Confronting the cult of Cutco.

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Heat treatment also a factor, maby cutco doesn’t heat treat their knives well enough or does poor heat treatment job. It can make them difficult to sharpen or unable to get them sharp.

I’ve tried few blue2 knives before, most of them are easy to sharpen and gets sharp quickly on stones. But there’s one blue2 I just can’t get it sharp doesn’t matter how much time I put into the sharpening.
 
Ethan Becker told me the Cutco bread knife is the best one on the market. But then he works for Cutco (KABAR and Cutco are one company). I've me the head guys at Cutco and yes its all about marketing with them. Seems to have worked for a long time.
 
Lens Pirate said:
There was a thread on another forum. This nice lady, emerging home chef / foodie and very helpful.
She posts how the cutco rep is coming to Costco and she is going to really splurge. Buy the biggest set.

What followed was utterly insane. The post after post of the most naked confirmation bias, absurd claims about special
cutco edges, that only Cutco could sharpen. Life-time warranties, Ect. It was a Cutco divinity cult.

I lost my mind. I fully engaged called them on the BS with reasoned information about the Cutco knives. I gave options, lots of options.
If she really wanted a "set " of knives I suggested the 17 piece Nexus knife and block set over on Cutlery and Mores web site., BDNI 63 RH steel and great shaped G10 handles. 299 dollars shipped. Thats the cost of 1 or two Cutcos and they are Much better knives,.

NO PROGRESS Not one single person changed thier opinion. Its like Cutco knives have risen to a core belief and people are doomed.

May I never be so sure of anything, may I never refuse the alter my opinion based on new and better evidence. It was scary to watch.

OMG! https://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?item=ultimate-set-with-steak-knives 3260 dollars
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So true!

First and foremost, I am NOT a CUTCO fan.

Having made that clear, I have several CUTCO observations to share:

1. Their kitchen shears are pretty good (and priced very high! I was so impressed I keep a pair in my block and a pair in my knifeblock.

2. Their “special sharpening” is a sales gimmick to sell you more knives. They say only they can sharpen their special “D-serrated” knives. Ha ha ha! What it really is is that the salesman will come to your house, and you will be asked to have friends there. Thy drag your knife over a ceramic sharpening stone that has groves cut in it to match the “D-serrations.” … AND WHILE YOU ARE HELD CAPTIVE THEY DO THEIR SALES PITCH!!!!

3. All the salespeople are financially invested. They buy their stock and the products they demo. It is premised on a multi-level marketing type of thing. If, and when, a salesperson hets out they take a bath on the stock on hand and the commissions from people below them.

I agree that it is a crazy cult following.
 
My brother-in-law that uses Cutco knives if he gets a knife really dirty, he just throws it in the dishwasher.
 
I've bought a lotta nice knives by buying Cutco at garage sales and thrift stores for next-to-nothing, sending them in to the factory for refurbishing and then reselling them on-line. There are two or three items (peeler, shears and spreader come to mind) that I use often, but most of their knives are best used as "trade and upgrade" material
-Mark
 
stringer said:
Have you handled it? How does it compare in use to your Henckels?
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I like my Henckels. The handles are more comfortable. I know my Henckels cut better. They feel better to me. I like heavy knives. I have never used a freshly sharpened Cutco as he said he was going to send them back. He does not have a sales guy come over. He just sends them in to be sharpened or replaced. He has probably been using some of them for more than 20 years.

I really don't cook much because he is such a good cook. He usually has everything planned out for his sister to show off.
 
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Noodle Soup said:
Ethan Becker told me the Cutco bread knife is the best one on the market. But then he works for Cutco (KABAR and Cutco are one company). I've me the head guys at Cutco and yes its all about marketing with them. Seems to have worked for a long time.
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Step 1: Invite him over for dinner, including helping with prep.
Step 2: Pick a dish with a lot of cutting required.
Step 3: Steal underpants.
Step 4: ?????
Step 5: Profit!
 
Well, I for one really, really miss our Cutcos's.

My wife came from a Cutco family and brought them with her. I had Henkel's. They lived side by side for many years (before I discovered J-knives). The blended family worked. I used the Germans. She had all these different knives but only ever used one of them, a Cutco boning knife, for everything. On board, off board it didn't matter. If she was cutting, out came the Cutco.

