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Fly em straight!
Location: Above and Beyond
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Quote:
Originally posted by SecretMethod70
Uh-oh...don't kick my butt for the ranting long post here, but I've worked in the cutlery business for 2.5 years now 
Cutco Cutlery: Easily tops if you're looking for high-quality cutlery that will last a long time. Consumer's Digest rates it the Best Buy as far as kitchen cutlery is concerned. Cutco is the only other high-quality cutlery company that cryogenically tempers its steel besides for Henckels, and it is the only high-quality cutlery of any consequence that's American made. Cutco has been around for 54 years and, for the past decade or so, has been the highest selling cutlery in North America with over $250 million in sales last year. Cutco uses the same high-carbon surgical stainless steel which is used in medical instruments due to its sanitary, yet edge retaining qualities. (Note, Henckels uses excellent steel and the difference truly is fairly minor, so I don't mean to diminish the steel used in Henckels by ANY means.)
One of Cutco's primary benefits is in the handle. It's "Universal Wedge-Lock Handle" was designed by a guy named Thomas Lamb who studied 700 pairs of hands to create a design to fit most people's hand, be it left, right, large, or small. It has won awards and, as mentioned above, is in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Granted, the majority of the hands he studied were those of housewives since that is Cutco's primary market, but that does not diminish its comfort level for the majority of other people as well. The handle is also made of a thermo-resin material which is the same material used on the inside of dishwashers, bowling balls, and NFL football helmets. Because of this, Cutco can be put in the dishwasher and the handles won't fade, so it's fairly dishwasher safe. Still, common sense ought to be used as with any high quality Cutlery - don't put it in a position where it's likely to bang up against other things, and hand washing is always preferred. Lastly, the rivets in the handle are made from a nickel-silver alloy which is a material NASA uses for parts of the space shuttle due to its temperature resistant qualities. They are flush with the handle and don't expand or contract with changes in temerature so they don't come out of the handle or create crevasses where food and bacteria can reside. Overkill? Perhaps, but it ensures quality in the rivets. Most importantly, the rivets aren't brass, and neither are the rivets in Henckels or Wusthof.
There can be a downside to the handle however. If you've been trained in culinary arts and choke up on the blade when you're holding it, or if you picked this up somewhere along the course of your life, then the handle will not be comfortable for you. It is designed for your average home user and the way in which they typically hold a knife. Consequently, many chefs because of their training find Cutco uncomfortable and this also caused a very unfavorable rating in Consumer Reports since the person who tested the cutlery for them was trained to choke up on the handle. However, chefs who are ued to the Cutco handle love it because it's comfortable for them (and for the other reasons stated here of course). Not unlike most other brands of high quality cutlery, Cutco also has a advisory board of world-reknowned chefs. You simply need to think about how you hold the knife - it works for most but not for all.
As far as the blade goes, Cutco has a hand-applied recessed edge on the majority of its blades. It is called a "double-d" edge and, while it looks serrated, it is basically a straight edge for all intents and purposes. The way it works is that it has points which do not cut but instead protect inside straight-edge blades. Because of this, it cuts precisely like a straight edge, but the points allow a typical double-d knife to last 7-10 years with normal, everyday use (i.e. not in restaurants). Some edges are straight edge due to their uses, such as the chef's knife.
In my opinion, the most significant advantage to Cutco comes in the guarantee though. It has been the same and has been honored for all 54 years of its existance. <a href="http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/journal.php?s=&journalid=4&action=view#Guarantee...">Cutco's Forever Guarantee</a> Basically, because of the guarantee a Cutco knife will always be as good as new. I've literally seen people simply send back a 40, 50, whatever-year-old knife and receive a brand new one to replace it - free of charge.
Lastly, the other downside to Cutco is that it's not sold in stores, so if you want some you need to look up the number to an office nearby to have a representative show you, or simply buy over the phone (products can be seen at cutco . com).
Why do I know all this? Well, I've worked for Cutco for the past 2 and a half years and am currently an assistant manager. I speak moreso from experience than training though - I've seen people's used Henckels, Wusthof, Chicago Cutlery, Ginsu - you name it - and I've heard their stories about them. And I've seen how well Cutco compares. I've also seen statistics, been to the factory, etc etc. So, yeah, I'm a bit biased, but facts are facts nonetheless.
My recommendation is that it really depends what you're looking to do and where you are in your life. If you're looking to buy cutlery that you intend to use for many years to come, then I'd recommend investing in Cutco. Or at least Henckels - it truly is great stuff. Save up the money if need be and get a $700-800 set of Cutco or a $1000-$1300 set of Henckels. Not meaning to make my bias too obvious, but with the Forever Guarantee you at least know you'll never have to buy cutlery again. Perhaps get some Cutco and then if you don't like it simply return it and get Henckels.
If you're a college student or something and are not looking to invest in high quality cutlery - paying at least $400 for a medium sized set (anything less is really too cheap) - then just get the really cheap stuff from your local grocery store for now and invest in high quality cutlery later on.
It'd be stupid of me not to offer to assist in anyone interested in Cutco if you have any questions or would like any, but you truly would have a better understanding if you're seriously interested in high quality cutlery to request a demonstration from someone in your area. (Unfortunately, chances are, you may get one of the idiots who didn't pay attention to anything his managers told him. I deal with far too many of those *rolls eyes*)
I hope that helps and that, if purchasing high quality cutlery, you settle for nothing less than Wusthof or Henckels at least. It's amazing how many people have truly terrible knives even though it's one of the most used tools in the home.
Oh yeah, and as far as "brainwashing" that I saw mentioned a bit earlier concerning the method in which Cutco is sold, that's a whole other post, but suffice it to say there's a reason why we're written up in 8 different marketing textbooks and taught in 300 level marketing classes at Illinois State University, Purdue University, and others.
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I used to be a rep for Cutco Cutlery so I am very pleased to see it is still help is such high regard. I was very successful selling it because I had many pieces from other sets that I would give demonstrations with.....Cutco would always outperform all other cutlery on every level. My favorite piece is the scissors....the multipurpose ones that you can cut through pennies with and not even scratch it....good shit!
Being a salesperson, you have to firmly believe in the products you are selling and I woudl recommend Cutco over any other make.
Happy Chopping! |