Ktchen Cutlery Choices

S

Steve C

Joined
Mar 31, 2000
Messages
60
I want to get a few good kitchen knives for the wife. I'm looking at the Spyderco offerings with MBS-26 steel; specifically the 4.5" and 6.5" utility blades. How do they hold up?

I've been told about a firm called CutCo that supposedly has the best kitchen knives in the world, etc., etc., ad nauseum. I checked out their site and don't particularly like the fact that you have to contact them via e-mail to get any substantive information. But does anyone have any input on these knives?

TIA for any info...

Steve
 
I sold Cutco at one time and found them to be just Ok knives. They are NOT worth the premium
they ask tho. Spyderco makes excellent knives period. So whatever they offer will be of above
average quality. I've just received a set of A.G.Russell's Kitchen knives that is a gift for my son
& his bride for their wedding. These knives are like so many of A.G.'s knives ...Not impressive
to look at but boy do they work as advertized. After the wedding cost are covered I'm going to
get my wife a set for Christmas. A point of intrest here is that the majority of kitchen knives
are abused by their owners who don't understand that really good kitchen cutlery are very fine
cutting instruments .......not just knives. They require care in cleaning and handling. NO
DISHWASHERS!
 
Steve,
The spyderco stuff is pretty nice, I have a couple and the hold an edge great and have held up well. I would try Forschner kitchen cutlery though. That is mostly what I have now and like it very much. Great deal for the money.
As far as Cutco goes, I have heard good and bad. FYI try Cutco's Baton Rouge location on Constitution I think (225/927-6104) if you want to.
By the way, thanks for the tip on those 5.11 pants - I have some on the way!
woody
 
If you are OK with the techno look of the Spyderco knives they are some of the best "using" knives in the world. The MBS-26 alloy gets amazingly sharp. Be sure to get at least one knife with a non-serrated edge with some knuckle clearance for use on a cutting board. Their Santuko (spelling?) is ideal.
 
You didn't specifically mention a price point so, based on your question I'll assume you are looking for quality at a relatively low price point.

I personally own and use some Henkel's Pro-S, Spyderco kitchen, George Tichbourne custom, Chicago Cutlery and, a handful of other strays acquired over time.

On the cheap end, I have found nothing better then the Spyderco line. In particular, their Santuko is a very versatile knife at a good pricepoint. It's thin profile and ergonomic handle with plenty of knuckle clearance will give you years of good service slicing vegtables, dicing ham, etc.

The Chicago Cutlery are good knives in a block set if you are willing to live a set that dulls very quickly. The hollow grind will make the knife wicked sharp for the first few cuts but, it quickly gets dull as a butter knife.

I really like my Henkels Pro-S chinese cleaver. It fits in the same role as the Spyderco mentioned above. It has a more traditional appearnce and gives the appearance of knife that costs significantly more then it really costs. This is a very traditional looking knife line.

While George Tichbourne is a custom maker, his prices compare very favorably with the German mass market lines (Heckels, Wustoff, etc.). These are true custom knives so, if you really know what you want, they will be tweaked to perfection. In my case, I got a larger handle that has a more squarish profile then standard. The red liners between the tang and the paper micarta were for eye appeal. Finally, I had a lanyard hole added for safety (these are very sharp knives after all so, dropping one could lead to serious injury to a a foot or toe).

I should also note that my Trace Rinalid TTKK in BG-42 sees most of its use in the kitchen. A 10 pound sack of potatoes can be sliced and diced without fatique and the knife will still be sharp enough to scare the hairs off your arm before the edge makes contact with them ;)

At ~$200 I would get a K6 and K3 from George Tichbourne. The K3 I received had more of a "Moose Hunter" profile the K3 pictured on his website and it has worked out very well. Check them out at http://www.tichbourneknives.com/kitchen-n.htm and tell Carol I said Hi!

At $120, the Tichbourne K6 gets the nod.

At $50, the Henkels Pro-S is a very good value and a versatile knife.

At ~$50 to $100 set, the Spyderco Santucko with the plain edge slicers are the way to go.

For an heirloom that will treasure (and used) by your great grandkids, and their great grandkids, get as much of Tichbourne set as you can afford!
 
