OT - (needed) Shun Knife Sharpening for Dummies - OT

MaskedMarvel

Greetings friends! I hope your year end celebrations will ring in a new year of prosperity and peace. 

I have given shun premier knives as gifts to a bunch of “non-knifey” friends and family over the years. I don’t have to describe the horror of visiting their kitchens, only to find their tools have been neglected, abused, and flat out disrespected. 

I need a sharpener that’ll quick fix/no brainer these knives back to close to scary. Something they can keep in a junk drawer that doesn’t mean setting anything more complicated than a simple drag-thru. I know it’s not ideal - but having dangerously dull knives is a pet peeve of mine. And they’re not going to plug any sharpener in or set up guides for anything. 

Something cheap I can send them and they can use to quick fix. 

Thanks everyone. Happy new year!
8-D

dmchicago

A sharpening steel. Cheap and easy. 

Wolfpack

No experience with this one but solid reviews and the different angles would be good for Japanese and German blades. 

alaskanassasin

@Wolfpack that looks like a finger slicer 

OhioEgger

I don't know if you'd consider this cheap, but I've been using it for over ten years and it has served me extremely well.

stlcharcoal

Send them back to Shun, they'll sharpen them for free......just pay the return shipping.  If these people can't use these knives properly in the first place, they're just going to screw them up even more trying to sharpen them.  

Properly used Shun knives shouldn't need to be sharpened in the first place, only honed.  I've been using mine for 4 years now, I just use a honing steel and they're still as sharp as when they came out of the box.

alaskanassasin

I mailed mine to shun @stlcharcoal, I thought it would be out of the box sharp but not even close, waste of postage.

MaskedMarvel

stlcharcoal said:

Send them back to Shun, they'll sharpen them for free......just pay the return shipping.  If these people can't use these knives properly in the first place, they're just going to screw them up even more trying to sharpen them.  

Properly used Shun knives shouldn't need to be sharpened in the first place, only honed.  I've been using mine for 4 years now, I just use a honing steel and they're still as sharp as when they came out of the box.

I send mine back as a bulk resharpening every few years. been happy with the results. I hone before and after every time I use mine, and they never need anything else. 

But like I said, these knives at these houses won’t get sent back and will continue to be banged around. Maybe a cheap and easy sharpener will get them a little safer…

Legume

I will gladly send you a trunkful of “never need sharpening” authentic Ginsu knives for you to replace each and every one of those maltreated Shuns which you can send to me.

caliking

With respect for your thoughtfulness re: gifts for your friends and family, and their safety, I humbly say... STOP!

A quick fix sharpener (other than a honing steel, and that's not quite sharpening) will likely do more damage than good to a Shun. If they didn't take care of the Shun to begin with, it may be unlikely that they will bother to sharpen it with whatever quick fix you send. Otherwise, wouldn't they have already bought an inexpensive sharpener, by now?

I humbly offer two options:
- buy a decent sharpener for yourself. One that you will appreciate, and use well. Take said sharpener along when you go to visit the friends and family who you gave Shuns to, and sharpen their knives. Bring said sharpener back home with you, where it will continue to be appreciated. 

- buy your friends and family cheaper (but still decent) knives, and a quick fix sharpener. 

alaskanassasin

Accusharp! works great! it does hog some material though, you will need to clean up metal shavings.

fishlessman

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it. When they are in your house, hide the good knives. These good doers will help you out by putting them in the sink or dishwasher. They did not understand the gift other than maybe the cost of they even looked it up

caliking

fishlessman said:

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it. When they are in your house, hide the good knives. These good doers will help you out by putting them in the sink or dishwasher. They did not understand the gift other than maybe the cost of they even looked it up

This is the way. My sis recently told that she could never find any good, sharp knives when she comes to visit

Ozzie_Isaac

fishlessman said:

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it. When they are in your house, hide the good knives. These good doers will help you out by putting them in the sink or dishwasher. They did not understand the gift other than maybe the cost of they even looked it up

Fish is on to something.  Just get them a Castiron pan to use for honing.

MaskedMarvel

Ozzie_Isaac said:

fishlessman said:

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it. When they are in your house, hide the good knives. These good doers will help you out by putting them in the sink or dishwasher. They did not understand the gift other than maybe the cost of they even looked it up

Fish is on to something.  Just get them a Castiron pan to use for honing.

Youch 

buzd504

fishlessman said:

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it.

Is that bad?

Canugghead

Ozzie_Isaac said:

fishlessman said:

You can't help these people. They will cut up a steak in a cast iron pan with it. When they are in your house, hide the good knives. These good doers will help you out by putting them in the sink or dishwasher. They did not understand the gift other than maybe the cost of they even looked it up

Fish is on to something.  Just get them a Castiron pan to use for honing.

You can hone pizza slicing wheel too 

Canugghead

How we hone knives back home

https://youtu.be/xQAiyanQf8c

MaskedMarvel

Canugghead said:

How we hone knives back home

https://youtu.be/xQAiyanQf8c

That’s my old bartending hack. Works great. 

Florida Grillin Girl

Agreed... What @caliking and @fishlessman said. 

1voyager

What a shame.

Since your thoughtful gifts "have been neglected, abused, and flat out disrespected", I doubt that your family and friends would use a sharpener, no matter how user-friendly it is.

MaskedMarvel

I was gonna post that the restaurant where I work has cast iron skillets and they neglect and abuse them and scout them and use caustic soaps and they ALWAYS look fantastic. … and then I walked through the BOH and caught this:

probably uploads upsides down.. lesse…

Yep!

fishlessman

MaskedMarvel said:

I was gonna post that the restaurant where I work has cast iron skillets and they neglect and abuse them and scout them and use caustic soaps and they ALWAYS look fantastic. … and then I walked through the BOH and caught this:

probably uploads upsides down.. lesse…

Yep!

That would easily scrape off with a shun

Langner91

I could get eggs sliding out of that pan in an afternoon.  The bacon that would precede the eggs would be <chef's kiss>.

I've cooked on worse.

Ozzie_Isaac

I am assuming BOH is not Bank of Hawaii.