Care & Handling

USE AND CARE

One aspect of caring for your knives is maintaining the edge and, when needed, sharpening the blade. But it’s also important to be aware of how you’re using your knives daily.

CUTTING SURFACE

The cutting surface you use makes a big difference in keeping your knives sharp.

Appropriate Cutting Surface - A good cutting board will help retain a sharp edge for substantially longer. Soft woods, such as hinoki, maple or oakare preferred. 

Inappropriate Cutting Surface - Tile, ceramic, synthetic, marble, granite, or any kind of glass cutting boards are not recommended and can be very hard on your knives.

CUTTING TECHNIQUE

Without the proper cutting technique, chips can develop in your blade. Shun cutlery is designed to be used in a smooth, slicing motion—never in an up-and-down “chopping” manner. The proper cutting motion is a “locomotive” motion, imagine cutting wood with a handsaw, then slice through your food with a similar motion, intentionally pushing the knife forward and down as you slice, then pulling it back toward your body.

Always pay attention to where your fingers are in relation to the knife. Your skill and experience level should determine the speed at which you cut. When first slicing with a Shun, it’s best to slow down and enjoy the effortless precision and cutting ability of your new knife.

Knives are intended to be used for cutting purposes only – not for stabbing or piercing.  Do not use Shun knives on bones, joints, or frozen foods. Most Shun knives are designed for precision slicing rather than crushing down through hard materials.   Use your Shun knives on meats and vegetables only, not on bones or very thick-skinned vegetables. For this heavier kitchen work, try the Shun Classic Meat Cleaver (DM0767), or Shun Classic 8” Western Chef’s Knife (DM0766), which are designed to handle more aggressive work in the kitchen, such as breaking down chicken and preparing thick-skinned vegetables like butternut squash or melons.

CLEANING

As with any lifetime investment, it’s important to take the best care possible in order to prolong the life of your knife. DO NOT put your knife in the dishwasher. Shun recommends that you protect your investment by handwashing your blades with gentle dish soap. Don’t use soaps with citrus extracts or bleach; they can promote corrosion. Do not use scouring pads, steel, or gritty cleanser when cleaning the blades. Rinse and towel dry immediately. Let the knives air dry for a few minutes before returning them to storage. Never leave your knife sitting in a sink full of soapy water. It does metals no good to be submerged in water for prolonged periods of time, and it’s a danger to you when you reach in.

Micro-corrosion, which can result in tiny chips or missing pieces in your knife’s cutting edge, can occur because moisture is left on the cutting edge. Moisture weakens the stainless steel and promotes micro-corrosion. If moisture is left on the cutting edge repeatedly, even normal use in the kitchen can result in small chips in the weakened sections of the edge. To guard against this, wash your knife immediately after use and dry it very thoroughly with an absorbent cloth or towel. Please take extra care to safely dry the sharp cutting edge of your Shun, keeping your fingers away from the edge.

Note: Handwashing is the best way to care for the wood handles of your Shun knives. Although the wood has been stabilized, it is natural wood and, like all wood, will tend to shrink in very arid environments and swell in very humid environments. The handle color may change slightly over time due to oils in the hand as well as the natural color change of wood from oxidation and/or exposure to light. This is not a defect, but a natural part of the process.

STORAGE

After you have washed and dried your knives, store them in a block, knife case, in-drawer tray, or sheath. We do not recommend storing the knives unsheathed in a drawer, as this can be a potential hazard to the blades as well as your fingers.

HONING AND SHARPENING

In order to maximize the life of the blade, regular honing with a Shun steel will be necessary. Weekly honing will extend the time between sharpening significantly. When the time comes to sharpen these premium blades, we recommend using a whetstone, the Kai electric sharpener (specifically designed to sharpen Shun’s 16° blade angle), or sending the knives to a professional sharpener or to Hale Imports Pty Ltd for free sharpening.

Your Shun or Kai knife comes with free lifetime sharpening. Just send the knife to Kai Australia Warranty Services C/– Hale Imports Pty Ltd and we’ll sharpen it for free and return it to you.

SINGLE-BEVEL BLADE CARE

The Shun Classic Pro Line and Dual Core Yanagiba are single-beveled blades. In addition to the general care above, you can give your single-beveled blade some additional TLC to enhance its razor-like qualities.

Like those of most manufacturers, Shun single-beveled blades have a micro-bevel on the blade back. This enables you to use the blade right out of the box—and to be able to touch up the edge using a smooth hone or 6000-grit whetstone.

However, for chefs who want the most exquisite of single-bevel edges, both Shun Classic Pro and Dual Core Yanagiba can be further sharpened and shaped using a method known as uraoshi. The uraoshi process can be done by the knife owner using a series of progressively finer-grit whetstones or by a professional sharpening service.

Uraoshi flattens the back of the blade along the edge and the spine. The slight hollow in the blade back, which helps food release from the blade, remains in the blade's center; only the edges are completely flattened. Since there's no angle to maintain, this makes sharpening easier; you simply pull the blade flat across the whetstone. It reduces sharpening effort, too, since you're only concerned with the edges and not the entire back of the blade. Further, it strengthens the edge.

That said, uraoshi sharpening is a learned skill and Shun recommends having a professional sharpener do this for you unless you are a skilled sharpener yourself. It is not required in order to use your knife, but it is a professional enhancement.

LIABILITY DISCLAIMER

WARNING! Knives are extremely sharp tools and should only be used with the utmost care and caution. Any use other than cutting is considered misuse and abuse – and will void your warranty. Sun Cutlery / Hale Imports Pty Ltd is not responsible for any injuries resulting from misuse or abuse of the product.

Knives are intended to be used for cutting purposes only. Do not use this knife for stabbing or piercing. Use your Shun knives on meats and vegetables only, not on bones or very thick skinned vegetables. For this heavier kitchen work, try the Shun Classic Meat Cleaver (DM0767), or Shun Classic 8” western Chefs Knife (DM0766), which are designed to handle more aggressive work in the kitchen, such as breaking down chicken and preparing think skinned vegetables like butternut pumpkin, squash or melons.We reserve the right to change specifications, materials and warranty policies at any time without notice.