Cutco Knives


 
Gene Brownson

Gene Brownson

TVWBB All-Star
Awhile back JimK posted a thread pertaining to some cutlery, Shun knives. I checked into them and juuuust a little bit outta my league. I'd probably wind up in my shed, with my Weber products....and those knives. Don't get me wrong, I love the outdoors but, kinda spoiled at this stage in my life to some creature comforts :)
So, I spoke with my fine Italian friend who knows how to get things done, you know what I mean? He tells me "Gene!!! don't do it, they're junk!!" What do I know, I'm just a caveman looking for a better way to make fire :) I go up to see him and he brings out his cutlery and proceeds to educate me on some of the qualities to look for. He, being the "thrifty" one he is, is always at estate sales, yard sales and flea markets, tells me to check out eBay for some cutco knives. Made here in the God bless USA and has a lifetime warranty regardless of where they were purchased and how ever many owners there were.
My reason for doing this, I feel like the junk we bought many years ago at one of the box store for $40, was just that...JUNK! As you all know it's a lot of work to prep and cook and clean up from all this and any way to make life easier doing this, is GREAT! Cutting up veggies or trimming and slicing meat with a dull knife stinks.
So I found 2 knives with the guidance of da godfadda. 1 10" chef's knife and a butcher knife. To buy both at retail would've been near or more than $300. I bought them both for under $100 :)
On my St. Paddy's Dat PSB, I come so close to removing one of my thumbs, I barely nicked it and cut myself. I must say, chopping those onions was a breeze and I highly recommend them if you're looking for some. Here's what I got for $98
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Just a rookie, but I love these and IMHO....they're the best :)
 
My wife and I bought a set of Cutco the year we got married. they've served us well these past 27 years. The lifetime free sharpening service doesn't hurt either. I especially like the ergonomic handles for better grip. My only problem with Cutco knives (for me) is that they use a fairly soft steel for their knives, so that no matter how sharp I get them, they just don't hold a really sharp edge.
A few years ago I bought a 9 inch Masamoto VG Gyutou (chef's knife) here and have been super pleased. The Japanese knives tend to use a harder steel which makes them stain resistant, but not stainless; however they stay razor sharp for ages.
 
Gary H. NJ said:
My wife and I bought a set of Cutco the year we got married. they've served us well these past 27 years. The lifetime free sharpening service doesn't hurt either. I especially like the ergonomic handles for better grip. My only problem with Cutco knives (for me) is that they use a fairly soft steel for their knives, so that no matter how sharp I get them, they just don't hold a really sharp edge.
A few years ago I bought a 9 inch Masamoto VG Gyutou (chef's knife) here and have been super pleased. The Japanese knives tend to use a harder steel which makes them stain resistant, but not stainless; however they stay razor sharp for ages.
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Intetesting point Gary. Me being the novice that I am, would've never have know.

Congrats in the length if marriage, funny, my wife and I have been together for 27 years also :)
 
My sister was selling those about 26 yrs ago and I bought 3 of them also when I got married and still have them today. They sit in the drawer now as I use my Henckles and Wusthof more but they are there when I need them ready to go.

I guess the marriage and over 25yrs goes with these knives well.....
 
Between several friends and family members that have sold them over the years, I know a lot of people with at least a few pieces of Cutco. They are all still going strong.
 
I "inherited" a set of Cutco knives from my wife when we married; while I found them suitable for my purposes, I wanted to upgrade. After reading the reviews in Cook's Illustrated, I went with the Victorinox brand and have never regretted their purchase. For the money - compared to the prices of other highly-revered brand names - they cannot be beat, IMHO.

Regards,

Rooster
 
This is my first step in upgrading my kitchen utensils. As you all know the knives do all the heavy lifting. I would've never have know had it not have been for JimK sharing the thread about shun knives on sale. That's one of the many things I love about this forum. People sharing their knowledge and experience with not just cooking but everything that goes with it. It's just like all of our other toys though, sometimes you get what you pay for. Jim you probably didn't even realize what you started when you posted that (for me) but thanks. With all the cooking and prep work we all do, it's nice to have some tools that make life easier to get the job done. And thank all of you for your input and honest opinion on this, very helpful.
 
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I purchased some Cutco knives about 15 years ago and they were definitely an upgrade over my previous knives. However, based on a lot of input from the folks here I gradually added more knives based on my particular needs. My Cutco knives are used less and less, but I still use them periodically.

I got lots of good advice from the articles in the publication issued by The Knife Merchant (http://www.knifemerchant.com/). I have Mac’s, Wusthof, Henckels, and Forschner. I would recommend you go to the website above and order the catalog. It has a wealth of info, and I have found this merchant to be customer focused.

I also found the Cutco scissors to be fantastic.

Hope this helps a bit.

Ray
 
Cutco uses 440A grade steel which is ummmm how to say this without offending... very low end steel.

One of the reasons they are expensive is their multi level sales techniques-but certainly not because of the quality of the knife. The free sharpening doesn't cover shipping back and forth which eats into any benefit. Some discussion of Cutco

440A knives can be bought much cheapers than what Cutco sells them for.

I've used different brands (Forschners, Dexters, Japanese with VG-10, and others) both in a work environment and at home... One of the best bangs for the buck knife is Update International's forged line. $11 for a 8.5 inch ($13 for the 10 inch) Chef's knife is a very good deal.

The steel is molybdenum vanadium forged stainless comparable to forged Wusthoff, Victorinox, Henckels (x50CrMo 15), but at a much lower price.
 
Well, I shan't resist . Go to ralph gervasio's site on ebay and have a look at some vintage and antique chef's slicers etc. I have an early PINO that has an almost 14" carbon steel blade. It can be so razor sharp....almost terrifying....but as you draw through the BBB....oh,my....nothing to say...except the anticipation of the homemade bacon in the pan. Ralph is a fine fellow, and an extremely knowledgeable knife lover. Have fun....
 
Yours look pretty nice, but I've never been a big fan of cutco. I tried sharpening one that had close to a factory edge, and it was very roughly ground and the bevel angles on either side were way different from one another, which seemed very odd.

You did the right thing by taking some advice and making a step up. Now that you recognize what a sharp edge can do for you, you'll eventually want to upgrade.

You will see positive reviews for most knives, which I think is a product of most people having cheap knives that they don't know how to maintain. Any new knife will seem like a big upgrade from an old one. What matters most, is how long they stay sharp and how easily they resharpen.
 
Dave from Denver said:
Aren't cutco knives microserrated which makes traditional sharpening methods useless?
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microserration is bs. Sure it works but it tears. A properly sharpened and polished edge is superior but requires more maintenance.

I can microserrate with a couple quick passes with a very coarse stone
 
That's what I'm saying though - it's soft bad steel which is why microserration is used - it gives the illusion of a better edge.

I'd rather take some VG-10 steel and spend an hour over 1000-6000 grit stones any day.
 
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