Cutco Knives -- anybody familiar?

About 10 years ago, I took a hands-on knife class. The chef/instructor walked around to check our technique and noticed how big my palms are and pulled out a 10" chef's knife for me. It was a perfect fit in my hand and made life so much easier for me. I have both 8" and 10" chef's knives, but barely use the 8" at all.

When I saw your in your post you were using a 7" knife, I wondered how many of the brethren would actually benefit from a 10" knife.

Here is the knife that I use: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Henckels-10-Inch-Carbon-Stainless-Steel-Chefs/dp/B00004RFLJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1424983744&sr=1-1&keywords=henckels+pro+s+chef+knife"]Amazon.com: J.A. Henckels Twin Pro S 10-Inch High Carbon Stainless-Steel Chef's Knife: Chefs Knives: Kitchen & Dining@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21WKC2Z4T2L.@@AMEPARAM@@21WKC2Z4T2L[/ame]

Regarding Cutco - purchased a set of steak knifes from a daughter's friend many years ago. They are my favorite knives for eating.
 
We have a set of the Cutco and they have been real good knifes, holds an edge great.
 
Kinda knife nut here, but not too much of a snob. I like them all.

I've had Henkels and Wustofs and did not really care for them. The blades were to thick and stiff. Sold'em on eBay.

I used to use Dexter-Russels exclusively when I used to cut fish for a seafood wholesaler. Good basic knives.

Currently, I use the Victonox-Fibrox knives for all of my outdoor cooking. They are the best value for the $$ in stamped knives IMHO.

I have a set of F. Dick knives on my kitchen counter for everyday use. They use the exact same steel as Wustof and Henkels, but are a little lighter and thinner. F. Dick markets to culinary school students. They are affordable, basic, durable forged knives. I think I paid ~$300 for the whole block.

I have a Ken Onion Shun that is my "Show Knife" for holidays. It is super sharp, but not an everyday kinda knife.

Lastly, I have a couple of K. Sabatier au Carbone knives. Carbon steel is like cast iron in that it has to be cared for carefully. They will get razor sharp when sharpened properly. I have been working on my sharpening skills, but I still have much to learn.

You need a knife that feels good in your hand and that you are comfortable using.

David
 
Why get just one knife? I got this Victorinox field dressing set and they are great quality for the price.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007JTO99I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : Victorinox Swiss Army Field Dressing Kit : Hunting Knives : Sports & Outdoors@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415I9GEbNQL.@@AMEPARAM@@415I9GEbNQL[/ame]
 
I don't have any knowledge of the cutco. My go to knives are Wustof and Victorinox. Depending on the $$$ I would definitely prefer one of these.
 
RLTXBBQ said:
I would venture to say almost all of us that own Cutco knives bought them because they were "sold" to us by the neighbors kid trying to get through college (in my case) or a niece or nephew family member ect. We mainly were trying to help someone out.
Click to expand...

hahaha, yes! You nailed it right there brother!
 
I have a cutco chefs and a wusthof , they both live in the drawer , I use my $10.00 walmart Faberware knife for just about every thing , i added a rapala filet knife , it works good for trimming and carving
 
As newlyweds the wife and i didn't know any better. we got suckered into buying a 12 pcs. set of knives ,Soup ladle,spatula,potato masher,large (2)
forks for carving meat. No steak knifes. for just about $200.00. and we got a
complete 6 person silver ware set for FREE.That was 50 years ago.
And we still have and use all the pieces to this day.
 
Warning: Knife snob ahead! I'm not Buccaneer, but, almost as bad

(The above in red is borrowed from landarc's post, but also applies to me! )

The Cutco knives are of fair quality, but as pointed out by others, they are overpriced. My recommendation would be to go to a store such as Bed Bath and Beyond, and handle a variety of knives, to find one that fits your hand and cutting style. They carry the Victornox and Wusthof and other brands. Don't buy a "set", but get what you will use 98% of the time. Usually only 2 or 3 knives for most cooks. That way, you will get one that fits your hand comfortably.

