Buy Shun DM0701 Classic 6 Inch Utility KnifeShun DM0701 Classic 6 Inch Utility Knife Product Description:
- 6-inch multipurpose Japanese utility knife; ideal for peeling, chopping, or slicing
- Precision-forged high-carbon stainless-steel blade; holds a razor-sharp edge
- Clad with16 layers of stainless steel to produce a rust-free Damascus look
- Durable D-shaped Pakkawood handle; comfortable offset steel bolster
- lifetime warranty; manufactured in Seki City, Japan
Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Shun Classic Cutlery
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful.
stylish little Japanese super-slicer
By Robert Louis
First off, this knife is beautiful. The wood handle and steel cap give it a sophisticated look, but most of all, it is the Damascus blade that really makes it a show-off.
Back before guns, a lot of effort went into making steel sharp for swords. The Damascus technique involves folding steel tens or hundreds of times to achieve the ultimate in sharpness, and it dates back hundreds of years.
This knife is a reference to those ancient swordmakers, but not exactly. Unlike true Damascus knives, Shun knives are laminated: the inner layer is a high-tech piece of expensive super-steel (called VG-10) and the outer layers (protecting the inner and bringing down the cost) are a more ordinary stainless steel. Unlike the swords of old, only the outer layers on this knife are folded. The VG-10 inner part, the part the edge is made from and the part that cuts, is a single forged piece. So in this knife, the Damascus pattern is more for looks than performance. Perhaps it also helps keep food from sticking.
However I don't care what it is for - it looks fantastic. It also gives an exotic, handmade look to your kitchen cutlery. Normally Damascus knives are much, much more expensive.
As for cutting, the VG-10 super steel combined with the Japanese obsession with ultra-thin, ultra-sharp edges make this knife wickedly sharp. The VG-10 core is designed to keep an edge for a long time, however all straight edged knives will need sharpening. If you never bother to sharpen your knives, get a serrated knife instead.
The handle is a wood product. It is based on wood, but resin-injected and sealed so it repels water. Shun advertises it as dishwasher safe, but that would be like putting your fine china in the dishwasher - you could do it, but why take the chance? If you do dishwash it, you might want to take it out before the drying cycle, and keep the blade away from anything that could nick it.
This knife is very light and sharp. The 6" length is very useful to me. I use it sometimes as a slicer, sometimes as a parer, and sometimes as a sandwich knife. It has become my main go-to knife for small jobs. Unlike other, duller knife brands, this straight-edge knife has no problem cutting bread or tomatoes.
All in all, this is my ideal balance of performance and looks. There are cheaper knives on the market that perform just as well (some 1/3rd the price) but none that look as good, at any price. It is worth it to me, especially since knives generally last for decades, sometimes lifetimes.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful.Shun Knives are Beautiful, Elegant, and the Sharpest around
By Vyshtia
The Utility Knife is definitely one you want in your collection, but I would rank it as the top 5, not the top 3.Shun knives are beautiful creations period. Since I'm Asian, I love the tradition look and feel of this Japanese knife. I love the beauty of the blade and the dark, polished, Pakkawood handle. The unique "D"-shaped, Wood handles are preferable. The shape fits my hand perfectly, and the wood does not get slippery when wet - providing a very secure hold. The steel is of utmost quality and sharpness. Do not put this blade into any old electric knife sharpener! Electric knife sharpeners are made to put one angle on any blade. These blades come with a 16 degree angle and you don't want to be changing that angle. There are electric knife sharpeners that can sharpen these knives, but you'll have to do some research and find out which ones can be a fit with these knives. I prefer to hone with a sharpening steel and manually sharpen with a stone if necessary (and I don't see it being necessary to touch it to a stone any time soon). The blade is sharp straight off the factory and as Alton Brown says - it's the sharpest straight out of the factory edge as he's ever seen.These knives are more expensive than most, but I think it's definitely worth it. To have the sharpest, most beautiful knife around - it's no contest. If you are on a budget, build your collection slowly. It's been said that there are only 3 knives that are the absolute