Shun Kai Michel Bras Whetstone Double Sided #1000/#3000-Grit

Sharpening a knife involves quite literally cutting its surface by means of grains aligned on the whetstone's surface. Today the two kinds of materials used —artificial and natural stone— each has its advantages and disadvantages.

Artificial stone:
In the most common kinds of artificial stone available today the grains are bound by means of "glue." This artificial binding process has the advantage of distributing the grains evenly over the surface. However, because the "glue" tends to melt and run when the blade is being sharpened, there is a "slipping effect," i.e. the blade heats up and slides over the surface. As a result, it may lose some of its rigidity.

Natural Stone:
Natural stones hewn from rock do not heat up or cause the blade to slide. But the grains of such stones lack homogeneity in size and distribution and thus do not sharpen evenly.

The 3000 whetstone was created to combine the advantages of both kinds of stone. No binding agent was used in its fabrication. A novel technique using thermal energy makes it possible to distribute grains evenly over its surface so that there is no risk of slippage or heating up when you sharpen your knives.

As a result, they will keep their fine cutting edge for a lifetime.

The ten knives in the set of Michel BRAS embody the optimum of function and beauty. Each has a distinct blade flexibility and subtle handle form. The assembly procedures are all carefully completed by hand.

They are more than just cutlery. Indeed these cooking implements are more like precious "jewels" than ordinary kitchen utensils.

What Michel Bras expects of a knife is first that it be "sharp and beautiful," and second that it be "well-balanced and fit firmly in the hand."

"Cutting herbs with a blunt knife is like wounding them," Michel points out. "If the herbs are wounded," he says, "their blood is lost, along with their beauty and savor. They just wither and die."

The act of cutting means finding harmony for Michel Bras. He expresses this using the example of Japanese archery. "In archery, the arrow becomes a part of the archer's body, and if the archer lets go of it just when he feels he has become one with it, he knows he will hit the bull's eye even if he's blind-folded."

The same holds true of the chef's relationship to his knife, he believes. "If a knife has become a part of your hand, you can cut and mince the vegetables without thinking about anything and without hurting them. "

Shun recommends that you protect your investment by handwashing your blades with gentle dish soap.

Don’t use soaps with citrus extracts or bleach; they can promote corrosion. Do not use scouring pads, steel, or gritty cleanser when cleaning the blades. Rinse and towel dry immediately.

Let the knives air dry for a few minutes before returning them to storage. Never leave your knife sitting in a sink full of soapy water. It does metals no good to be submerged in water for prolonged periods of time, and it’s a danger to you when you reach in.

After you have washed and dried your knives, store them in a block, knife case, in-drawer tray, or sheath. We do not recommend storing the knives unsheathed in a drawer, as this can be a potential hazard to the blades as well as your fingers.

Note

Handwashing is also the best way to care for the wood handles of your Shun knives.

The handle color may change slightly over time due to oils in the hand as well as the natural color change of wood from oxidation and/or exposure to light. This is not a defect, but a natural part of the process.

In order to maximize the life of the blade, regular honing with a Shun steel will be necessary. Weekly honing will extend the time between sharpening significantly. When the time comes to sharpen these premium blades, we recommend using a whetstone, the Kai electric sharpener (specifically designed to sharpen Shun’s 16° blade angle), or sending the knives to a professional sharpener.