Ethics question seguing into knife question...

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Dakki

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May 29, 2007
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OK, so, a couple of days ago a friend of mine in Sweden was whining about the inflated prices he'd had to pay for a Shun Elite chef's knife, only to have the order cancelled by the supplier due to being OOS. Nice guy that I am, I offered to get one for him (which he'd pay me back for; I'm nice, not rich) and shipping it over there. He ended up requesting a 10" Shun Ken Onion, which I ordered from an established web store for under $200. (Don't bother asking me where, the price has gone up since then.)

Naturally he was pleasantly surprised at the price, which even after shipping and customs would cost him about $100 less than the Elite out of a Swedish store.

The problem is that I was pleasantly surprised by the knife. Not having handled a Shun kitchen knife before I was curious to see if they lived up to their reputation, and 15 minutes of food prep convinced me I need one of these in my knife block. Heck, I might need the whole set!

So here's my question: if I ordered another one (at the new, higher price) and made him pay for that instead of the excellent price I got before, would that make me a horrible person? Should I just get one for myself and eat the price difference?

Alternately, should I try out Shun's other lines before going with the Onion? How would you rate the Onion compared to the Elite and Classic?

Should I have posted this in the Kershaw forum? (Maybe not, I have a feeling the guys there would tell me to order complete sets of each line, just to be fully prepared for any possible kitchen eventualities...)
 
personally, I think you made an agreement with your friend and you should stick to it. Integrity is a fleeting virtue in our society and it suffers death by a thousand cuts everyday. The easy road is just that: easy.

Just my opinion,

Brett
 
Well, the original agreement was I'd get one at whatever price I could find and ship it over there. That said I think I'll send the d-mn thing at the low price anyway.

Ok, so, onion vs elite vs classic?
 
I run a kitchen and we use vic chef knives. That said, I'd consider a Koster mater kitchen knife. It's a cool knife and a wicked cutter.

Good luck with your quest!

Brett
 
Personally, if I made a deal, I'd honor it. Brett's right...integrity counts.

Onion vs. Elite vs. Classic? You should order complete sets of each line, just to be fully prepared for any possible kitchen eventualities...:D
 
SPXTrader said:
Personally, if I made a deal, I'd honor it. Brett's right...integrity counts.

Onion vs. Elite vs. Classic? You should order complete sets of each line, just to be fully prepared for any possible kitchen eventualities...:D
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yup, you MUST be prepared!! havn't you ever heard the Boy Scouts code? :p
 
I agree with Brett! Do the right thing for your friend. He needs a break. After all, he lives in Sweden. :)
 
bdws1975 said:
I run a kitchen and we use vic chef knives.
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That's what I have. Well, Forschners. The Shun just seems to be as far above my old knives as they're above wallyworld knifeblocks. I just wish there were some way I could try out a variety of these before commiting a substantial chunk of cash. Unlikely, since my real-life friends all own the wallyworld stuff (if not supermarket brands) and I'm not about to waste a few hours of some poor retail dude's time (and subject myself to a hard-sell) when I'm just going to buy out of some online warehouse place.

About doing the right thing for my friend, I just needed to talk myself into it. Thanks for helping, guys.
 
I ditto the integrity part. On the other hand, if you want to maintain this integrity (but testing your friendship), you can share the story and ask your friend. He might be willing to split the price differences .. but you might put a ding into your friendship, or might not. That depends on level of trust and common ground you have ...
 
The fact that you even asked the question was a sign of your integrity. It's good to talk things out as it gives you another perspective. Usually, it's the gut instinct that we return to. the reasoning just helps us get our mind in line...:)

Yeah, ours are forschners also. Great knife for the price and I get them in bulk!

Take care,
brett
Dakki said:
That's what I have. Well, Forschners. The Shun just seems to be as far above my old knives as they're above wallyworld knifeblocks. I just wish there were some way I could try out a variety of these before commiting a substantial chunk of cash. Unlikely, since my real-life friends all own the wallyworld stuff (if not supermarket brands) and I'm not about to waste a few hours of some poor retail dude's time (and subject myself to a hard-sell) when I'm just going to buy out of some online warehouse place.

About doing the right thing for my friend, I just needed to talk myself into it. Thanks for helping, guys.
Click to expand...
 
bdws1975 said:
personally, I think you made an agreement with your friend and you should stick to it. Integrity is a fleeting virtue in our society and it suffers death by a thousand cuts everyday. The easy road is just that: easy.

Just my opinion,

Brett
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Yup, I agree whole heartedly!! Integrity is rare anymore these days.

Thank your friend for turning you on to Shun Elites (I have 2 myself), and then go buy yourself one, or several.
 
If he already knows the lower price then you should give him the lowerprice one and honor your deal but if he does not know the lower price you could sell him the higher priced one but still should sell him the lowerpriced.
 
Depends...would you feel guilty for doing that to a friend? If so then do what is honorable and morally correct. If it wouldn't bother you then hike the price and walk away knowing you put one over on a friend. Make the choice you can live with...after all the guy is only a friend who is showing trust in you. I wouldn't even have to ask myself...

Remember a friend is someone who would bail you out of jail, a good friend would be sitting next to you saying "Damn that was fun!".

Now as to the knives...I have tried Shun , bought several a few years ago and ended up giving them to my brother. The ergonomics just weren't right for me but all of the Shun line are good. These were the Onion, I think I might have been happier with the Elite handles better. I know have a nice set of custom filled out with a few Warthers. The Shun knives are great quality but for me the Onions weren't comfortable in the hand.
 
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You should do the right thing even if nobody else but you knows about it. It's part of being a man and having honor.

Living right has it's own benefits but even that isn't the reason you do the right thing. You do the right thing because it's the right thing to do. Joe
 
Stick with your original deal you will feel better about it in the long run. I have a friend in Malaysia that I buy stuff for all the time and I enjoy getting him the best deals I can. Someday it will come back around.

As far as what series of these Shun Knives to go with, I really like the ergonomis of the Ken Onion Series but I have not seen a single one of them that had the bolster firmly and seamlessly attached to the blade. It has turned me away from getting one. I am not a big fan of the tubular shaped handles on most of the other Shun series.

I got a couple of Calphalon's Katana series a couple of years ago and they are nice. The VG-10 holds a great edge with minimal maintenance and I like the feel of the handles almost as much as the Ken Onion's.
 
Let’s see if we can find the right forum …
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vjb.knife said:
Stick with your original deal you will feel better about it in the long run. I have a friend in Malaysia that I buy stuff for all the time and I enjoy getting him the best deals I can. Someday it will come back around.
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Hey vjb, what stuff do you get your Malaysian friend? Knives? I'm in Malaysia and I can't get any reputable-brand knives here. Would love to be your friend too.

About integrity. Just a couple of days ago I got cheated out of 300 bucks by a local online auction seller. We communicated well right up to the point when my package was expected to arrive. Then he dropped off the face of the earth. :confused::mad:Integrity is rare these days. There are more males in this world, but most of them are not men.:thumbdn:
 
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