Dee Randall wrote:
> Price is a little steep for me as I already have too many knives, but
> someone may be in the market. I wonder if it is 'good value,' as
> most Kirkland brand products are that I've purchased.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/5xectd
>
> says: handmade.
>
> Kirkland by Kai the makers of Shun
>
> $599 s&H included
> a.. 33 Layer clad VG10 stainless steel blades for a sharp edge and
> cutting edge retention
> b.. Ergonomically designed handle for a comfortable grip
> c.. Perfectly balanced
> d.. Hand washing recommended
> e.. Hand made in Japan
> a.. 8" Chef knife
> b.. 9" Bread knife
> c.. 7" Santoku
> d.. 6" Utility knife
> e.. 3.5" Paring knife
> f.. 9" Slicing knife
> g.. 9" Honing steel
> h.. Bamboo drawer storage tray

Shun are very good knives and VG-10 is excellent stainless steel. With that
said if these are made by Kai they are not Shuns as the handle shape is all
wrong as are the blade shapes.

I'm also not much on buying knife sets at all. With a set you buy 8 or more
knives and most you will never use. Most home cooks rarely use more than 3
to 5 knives. The knives I would recommend are an 8" to 10" chef's knife,
3.5" paring knife, 5" to 6" utility knife. Now if you eat a lot of roasts,
etc then a carving knife or if hard crusted bread then a bread knife in some
cases could be the same knife. A 10" Chef's knife will work fine for a
carving knife for most home cooks also. The santoku is just a shorter chef's
knife and too small for much, but seems to be a favorite of most home cooks.
Perhaps due to watching the Food Network. If you do any butchering then
perhaps a good boning knive but a utility knife could do that also. I don't
recommend steeling VG-10 as the steel is generally harder than European
knives with less chance of the edge rolling over.

--

Joe Cilinceon