Shun Edo 8 ½” Chef’s Knife

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide: Day 10

There are certain things that I firmly believe you should buy top-of-the-line and knives are absolutely on that list.  Not only do they make food prep so much easier, it also makes the time spent in the kitchen so much more enjoyable.

Since this time of year we all are spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen, I thought this would be the perfect time to profile the knife that completely changed my mind about what top-of-the-line meant.  In fact, if you read my post a few weeks back where I declared my love for my knife set my husband and I got when we first moved in together, you will remember how I was singing their praises.  Well, I'm sorry to say that the honeymoon is officially over and I am now looking to upgrade.

Img20m The knives that have caused this wandering eye are Shun, the handcrafted knives from Japan.  If you've been out shopping for knives recently, you will instantly recognize Shun knives with their bold lines and artistry.  But, besides being the most artistically designed knives on the market, Shun has made a name for itself with its superior performance in cutlery.

 The specific Shun knife that I have recently fallen for is the Shun Edo 8 ½ inch Chef’s Knife from Williams-Sonoma that comes in its own bamboo display stand.  Designed in the tradition of Japanese sword-making but made using state-of-the-art technology, the Shun Edo Chef’s Knife has an incredibly dense VG-10 “Super Steel” blade that is tempered for exceptional hardness and edge retention. 

This VG-10 blade has a unique hammered finish (called “tsuchime” in Japanese) that does more than offer a gorgeous display piece, it also reduces drag and keeps food from sticking to the blade as you are slicing.  Since we do a lot of veggie slicing that has a tendency to stick to other blades, this is a feature I really love and part of why I fell so hard for it.   

Img93m The 8.5” Shun Edo Chef’s Knife has a contoured resin-infused PakkaWood handle that provides a solid and comfortable grip as well as providing lasting moisture resistance.  It also has a tear drop shaped wide and thick bolster as well as an ergonomic grip to reduce tension and fatigue while chopping. 

I found that the Edo felt incredibly natural in my hand and my husband remarked the same thing when he picked it up the first time.  It is perfectly balanced so that it is light enough for fast chopping but weighted so that everything you slice feels like butter.  That sounds like an exaggeration, but it really isn’t. 

The Shun 8.5” Chef’s Knife is by far the sharpest blade I have ever cut with.  Whether slicing pork loin or chopping hard vegetables or fruit, this knife performs absolutely effortlessly.  In a side by side comparison between the Shun and our comparable and newly sharpened chef’s knife from our old set was not even a competition.  Since we all know that a sharp knife is a safer knife, I really appreciate this superior sharpness as well as the fact that Shun knives are known for their lasting edge retention.

As a busy mom of two, I’m certainly not one who looks for projects, but with how much I love the Shun Edo, it truly makes chopping and slicing fun.  This makes me far more likely to slice up veggies and fruits for lunch for the family or get creative with our meals.  Since home cooked meals and fresh ingredients are incredibly important to me, I consider good knives an investment in this endeavor and can easily justify buying a premium knife such as the Shun Edo.

In fact, there are literally two things on my husband’s and my holiday lists this year and one of them is another Shun knife to add to our collection.  Our hope is that we can slowly purchase the knives we use the most throughout the year and eventually completely replace our old knives. 

Img5 If you are like me and the next few weeks are going to be spent fixing a wide variety of meals, dishes, and snacks, you should definitely consider getting yourself a little pre-holiday present of your own.  Even though I normally dread those marathon kitchen days, this year I am excited to try the Shun Edo and continue to give it a thorough testing. 

If the next few weeks go anything like the first few weeks of testing, there just might be a Shun knife waiting under the tree for us this year (like the Shun Edo Dual-Density 8" Utility Knife… hint, hint).

Shun Edo 8.5" Chef's Knife Features:
• 8” long blade.
• 5" long handle.
• 9.75 oz.
• Includes a bamboo display stand.
• NSF-certified knife meets the high-level hygiene standards of commercial kitchens.
• Handcrafted in Japan.

The Shun Edo 8.5 inch Chef’s Knife is available exclusively at Williams-Sonoma, and can be found on sale right now, as is the entire line of Shun Knives available at Williams-Sonoma.  To sweeten the deal even more, if you purchase Shun cutlery worth $500 or more between now and 12/31/2010, you will get a $50 Williams-Sonoma Gift Card!

You can also check out Shun Knives at Kershawknives.com

And Now For the Giveaway! 
One lucky Rave and Review reader will win this awesome Shun Knife to adore like we do!  Awesome, right?!?

To Enter: Simply comment below with another Shun Knife you would love to own or give this holiday season.

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway using @raveandreview and #giveaway with the link to this post (http://bit.ly/eaG277) after following (daily Tweet, just post link here)

3) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage (2 extra entries, just post the URL where I can find your writeup)

4) Place my button or logo in your sidebar on your blog or website (2 extra entries, must have an active link to R&R)

5) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

6) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

7) Vote for Rave and Review on Top Baby Blogs, logo in right sidebar (daily entry, just tell me what rank R&R has)

On December 30th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

Leanne Signature 2

A big thank you to Shun Knives for providing the sample for review as well as offering a giveaway to our fabulous readers.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

667 thoughts on “Shun Edo 8 ½” Chef’s Knife”

  53. We would love to have the Shun classic 7 inch rocking knife too. We have been taking knife skill classes and are getting to appreciate good kitchen knifes!
    Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  105. We could use any of the Sun Edo knives. Although the Classic Carving Set definitely could have come in handy this past Thanksgiving. The chef did a hack-job on the turkey! Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply

  149. Before seeing this one, I wanted to have 7 inchin Santoku Hollow Ground Knife. However when I saw this new Edo I changed my mind.
    Apart of this 8.5 inch, I want to have smaller one to go with it.
    Hope I have lunk to get this one during Christmas to celebrate our wedding.

    Reply

  161. I’ve been thinking about getting my mom the Shun Edo 8″ Utility since she tends to use one knife for everything when she’s cooking.
    Enjoy the website. Keep up the good work.

    Reply

  413. The post above (#412) should say: Entered the Bobux shoes and silly billyz bibs giveaway
    This one (#413) is for being an email subscriber.

    Reply

  588. This looks like a fantastic knife to use! As does the SG0409 6in Utility Knife – I’d be proud to add either to my cutlery cache.

    Reply

  637. I love the Shun CHEFS – AB5066 – it is lovely and I’d bet it’s an amazing knife. Something our house is SORELY lacking is a decent knife

    Reply

  665. I’m in love with the Shun Classic 10th Anniversary 8″ chefs knife… Working art. Ooooh, I’d love to win one for Xmas!!

    Reply

  666. I bought the 5 1/2 inch Shun Edo utility knife. Oh my,this is the sharpest and most used knife I have ever owned.The weight, balance, feel and sharpness makes this the most amazing kitchen tool I have ever used. It makes carving, slicing, cutting, so smooth, easy, and minimal stress on my hand and arm. It is almost like an extension of your own hand. Worth every penny I paid!! If you are serious about great tools in the kitchen like me this is one of 3 of my most used knives i own!

    Reply

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