Blade Show: Kramer Shun Collaboration
One of Bob Kramer’s gorgeous custom Damascus chef’s knives.
There were many highlights at the 2008 Blade Show in Atlanta, including dinner with Murray Carter and an intimate group of his colleagues and supporters. The biggest surprise of the show, however, was the announcement of Shun’s collaboration with ABS Mastersmith Bob Kramer to produce a commercial version of his most popular chef’s knife. The prototype won Kitchen Knife of the Year at the Blade Show.
Bob Kramer custom on top, Shun’s version in Damascus-clad SG2 below.
Kramer’s knives have been favorites among kitchen knife fanatics and design junkies for a while, but it was a very favorable mention in Cook’s Illustrated that brought him to more mainstream attention. His straight carbon (52100) chef’s knives start at $475 and the Damascus versions can run well over a thousand — if you can get one. Kramer is now so backlogged with orders for his hand forged knives that he is not taking new orders for the foreseeable future. So the timing is perfect for a mass market Kramer chef’s knife. Shun has licensed Kramer’s design and produced a knife that will up the ante for design, performance and price among commercially available kitchen knives. Kitchen knife enthusiasts have long been used to high-octane edges and superior performance from boutique makers. Now the general public gets a chance to see what that can feel like.
The biggest difference in the Shun version is the steel. Kramer’s knife is made from thousands of layers of hand forged Damascus steel. It is not stainless. The Shun version is high-tech SG2 powdered steel clad in a softer stainless Damascus jacket. It is stainless, so a little more tolerant of typical conditions in a non-fanatic’s kitchen. If Shun follows the pattern of the Shun Elite series in the same steel, the edge should be right around 64 on the Rockwell C scale. Nice. In our conversation, Kramer said that he was very impressed with the SG2 steel. The feel of the knife is very close to the original. Heft and balance are spot on. The handle slabs are a little chunkier with a more pronounced palm swell than the elegant Kramer handle. These are just my impressions from a brief fondle at the show. I hope to get a knife in for review at some point in the near future.
The Shun-Kramer chef’s knife will be a Sur La Table exclusive for the first year. Pricing has not yet been announced. I’m guessing $450 MSRP with a street price in the $325 to $350 range.
Tags: Blade Show, Bob Kramer, Shun
June 12th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Just finished the book! Great read. I haven’t learned so much from a book in a while. I’m really happy I made the purchase.
The writing was appropriately casual rather than hokey. The sharpening guide and knife buying guide were also highlights for me. Thank you for writing it!
One thing I’m still not so clear about are the advantages of a narrow knife versus a wide knife (slicer vs chef’s knife.) I’ve heard of many chefs and cooks who use a 12″ slicer for all of their prep. Is there a logical reasoning behind this or is it because they want to be cool by doing all their prep with one knife?
June 12th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed the book and are getting something out of it. Hiroyuki Sakai, Iron Chef French, was famous for doing most of his prep with a single Nenox slicer, but most chefs prefer a wider bladed chef’s knife for general prep work. You can use the side of the blade for smashing garlic and scooping vegetables from the board, and the heavier, stiffer blade is better suited for harder vegetables like jicama or butternut squash. However, a slicer is particularly well adapted for dealing with proteins. The narrow blade keeps moist foods from sticking. That’s where they get used to their best advantage.
June 12th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
I think I will probably go with a wider blade because I still use my 9″ F. Dick knife from culinary school for almost all of my jobs, including smashing garlic and cutting up hard vegetables. I may get a Tojiro, as you recommended, but I’m still not sure whether I want to go for the extra length (and cost of course.)
June 12th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
WANT!
June 13th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
In addition to what Chad said:
Compared to a slicer shape, the weight, balance, and extra face on a chef’s knife help the user to keep it straight up and down when used in a (push-cut) chopping motion. The higher heel helps keep the cook’s knuckles off the board. The spine and back geometry make the knife a little more comfortable for the two-handed rock cut most of use for a “rough-cut,” “walking the knife through…,” and “mincing.”
On the other hand the extra flex in a slicer, even a fairly stiff slicer, helps the cook to “feel” the face of the food when slicing thin; the narrower profile aids making mid-cut corrections; and a specialized slicing blade and a general use chef’s knife allows the user to put different finishes on the edge. For instance, I like more polish on the chef’s and more “tooth” on the slicer.
It’s a mark of Sakai-sama’s skill that he could use a slicer with its greater propensity for twisting for making fine cuts. The Delacroix of French Cooking probably paysanned carrots with a 12″ suji.
That said, the Kramer Shun looks incredibly nice. The antique Sabatier which holds pride of place in my block is suffering existential angst.
Want! Indeed,
BDL
June 24th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Is there any info on when this guy should be available? It looks very nice.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
Peter, word on the street is sometime in September, but that’s just rumor and speculation at this point. Don’t hold me to it. It does make sense, though, if Shun can get tooled up and has enough free manufacturing capacity. They’ll want at least a couple of months to build buzz before Christmas.
June 28th, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hi Chad, thanks for the info. That’s the response I also ended up getting from Bob Kramer. Can’t wait.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:34 am
Being a maker of handmade articles for use in the kitchen, I have a strong appreciation for others that do the same, and their creations. Kramer seems to be at the top of the heap these days when it comes to handmade kitchen cutlery, but there are many others whose work is pretty sweet too. His knives, at least from the photos I’ve seen, are nothing short of exquisite - form following function to the nth degree and beautiful to boot. I am probably going to be in the minority here, but I think the Shun is nothing more than a cheap imitation. Keep in mind “cheap” and “inexpensive” are not synonymous. Kramer’s knives have an understated elegance, and the Shun (from the pic) looks like a dime store semi-reproduction. But hey, that’s just me. Later-Tom
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I followed you here from your eGullet thread (where I left a long and rambling question) and had to drool, er, comment on this thread. Kramer lives within walking distance of me, do you know if he’s got a weakness for chocolate or other homemade goodies, because I would so bribe him to get on a short list for a knife!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:38 am
Just found out the Shun Kramers will be introduced with the following items:
8″ chef
7″ santoku
3.25″ paring
10″ bread
4.75″ utility
9″ honing steel
7 pc set
August 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Aw. Hopefully they’ll bring out a 10-inch chef’s knife before too long.
September 30th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Just received my Shun-Kramer knives. Absolutely beautiful!
The heft and feel of the knives is great. I especially like the utility knife. It feels good in the kitchen and it also feels as if it should have a sheath for going into the field.
Note that they come with a “sharpening steel.” Should I give it to my ex-wife and get a ceramic honing rod for myself? (p. 14 of “An Edge in the Kitchen”).
I found it interesting that the package did not contain a single word about the construction of the knives or their care. No informational materials at all.