Japanese vs German Knives - Shun vs Wusthof Cutlery

What is the different between Japanese and German knives?

Shop for authentic Japanese and German made knives at Cutlery and More. Here are a few of our favorite brands:

Shun (Japanese):

Wusthof (German):

Shop all Japanese Knives at Cutlery and More

We will examine Shun and Wusthof knives, to see how their design philosophies differ, and see which may be best for you.

Subscribe for more knife skills videos and kitchen knife content:

Shun knives are handcrafted in Japan, using traditional methods from the manufacturing of legendary samurai swords. Shun has been making knives for over a century. There are several knife collections to choose from, including the popular Shun Classic collection and the new razor sharp Shun Reserve series. Every Shun Knife is created by skilled artisans and requires at least 100 steps to complete. Made in Japan with a limited lifetime warranty.

Wusthof has been manufacturing forged knives since 1814 and has become known as the leading quality cutlery manufacturer of the world. We offer every series of Wusthof Knives, with Wusthof Classic being the most popular. All Wusthof cutlery is made in Solingen, Germany and comes with their lifetime warranty.

[misenplace]

As a Chef I use both of these brands. My Wustoff's are my everyday "beater" blades & the Shun ONLY comes out when very precise & fine cuts are needed. One particular German knife I've had for 26yrs! & I expect it to be around after I'm dead.

[Condor]

As someone who worked in a restaurant for years and loves to cook at home, I can say with honesty... Unless you are a Sushi Chef that requires razor sharpness at all times, a set like the Wustof is a much more long term reliable set to have, for overall cooking. Whether a Pro chef or just a cook at home, one doesn't have time to constantly worry about the fragile nature of super hard damascus blades. They're gorgeous, but not practical for everyday use. A real cook needs a reliable "working" blade that can be readily sharpened quickly with just a good ceramic rod or steel, and not a piece of jewelry that requires shipment to a pro sharpener. If you cook everyday, you'll notice even the VG-10 blades lose the razor sharpness within just a few weeks. Wustof stays more than sharp enough for 99% of cooking (sans sushi), and are MUCH easier to take care of.

[craigmcclure]

Have a 25 year old Wusthof ...always put it in dishwasher...handle cracked after 20 years so rang Wusthof and they replaced the knife, no questions asked....life time guarantee that they advertise is real

[leung]

The Wüsthof Epicure looks gorgeous… love the simplicity and the elegance of this design.

[piperbob]

A few years ago, when I was in the kitchen department of the London store, Harrods, I was attracted by a set of Shun/Ken Onion knives (Ken Onion is a former US Marine, who designs knives). I ended up importing the set from the USA. They are really terrific knives.

[christiantaboada]

One of the most comprehensive and unbiased reviews ever

[Ghostbeark]

I switched out my older, more basic, Zwilling knifes for a couple of Wüsthoff classic knifes in 2016 and I couldn't be happier.
Sure, they're not as flashy and you cannot get them as sharp as a Japanese knife... but they don't need to.
They are sturdy workhorses, get about every job done, won't chip easily, are easy to maintain and won't bite your head off, if you make a mistake, all while being reasonably sharp.

[foolwise]

I strongly disagree with you comparison:
1. If I am not strongly mistaken, the japanese knives you present are at least a factor of two more expensive
2. You are not comparing the knives to each other, but just praising them one by one.
3- The japanese knives you selected are bad examples of typical japanese knives. They are rather a merge between the two styles.
If you make a comparison video, you should really pick a comparable price range and then compare parameters directly: Hardness, blade shape, handle etc...

[Dongml]

I own both and both are great knives. To me the Shun feels bit more delicate compared to the Wusthof, a more lighter feel and cuts slightly easier i think because it's a bit thinner. A Wusthof feels more sturdy and robust and well balanced in the hand.

[Elc]

with so many people in the comments fighting over which is better... "porque no los dos?"

have at least one of each, Japanese knives are good for more fine work or if you are looking for the finest slicing and cutting knives, German knives are more hardy, can take more abuse, and are great for tough work like chopping or cutting through meat with larger bones. sure, you get that extra 10% more sharpness from Japanese blades, but 10% more sharp than already uncomfortably sharp blades does not matter much to the average user.

in the case that you are looking for something for personal use like at home, Japanese tend to be prefered, while for professional use like in a restaurant, German tend to be prefered.

There is no absolute in which design philosophy is better overall, as it all comes down to the situation it is to be used for.

This video is good at comparing chef knives to chef knives, but does not actually tackle the overall differences in how and why kitchen knives differ between German and Japanese style. This is especially true when it comes to blade types that are associated with each style of knife making.

[Ghostbeark]

I switched out my older, more basic, Zwilling knifes for a couple of Wüsthoff classic knifes in 2016 and I couldn't be happier.
Sure, they're not as flashy and you cannot get them as sharp as a Japanese knife... but they don't need to.
They are sturdy workhorses, get about every job done, won't chip easily, are easy to maintain and won't bite your head off, if you make a mistake, all while being reasonably sharp.

[Battlegris]

Germany: It ain't broke, don't fix it

Japan: Harder!!! HARDER STEEL!!!

[ephraimmutuc]

Both German cutlery and Japanese cutlery are both good no matter what brand. Each knife has different uses.

[Elrond_Hubbard]

Am I wrong in thinking the Shun knives belong only in the hands of Asian masters slicing up million dollar tuna? The German knives are obviously top notch, but are much more suited for people that want excellence and reasonable maintenance/sharpening. The German knives would inspire me to cook whereas the Shuns would inspire me to be nervous handling them.

[jorad]

I am torn, I like the heft of the German knives but love the lightness and ultra sharpness of the Japanese cut. Gotta get both!

[michaelwolf]

The Shun Knives are eye candy. Think that's important when you can see the Cook. Most citys in Germany may have one or two of such places. At the end both are perfect, in big kitchen i would prefer Wusthof (maybe just an habit) if i dont need a realy sharp knife. For myself at home i go for the eye candy and the sharpness and handle them very special :)

[GalileoWhite]

I'm Chinese I use cleaver on every

[herberteckhardt]

I am not a chef so those knifes would of course be not for me even though i love beautifully handcrafted knives
Now i grew up in solingen Germany and had as a kid the great experience of watching knifes and scissors being handmade in my uncles factory
A very difficult process
But i am partly familiar with the making of Japanese knifes
I would like to say that both german and Japanese are almost equal
It is very much dependent on the kind of food preparation
Japanese knives are used a lot for cutting seafood
Wheras german knives are more based on cutting meat
But anyways i like your professional presentation and you got that german steel tongue breaker right lol
Greetings from Australia

[inyobill]

Putting any of my cooking knives in the dishwasher will ensure a person's immediate banishment

[khameeleeon]

I got lost on Youtube... I had no idea there's so much philosophy behind kitchen knives! Great video though