Cutco Knives

[Jake]

Anyone have experience with knives made by Cutco? They bare made in America with a lifetime guarantee. Strange that they are only sold at Malls or private sales people, but they seem to have a decent reputation. Wide range of styles and applications at a seemingly reasonable price. Any experience? Comments?

By the way, I am in no way associated with this company. I am only curious as to the experience of others with this brand of knife.

 

[camjr]

We never would have purchased them but did so to help the daughter of a friend that was selling them. We bought them for my 12 year old daughter that is turning into quite a baker and chef so she could have her own knives. All in all, they're not bad, but the handles get slick and aren't the most comfortable. Overpriced, but average. There are definitely better products out there.

 

[Mick]

They have been around for a LONG time. I remember hearing about them back in the 60's when they were sold mostly "door to door" (like fuller brush and Kerby vacuums).

I've never owned any of their products so can't comment on their quality or durability.

Cutlery, like shaving products are going to have a lot of different followers and each of them will have their own opinions.

If you are looking for US made cutlery I can recommend this company (been around almost 200 years in the same factory in New England)

http://www.lamsonsharp.com/

They have a range of product from consumer all the way to professional grade.

 

[El Dingo Satanico]

My cousin sells these. There are of a decent quality; I have to agree that the handles are a bit weird. They will repair, replace or sharpen what they sell. I've never bought any, but my family has a bunch of them and they've never had any complaints.

 

[i_shaved_something]

I bought one from a friend who was selling them 20 years ago 'just to be nice' and I liked the looks of the small pocket knife so got one. 20 years later I still have it and it's still sharp and works perfect, only pocket knife I own. I don't use it much but have never had any problems with it, it's a great little knife and am glad I bought it.

 

[miamimoe]

I used the Cutcos for about 2 weeks, when I was staying at a friends house, and I cooked for them every day. My impression is the same as of others above. I found the handles uncomfortable, and very slick if I got some food or oil on them. The blade quality was ok, nothing to write home about. I think you can do a lot better for even less money. For inexpensive knives, the Dexter-Russell Vi-Lo series or Forschner Fibrox make great choices. The Dexters are made in the USA, have high carbon steel, and take a wicked edge. Although I have some fancy Japanese knives (MAC, Tojiro), I have some Dexters and Forschners that I keep as backups, and that I use for very specific purposes-boning, filleting, and butchering. I love my Japanese knives, but if I had to live only with the Dexters or Forschners, I'd be pretty happy. Invest in a good sharpening system, and a good steel, as well.

 

[doug1066]

I have a Cutco carving set and a set of the steak knives. They do the job. I prefer Henkels and Russell knives for serious stuff.

 

[Jake]

I bought a Cutco bread knife from my son's girlfriend, about 6 years ago. It has held up fine and I don't see any problems with the handle or blade sharpness & reliability. I've used it for carving turkey as well, and it works fine. I was visiting my family in Ohio and while walking through a shopping mall, I encountered a kiosk of Cutdo knives. While watching & listening to their spiels, about a dozen different people walked up to see what was going on. Each of the other browsers had a story to tell about their love of Cutco knives. It was like some sort of setup in the mall -- so many fans out there who use the knives daily and love them.

Could be better for the money, and I do have several excellent Japanese knives I've gotten from the 2 recent B&B buying sprees of Japanese knives, but those Cutcos seemed to be fine tools, discounted heavily when sold in the mall, and with a lifetime guarantee.

yet I have read horror stories about young people getting sucked into the Cutco sales deal and paying much more for the training & etc. than they made. But then, not everyone is a salesperson.

 

[aceinyerface]

Stamped 440 stainless, the lowest grade knife steel available.

 

[OldSaw]

Stamped 440 stainless, the lowest grade knife steel available.

Not sure what your source is on this but I like my Cutco knives. They are heaps and tons better than the Chicago Cutlery stuff I used to have.

My Cutco chef's knife is hollow ground and holds an edge well, even under my wife's abuse of sliding it sideways across the cutting surface. I had a Henkels, as well as the Chicago before getting the Cutco and I like the Cutco best.

I was dead set against buying these until I let my neighbor's son do a demonstration and I was very impressed. I thought for sure they would be too expensive, but for around $400 I got a very nice set and even bought a few more items, like the shears, the following year.

 

[aceinyerface]

Not sure what your source is on this

http://www.cutco.com/products/knifeGuide.jsp "Blade material440A High-Carbon, Stainless Steel"

The construction, lacking a bolster, is obviously stamped.

http://www.onlyknives.com/know-your-steel-buying-a-kitchen-knife-set-on-a-budget/ "440A is barely acceptable for a kitchen blade"

http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/kksteelp2.shtml

It is ok to like them, just as long as everyone is clear about their manufacture. The cagey marketing makes it hard to get a hard price on one, reports are they are quite expensive, priced along the lines of the German knives with higher quality forged X50CrMoV15 steel.

 

[johnniegold]

Like many of you, I bought some to help out a friend's son who was selling them while he was in college. I bought a bread knife and the sandwich spreader. I am by no means an expert in the area of knives (I'll leave that to Jim and Ouch) but I have no complaints with the items I have mentioned.

