More Discussion:
>Guarantee - I've owned Henkles 5 star cutlery.
>On two of my knives the tips broke off. Did
>Henkles replace them? No. They told me their
>guarantee covered defects only in workmanship.
>Henkles wasn't worth the money. However, when I
>chipped my CUTCO chef's knife, they gave me a
>BRAND NEW ONE FOR FREE!
Cutco's money back guarantee is for 15 days, not 15 business days. The forever guarantee is nice, but a couple nitpicks: "Should you damage your CUTCO through misuse or abuse, we will replace the item for one half of the current retail price." it needs to be sent in to Cutco "with an explanatory note" and Cutco is the sole determinor of what is misuse or abuse (such as chipping your knife), also the "guarantee is intended solely for consumer/in-home use." Don't believe me? Check out the cutco website yourself:
http://www.cutco.com/jsp/customer/guarantee.jsp
Also, as the review states, there are other companies with nice guarantees as well.
>Stamping - So what if the company logo isn't
>forged into the blade. The design of the handle
>AND the Double D edge are exclusive to CUTCO.
Stamping vs. forging isn't about the company logo. Do some research and find out for yourself what makes a good knife instead of listening to a Cutco rep or the Cutco company. The forging process randomises the metal particles for a slightly tougher knife. It also permits the differing thicknesses of metal which is necessary for a heavy raised bolster between the knife handle and knife blade. Forged knives have more metal than stamped knives and thus are heavier. The forging process enables extra metal proportioning to give the knife perfect balance. Most prefer the weight of a forged knife. It feels heftier and more substantial.
Forged knives generally are thicker, have more heft, hold an edge better, provide bolsters which brings better balance and safety, and obviously have been made with a lot more care and craftmanship. The forging process enhances the flexibility, density, and hardness, and better solidifies the structure of a knife.
>Handle - Uncomfortable? In 1949, ALCAS spent
>over 1 million dollars perfecting that handle.
>Dr. Thomas Lamb tested over 700 pairs of hands
>to get that shape. It's on display at the
>Smithsonian as the best example of ergonomic
>correctness.
Sure the handles were designed to be comforable- all handles are designed that way! And like all good salepeople, Cutco even has a good story to tell about it. That doesn't mean they actually ARE comfortable. When Consumer Reports has an issue with the comfort of the handle... well where there's smoke there's fire (actually a lot of fire since the type of plastic the handles are made out of, celluloid plastic, is highly nitrated and self-oxidizing like the gun cotton in smokeless gun powder thus highly flammable- not good for a kitchen knife)
>Double D Edge - You CAN resharpen the DD edge.
>I had mine serviced last week. My knife lady
>came over for free to resharpen them just like
>she does every month!
Other knives you can sharpen yourself, with Cutco knives you need Cutco to sharpen them for you. I will refer you once again to Cutco's own website:
http://www.cutco.com/jsp/customer/guarantee.jsp
"For resharpening of Double-D® or straight-edged knives, send them along with a return shipping and handling fee of $5.00 (1-3 items) or $8.00 (4 or more items) to the CUTCO address below."
You have to pay for them to be sent in and sent back all the while without your knives. I've heard of representatives of the company coming out and sharpening them for you, but there is obviously good reason they don't state this on their website.
the Double-D edge it is in fact another type of serrated edge. Cutco calls their serrated edge "Double D" just like Spyderco calls their serrated edges "Spyderedge." Only the Spyderco isn't trying to fool anyone and markets their as a superior serration pattern while Cutco tries to claim theirs is different.
But anyone who knows anything about knives can tell you the ^^^^ pattern on the edge (take a look at the cutco.com website for an explanation and drawing, currently at:
http://www.cutco.com/jsp/catalog/features.jsp ) makes it a serrated edge. The whole double-d thing is just hype like everything else about the knives.
The problem with the serrated pattern is that it doesn't make a clean cut- nicks and tears in the food is made. Serrated knives are generally only good for fibrous vegetables and bread- where it is needed. Cutco reps may claim that it makes a clean cut, but this is only true for cutting stuff you can press straight down on (like butter), but for things you need to slide the blade back and forth on (like meat) the teeth will tear it up.
That's fifteen BUSINESS DAYS...actually 3 full weeks.
Guarantee - I've owned Henkles 5 star cutlery. On two of my knives the tips broke off. Did Henkles replace them? No. They told me their guarantee covered defects only in workmanship. Henkles wasn't worth the money. However, when I chipped my CUTCO chef's knife, they gave me a BRAND NEW ONE FOR FREE!
Stamping - So what if the company logo isn't forged into the blade. The design of the handle AND the Double D edge are exclusive to CUTCO.
Handle - Uncomfortable? In 1949, ALCAS spent over 1 million dollars perfecting that handle. Dr. Thomas Lamb tested over 700 pairs of hands to get that shape. It's on display at the Smithsonian as the best example of ergonomic correctness.
Double D Edge - You CAN resharpen the DD edge. I had mine serviced last week. My knife lady came over for free to resharpen them just like she does every month!
Scams - These are college kids just starting out. Not just anyone can work at Vector. I know because I did my research before allowing them to come into my home. When Amy first came over, she even called her manager during the demo to see how many free items she could give me. Plus, they are a member of the Better Business bureau AND the Direct Selling Association. If you don't believe me, go here:
http://www.dc.bbb.org/report.html?compid=W70005255&national=Y
or
on the DSA website, proof that CUTCO is a member:
http://www.dsa.org/directory/index.cfm?fuseaction=show_CompanyMember&MemberID=GRS%)E>NUG]/
I hope you find something that works for you!
Just had to say that my husband and I were talking about getting a new set of knives and I mentioned Cutco and he said "no way" turns out he went to their training course to become a sales person and decided that the knives and the company were not for him. I found some similar statements from other Cutco sales people while doing a search on Cutco knives and found that interesting.
