Shun Hiro SG2 8-inch Chef's Knife

Disclaimer: South LA home cook never trained or worked in a kitchen, but been cooking at home since I could see over the stove because cajun men cook.--------The quality of this knife cannot be understated. Everyone saying that the knife is overpriced or low quality for price must know of some really good deals on knives. This thing is one strong blade and stays razor sharp. I upgraded from 7" Shun classic to 8" SG2 Hiro because I broke the tip by accident on my 7" so while I ship it off to be fixed, I went ahead and grabbed this one.It is by far the sharpest, most precise, most comfortable knife I've ever used. It's got a great balance with my grip.My control is excellent, I'm able to get paper thin slices on most vegetables.Trimming meat is extremely easy to do.And my favorite aspect is the hammered pattern helps release the surface of whatever your chopping so my chopping is much more uniform and efficient. I've shaved about 10 seconds off of dicing an onion hahah.

I would still say it is overpriced. It is most hard steel you would find in a cooking/kitchen knife. It is high quality master work. Beautiful and quality. The handle is one of the best if not THE best. VERY HARD STEEL which means it won't be constant honing of sharpening, which also means it can chip. It also means that once you need to sharpen it you will need a high skilled sharpener understanding and knowing about (this) steel. I think the company offers free sharpening (and you must pay shipping it back and forth). This knife in short is: SHARP, BEAUTIFUL, STRONG, High QUALITY (from one end to the other), Professional and DETAILED quality in every sense. (Happens to be that I had this knife from Amazon Prime but shipped/sold by a major knife store. It was only/last one.. When I got it I saw it had some marks of already used. So I returned it.) Now none available. It takes them to make new ones. They put it lots of work in each knife.

Incredibly sharp. Beautiful knife. It slips right through an onion with just it's own weight. Slices a tomato with ease. It's got a nice heft to it, but doesn't feel unwieldy like German knives do (to me, anyway). The handle is well-designed and gives you a very comfortable pinch grip. The hammered steel on top gives you excellent grip and control of the knife. Also, I can't state enough how gorgeous this knife is.

I bought the Shun Hiro Gyuto because I prefer its more rounded profile (which is closer to a German chef's knife than a Gyuto), and because aesthetics matter to me.The knife is razor-sharp out of the box, no issues. (The "box" it comes in is a very simple and cheap cardboard affair, not really suitable as a presentation box for a gift.) Fit and finishing are impeccable: no sharp edges anywhere, spine and choil are beautifully rounded and polished, and the joins on the handle are perfectly flush.The knife is on the "chunky" side for a Gyuto this size. At 241 grams, it is comparatively heavy. (200 grams is more typical for many 8" gyutos.) However, the balance point is perfect, right at the heel (ago). The handle is big but, despite that, fits my (small) hands well. It does feel feel bulky though with its quite large bulge in the center and requires getting used to. (The handle is not as delicate and nimble as a traditional octagonal or D-shaped Wa handle.) Despite this, the handle works, and I can use the knife equally well with a pinch grip or a handle grip. (If you want something lighter and more delicate, also with outstanding fit and finishing, the Miyabi Birchwood is worth a look.)I can buy a knife with an SG2 core for about half the cost of the Shun Hiro; the extra dollars go towards looks and finishing (and, likely, marketing). If aesthetics matter to you, this knife is a good buy; but, if you are interested in the biggest bang for the buck, there are cheaper (if less beautiful) options.Overall, the Shun Hiro cuts extremely well and is a joy to use. I'm happy with my purchase, despite the high price.

The box that the kmife came in looked like I bought it from a garage sale, not very gift like.

Gave it to a chef friend for his birthday, he then returned it to me saying it was very sharp, but the blade has a tendency to stick to the things he cut such as potatoes, onions and he even said his fingers didn't glide on the side of the blade like other knifes does, so he said it was hard to cut food fast and it keeps sticking to the fingers which was holding the food.

Absolutely love this beast. What a pleasure to work with. Slices and cuts so ridiculously smooth and easy. Stays sharp for a much longer amount of time, than the classic Shun knives. This is my go-to beast, for 90 percent of my cutting needs. Seriously, buy this, a good boning knife, and a decent peeler or paring knife, and you'd be golden. Worth every penny, in my opinion. It is so comfortable and functional, it can't be beat. LOVE IT!

great addition to my Shun collection. Beautiful, balanced and very sharp