maintaining a serrated edge is too impractical to justify over just replacing it after a few years. I like the one in the Pure Komachi line.
Kitchen scissors: There's nothing wrong with using scissors. Messermeister makes a pair for $20 that are just perfect for the job.

And that's it. That's all you need to handle 95% of cutting-related kitchen tasks, and it shouldn't run you more than $150. A paring knife will take care of 4 of that last 5%, if necessary (again, go Shun, Wusthof, Henckels or Global). From there, only buy another knife if it fills a role you need a lot.

What makes this so good? So much money for so few knifes... crazy.

Will these work for a left-handed person?

Edit: No, I was not serious. I rarely am. Seriously.

sdc100 wrote:At times, he contradicts real food scientists like Shirley Corriher and Harold McGee, i.e. on searing food (no, it doesn't seal in juices).

I don't mean to pick out arguments, from your post, but Alton Brown actually devoted part of an episode to prove that searing food doesn't seal in juices.

He is wrong at times, sure, but he usually comes back and corrects himself when he finds out what is actually right.

Here's a review I posted last month, with an update. I hope it's helpful:

Well, my wife does most of the cooking; I used to cook a little years ago, but I stopped when we got married. Sometimes, she asks me to do a little prep work, and I try not to grouse about what a clumsy amateur I am with the knives.

But all that has changed recently, with the purchase of 3 Shun knives (not Ken Onion) from Woot. I'm already a lot more adept, and therefore I'm happy to spend more time in the kitchen.

So, even if I'm not going to be the next contestant on Top Chef, Shun knives are a big positive for this amateur.

edit: I thought I'd add that we were using mid-range Henckels before, so it's not as if we were cutting with garden tools.

today's edit: A friend of mine who went to culinary school once showed me how he could chop an onion into fine pieces in seconds with a high-end knife. I've tried a few times since we got the Shun knives, and yesterday - success!

I am now no longer a clumsy amateur. I am upgrading myself to a middling wannabe!

If you type "how to chop an onion" into YouTube search, you can see several methods. The one I used is something like this one.

Lots of well thought out responses on this woot, as well as plenty of borderline Down's syndrome related replies.

For the average Joe or Jane, this set is probably unnecessary, but for those looking to start amassing a quality set of knives, today's woot is a great deal compared to other online retailers or your local BnM store.

Like another wooter said, a Porsche at half price is still going to be expensive, but that doesn't make it a bad deal.

Those who say a $20 knife from Walmart will do the same, let me ask you a question...You can go anywhere with your Ford, or watch shows on regular CRT TVs, so why spend more right for either? Both of which costs more than a few hundred dollars difference for more quality products.

From personal experience, I can only offer a comparison of what I have used. I own a generic santoku-style $35 knife from amazon, a gifted set of Cutco chef's knives (around 6 and 9 inches), a Kyocera ceramic, and a Global forged chef's knife. I recently purchased the Onion's 8 inch chef for mother's day. Of those 4, I would lean towards the Shun for cooking in terms of sharpness, and comfort.

Wish there was a store you can go into to cut up items with various knives instead of just feeling and holding them. I am curious about the Miyabi, Masahiro, Wusthof and MAC knives...

kwelles wrote:Wustof are just as good and will have better resale value in the long run, long after this fad has faded. Do not buy this hype.

You sir deserve to have your tongue cut off with one of these exquisite knives.

These knives are heirloom quality.

The problem with this set is not the knives, they are EXCELLENT. The problem is the sizes that are included. There is not a decent size chef's knife so you're still going to have to buy an 8 or 10 inch chef's knife which are expensive. I cook a lot and 90% of my cooking is done with one of 3 knives; a 8 in. chefs knife, a 4 in paring knife (no paing knife in this set), and a serrated knife. This set is for those who already have a good set of basic knives, no so much for a first set of good knives.

arroyoko wrote:So, what are you recommending?

I think you have to figure out what sort of tasks you actually do in your kitchen, notice whether the stuff you already have does the trick or not, and - if not - figure out what would make the job faster, easier, neater, or whatever parameters you care about.

Personally, I make a lot of sausage, so there's no way I want to do without a good boning knife, for instance. (Can't wait for Beavis and Butt-head to get on to this paragraph...)

Here is a Knife Maintenance and Sharpening Guide for your perusal...

acdawg wrote:Will these work for a left-handed person?

