In the realm of factory made kitchen cutlery, *my opinion* is that the forging process so vigorously promoted, is strictly sales hype for the unwashed masses, on par with "surgical stainless steel".
The reasoning behind this, is that most "forged" knives from a factory are single blow, or "drop" forged. This process bears little to no resemblance to hammer forging as we knivesmiths refer to it. Drop forging is more related to the hot rolling process that produces bar stock than hammer forging, and lacks any of the later's benefits. It is used by manufacturers because it can be done with very little to no material loss through grinding.
As with any mass produced item, the worth of a factory knife is not intrinsic to its manufacturing costs, but is based strictly on what it will bring from the consumer. Creating the myth of superior (construction, materials, insert the advertised feature of your choice) is the easiest and cheapest way to increase the real value of your product, without increasing it's INTRINSIC value (which costs money).
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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
