Using a Shun to open up lobsters makes Samurai Chef Baby Jesus cry. Shuns are one of the most elegant and best production knife chef knives in the world. I love them. I sharpen a lot of them and they almost always are absolutely destroyed.
The edge of a shun is super thin and super hard. as a result it can get super sharp and hold an edge very well. They cut like a razor. The wavy metal above it is a low count stainless damascus which is wrapped around the hard core of the knife edge. you can clearly see where the edge ends and the wavy metal begins. this is a process called san mai. it lets you leave the edge untempered and the spine soft to give an exceptional hard edge with a flexible spine so the knife does not break. The edge is however fairly brittle so if you hit big bones or hard surfaces or in this case try cracking lobsters open this will be the result. As always use a soft cutting board, no dishwasher and stick to veggies and fish.
Once fixed they are back to their super sharp and smooth edge they should have. I think they are the most beautiful and amazing production chef knife you can get. They will last for a very long time if you just follow simple care practices.
