As a hand therapist, I have treated a lot of sliced fingers and palms. I do just fine handling the wound and its rehabilitation, but thinking about how people cut their hands has always freaked me out.  So it goes against my nature to tell you that the best safety tip with knives is to actually keep them nice and sharp.  A dull knife requires more force to handle and tends to slip more easily from its target, leaving you prone to injury.

Also crucial is to never — and I repeat, never — cut towards your hand.  I’ve seen far too many bagel injuries. Always place the item on a cutting board, aim your blade down and keep your fingers away.

Now, did you know there’s a right and wrong way to hold a chef’s knife?  Until not too long ago, I always did what seemed natural and just held the handle.  But according to the experts, you should be holding the blade, the bolster – the junction between the handle and the blade –  and the handle to better control the knife.

If that’s really the way to hold a chef’s knife, there are a lot of knives out there that cut fabulously but are ergonomically deficient.  Most knives on the market cause significant contact pressure for your hand against sharp edges.  The index finger rests against the spine of the knife – the top part of the blade — while the thumb and index hold partly the blade and the sharp bolster.

The other major deficiency with knife design is the shape of the handle.  Take a look at your hand the next time you work with your chef’s knife.  There’s always a gap between your palm and the top of the knife unless you grip the life out of it.  And that’s exactly it.  Holding a knife with the palm unsupported forces you to apply more pressure in order to control the knife.

Now, if you’re the occasional cook, these ergonomic considerations might not be a big deal, but for professionals or serious amateurs, the constant sharp pressure against the index finger can cause serious discomfort including digital nerve injuries.  Not to mention, the added force exerted to hold the knife can create extra strain on the hand, wrist or forearm.  So please let me introduce you to the Shun Ken Onion knives.

Knife making and bladesmithing is a science and an art, and the Shun Ken Onion knives are a masterpiece.  They offer great coupling with the hand and arm with their ergonomic design of the bolster, handle and blade, resulting in improved comfort, posture and control while handling the knife.

The bolster is angled and extends over the spine of the knife providing a smooth, curved supporting surface for the index finger, instead of resting on the traditional sharp edge of the spine.  The sides of the bolster are thick, smooth and curved to fit the thumb and the index finger perfectly while holding the side of the knife with a key grip or in the “chef way.”

The thicker and shaped bolster supports the fingers comfortably and reduces the pinch strength required to control the blade. The handle is shaped to support the oblique and longitudinal arches of the hand.  What arches?  When you bring all your fingertips together, it is almost like your hand is folding in half around the middle.  This is the groove that must be supported in order to reduce the force exerted to hold the knife and reduce tension in your wrist and forearm.

Because of its shape, the handle of the Shun Ken knife is automatically held with a more open and loose fist – the fingers are not as curled and tight into the hand.  The top of the handle has an upward arc to support the arch of the hand, while the bottom part is curved downward to host the last three fingers.  By wrapping your fingers around the bottom of the handle, you push the top of the handle into the palm to support the arches of the hand.  That all reduces the effort needed to handle the knife.

The blade is exquisite.  Even chopping carrots feels like cutting through melted butter.  Well, that might be pushing it a little, but it cuts really well.  That’s usually the extent of attention most people give the blade, but ergonomically, it is the extension of your hand.  How the blade meets the cutting board will dictate how you use your hand and wrist.   Shun Ken Onion blades are more rounded or angled than most.  Combined with its ergonomic handle, it maximizes the glide on the cutting board while minimizing the wrist and arm motion.

Overall, the design of the Shun Ken Onion knives significantly reduces effort and improves comfort and control while manipulating a chef’s knife.  In my ergonomic opinion, Shun Ken Onion knives are a great investment and as the official sous-chef in my house, I LOVE IT!