Shun DM0706 Classic 8-Inch Chef's Knife

If you have medium sized hands or larger, the Solicut Absolute ML is a great knife.

Purchased this for a friends anniversary present since she has no quality kitchen cutlery. This was a big hit. Very glad we chose this one. Next year she'll get a few new knives to add to her collection. :D

I have recently bought the 8 inch chef knife. So far I'm loving this knife. I also own the J.A. Henckels Twin Two Star II 8inch chef knife, I do love the weight and balance better. However the great thing about these Japanese knives are they have a much lower angle on the blade. They are more prone to bend on the tip of the blade, so make sure you take care of them. Because the blade is at an lower angle they slice thought most things like butter. This knife uses a special VG-10 steal on the inside of the blade and coated with stainless, which makes it as strong as a thicker blade that uses high carbon steal.

Pros: For the price that I paid for this knife it's the best so far.
The handle is very well balance with blade. The D shaped handle works really well (Shun makes a left handed one but I think you might need to order it directly thought Shun). Shun offer free knife sharping for the life of you or the knife, depends on which one comes last. They stay sharp for a very long time. (Most expert recommend sharping the knife once a year.)

Cons: The cost of these are more than what most people wants to spend on one knife. (I say spend more for a really good knife and never have to buy another knife) They use a different kind of steal and the angle is very different from most knife, so you can't really buy a knife sharpener or take it to most pro. knife sharpener, must be sent in to have it sharpen correctly. Have to be more careful with these knifes because, from the drop point of the knife to the blade it is very thin, so it could bend. (If you don't want to be careful, high carbon steal would be better. Like Henckels Twin series or Wusthof Classic.)

All in all, I would buy these if these where to get lost or something. In the cost around $100 to $200, these are the best in my opinion. I have tried many Chef knife before I came to these knifes but I do also use my Henckels also, because I love them both. I did received them very quick from Amazon, their time from payment to ship is like the same day which is why I love about Amazon. But remember one thing about buying knifes, it must and have to feel good when your holding it. No matter how sharp they are, if it doesn't feel right in your hand its pretty useless like a two knife. Make you go down to your local store and try them out before you buy them.

Love the way this knife cuts. Well balanced in the hands and cuts just about anything like butter.

We barely used this knife for a couple of weeks and the tip broke off and the blade has pockmarks all over it. The handle design is very poor for heavy use, as my hand kept slipping forward towards the blade. There is no indent to get a good grip and keep your hand in place. We're returning this knife and sticking with the $15 carbon/stainless chef's knife I bought when I was in college.