Shun Bamboo Knife Block, 22 Slot Large Knife Holder, Made from Genuine Bamboo, Kitchen Storage for Professional and Home Chefs

The media could not be loaded. I would not ordinarily think of posting a video review for a knife block, but this one is so attractive that I wanted you to be able to see it. There are so many knife blocks sold by Amazon and I found it a daunting task to try to choose one. I had a couple of smaller knife blocks and then acquired another 6 knives Ginsu Shoku 05707 Japanese Stainless Steel Cutlery Set with Crimson Colored Handles and didn't have room for the magnetic hanger that came with them. I also didn't have the space on my counter for three smaller knife blocks. So I decided to get one that would replace the smallest one that I had, with enough space to accommodate the extra knives. I spent probably a week going back and forth between the different options, but I'm glad I finally settled on this one. (A knife block, after all, is something that I'll probably have for a gazillion years and have to look at every day!)It has the little metal Shun emblem on the bottom that you don't see on the Amazon photo but you'll see it in my video. The color is pretty close to what you see here, but if you use just a little Joyce Chen Bamboo Wood Oil, 8 Ounces which is a food-grade mineral oil it just brings out the wood grain and makes it even more beautiful. Bamboo is so attractive to begin with, but the oil just brings out the patterns in the bamboo. I bought this oil to use on my bamboo cutting board over a year ago and it works very well. I think you'll see that it adds something to the attractiveness of this block. And you use so little that the 8 oz bottle will probably last like forever.The slots are nice and wide (one of my old knife blocks, the one I re-cycled, had rather narrow slots which didn't work with the big knives.) I have a several little paring knives and little utility knives which I put in the bottom 6 slots, but you could just as easily use that for steak knives.I hope the video gives you a better idea of what this block looks like and helps you to make a decision. After all that time trying to decide, I'm glad that this is the one I ordered.

I'm very happy with this knife block. It's very well made, sturdy, and great looking. I especially like that all the slots (except the 6 steak knife slots in the very front) are horizontal, which is easier on the edges.I have more than a dozen kitchen knives, including a very large 270mm Hattori Gyuto, a 240mm Hattori Gyuto, a 170mm Hattori Santoku, an 8-inch and a 6-inch Wusthof Chef's Knife, a Dexter Russell Chinese Cleaver, a 150mm and a 135mm Hattori Petty knife, two Wusthof paring knives, and a 9" Wusthof Bread Knife, plus six Laguiole steak knives. All are in the block, along with my ceramic sharpening rod and a pair of Kershaw Shears.The slots were wide enough for all of my knives except one. After filling all the other slots, I had one knife left over, the Wusthof 6-inch Chef's Knife. It's 1-9/16 inches wide at the hilt, but the last remaining slot was only 1-1/2 inches wide. That problems was very easily resolved with a keyhole saw, which I used to slightly widen the top portion of the slot until my knife fit in it. Since the actual cut is entirely within the slot, there's no visible damage.A great block for the money, and a great way to store your good kitchen cutlery!UPDATE 1/27/12: Bought a 2nd one of these in January 2012 to accommodate my growing array of kitchen knives. Got a used one from Amazon for $72.75, free shipping. Like new! Highly recommend Amazon Warehouse for substantial discounts on products such as this where tiny imperfections don't matter -- often returns or items with damaged containers, as was the case with this one.BTW, the metal Shun logo is easy to remove. I have no Shun knives, having sold all that I once had in favor of better knives, and I noticed that the logos on the two blocks were not aligned. Just pry up one corner and slide a putty knife under the logo, then use a little GooGone to remove any residual glue. The bamboo is very hard, difficult to scratch, so if you're reasonably careful you won't damage the blocks.BTW#2, the slots are arranged a little differently on each of my two blocks.

I tend to acquire my kitchen knives one at a time instead of buying sets, though I often get multiple knives from the same product line. But you don't get blocks with ala carte knives. And you end up with a custom selection of knives from several different manufacturers. And it evolves over time as you add new ones or decide to retire ones that aren't earning their keep.I had a smaller henkels block and, aside from the quantity it could hold, I kept having problems with the slots not being big enough. Even the larger capacity blocks, they may have more slots but if they're too small they're worthless.Then I found this. It's great. Not only does it have plenty of slots, but many of them can accommodate large knives. Especially the cleaver - I have a larger than average cleaver and this is the only knife block I've seen that can hold it. Now all my kitchen knives are well stored and handy.The dimensions of the slots listed in the Q&A section are accurate.Some other reviews mention some quality problems. I believe those to be the exceptions. Mine had none of those issues.This is very nice. Just make sure you have the counter space for it.