Japanese Steel: Proper Usage/Preventing Chips?

As Japanese knives go, your Shun is not particularly likely to chip. Still, compared to a typical "German," it is both thinner and harder.

• Keep it very sharp.
• Use an appropriate sharpening method. Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but if the method's cheap, it probably won't do much to keep your knife functioning at the level it should, or to preserve it either.
• Keep it sharpened at an appropriate angle -- Either the "factory" 16* or a more real world 15*. Shuns don't go much more acute.
• Keep it at or near 50/50 symmetry.
• Sharpen to a reasonable degree of polish, so that you've got a smooth edge. A good 2000# (JIS) edge is minimal.
• Repair micro-chips and other minor chipping immediately. If you get a chip that's too big to handle easily, the warranty probably kicks in. If it doesn't, and you're not confident doing it yourself, have the knife profiled by a competent professional.
• Steel the knife to keep the edge "trued," but don't bang it against the steel the way most TV chefs do.
• Use an appropriate steel. No "diamond sharpening steels;" no "medium;" just fine or finer, whether steel, ceramic or glass.
• Use a good cutting board. Nylon boards are especially likely to cause chipping.
• Use a different, heavy-duty knife for splitting chickens, and other poultry.
• Use a different, heavy-duty knife for cutting the rib tips off of spares.
• Don't do things that will result in slamming the knife against the board. If the knife is very sharp you can cut the tops and bottoms off of gourds, and pineapples -- but if it isn't the knife will wedge, break through all of a sudden and slam against the board.
• Use common sense, even though it's not very common at all.

Enjoy your new knife,
BDL

Don't sweat the "fake" Damascus- suminigashi is faux Damascus on virtually every Japanese knife you can get. I dunno why they do it or who started it but it's a near-universal with those knives. Shuns aren't super prone to chipping but it's wise to take a few precautions:

1) Always cut on a cutting board, preferably end-grain wood or hard rubber. Next best is poly, and it's not nearly as good. Bamboo isn't a great option; the pieces they're made of are generally small and a require a lot of glue. The glue is pretty hard and not good for your edge. Avoid cutting on glass or stainless steel like you'd avoid AIDS.

2) Avoid cutting protein that has bones. A bone will do a number on your Shun. I sold one in like-new shape to a co-worker who took a 3 mm chip out of it cutting into a bone in a piece of meat he thought was boneless. Not a pretty picture. Don't cut frozen foods with it, either, and don't use it to cut extremely crusty bread.

3) Use proper technique when cutting. I see a lot of home cooks twist thru the cut for some reason. Cutting into the board and twisting is really bad for the edge and will definitely create microchips.

4) Go easy with the steel. I dunno why Shun sells a steel that appears to be designed to ruin their knives, but they do. Stick with a glass hone, a ceramic or a smooth steel. Go gently, and watch your angle. I read somewhere that anything more than about 3 strokes per side damages your edge more than it helps; this could be urban legend but it has the ring of truth. It's like Right Guard- if a couple sprays doesn't do it, you need a shower, not deodorant.

If you maintain your blade, use good technique and always use a cutting board you'll have no problems mincing herbs or doing any other kitchen task.