Yes - one of Onion's design goals was for the knives to be ergonomic for righties and lefties both. That being said, you'll either like the unconventional handle shape, or not. I've talked to several working chefs who have bought them, retrained themselves to feel comfortable and secure with the new shape, and who carry them in to work every day, or lock them up in a locker between shifts, because they feel that they're easier on their hands in a potential RSI setting.

Store them in the knife block! ha. As a Shun Classic owner... I will attest to these. Worth every penny!

bassman wrote:For real! Kitchen knifes? Sorry, I'll take a LAPTOP, or SPEAKERS and continues cutting my onions with what's in the drawer.

To each his own, I suppose. I already have too many laptops, speakers (but no Roomba!). I use my Chef's knife ( Chicago Cutlery traditional) more than any other tool in the house. I've been considering the Globals and the Shuns (KO, Classic, Elite).

I really appreciate the educated input I've seen from many Wooters!

shindig966 wrote:How do these compare to Wusthof or J.A. Henckels knives?

Wusthof knives are more durable but Shuns are sharper...
HOWEVER, even with meticulous care you run the risk of chipping with these knives, and when I sent them in to the Warranty department, the response was that the head of the company doesn't believe they chip and won't acknowledge the problem, so the next one might chip too. GREAT knives at this price, but what sort of practice is that for a premier company?

I'm a pretty good home chef, above average I'd say. I watch lots of food network and prep and cook real meals nearly every night.

I use Henckels Pro knives because I feel they are a good intersection of quality vs. vaue. They are not top of the line, but Henckels Pro knives are way better than what you find in the average home (usually cutco, kitchen aid, etc.).

That said, I'd like to upgrade to something like these some day. They are worth it, if you are into cooking. It's just not in my budget right now.

But if you are using junk and don't want to spend on this, consider picking up something like the Henckels pro series and use those for a year or two. Note the difference from the lower end stuff, and expect about that level of increase in performance between Henckels and a truly premium set like a Shun set.

If all you are slicing now is some bologna every now and then, don't bother with either.

sdc100 wrote:For me, that's a negative. Brown is a pseudo-charlatan whose name is sold to the highest bidder. His show is incredibly stupid, where facts play second fiddle to his stunts and unfunny jokes. Worst though is his science. Although I'm not a food scientist, I am a medical physicist and some of the stuff he says is just plain wrong, i.e. his explanation of poultry brining using osmosis (if it worked by osmosis, then Brown's addition of 10+ spices, aka solutes, actually impedes the process). At times, he contradicts real food scientists like Shirley Corriher and Harold McGee, i.e. on searing food (no, it doesn't seal in juices).

Brining does indeed use osmosis, although not in the way that we are used to seeing most of the time - sodium is doing most of the shifting in this case, not water. The addition of herbs and spices is going to season the outside of the meat, and probably doesn't affect osmosis much. If it does, it further inhibits solutes from leaving the meat's cells, actually helping the process.

Alton Brown is still a tool, I can agree with that. Also, this set of knives is terribly overpriced based on its usefulness. The quality may or may not be top notch, but no one needs all these knives at such an expense. As others have said, you're better off spending the money for a quality chef's knife at a proper length rather than purchasing these unnecessary pieces.

The people who are whining and complaining are usually the ones who don't cook. No, boiling water for instant noodles, microwaving popcorn, and baking frozen pizzas don't count as cooking.

As a cook I seriously considered this set, and actually think it's a good deal. Heck, I was planning on buying it and selling it on ebay to fetch myself a couple hundred bucks more (oops, I think I might have given others the same idea!).

In response to those cooks who think $400 is too much, however, that's just a subjective statement. You can spend $400 on a Gucci belt. You can spend $1,000,000 on a car with manual windows. You can spend $10,000 on a pair of audio ear-buds. You can never spend too much!

sparkerjc wrote:Are these better than CutCo?

heck yes. cutco is all marketing and the silly cutting of cans and such...only works because of the serrations...my mother used cutco her entire life and then when she came over to use my global, wusthof, heckels (i have different knives for different uses) she realized what she's been missing all these years...

The day after my set of these knives arrived I broke down 10 pounds of meat into 1/2 inch cubes in under 30 minutes. I do not have the knife skills of a professional chef, but these knives are a joy to work with and there was not the hand fatigue that I have experienced with the german style knives.