basics for any kitchen: A 8" Chef's Knife, a Paring Knife, and a Long Serrated blade for cutting bread and larger items. I would add a thin utility knife and a boning knife to that list next. Then I would add those "in-between" sizes as I get more money flow in. =)If you plan on spending any time in the kitchen, good kitchen knives are a definite must. Preparation is the bulk of cooking and when you have good knives, it cuts down on the danger of cutting yourself, it adds pleasure to the work, and it cuts down on prep time. Knives are also a very personal choice and it's best to at least go to a store and try it out for yourself first. Shun Knives are designed by the Japanese, so remember - it's designed for small hands. This makes it fit most women's hands perfectly, but I've heard of guys with larger hands not like it so much and going back to the German knives. So definitely try it out. It's a personal thing, it needs to fit you.Why spend so much money on a knife? Well, if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and you almost always have to bust out a knife to prep a meal from scratch - why not use the best? Why spend that time with items that you love and brings you pleasure to use? Many times, it's the small things that brings us the most pleasure in life, and I consider my Shun knives as one of those things. Having something so beautiful and yet so sharp and perfect - it makes my time cooking just that much more enjoyable.Another good thing to know is that although the Shun Knives are usually offered for right-handers, you can get these knives for left-handers. You just need to find the guys who stock and sell those ones as they are less known, and less common.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent blade - handle is very good but could be better
By Lindy Cheng
I own two Shun knives, three Globals, a Victorinox paring knife, Chicago Cutlery and a really nameless high carbon steel knife that cost 3 bucks. I usually sharpen my high end and low end knives with a sharpening stone and use the Chef's choice 110 for middle of the road knives. The Chicago cutlery knives just take too long to sharpen by hand. The edges are the dullest of the whole lot of knives mentioned. The victorinox line is less expensive than the Chicago Cutlery. The Shun is trivially easy to sharpen requiring the fewest number of strokes to achieve the sharpest, most razor-like edge. Here's the shocking news, the high carbon steel can hold an amazingly sharp edge that rivals the Shun. Unfortunately, it holds its edge for less than one cooking session and it'll rust if you breathe on it. Really you should oil it before you put it away.What about Shun vs. the Globals? The globals have an awesome handle, wonderful grip, excellent fit to my hand (i'm a medium height woman with a really small skeletal structure but my hands are a little larger than you'd expect because I have long fingers). The weight of the Global knives is superbly balanced. With my height, hand size and skeletal structure most long chef's knives are out of the questions but even the 10" Global feels balanced and usable. I enjoy slicing, dicing and chopping with the Globals except... the edge on the globals is harder to maintain than the Shuns. You have to sharpen the globals more frequently and it requires more strokes than the Shun. So for my smaller knives, I reach over and over again for the Shuns.What about the Forschner Victorinox with the fibrox handle? Great little paring knife! Light but stiff blade, grippy handle, maintain with an accusharp knife sharpener-inexpensive, throw it in the dishwasher, sharpen it with a few strokes. The edge isn't as good and doesn't last as long as the Shun but it's so easy to sharpen that it is usually sharper than my unsharpened Globals (and I steel the knives every time I use them and sharpen regularly). Use & abuse and it performs year after year. Surprisingly hard to find these knives in stores.What about the Shun handle? As I mentioned, it's not as well fitted as the Global's but is actually perfectly functional. I have the Classic - a wood & resin fusion material. Since I've had my knife for seven years now and my roommate KEEPS -- PUTTING -- THE -- KNIFE -- IN -- THE -- DISHWASHER -- EVEN --THOUGH -- I --KEEP -- REMINDING -- HIM -- NOT -- TO -- DO -- THAT, the handle no longer has the deep black shiny finish. Consider the Shun steel handle line if you have roommates. Shockingly, the blade is not ruined by this treatment, it is so easy to restore the edge.And why do I hang onto the Chicago Cutlery knives? Sigh, they are my roommate's favorites. Go figure. But this guy puts knives in dishwashers.
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