Factory vs custom kitchen knives

H

Hotjava66

Joined
Jun 20, 2014
Messages
7
Just looking for some input, in the market for some new good quality kitchen knives. After getting more involved in the forum, I realized there are some seemingly very nice sources for custom knives. Never really thought about it or considered it before now, but I like to spend my money on US products preferably from a small or individual business. Are custom knives on the par or close in price to high end factory stuff and I would assume quality is as good or better? Are there knife makers on here that specialize in kitchen stuff or do it well and if so who are they or who is recommended? How would one go about getting a few knives made?
 
Look in the classifieds here. There are a number of makers on this site who specialize in kitchen knives, and post their work in this section of the forum. Most experienced custom makers can exceed almost any factory knife. Browse through these threads, there was one not too long ago where a number of makers were discussed. :thumbup:

As for pricing, you pay for quality, AND maker name recognition. Anyone with a JS or MS stamp has been tested to standards by the ABS. There are many excellent makers who do not go through this testing though.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1189078-Top-10-manufacturers-of-kitchen-knives
 
Last edited:
Almost non US makers can outperform a factory made kitchen knife.
There are a few makers that can do that, but their prices starts at 500 USD. For a special knife from these makers prepare to pay far more than 1000 USD.

Facotry made usually offers better profile, better geometry, better grind.
I would like to see makers that outperform brands like Konosuke and Masamoto (and doesn't charge you at least 500+ USD) In the low end prices there is hard to beat Torjo and Fujiwara.


But then again, we often go custom for a personal reason and not for performance.
 
Some factory brands and tried and true. The only thing that can be improved on some these knives would be fancy handle material, which some factory brands offer as an option.
I personally like konosuke knives, superb balance and fit and finish. I compare konosuke to Chris Reeve knives. Simple, nice materials and excellent fit and finish. Both round the spine and non cutting edges.
 
The high end factory knives are still $500.00 and up. They are excellent knives, and are the result of years/generations of learning. On the other hand, customs from an EXPERIENCED smith can be equivalent performers. For a home cook, a nice custom from someone who has better than rudimentary understanding of how a blade works can get you a way better knife than a Global, Wustoff, or Victorinox. This is comparing apples to oranges though, but these are the companies a lot of users gravitate to when upgrading. I am working on a 240mm gyuto for a friend's daughter now as an upgrade from her husband's collection of what he thought were good knives. It will be a surprise birthday present for him. Her husband fell in love with a 240mm gyuto I made her father earlier this year. In a custom of mine, you get a perfectly heat treated blade in the low to mid 60's (depending on steel choice) rather than the 56-58 you see in a lot of production knives under $200.00. The edges are below 0.010" as well. In addition, she was able to pick a nice Hawaiian mango handle which was meaningful for her as they had their wedding in Hawaii last year. I don't claim to compete with the high end knives, but what I offer is hell of a lot better than what these users are gravitating to.
 
Murray Carter is one of the best out there. His Kuro Uchi series is back in stock -- very reasonably priced, insanely thin, and perfectly ground. Bonus: none of those gauche "bling" handles like other custom makers use.
 
Murray Carter is great. I have a knife from him and love it. He is a highly respected kitchen knife maker.

However if you want a 200+ Guyto the prices are high even on his Kuro Uchi series. They are also hard to come by.
But most home chefs will make it through the day with a smaller knife. My GF uses 150 as her biggest/longest knife.

A great factory knife is not that expensive:
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohdkn.html

But Id recommend Murray Carter any day. He is fantastic.
So is Devin, Bill and Marko.
 
oivind_dahle said:
Murray Carter is great. I have a knife from him and love it. He is a highly respected kitchen knife maker.

However if you want a 200+ Guyto the prices are high even on his Kuro Uchi series. They are also hard to come by.
But most home chefs will make it through the day with a smaller knife. My GF uses 150 as her biggest/longest knife.

A great factory knife is not that expensive:
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohdkn.html

But Id recommend Murray Carter any day. He is fantastic.
So is Devin, Bill and Marko.
Click to expand...

