Shun covers defects in materials and construction for the original owner's lifetime, but you can't transfer the cover, it's void if you use the knife to pry or stab, and it only applies to knives bought from authorized sellers.
Build25/30
The core is VG-MAX steel inside stainless Damascus cladding with an ebony-finished Pakkawood handle, and it's handmade in Seki City, Japan.
Track record16/20
Kai, Shun's parent company, started in Seki in 1908, and Shun knives have been sold in North America since 2002.
Repairable17/20
Shun sharpens its knives free for life and fixes small chips and tips, though mail-in service costs a $15 return and processing fee and they won't fix handles or large chips.
One short email when something new makes the list: an album to play, a game to buy, a film to watch, a book to read, tech worth buying, a thing that lasts. Nothing else.
How the score works
Things
Warranty, 30. What the company will actually fix or replace, read from their own policy.
Build, 30. Materials and construction, and whether there's anything to wear out.
Track record, 20. How long the maker has been making this well.
Repairable, 20. Whether you can get it fixed instead of replacing it.
A Keeper is our bet on what lasts. Some releases show it right away: the reviews, the players and the people behind them all point the same way, the way they did for Elden Ring. For albums, games, films, shows and books, 85 or above is a Keeper and 75 to 84 is worth your time. Things and tech need 80. We score everything again as time goes by, and a Keeper that fades loses the label. Nobody pays to be here or pays for a score. Every score links to where its numbers came from. Each one has a link to find it on Amazon, and as an Amazon Associate, Keepers earns from qualifying purchases.