Sharpening Your Shun Knives

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This information has been provided by Shun

Sharpening
Your best option is to send the knives back to the Kai USA facility in Portland, Oregon. At the Portland facility, we can restore the factory edge to your blade for the life of the knife, at no cost to you aside from mailing the knife to us. Just make sure you include a return address and telephone number so we can contact you if needed.

To have your knives sharpened, send them to:

Kai USA
Attention warranty
18600 SW Teton
Tualatin, OR 97062

The second sharpening option is purchasing an electric sharpener. While there are a number of sharpeners on the market, the only sharpener that we can recommend for Shun knives is the Shun electric sharpener. This sharpener, which sells for $59, matches the 16-degree angle of our cutlery. Remember, however, that sharpening is NOT something that should be done on a weekly or even monthly basis. Sharpening does remove some of the metal of the blade so sharpening too often may reduce the life of the blade.

The other option is taking your knives to a professional sharpener. If you choose this option, please make sure your professional sharpener knows how to sharpen knives to a 16-degree angle. Many professional sharpeners are simply not equipped at this time to deal with hardened Japanese steel or the sharper blade angle that Shun knives maintain.

A sharpening steel is great for maintaining the knife's edge. Shun knives rarely need actual sharpening. If it does, this can be done using a whetstone, such as the Shun Combination Whetstone.

How to sharpen with a whetstone:

Click here to enlarge image.

Sharpening FAQ's
How do I sharpen serrated knives? If you send the knife to us for service, we can certainly sharpen any of our serrated knives. We do not recommend using any sort of electric sharpener for this process.

Can I use a diamond or ceramic sharpener on my knives? We do not recommend these methods, unless you are a trained professional or a very knowledgeable home chef.

How often should I sharpen my knives? Shun knives should not need sharpening more than once a year, less often depending upon the level of use. When the knife will no longer slice through a ripe (not over-ripe) tomato easily, it is time to sharpen your knife.

What is your turn around time for sharpening? We process sharpening requests as soon as possible. Please allow up to four weeks from the day you ship the knife before contacting us.

Can I ship my knife to you in a padded envelope? Please use a box. Padded envelopes are usually destroyed during the shipping process and knives can be lost. We cannot be responsible for knives lost during shipping.

How will I know if you have received my knife? We recommend using a shipping method with tracking or confirmation, as well as insuring your package. This will allow you to know when the knife has been received and cover your loss if anything should happen during the shipping process.

Do I include money for return shipping costs? No, we do not charge for the return shipping costs. However, in order to keep providing warranty for free we mail out all knives sent in for warranty service via the post office. We cannot accommodate overnight or other special shipping requests.her special shipping requests.