Shogun Knife Series Elite X5PC 5-Piece Set

This is a beautifully crafted set of knives and razor sharp from the factory. I took one star off because while I love these knives the 8 inch chef knife is a weird shape and takes some getting used to. I also took one star off because as a chef in a kitchen I carry these knives back and forth to work and while the kitchen block is great for home use I really needed this set to come with sheaths to carry them in my knife bag. I would ask dahlstrong to maybe consider adding an option to get the block or sheaths so that we can chose which is more practical for us. I would definitely recommend these to anybody looking for a great set of knives. So and update after sending an email to dahlstrong they responded quickly and are sending me 3 of the knife sheaths for free. They have great customer service and I would definitely recommend them to anyone. Because of their great customer service I am adding a star back on to this review.

I love to cook and these knives are an amazing addition to the kitchen. So very sharp that they were scary to use at first. Beautiful design and well manufactured. If the budget doesn’t worry you I would say don’t hesitate to buy them.

This is a lot of knife. They are beautiful and feel solid in your hand. The handle fits well with full grip of pinched. It is definitely a showpiece. The one thing I would mention is that the Damascus pattern isn’t super visible as the layers are all the same steel but the hammered pattern works well at releasing food. I initially had a few questions and the customer service was quick to respond and so eager to help answer all my questions. I spoke with Aldrin who was a knowledgeable professional. By far the most professional and responsive service I have seen in a long time. I now own 8 knives in the Shogun Elite Series and if you enjoy a solid and beautiful set of knives you cannot go wrong with this series, or the support and service of Dalstrong.

As a keen home cook who was so tired of using dull and flimsy knives, I took the plunge on this set and have to say I am really impressed so far.

Blades:
Out of the box all of the knives were razor sharp. I have been using them daily for a few weeks now and haven’t experienced any noticeable drop off in sharpness at all yet. My previous knives would need sharpening pretty much every time I used them so this is a real plus for me. I would have to add that if you are used to using dull/cheap knives be very careful when you start out using these. Cheaper knives tend to be light as the metal is less dense and therefore becomes dull easily, you will notice that these knives are fairly heavy and as such you might need a few uses to get used to them. It’s really important to use the claw cutting technique which protects your fingertips (search it if unfamiliar), take it from me as I accidentally sliced some of my thumb off when using for the first time! That is not the fault of the knives for being sharp, that is the fault of the user for not using a safe cutting technique and is a mistake you only make once. I was surprised by the blade of the knife I thought I would care about least, the bread knife. This slices through bread with ease but seems to make almost no mess at all whereas my old bread knife would leave crumbs all over the place. I think it was more ripping through the bread than slicing through like the Dalstrong does.

Quality:
These knives are very high quality and not only is that reflected in the knives themselves but also the packaging you receive with them which is not your typical cheap cardboard. When opening the boxes you can tell you are getting a high quality product, superior to something you’d find in Ikea. The knives themselves have a really nice finish on both the blades and the handles. As I mentioned the knives are fairly heavy but I find them really comfortable to hold, the weight may take a bit of getting used to but I wouldn’t say they’re overly heavy.

Knife Block:
Very stylish and also high quality. Feels really solid and well made especially with the metal base. I think this would look impressive in any kitchen.

Value for money:
There’s no getting away from the fact that many people would see this pricetag as quite high for a set of 5 knives especially when two of them are small pairing knives. However I think this definitely represents good value for money, you are getting a high quality set that will last many years. Having sharp knives that keep their edge will make your life in the kitchen far easier and make cooking less of a chore and more enjoyable.

Overall I am really happy with this knife set and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys cooking and wants a knife set that will last. And remember to be careful and use the claw cutting technique!