PS. Be sure to have a cutting board! Efficient cutting and long blade life depend on a soft and easily cleaned cutting surface. Both wood and plastic will work. Plastic can be easier to clean and sanitize, but I don't think it is actually a big deal. Get one reasonably large (depends on your storage space). I like to use soft bar/cafeteria trays that I get from restaraunt supply stores. These prevent chopped food and juices from falling on the floor and counters and they are easy to clean. They nest compactly for storage so you can have a couple on hand. I often use one for preparing veggies and one for meats.
 
Oh, I just noticed that you said "for the wife". She is likely to be concerned about looks and feel as much as function. You better take her along with you. She will probably want more attractive handles than the Spydercos. On the other hand, the size (small) and shape of the Spyderco handles may be very comfortable for her.

If you need to watch your budget you might want to look at the rosewood handled Forschner line. I go for the thin non-forged, bolsterless blades as most practical. Take her to a restaraunt supply store to avoid gimmick brands.

If you have money to burn you might go for one of the major German brands (the ones actually made in Germany). I find that thinner blades with the highest blade polish work the best. Forged blades give you heft that you don't need.

If she is very practical, but doesn't like the Spyderco look, see what she thinks of the AG Russell line. They are different looking, but work well and are easy to maintain. If you find a store with Japanese designed knives they are very classy and often very efficient. My wife loves her Japanese vegetable knife (usuba).
 
Thanks much, fellows. Having decided upon SpyderCo as MY knife of choice (old Endura and Wegner; one or the other is always with me), I was leaning toward the Spydie utilities for the kitchen, if for no other reason than the SharpMaker 204 will keep them singing without a lot of effort. The various comments confirmed what I was thinking.

While I would like to have the custom/REAL German blades, I also know that these knives won't be cared for as well as they should be. The Spydercos seem to be most cost-effective option.

So it is written, so let it be done...[G]

Steve

P.S.: Tightwad, many thanks for the insight into CutCo. I had figured as much...
 
Murray Carter (Japanese knifemaker) produces the best kitchen knives I've used. His Muteki line is semi-custom and pretty reasonable. I don't have his website handy, but it should be in some archived threads or available with a search engine.

I like the Forschner, which I believe are a Victorinox line. I got my sister a set of Forschner steak knives that would shave right out of the box.
 
The Victorinox/Forschners are wonderful and will take and hold a razor edge well. They are durable and VERY stain resistant. When I used to work for a grocery store chain I found that just about all butchers use them with good reason. They have a much wider selection than the Spydies too!
 
Steve

Take a look at the A.G. Russell 6" cooks knife. Probably my favorite knife in the kitchen.

Ben Sano
 
The Boker Titanium kitchen knives work very well and look great. I have Trace Rinaldi Tactical Kitchen knife comming and I am looking forward to my first custom in this area.

Regards,

Ed
 
I almost became a Cutco Rep :barf:

Knives you can't sharpen on your own suck in the fisrt place, but for the job they do they are overpriced as well. Better than 50 cent wonder knives, but there are better choices out there for you. By the way, it is hard to find info on them because Cutco sells through reps, and they want you to hear the whole spiel to such you in. It is shard to lure people into paying too much for half decent knives with only a brochure or a simple web site!

I wouldn't overlook the Cold STeel kitchen knives. I bought my mother the 7" one for a mother's day gift a few years ago, and man can that thing cut. I have had to steel the back of the blade 3 times, and this has been the only edge maintenance needed. Lansky makes a Cold Steel Serration Pattern sharpener now too.

I'd also suggest MAC knives, for something less expensive but very effective. These are thin AUS-8, whick take a GREAT edge very easily.

Good luck!
 
Hi!

The Zwilling J.A. Henckes knives are very well. here are 4 star, 5 star, professional S knives and other lines available.

Very well are also the Boker Titanium knives. (as Zoso wrote) and also the Stubai knives.

Best regards,

Martin
www.knifeshop.com
 
just a little bit about cutco. with a complete set, it'd cut your prep time in half, save you $4000 over the next ten years, you can use it every day for the next forty years, and in 40 years will still look brand new, and only need to be sharpened maybe 2 to 3 times. now what other company can say that. there might be others but trust me, cutco has the best guarentee i have ever seen in any kind of product period. so cutco is definitely worth its price. if you want to know anything else about cutco just email because i can answer your questions because i own an almost complete set.:)
 
I have a set of Forschner knives (the three knife set: 10" chef's, 10" slicer, 3" utility).

I got the set on sale for $69 So far, I'm really happy with them. I've used Wulstof's knives before. These work just as well for my needs.


Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top