I never tried to convince her of anything. One day just I slid a JCK petty into the block next to the Cutco. She tried it and never touched the Cutco again.

So one day she did a kitchen purge and all the Cutco's went away (except the boner, which she kept but never uses).

Anyway, I really miss the Cutco's because we have a lot of parties and they made great decoys. I always have to hide the J-knives when a crowd comes over (except her petty). Which now leaves the Germans out for the family to abuse. When we had the Cutco's I could just leave them out and not worry. And honestly, they cut okay enough for parties.
 
Had I not had many years of accumulating knives that make perfect decoys, I'd almost covet some Cutcos now. Tossed carelessly into the sink? Replacement! Dishwashed 800 times? Replacement!

But, alas, the Giant Knife Block Of Shame is there to remind me of my previous limited knowledge, and the Drawer of Real Knives is nicely hidden away from all casual users.
 
Bico Doce said:
Misono is well respected so if they are using 440a then I stand corrected. That description could also apply to 440b & 440c which have the exact same composition except for more carbon. My guess is that they are using 440c but it could be the other variations as well
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The basic line of Misono uses AUS-8, which is similar to 440B, their 440 line is more expensive, I think they are using something like Acuto 440.
 
swarfrat said:
Well, I for one really, really miss our Cutcos's.

My wife came from a Cutco family and brought them with her. I had Henkel's. They lived side by side for many years (before I discovered J-knives). The blended family worked. I used the Germans. She had all these different knives but only ever used one of them, a Cutco boning knife, for everything. On board, off board it didn't matter. If she was cutting, out came the Cutco.

I never tried to convince her of anything. One day just I slid a JCK petty into the block next to the Cutco. She tried it and never touched the Cutco again.

So one day she did a kitchen purge and all the Cutco's went away (except the boner, which she kept but never uses).

Anyway, I really miss the Cutco's because we have a lot of parties and they made great decoys. I always have to hide the J-knives when a crowd comes over (except her petty). Which now leaves the Germans out for the family to abuse. When we had the Cutco's I could just leave them out and not worry. And honestly, they cut okay enough for parties.
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So did you ever figure out how to sharpen a Cutco knife?
 
I had one Cutco Chefs knife decades ago that was gifted to me. I used it on and off over maybe 4-5 years. I never liked the grind or the handle. The steel being 440A felt very similar to the 1970s/80s Aus6 knives that were sold as Surgical Steel. I was never able to get it as sharp as I'd like on stones, and I eventually sharped that knife solely on paper wheels. Eventually I decided to get rid of it and sold it for an unexpectedly high price on ebay. I was quite surprised at the number of people who seemed to be chasing Cutco knives, even used ones.
I have heard of Cutco's marketing system which does sound like something to stay clear of.
If anyone says Cutco knives are "garbage" I wound't have much grounds to argue.
 
Man I see so many of them here in Sacramento. People ask me all the time what I think of them and I (diplomatically) tell them it’s basically a 25 dollar knife with a 150 dollar insurance policy. I’m kinda impressed by how successful they have been with their scheme. I think every person I’ve talked to got them either from their nephew or “the neighbors kid”. That’s a pretty clever strategy. It always surprises me that people don’t recognize just from a glance that they aren’t a quality product. I don’t think they’ve changed their design at all in 70 years.
 
PolishAvenger said:
I've bought a lotta nice knives by buying Cutco at garage sales and thrift stores for next-to-nothing, sending them in to the factory for refurbishing and then reselling them on-line. There are two or three items (peeler, shears and spreader come to mind) that I use often, but most of their knives are best used as "trade and upgrade" material
-Mark
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I agree about shears & spreader. Never used their peeler

I also like their cheese knife.
 
crockerculinary said:
I don’t think they’ve changed their design at all in 70 years
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I think 440A was like the second stainless steel invented suitable for knives. It dates to a 1927 patent. 420 stainless was 1916 and the first stainless steel was patented in 1912. This is all based on steel history posted by Larrin.

I don’t understand why companies are using such ancient steel. Yoshikane uses SLD/ D2 patented in 1928, and Skd/A2 patented in 1942.

