Shun Premier 4" Paring Knife

I bought this back around Christmas 2011 along with a Premier 7" Santoku. I think it cost around $70 at the time, and after using it for years, I'd still say it's worth that. At the current $120 price, I'd probably still get it as a gift to someone, but I wouldn't pay that much to get one for myself.Cost aside, it is a very nice knife. Aesthetically, the blade is simply exceptional. The polished hammered top half combined with the layered bottom half are beautiful. The pakkawood handle is also attractive, but while I still love looking at the blade after all these years, the handle is no longer really my preference. It's still an attractive handle, and I oil it periodically to help keep the luster on it, but my tastes have changed.The build quality is outstanding. Of the four Shun knives that I've purchased, I've had one (a more expensive Reserve paring knife) with an issue on the handle. Both of the Premier models that I bought (this and the Santoku) are perfectly made. The handle lines up just right with the blade, and there are no imperfections anywhere that I've noticed over years of use. Some folks have reported chipping the blade, but I've never had an issue with mine.Sharpness may go without saying, but I'll still say it :) - yep, it's sharp. The Santoku compared to my other less expensive Anolon knives wasn't a night-and-day difference, but that was the case with this compared to my other paring knives. I use a paring knife on every apple that I eat, and this glides through them without any issues at all. I've using a honing steel maybe a handful of times over 4.5 years, but I've never sharpened this. I do tend to now use the Shun Reserve paring knife because I prefer the heavier feel of it, but honestly, this one cuts better for me. It's just a great knife.Shun for me is more than just the functional value - it's the aesthetic value. It works great and looks great, and I like using it. There's something to be said for treating yourself or someone else now and again with a product that is just a cut above (sorry...no pun intended), and this is a knife that will stand out in most people's kitchen collection and make them feel good. The Shun Reserve line is beautiful, but the handles on those aren't quite as robust, IMO.I've attached some photos of this that hopefully convey some of the aesthetics. I think it's far more beautiful than the stock image here on Amazon conveys. Two big thumbs up from me for this knife.

This is a fantastic paring knife. I have large hands and the whole handle just barely fits comfortably in my hand. The tip is super fine and great for detail work. It's a pleasure to use. This is my third Shun knife in this line, they all hold an edge better than my other knives, and look better too.

This paring knife is a different design and larger size than my previous knives and I wasn't sure if I would like that. This is a beautiful knife that feels well balanced in my hand. Blade is super sharp. This is my go to knife for smaller jobs. I would definitely buy Shun knives again.

But beyond the looks of this knife is how amazing it is to use. So sharp that is is a joy to cut, slice or peel with this knife. This is my fourth Shun and I'm overjoyed with all of them. I have noticed negative reviews and can't imagine what knife those people received.Free sharpening? I just bought their sharpener with the chef knife. My kid has this glass cutting board and has yet to figure out why I say "no Shun on glass" please. The sharpener is set for the 18 degree edge of the Shun and quickly restores my knives.Before I discovered Shun, I had a really nice set of ZH I purchased for $500. Nice knives, great steel. I feel like an idiot for purchasing them. The Japanese were making fine steel while the Germans were still throwing rocks at each other. (Joking) I bought that set and three of those knives I have never used. I now have around $600 in four Shun knives that do everything I need. They also look very impressive to the people I never have over. :)

This is my third Shun knife and I love it. These things are scary sharp pieces of art. Very light weight with a classy appearance. The blades are brittle, but that is typical for the type of metal they use.

I wanted to upgrade our kitchen knifes from low end Henkels, and after doing some research, bought this Shun Premier Paring knife and a Shun Classic 6" Chef's knife. It has been over 3 years since the purchase.We have many other knifes in our kitchen, but these two Shun knifes are the ones that my wife and I use about 98% of the time. This 4" paring knife is the one that we use most often.We don't baby these knifes. They've been left in a sink full of water a few times, but usually we clean them and dry them to put them away, as directed and also out of safety concerns because they are so sharp.Well, this is an awesome knife. In 3 plus years of daily use, we've never had them sharpened (don't know who to trust with that). Amazingly, they remain very sharp knifes.This one is particularly pleasing to use. The handle is beautifully hand carved, and the hammer marks in the blade make it feel like a piece of art. It fits the hand nicely. The Shun Classic that we bought does not have these "extras". Given how much we use these, I'd definitely pay a little more for the beautiful work of the Shun Premier handle and blade.The 4" size is perfect for most kitchen tasks. I've always enjoyed the control of using a sharp paring knife, and the extra inch on this one goes a long way to making it useful for most anything.The only gripe with these Shun knives are that the blades are brittle and they've received some chips. This one has been dropped a few times, and a chunk about 4mm wide is missing from the tip. It has some divits on the blade too. As does our 6" Chef knife.Eventually I realized that I might have caused the chips to the blade by my technique of twisting the blade to move food aside after a slice. The plastic cutting board might have given the blade too much purchase. We are using wood now. The chipping issue is what keeps this from a 5 star review.Even with the chips they remain awesome kitchen tools well worth the investment. We won't be replacing anytime soon.I highly recommend the utility and control of this 4" paring size. I also highly recommend spending a little more for the hand hammered blade and spiffy carved handle, to give you a little extra joy each time you use it, which is going to be daily.