 

[kzoo1]

20+ years on my set of Cutcos. I'll echo most of the sentiments here, there are better, less expensive alternatives. However, their serrated blades hold up very well over the long term. The bread knife, sandwich spreader and steak knives have held up exceptionally well.

If you can find them heavily discounted, I would not hesitate to buy the serrated blades again.

 

[maxman]

We have a set and are satisfied with them. Don't listen to the marketing. They over sell the features.
Yes they are expensive, but you are buying the lifetime warranty more than anything else.
The handles are weird. The stainless is a cheaper grade (who cares?).
But, they are wicked sharp and they will be replaced if they fail.
The first time I used my paring knife, I cut through the potato right into my thumb. It was the sharpest knife I've ever used.

 

[Comet]

I have the fillet knife. I bought it to support my brother's sister-in-law. In my opinion it is an average knife that is overpriced. You can get more knife for the money if you go to F-Dick or Henkels, IMHO.

 

[OldSaw]

http://www.cutco.com/products/knifeGuide.jsp "Blade material440A High-Carbon, Stainless Steel"

The construction, lacking a bolster, is obviously stamped.

http://www.onlyknives.com/know-your-steel-buying-a-kitchen-knife-set-on-a-budget/ "440A is barely acceptable for a kitchen blade"

http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/kksteelp2.shtml

It is ok to like them, just as long as everyone is clear about their manufacture. The cagey marketing makes it hard to get a hard price on one, reports are they are quite expensive, priced along the lines of the German knives with higher quality forged X50CrMoV15 steel.

Thanks for the links. Very interesting reading.

As far as quality of steel is concerned I believe there is a very fine line between the high grade and lower grades, most of which is marketing smoke and mirrors. I also know there is much, much worse quality steel out there because I have seen and used it. I don't need a knife that will last 5000 years after I am gone and be able to withstand things that I will never do to it. In the rare event that I should ever break one of my Cutco knives I can simply return it for a replacement. My mother still has and regularly uses two Cutco knives that belonged to my grandmother, they are probably well over 50 years old.

Pricing is probably the most difficult thing to pin down with Cutco. They are big on selling sets and the more you buy the better the price per piece. If all you wanted was a chef's knife, the price may very well be more than a higher quality competitor. However, if you are buying a complete set (as I did) I believe the price is very competitive and in line with the quality.

I'm not a knife expert, I just know what I have used and from that, what worked well and what didn't. If I buy any more knives at this stage of my life it will probably only be a single knife for a specific purpose. If I really wanted something special I would probably consult someone who knows a lot more than I do.

 

[mano]

We own 4-5 Cutco knives and have friends who have complete sets. An acquaintance has two sons who are high up in the cutco company.

I'm not a fan, however. Compared to my Japanese knives and even good quality German cutlery, Cutco handles are uncomfortable and the serrated blades on most of them tries to compensate for poor edge retention. They're clearly fairly inexpensive to manufacture and that's why they offer a lifetime guarantee and sometimes replace some knives instead of sharpening them. I use them occasionally and they're adequate.

Anyone serious about cooking who spends enough time with a well made knife with high grade steel, sharpened properly and with good balance will most certainly appreciate the difference.

 

[miatapaul]

I would say they are a step up from grocery store knives, but not worth the money they charge for them. That said my mother has a spreader (kind of a spatula with a sharp edge on one side) that is nice for making sandwiches, you use it to spread on the mayo, and mustard, then use the sharp edge to cut it in half. But as a knife, I have not seen one I would keep. They don't get more dull, because they start off dull. I guess it is easy to give a lifetime warranty on a product when you charge 5 or 6 times what it is worth.

 

[Skyrider55]

I found a vintage cutco bird and trout knife at the thrift store. It was pretty beat up. I sent it in for a polish and sharpen and it came back razor sharp. I accidentally sliced the sponge when cleaning it. Maybe the old steel was better. I didn't keep it though. It sold on ebay for $40. So somebody must like them.

 

[letterk]

I sold them in high school back in the early nineties. I was actually pretty good at it and it was a decent job for a high school kid. Never did I pay a dime for their training. Not sure if that's different today. I actually learned some pretty valuable lessons on sales.

I'm not sure why you're saying you can't get an actual price. They have a catalog with prices for every item. Sure, you get a discount on sets, but that's the same for any knife brand.

During my sales visits, I encountered hundreds of people that had owned them 30+ years and never did I have someone complain about them. Almost always they bought more.

I still use my training set I've had for almost 20 years, although I use my Japanese knives far more. My biggest complaint is the handles melt and I've got some that are pretty ugly now. But the blades have all done well enough over the years.

Would I buy them today? No. But not because they aren't a decent product. True, they are overpriced, but you can say that about most knives you find in US stores. But I wouldn't buy them mostly because they are cold and just lack any soul, if that makes any sense. They are terribly boring. I love my Japanese knives and if I had to start over, they would be the only ones I'd buy.

Love that spatula spreader!