If you're going to spend decent money on a knife, make sure it's one that you'll use frequently, feels comfortable in your hand and is made of premium materials.
This Shun Classic Paring knife earns our recommendation as the "Best Paring Knife" by fulfilling those three criteria.
For starters, any paring knife is going to be used frequently -- it's one of just a handful of "essential" knives for any kitchen. For more on that, see our Best Kitchen Knives guide. It's got an entire section devoted which knives are essential and which are not.
As for materials, the Shun blade's core is made of premium Japanese VG-10 steel. This allows it to be made sharper than just about any other kitchen knife you'll encounter. Around the VG-10 are layers of stainless steel to protect the edge.
The blade also features an attractive damascus-style pattern on it. That'll make you want to display it in your kitchen.
The handle is made of pakkawood, a resin-infused hardwood that will resist wear and tear. Its profile is a teardrop-shape, meaning it will settle comfortably in your hand.
While technically it's "stainless", you won't want to soak this knife or put it in the dishwasher. If that extra care is too much of a bother for you, you may want to look elsewhere.
This knife is pricey, no doubt, but for all that it offers, it's certainly one of the best paring knives out there. For a significantly less-expensive option that is not made of such high-end materials, see the Forschner Paring Knife.
Find this Shun Knife:
- Click here to find this knife at Amazon.com
- Click here to find this knife with other handle patterns at Amazon.com
Find This Knife on eBay:
 |
Shun Classic 4 inch Paring Knife NEW US $59.95   Auction Ends: 20d 4h 41m |
 |
Shun Classic 4 Paring Knife DM0716 US $74.99 0 Bid Auction Ends: 23h 13m |
Twitter
RSS
August 29th, 2008 at 9:31 am
[...] reviewed some pretty impressive paring knives recently. Check out the Shun Paring knife for for a gorgeous, if somewhat expensive, top-of-the-line model. Or read up on the Forschner Black [...]
October 7th, 2008 at 12:39 pm
[...] link to the traditionally-shaped version below as well as this one. Or, check out our review of the Shun Paring Knife for a knife that has few, if any, [...]
January 20th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
[...] looking for the best paring knife around, this is probably not it. For that, look to the mighty Shun Classic paring knife. It’s made from a high-end steel, has a tear-shaped pakkwood handle and looks gorgeous. But [...]
April 10th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
[...] If not, then I’d stick with some of the better made parers on the market, like the Mac or the Shun. [...]
July 23rd, 2011 at 4:18 pm
[...] most Americans and Europeans will find easy to understand and comfortable to use.Visit the Shun Classic Paring Knife to see the Shun paring knife in its original style.Find this Shun Premier Paring Knife:Click here [...]