As far as a serrated knife, I have one and hardly ever use it except for cutting homemade bread, etc. The one I have is a Wally World special, and when it gets dull, in the trash it goes, and back to Wally World to get it replaced when I think about it.

I have a knife sharpening business as a sideline, and trying to effectively sharpen a serrated kitchen knife to it's original sharpness is a pain, and realistically requires special equipment to do so properly. I tell all my customers to buy a cheap throw away serrated knife if they really need one. ( most do not ) A knife is a personal tool like a good hammer. One size does not fit all. Good luck in your search.
 
I have 3 cutco knives. 2 were wedding gifts (6 years old) and one was a hand me down from my grandparents (over 30 years old). I honestly forgot which one was the hand me down because all 3 are still sharp as ever and cut through meat with ease. Expensive, yes, but made in the land of the free, a liftetime warranty, and free sharpening. You get what you pay for. I use mine every time I grill or smoke for trimming or slicing.
 
landarc said:
Warning: Knife snob ahead! I'm not Buccaneer, but, almost as bad

I have used Cutco Knives, and there are a few points made above that are certainly true. An outstanding warranty, and tough handles, I mean, the handles will not wear. They do hold an edge, for a very long time and can be abused quite a lot, there are reasons for that. To the issue of cost, I am not a fan, $100 a knife is a lot to spend and for something that, at least for me, doesn't feel good to use, it is hard for me to recommend them.

The blades harken back to an American blade philosophy originally pioneered by Buck Knives, of hardening a steel blade to levels that were unheard of in carbon steel. The steel is so hard, that it simply does not wear down as most other steels will. However, the trade-off is it will not hold an acute angle, thus the blades are ground to a 23° to 25° angle, think hunting knife, not kitchen knife here. It will feel sharp, but, never perform as well as a steel blade that is more supple and holds a finer edge.

That handle, it comes slick, plastic and shiny, and it will stay that way. Great for selling, bad with wet hands or with blood or oil coating them. I found these knives were perfect for the perfect cook, for a production cook like me, the thin handles, slick surface and odd contours caused them to never feel secure when I was cutting. I prefer wood handles for kitchen work. Failing that, the highly textures plastic on Victorinox or Sani-Safe knives are also nice, especially when working with fish.

Specifially to the Santoku you refer to, the shape that Cutco has chosen for the Santoku is a European version of the Japanese Santoku shape, and it is a flawed design. The flatness of the overall edge will make the knife awkward for using in all but the most careful of vegetable cutting tasks. A good design for a Santoku rolls the first 20% of front edge up about 15° in a smooth radius. This allows for the knife to exhibit the hyrbid traits of a Chef Gyuto (Western style chef's knife) and a Nakiri (Japanese vegetable knife). In time, I believe you would find that the Cutco Santoku is not a comfortable or fast knife for most cutting tasks.
Click to expand...

retired trucker said:
Warning: Knife snob ahead! I'm not Buccaneer, but, almost as bad

(The above in red is borrowed from landarc's post, but also applies to me! )

The Cutco knives are of fair quality, but as pointed out by others, they are overpriced. My recommendation would be to go to a store such as Bed Bath and Beyond, and handle a variety of knives, to find one that fits your hand and cutting style. They carry the Victornox and Wusthof and other brands. Don't buy a "set", but get what you will use 98% of the time. Usually only 2 or 3 knives for most cooks. That way, you will get one that fits your hand comfortably.

As far as a serrated knife, I have one and hardly ever use it except for cutting homemade bread, etc. The one I have is a Wally World special, and when it gets dull, in the trash it goes, and back to Wally World to get it replaced when I think about it.

