American made knives

Clavin · November 2010

I have a 20 year old set of Henckels to which I have no particular attachment. The carver has about a half inch broken off the tip and the utility knife is long gone.

I would like to replace those two with good quality last for a long time knives.

Any good quality, Made in USA knives out there? The only ones I've seen at the stores are the German or the Japanese knives.

thanks

Slotmercenary · November 2010

www.cutco.com

stike · November 2010

WWSis found some nice looking "Lamson Sharp" knives. Here's the few she bought.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=997698&catid=1

i am leery of cutco. i think their selling ability is stronger than their knife-making ability.

if you are used to heavier, forged knives, i don't think you'll be happy with the stamped cutco stuff. no offense to cutco owners.

jeffinsgf · November 2010

I'll second Stike's suggestion to look at Lamson Sharp. I have mostly Global and Forschner knives (Japanese and Swiss, respectively). Forschner is an excellent value in a professional level knife. They don't get the media attention of Henkels or Wustoff, but they're every bit the same quality, in my opinion. Global, Henkels and Wustoff are fine quality, but you're paying for the name. If I had to replace my knives today, it would be Lamson Sharp and/or Forschner. My Lamson Sharp utensils (tongs, forks, etc.) are by far my favorites, and the ones I always reach for. I have a Lamson Sharp knife that I found in a flea market that I like a bunch and is now in my "travel kit".

I've been selling woodworking tools, and more specifically a sharpening system for knives and woodworking tools, for about 20 years, so I'm acutely aware of things like steel quality and tool feel.

gdenby · November 2010

Here's an interesting shop:

http://www.warthercutlery.com/catalog/index.php?osCsid=i5dgbbsno32qergeigtk8u71t3

The steel they use, 440C, is pretty good, and they say they are upgrading to an even better quality.

The blade tooling is rather pretty, too.

Fidel · November 2010

Why is the country of origin of concern? I don't understand why you don't seek to purchase the best knives you can within your budget.

The German and Japanese steel are terrific (as you bear witness based upon 20 years' use from the Henckels) - why exclude them from consideration simply because they ride in a boat before you get your mitts on them?

jeffinsgf · November 2010

Have you ever been to the museum, gdenby? Absolutely amazing.

gdenby · November 2010

Haven't had the opportunity. My wife has an old friend that lives about 30 m. away, so maybe if we visit her, we could take a side trip. Looks like a fun place.

jeffinsgf · November 2010

The carvings are really old now, but the detail that he put into the locomotives is simply amazing. That the pieces are mostly hand carved, rather than machined really makes you stand there with your mouth open. The tour is pretty hokey/touristy, but when they finally stop talking and let you take your time, it is worth the trouble to go out of your way.

fishlessman · November 2010

dont know if ginsu is still american made, you may laugh, but they make some blades with some pretty good steels now. google ginsu hanaita. the vg1 is about as hard a steel as you would want in a kitchen knife. the lamson sharp is an all around good knife, blade is a little softer but it sharpens easily

Egghead-Sooner · November 2010

This is just me, but of the few remaining manufacturing companies left in America, I would choose to support them because they buck the trend of outsourcing labor to cheap countries. Our economy is doing bad enough to continue adding to the trade deficit our country has.

Clavin · November 2010

yeah, thats why.

I haven't eliminated Japanese or German products, but rather I was wondering
if there are some decent USA knives that don't get front row exposure at Williams Sonoma or Bed Bath y Beyond. I did go to the Lamsonsharp website and they look interesting.

I won't buy a p.o.c., but I would at least try to buy American if I can.

p.s. big fan of OK City. Stationed there for 4 years whilst flying AWACS out at Tinker.

Clavin · November 2010

will the Ginsu cut through an Army boot and still slice tomatoes paper thin?

DrZaius · November 2010

I am taking delivery of a couple of knives from Cut Brooklyn in January. A little pricey and you have to get on a list but everything I have heard and read says they are as good if not better than Jap steel. I will post more when I get them in my hands.

http://www.inthemo.com/spots/spots.aspx?id=32911949-9E24-4485-9AC3-3C603ECBAC69

http://cutbrooklyn.com/artwork/1578512_Prospect_240.html

gdenby · November 2010

There are quite a few wonderful American craft knife makers, such as Cut. I've ogled their work for several years. But, like the high end Japanese knives, the prices and waiting time have held me back. (check out Devin Thomas, absolute wonders.)

Ed on Cape Cod · November 2010

Cut Brooklyn, http://cutbrooklyn.com/home.html, looks interesting

lowercasebill · November 2010

i want to buy a piece of his damascus and put it in a frame as art.. i have this fantasy of turning a piece of his steel into my perfect knife ...

lowercasebill · November 2010

many many years ago the ex got me a set of ginsu knives as a joke ,, who knows what kind of steel they were at that time ..the joke was on her ,, we used them for years and they were actually quite serviceable. they slowly dissapeared into the vacuum of college dorms and apartments

Mr. & Mrs Potatohead · December 2010

You all have heard me sing the praises of the "old" Chicago Cutlery I have and yes, I know the new stuff (newer than the 60's / early 70's) isn't so good any more...And yes, I also know it isn't American made any longer either.
But, what about Dexter-Russell? Anybody have some input here?
From what I remember (from relatives working in the meat packing industry, again in that 60's time frame) they and Chicago were the standard.

tsheehan7 · December 2010

Is Kershaw not an American company?

fishlessman · December 2010

my fillet knives are dexter russell, i have the traditional carbon steel ones. the steel takes a sharp edge but the edge doesnt last too long, when filleting i need to keep swiping it on a stone to keep the edge working properly. its really easy to keep it sharp but you do need to work at it. handles are wood and pretty rough on the series i have which is actually a good thing working with slippery fish

Rusty Rooster · December 2010

I have never owned any but is not Chicago Cutlery American made?

fieroguy · December 2010

Not anymore.

Salmonegg · December 2010

From what I've read, these are among the best knives available. A little spendy, though:

[li]http://kramerknives.com/[/li]

American made knives

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