Came here to post the same. For the price, this 4 piece set is good; however, I got really excited when I saw a Shun 4 piece knife set for $100, because I was thinking of the superior VG10 Shun knives, which typically cost close to $100/knife and have superior edge holding to AUS8.
So yeah, this wasn’t the mind-blowing deal I was hoping it would be.
I purchased these the last time they were on Woot and am happy to say they are awesome steak knives! They are not VG10, but you also have to account for the fact that you might be cutting steak on a ceramic plate instead of a wood cutting board.
Btw, they do not fit into the steak knife slots in a regular knife block. If anyone has any recommendations of a knife block that does fit them it would be much appreciated.
The shun bamboo block that fits in a drawer fits them nicely. My bigger shun knives fit in the bottom slots and these fit on top. I fit 6 steak knives but maybe 8 would fit. I bought it on ebay for $58!
Btw, they do not fit into the steak knife slots in a regular knife block. If anyone has any recommendations of a knife block that does fit them it would be much appreciated.
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I’m very confused. The Shun EDO steak knives I see elsewhere on the web that are listed with a $452 retail price are made with the VG-10 steel. I can’t imagine that the list price is the same for the AUS-8 steel.
Are they wrong about the steel or is woot wrong about the price?
Thanks so much for checking. Everwhere I looked on the web (Williams Sonoma, many other web sites of repute), the descriptions list the Shun EDO knives as VG10 - including steak knives that look exactly like these.
I often wonder if this is “intentional” confusion.
We bought two sets the last time they were on Woot. We have used one of the sets once. The knives feel good in your hand, cut well and look great. If it weren’t for reading this thread I wouldn’t know that a fast one was pulled on us. I expected the same quality material as found in the stores. I guess I’m going to have to buy the rest of my cutlery at Williams Sonoma. If something is too good to be true, it usually is. The unused set will now be going to my cheap father in-law…
I can’t possibly imagine cutting on a plate with my other Shun knives without shattering the edge. AUS8 can get as hard as you would ever want on a steak knife.
I emailed Shun regarding this and their answer is that this set was never made with VG10, just AUS8A. So, the description is accurate but they failed to say the steak knives are made with AUS8A. The steak knives were never made with VG10 and their reasoning is (and I don’t believe them) is that AUS8A is better at cutting on ceramic plates vs. the VG10. If that was true, the classic line steak knives wouldn’t be made of VG10 core, but it is.
So, for you, you would have bought these same knives at W&S but paid a lot more, according to Shun.
Please read my comment above. As stated by Shun, these steak knives were never made of VG10, only AUS8. Funny how these are different but the other knives that are made with VG10 are still VG10 for their steak knives.
I forgot to review the these, since I bought them last time. These are really nice knives. Yes, they are made of AUS8A steel, instead of VG10. AUS8A isn’t bad steel. In fact, it is still good steel and when heat treated properly, it can get really hard. The blade are a little thinner than I was hoping when looking at the pictures, but still has a decent weight to them. I also have to remember that I’m cutting steaks on ceramic Plates, not wood. So, at this point, AUS8A doesn’t make much of a difference when cutting on ceramic plates. If they ever get too dull, Shun does have a free sharpening service, albeit now you have to pay return shipping vs. in the past, which was free. Also, the return shipping is based on per knife (first one I believe was $4 dollars, and $2 per knife thereafter). So, if you already have Shun knives that needs to be sharpen, I guess have them all sharpen at once.
I am very familiar with Shun Knives, and the EDO line of steak knives were NEVER vg10… KAI made a description mistake when those were first released, both in online descriptions AND print descriptions… ALL dealers at the time were made aware of the mistake via email blast, and when you signed on to your account… It was the responsibility of the dealer to make sure customers were aware… Now WOOT is NOT a Shun dealer (they buy bulk closeouts, manufactures discontinued, etc.) so they would NOT have known this, as the first sale of these proved that. But to the reason SHUN / KAI never made corrections to online specs (print i understand), i will never know, as the line has been out there 3-4 yrs. i believe… As far as the VG10 vs AUS8A, Yes it is correct the aus8a will stand up better on cutting surfaces like your glass, ceramic plates, etc… I mean how many of us actually eat on paper plates every day, lol… Some say the price is high, but they are still quality knives well worth the money… And as a little secret… Dealer on the knives were $203.40 per set, AND even on closeout list, still cost more than Woot… so much better, i bought a few sets… Hope this helps you guys out there on the fence…