Marko is superlative for design, but for being a "new" maker, his prices are fantastically expensive.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Well Marko has worked with knives for a long time before starting making them.
He is also famous for his handles and sayas :)

Never the less: Ive tried his knives and love them.
Here is a review of one of his first knives:

http://darkhoek.blogspot.no
 
Kohai999 said:
[Maumasi] is superlative for design, but for being a "new" maker, his prices are fantastically expensive.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Not really when you consider D. Lisch's involvement and the level of work. Plus, age doesn't mean much when you have skill. Shoot, Mozart was composing musical works at 5 years old...
 
somber said:
Not really when you consider D. Lisch's involvement and the level of work. Plus, age doesn't mean much when you have skill. Shoot, Mozart was composing musical works at 5 years old...
Click to expand...

Considering EVERYTHING....

$1,500+ for a damascus chef's knife is significant. I can get three accomplished ABS MS 'smiths(that I know of) to make me a similar knife for half the money.

Mareko is currently using Dave's space to work....that's it as far as involvement by Dave goes.

I LIKE Mareko's work.....very much, but I can also purchase a fantastic Kramer SS damascus 8" chef by Henckles(...oh wait.....Bob GAVE me one, even better:D) for about $400.00 with a lifetime warranty.

I told him this when we spoke at the Seattle Show. Doesn't mean he won't sell everything he makes....just means I am not one of the people willing to purchase at this point.

I did see Marko at Seattle, he was sold out. His prices were very reasonable comparitively(read that as less)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Considering EVERYTHING....

$1,500+ for a damascus chef's knife is significant. I can get three accomplished ABS MS 'smiths(that I know of) to make me a similar knife for half the money.

Mareko is currently using Dave's space to work....that's it as far as involvement by Dave goes.

I LIKE Mareko's work.....very much, but I can also purchase a fantastic Kramer SS damascus 8" chef by Henckles(...oh wait.....Bob GAVE me one, even better:D) for about $400.00 with a lifetime warranty.

I told him this when we spoke at the Seattle Show. Doesn't mean he won't sell everything he makes....just means I am not one of the people willing to purchase at this point.

I did see Marko at Seattle, he was sold out. His prices were very reasonable comparitively(read that as less)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

I was under the impression, from speaking to D. Lisch at OKCA this April, that his involvement was more than just the workspace.

Comparing a ZWILLING Kramer to a knife made by someone like Rader, Burke, Carter, or even the real deal, is a stretch. The aesthetics of the Damascus is "nice" and the ZWILLING does have a better than average geometry (if we're trying to compare it to that from Shun/KAI or Wustof), but it is not in the same league as the knifemakers mentioned above. If you can get three accomplished ABS Mastersmiths to make you a similar knife for half the money, either you're doing something very right or they're doing something wrong. ;)
 
somber said:
I was under the impression, from speaking to D. Lisch at OKCA this April, that his involvement was more than just the workspace.
Click to expand...

I was at Dave's studio the Monday after the Seattle Show....that information came from both Mareko and Dave.

somber said:
Comparing a ZWILLING Kramer to a knife made by someone like Rader, Burke, Carter, or even the real deal, is a stretch. The aesthetics of the Damascus is "nice" and the ZWILLING does have a better than average geometry (if we're trying to compare it to that from Shun/KAI or Wustof), but it is not in the same league as the knifemakers mentioned above. If you can get three accomplished ABS Mastersmiths to make you a similar knife for half the money, either you're doing something very right or they're doing something wrong. ;)
Click to expand...

I have kitchen knives from many custom makers...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1203875-show-me-your-kitchen-knives

The Kramer ZWILLING compares quite favorably..it's a bit heavier, but the wide blade is constructed wonderfully and the damascus is quite impressive. If you don't agree, it becomes a matter of taste and that is something that neither of us can be "right" about....we just have our own opinions.

I maintain favorable relationships with many in the knife community, and this allows me the ability to frequently get good deals....it's a perk of being an active custom knife collector for over 28 years.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top