I have a knife sharpening business as a sideline, and trying to effectively sharpen a serrated kitchen knife to it's original sharpness is a pain, and realistically requires special equipment to do so properly. I tell all my customers to buy a cheap throw away serrated knife if they really need one. ( most do not ) A knife is a personal tool like a good hammer. One size does not fit all. Good luck in your search.
Click to expand...
Hey Wamp.
I was not going to get involved because you know me and could have asked me, but you asked e'body generally which is cool and because you asked about a brand i don't know about.
landarc has lucked on an accurate answer, he is lucky that way :wink::laugh:
and Omar talks sense, always.
You should do well!:thumb:

If I knew about cutco I would have responded, bro.
 
We have a 8" chef's knife, 6" santoku(ish), serrated bread knife, and a couple paring knives, all Victorinox Fibrox. They have been great. I prefer the chef's knife, my wife often prefers the santoku, but they're cheap, hold a good edge, and super durable.
 
I have Cutco, Wosthof, Chicago Cutlery, (and many others, some I don't even know the brand)...but I got to say

Victorinox, Victorinox, Victorinox.

Victorinox is my go to boning and chefs knives. The ones I use the most. I like the ones with the wide latex handles. You can pick up an 8" chefs knife for around 30 bucks and beat the crap out of it and not feel bad at all. They are great steel for the money. The handles don't get slick when they are wet, good control, and if you loose one at a comp or somehow manage to fark one up (I actually never have to the point where I had to get another) you won't feel bad about losing 30 bucks. Coincidentally, the Victorinox 8" chef's knife is the best tester for knives under 50 bucks for America's Test Kitchen (saw that on PBS last week!).
 
It's sort of funny how Santoku have caught on, and mostly amongst women. It was designed to be a do all knife for the Japanese housewife.
 
buccaneer said:
Hey Wamp.
I was not going to get involved because you know me and could have asked me, but you asked e'body generally which is cool and because you asked about a brand i don't know about.
landarc has lucked on an accurate answer, he is lucky that way :wink::laugh:
and Omar talks sense, always.
You should do well!:thumb:

If I knew about cutco I would have responded, bro.
Click to expand...

So, you have a recommendation bucc? I'm looking for input from those in the know.....
 
Wampus said:
So, you have a recommendation bucc? I'm looking for input from those in the know.....
Click to expand...
I have this knife and I really like it. A great slicer. I even use it to slice long, thin slices of zucchini for grilling. The steel is real good. I got mine at a Costco knife exhibit. They come around from time to time.

http://gunterwilhelm.com/12-ham-slicer-768.html
 
IMHO you really have to go to a store and handle the knives. Maybe see if they will let you cut with them. I have Victorinox 10" chef and love it but I also have an 8" chef and 7" santoku that I use a lot as well. The latter two are from a wolfgang puck block I bought years ago, not the best knives but they are easily sharpened and what I have without breaking the bank. That said if I could pick something awesome, I would go to a knife store and sample, like i originally said. Good luck on whatever you choose.
 
Wampus said:
So, you have a recommendation bucc? I'm looking for input from those in the know.....
Click to expand...

I'm going to guide you to Japanese knives, depending on your intended usage , and since this is special, ask yourself some questions and see where you are headed.
Are you looking to replace your go to Chefs 7 inch with something better, or is there a supplementary knife that you would get a lot of use out of so you keep using your chefs knife?
Are you right handed?
What do you do in your kitchen mostly, veg prep, breaking down large cuts, trimming meat, slicing brisket, tell me that sort of thing?
I use a large gyuto, think a foot long chefs knife, it does almost everything but I trained myself to do that.
I have several chefs and santoku, all I get use out of, and some specialized knives for chicken and fish, and breaking down carcasses.
Tha is probably my favorite knife, but I don't get to use it much.
 
I had some beautiful knives, but I traded them, some cash, the house, and my wife for a couple of ferrets. Best deal I ever cut. Always had a thing for high carbon steel, so I picked up some Old Hickory on the cheap. I like to sharpen, so I don't mind them. I take a small grinder to the handles to add some relief so it's not like holding onto a 2x4.

 
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