Well, MyLeg... buy the Kershaw "Shun" 'cause I went to college with Pete Kershaw at Lewis & Clark College in Portland and he's a friend of mine!
Just kidding (not about going to college with Pete, I did.. I have a lot of interesting Pete Kershaw stories but not relevant here) but about why to buy the Shun.
It doesn't perhaps show in some advertisements, but Kershaw has the Shun made by KAI (as I recall anyway), a premium Japanese knife maker.. and it has a forged steel blade of VG-10 clad with 16 layers of SUS410 high-carbon stainless steel on each side to produce a rust-free Damascus-look blade. It has a VERY sharp edge that not only holds longer with the VG-10 steel, but is also easier to maintain, i.e. to sharpen or true up the edge between use.
"Sharp" is a relative term... I have some 4-Stars, (same as the Grad Prix but with a different handle) and I've never been impressed with the steel they use... check the kniveforum.com site.. there's another one too, but I must have brain damage 'cause I can't remember the name of it (lost my bookmark too). A key is "how LONG do they stay sharp?" and "How easy are they to sharpen?".. the Shun wins hands down. I personally have never come close to getting an edge on any German knife, Wustoff or Henckels, that comes close to any good Japanese knife.. but in all fairness, the angle of the edge is different (12-15 degrees v. perhaps 22 degrees for the German knives). I'd never hack bones with a Japanese knife (except those designed to do that) but I hack up things with my Henckels all the time...
Of course an "expert" will tell you it's not necessarily the angle of the bevel but the angle of the cutting edge.. so the debate goes on.... All I can tell you is:
Out of the box you can shave with the Shun.. I'd never try that with the Henckels.. might have to call 911 and all that. Is it worth an extra $30? That too is relative.. it is to me.. only you can answer the question though. I think the much cheaper MAC is a better alternative than the Henckels.. but that's just IMHO.