Just wanted to make a comment about what you said about the Double-D edge. You said that it is like a serrated edge. I will say that it looks somewhat like a serrated edge but looks can be decieving. It doesn't cut with the points that you say wear down, it actually cuts with three STRAIGHT EDGES. Therefore, it can cut forward, backward, AND straight down. Also, the three straight edge blades (and, if you can, image this) cut cleanly just like the straight edges that you talk about except with one huge difference--they don't hit the cutting surface (which is what dulls the blade) so they stay sharp MUCH longer (at least 7 years) than a regular straight edge. How long do your knives stay sharp? How much time do you waste sharpening your knives? So before you talk about a blade that you know NOTHING about, do some research!! By the way, Cutco is made in the good ole U.S.A. Can you say that about your knives? Support America!!
I just wanted to make a comment that I don't know much about the bells and whistle's of Cutco knives, but I have been in the restaurant business for almost 15 years in addition to two years in culinary school and Cutco knives have come up several times. I think there shall be no argument that they are good knives, but that the argument lies within the durability for at lease professionals like myself. When a knife is being used in our business for 12 to 15 hours each and every day it needs to hold up. Cutco may work exceptionally well for the home cook, but cannot with hold the rugged conditions of the professional kitchen. After research in one of my classes on how to choose appropriate knives for the professional kitchens, almost always the knife/knives chosen were the Henkles
So psychictingler seems to be saying thermoresin is a plastic that has a higher melting point than most other plastics. How nice, even though there are many other knives are out there that can be bought at a fraction of Cutco's price that have injection molded rivoted plastic handles with a higher melting point than most other plastics. I must say that the selling hype Cutco uses about it is incomparable though.
oh, and I read hardyslicer go on about a 15 day unconditional money-back guarantee and claim: "YOU CAN NOT BEAT THAT!!!" Then I go over to Sears this weekend and find out everything in their store has a 30 day money back satisfaction guarantee. And on second thought a lot of stores, even Walmart, have such guarantees. It makes me wonder why Cutco's is only 15 days?
One point that I would like to clarify is that the thermoresin is more like a thermoset. In the polymer field, the thermoset is a crosslinked polymer that is essentially one giant molecule. It would therefore have a much higher melting point than non-crosslinked polymers.
that reviews about knives can end up being so controversial! Anyway, sorry for the H, but I didn't learn about the particular set - yes, your title indicates what the review is about. Personally, I love my Cutco knives (I only own three, and they were wedding gifts almost 12 years ago, and are still perfect and my absolute favorites), especially the way it's designed to fit my hand perfectly.
1)tempering: not only does Wustof forge their knives, but so does Henckles with their Professional "S" series, Sabatier with their Cuisine de France series, Dickie with their best knives and many other of the best knives in the business. I guess you are trying to state that although every world class manufacturer (not to mention cooking enthusiast, professionals, and knife enthusiast) has found forged knives to be better even though they cost many times more to make because of making a better blade and edge, Cutco must be an exception... As for sharpness, you may think they stay razor sharp but in reality only the crevices of the blade edge are. You see serrated edges like cutco look like this: ^^^^^^
when contacting the food the points get worn down rather quickly but the crevices stay sharp, so it may seem like it is razor sharp but in reality only the crevices are. It can never be as sharp as a well maintained plain edge, the edge preferred by cooking enthusiasts and professionals. Maybe a serrated edge is better at cutting rope, but the best kitchen knives are not made to cut through rope, they are made to make a good, clean cut on food.
2)Cutco has no better balance than any other stamped, full-tang knife (of which finding one other stamped knife at even half the cost of Cutco is almost impossible). Bolsters not only keep your hand from slipping onto the knife's sharp edge, but also allow better heft, feel, and balance. Which is why all the best knives have them.
3)When slicing, those in the know prefer a plain straight edge. Reason being it is that it makes a clean cut. The double D edge has nicks and points in it and should you have to slide the edge against the food instead of pushing straight down like you do in just about every food except butter, the double D edge just like any other serrated edge will make little tears in the food.
4)The leading consumer magazine that stated Cutco has a problem with corrosion seemed to hint that it may have to do with the type of metal used, polishing, or coating. All types of knives are washed in areas of higher iron content in the water, most do not seem to have the same problem.
as for the rest:
-thermo resin handles could be interpreted as:
injection molded plastic handles, nothing special about that, only thing special is the selling hype
-you can find rivoted, full-tang, stamped knives anywhere, even Target for about 1/5 of the price
-Cutco is made of 440A grade steel which is not the best grade, 440C is used on most of the top knives in the world, not only does it cost more but is used because it makes a better sharper, more durable knife.
-Henckles Twinstar Plus Series and Chicago Cutlery among few other have a lifetime warranty. They may not be as good as Cutco's, but a guarantee doesn't help the performance of the knives at all. A guaranteed piece or manure is still a piece of manure.
-We must not be looking in the same places, I had no problems finding Wustof at the same price or less than what Cutco reps are offering them for. retail stores have very tough competition and lower their prices to the lowest they can possibly lower them to, often times much below the suggested manufacturer retail price. Cutco is not sold in the same market but sold at people's past people's doorsteps where you cannot comparison shop instead. Also, cutco is not sold elsewhere. Their reps are given a fixed price they cannot go below. No one else can sell it for lower. Because Cutco has people who know very little about knives (and taught very little about knives other than Cutco's features) sell it to friends and family that trust them, know very little about knives, and want to help them out; they are able to sell Cutco at the inflated price you see.
p.s. Yes I have used Cutco.
While some of the things in your epinion are valid, most of your "cons" are things which most people love about Cutco. Though everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I think that you are misinforming people about the product.
