Shun 8" Chef's Knife

I decided to buy a new knife.  I've never bought a kitchen knife before, so there were a lot of things to consider.  I wanted to make sure I bought a knife that would last me for the rest of my life.

I was looking at different brands, but ultimately decided on a Japanese knife, given their reputation and my admiration of Japanese manufacturing quality in general.  Shun knives are renowned for their sharpness and strength, and come in many different lines and price levels.  I also looked at Miyabi knives, given that they're endorsed by one of my favorite chefs, Masaharu Morimoto.  Ultimately I decided on Shun because they're more widely available and have a lot of great reviews.

I chose a Premier 8" chef's knife.  It is made of many layers of steel, with a hammered tsuchime finish that helps to reduce food sticking to the knife.

I was debating whether to buy a chef's knife or a santoku, which has a blunter tip.  Ultimately I settled on the chef's knife because that's the style I'm used to.  Also, I've read that chef's knives are better for rocking cutting, whereas santoku is made for straight chopping.  The curvature on both knives seems very similar, so I don't know how much of a difference there is between both.

It's a beautifully crafted knife that has a really nice and interesting texture where the steel layers are exposed as the knife tapers to the sharp edge.  It is very light, and the rounded handle feels very comfortable.

I volunteered to cut pineapple for my Department's Christmas party, and I was happy to do so because I could put my knife to use.  It sliced through the outer rind of the pineapple very easily, but I had to use a paring knife to remove the thorns.  Cutting slices off the core was equally as easy, and cutting the individual pieces was easy with a chopping motion.

I got a great deal on my knife, a honing steel, and a bamboo block with space for a scissors and three more knives.  My next knife to fill out my knife block is a 4" paring knife, and I also want a 6" serrated utility knife for small vegetables, and either a 9 1/2" slicing knife or a 9" bread knife.