We’re still using cast iron skillets though but at least they are cheap (with some exceptions).

But seriously, there have been advances in steel in the last 100 years and the prices charged are sufficient to cover modern steel. They must be priced as antiques.
 
In the late '80's/ early '90's,,, BMW's were outselling Mercedes in California..... after a "market study",Mercede's solution was, raise their price by 30%, and they re-took top spot.

Knife-world parallel; sell a $10. knife for $500.,,,,, offer free sharpening for life,,,, and "bingo", you're in business.

I've handled a 10" Cutco chef's knife that a friend asked me to sharpen. It was a hollow-ground highly polished stamped knife with a plastic handle (diamond pattern handle). The blade was so dull, I doubt that it would "cut" room-temperature" butter. Still, she was very proud to show me her "very expensive" Cutco knife.

Bottom line; if you offered me one for free,,, I'd have to politely say "thanks,,,, but no, thank you".

The last time I saw these Cutco knife sets at Costco Canada, they were asking $1,399. CDN,,, and as usual, eight of the knives in the "set" were steak knives. Fortunately, Costco also sells a beautiful 8-piece steak-knife set from Laguiolle for $36. Canadian.

Cutco,,,,, the "Tupperware-party" of the knife world.
 
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crockerculinary said:
Man I see so many of them here in Sacramento. People ask me all the time what I think of them and I (diplomatically) tell them it’s basically a 25 dollar knife with a 150 dollar insurance policy. I’m kinda impressed by how successful they have been with their scheme. I think every person I’ve talked to got them either from their nephew or “the neighbors kid”. That’s a pretty clever strategy. It always surprises me that people don’t recognize just from a glance that they aren’t a quality product. I don’t think they’ve changed their design at all in 70 years.
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Cutco started out as a pyramid scheme; "selling" not only knives, but "selling" the possibility of "starting your own business" by recruiting friends and family as potential buyers and re-sellers of Cutco knives. Their initial target group was college students. Door-to-door sales were also part of the business model, just like "The Fuller Brush" man, or vacuum-cleaner salesmen, or Tupperware parties.
 
Bobby2shots said:
Cutco started out as a pyramid scheme; "selling" not only knives, but "selling" the possibility of "starting your own business" by recruiting friends and family as potential buyers and re-sellers of Cutco knives. Their initial target group was college students. Door-to-door sales were also part of the business model, just like "The Fuller Brush" man, or vacuum-cleaner salesmen, or Tupperware parties.
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Would you like to buy some Amway? Mary Kay? Avon? Herbalife?
 
Bobby2shots said:
In the late '80's/ early '90's,,, BMW's were outselling Mercedes in California..... after a "market study",Mercede's solution was, raise their price by 30%, and they re-took top spot.

Knife-world parallel; sell a $10. knife for $500.,,,,, offer free sharpening for life,,,, and "bingo", you're in business.

I've handled a 10" Cutco chef's knife that a friend asked me to sharpen. It was a hollow-ground highly polished stamped knife with a plastic handle (diamond pattern handle). The blade was so dull, I doubt that it would "cut" room-temperature" butter. Still, she was very proud to show me her "very expensive" Cutco knife.

Bottom line; if you offered me one for free,,, I'd have to politely say "thanks,,,, but no, thank you".

The last time I saw these Cutco knife sets at Costco Canada, they were asking $1,399. CDN,,, and as usual, eight of the knives in the "set" were steak knives. Fortunately, Costco also sells a beautiful 8-piece steak-knife set from Laguiolle for $36. Canadian.

Cutco,,,,, the "Tupperware-party" of the knife world.
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Cookbooks & knives - I have reached a point of great discrimination. I have run out of shelf space and block space. It really takes something special to claim a slot in my blocks or a space on my shelves. CUTCO just does not “make the cut”
 
Jeff said:
Cookbooks & knives - I have reached a point of great discrimination. I have run out of shelf space and block space. It really takes something special to claim a slot in my blocks or a space on my shelves. CUTCO just does not “make the cut”
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That is the beauty of Cutco, they come with their own block. No need take up a slot in your existing block. I'll put you down for the deluxe package, now who in your friends and family would also like to get in on this?
 
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