http://www.cleverscampcamp.com/ken-onion/
What’s the best chef’s knife in the world?
Wondering if anyone has tried the Shun Ken Onion 10″ Chef knife. Some have said that this is the cadillac of knifes. I’m thinking about purchasing one but the handle looks a lot different than your standard chef knife. Any thoughts? Anyone compared it to a Wosthof or Hecknels? Also any opinions on a 10″ blade vs 8″. Some have said that bigger is better. Thanks
The best is what you like and can use the best.
Shuns are kind of blend of western and Japanese styles. That is, blade geometry is more of the western knives and handles, thin edges and hard steel from Japenese knives school.
Ken onions designs are quite unusual and I’d strongly recommend handling it first to see if you’re ok with it. I didn’t like neither blade geometry, nor the handle, but may be you will. But they’re not on the top for sure.
Shun vs. Wusthof/henckel – I’ve had plenty of all those knives to test and compare. Detailed reviews here – http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/indexmk.shtml
In general, if you judge in terms of pure cutting performance and edge retention Shuns are level above both, Wusthof and Henckels.
Shuns have 16 deg edge per side, wile typical Wusthof or Henckel will have 20 deg per side. it may not sound a lot, but when you cut it makes a huge difference. Shun uses VG-10 steel which is a lot better steel than X50CrMoV15 used in high end Wusthof/Henckels (cheaper western knives are made of much worse 440A steel, including Cutco).
hardness on Shuns is 61HRC while on German knives typically it’s 56HRC on smaller knives and 52-54HRC on larger ones. Too soft, but it has its own justifications, which brings us to the users.
Westerners tend to use the same knife for all sorts of works including many that can be considered knife abuse. E.g. splitting lobsters or coconuts with the chef’s knife. You do that with Shun and the thin ege will chip, guaranteed. I have a whole gallery of damaged edges because of stunts like that – http://zknives.com/cpg14/thumbnails.php?album=128
Bottom line is, if you cut right stuff with the right knife shuns will cut better and last sharp longer. if you use chef’s knife for everything inclluding bone contact and similar stuff, better to get Wusthof or something like that. Softer steel won’t hold thin edge and will dull a lot quicker, but you won’t break the blade.
10″ vs 8″ – In general if the space in the kitchen allows and you feel comfy with bigger blades 10 or even 12″ are better tan 8″ chef’s knives. For one, when cutting with rocking motion you dont’ have to raise your elbow and shoulder as high as with 8″ knife. Second, you have longer edge for slicing.
For a while I was using 10″ chef’s knives, but then I’ve tried 12″ and it made significant difference, positive too. On the other hand, when I need to work in a crowded or small kitchen, I prefer 10″ chef’s knife…
I suggest you read this article about choosing kitchen knives – http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/index.shtml
May be that will help to pick the right one for you.
If you choose to go with Japanese blades, Shuns aren’t the best in terms of price/performance. There are better choices out there.
Ken Onion On TV-Part 1