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I really enjoy a good knife. I am a firm believer that a sharp knife saves lives. I was sharpening my hunting knives by hand on stones as a teenager and really enjoy a good, quality knife that sits in my hand, is balanced and I have confidence in. So why did I wait as many years as I did to get a good kitchen knife set? Good question but when I decided to pull the trigger and finally get a high quality set I did my research. Dalstrong was kind of a dark horse in that I was not familiar with the brand but was familiar with the rockwell hardness rating which these knives are marked at 62. They are high carbon steel with Damascus layering for strength and durability. Those were attributes I was looking for and most blades with those qualities were actually just at a higher price point than I wanted to spend, or were too traditionally styled and wasn’t what I was looking for with my style of cutting/chopping.
Short story, I talked myself into the block set instead of a single knife (Picture included with the addition of the 6″ chef knife purchased after the block set). I wanted an excellent, high quality set that would last and didn’t need to be replaced or one that I would have buyers remorse over, Dalstrong was the right selection for me. I’ve included two pictures, the block set and then after I received the set, of which the 6″ utility knife quickly became my most relied upon knife, I ordered 3 other blades. I liked the 8″ chef’s knife with the rounded edge for rocking to chop which came with the block set, and truly just had fun in preparing veggies for smoothies though it was just a little big. The utility knife worked great for slicing fruit, apple, etc… and is a nice weight and manageable and I wanted to have something that was between the two which would shuttle what I cutting to the bowl, the blender cup … or whatever. I was impressed enough with the quality that I ordered the 6″ chef’s knife (Love it), the 9.5″ slicer/chef knife (feels good in the hand and has a nice weight with a comfortable handle), and the the 8″ chef knife individually (Shown in the 2nd photo for reference). These are truly a beautifully crafted set, built for and crafted for those with appreciation of fine cutlery. I’m not a judge of kitchen utensils but I’ve logged hours with many knives and you might call it a 6th sense regarding feel for quality, comfort and confidence in the hand, and a steep, sharp honed edge known in Asian knives, and have the appreciation for a good tool. I guess I didn’t get a kitchen cutlery set earlier because I was waiting for these and just didn’t know it.
I think Dalstrong is a newer company bound to make a name for themselves and suspect these knives will migrate in price north of where they are being offered today. Customer service has been recognized in many reviews which is part of why I chose to go with the block without any personal previous experience. Says a lot for the confidence I have in people posting their reviews. Customer service reputation provided a sense of comfort that if this wasn’t the set for me, I was going to return them without an issue or incredible hoops to navigate. Didn’t need to pull that string after all and am completely satisfied.
I have not had the opportunity to put them to stone yet as they haven’t needed it. Honing rod is all the conditioning the edge has needed and none have even needed that kind of attention yet.

Pros – Weight is sturdy/solid, cuts under it’s own weight and comfortable grip
Well balanced
Sharp: makes cutting and chopping easy and I might say amusing with such a good blade (still enjoying them)
Design with the Damascus layering is stylish, unique for the set, and artistic
Quality comes to mind when I use these knives like some people like to use enamel cast iron cook ware, it’s how quality is perceived and I get that when using these knives.
The handle is well crafted, comfortable and has a slight elegant pattern that you might be able to discern from the pictures.
Block is dark, unique and is in the back of the cutting board shown in one of the pictures

Cons
Price point is probably more than most people would buy who are not looking for a life time set.
Fear of using the knives for potentially doing something wrong therefore enjoy just looking at them while still using their old set (That would be a waste and completely understandable)
Does not have an offering in the series for processing meat. Recommended to not twist or cut bone with this set. I went to the Gladiator series and got a cleaver that will go through bone (haven’t used it yet, it’s a beast and I didn’t get the biggest one). Cutting cartilage bone such as butcher processing is not recommended for the Shogun series blades. The cleaver for the series is for veggies as described.
The bread knife included in this set is kind of like bringing a Ferrari to a horse race. Just overkill and doesn’t fit the set for the qualities these blades possess in cutting bread other than it’s expected as part of a “set” piece.
Recommendation: Would like the stones for keeping the edge offered at an incentive price for those that invested in the block set. Just my plug as the wider surface area on the stones I think would be helpful with the longer/larger blades and would incentivize people to keep their blades on this set in top order.

I don’t write reviews much and depend on others when I research so I wanted to offer my thoughts and impressions on this Dalstrong set. If this helps you either way in deciding to move forward, I hope this was helpful and if you decided it’s not for you as a result of this review, then glad to help with that as well and spare your time. I don’t think it’s for all people. I get a little “geeky” about knives.

Amazing quality and look amazing