What to compare CutCo to?

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camel

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Hi,

I was doing some research on CutCo because I recently became a sales rep, and am a very questioning type. I came across the following discussion on this site ("Wusthof, Henckles, Cutco, Sabatier" http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164889) in which a bunch of folks discuss the merits of, among other types of knives, CutCo.

Just so you know, I am not a fanatical CutCo cheerleader and I won't take it personally if you hate CutCo. I've gathered from my reading in that thread that many people in the knife world feel CutCo is overpriced compared to other knives. What I want to know is what line of knives, especially Henckels is/would be comparable to CutCo?

In the sales script I was given, we compare it to the Heckels "Professional 'S'" line. I went on the Henckels site to check it out and had a hard time gathering any hard information on the quality of steel used, etc. I looked up the Consumer Reports article (in '05) where they tested a whole bunch of knives and found that the Professional "S" line scored better than CutCo, mainly on its handle being more comfortable, but both cut very well ("Excellent"). They also found the CutCo knives to be less corrosion resistant than some others, including the Henckels Professional "S," but did include CutCo as a "Quick Pick" for low-maintenance knives.

In any case, if CutCo is overpriced, I want to know what a comparable line would be in terms of quality, so that I could actually compare them price to price. I don't want to lie in my sales pitches, and I want to have an accurate understanding of the situation. Info on non-Henckels comparable lines would be welcome.

One additional thing is that when Consumer Reports rated the knives, they split them into "Fine-Edged" (i.e. need to hone regularly) and "Low-Maintenance" categories. The Henckels Professional "S" was in the "Fine-Edged" cat. and CutCo was in the "Low-Maintenance" cat. So in some ways a more comparable knife might "really" need to be a low maintenance one. They list Henckels "Eversharp Pro" in the same category, but rate it worse on cutting performance. And part of our point is to compare CutCo's low-maintenance to a high-maintenance knife anyway, in the sales pitch, so it's also important to be able to compare CutCo to a non-low-maintenance knife line.

Sorry for the wordiness of this post, if it gets in the way. The main Q:

What line of Henckels would be/is comparable to CutCo?

Thank you very much for your input/advice/help!
-Amanda
 
camel said:
I don't want to lie in my sales pitches
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I don't think you're going to be very successful at selling Cutco knives.

Cutco doesn't care much if you sell any knives or not, though; they make most of their money selling "samples" to people like you. Keep searching Bladeforums and you'll find posts from former Cutco sales people....
 
Camillus made kitchen knives of the same construction (stamped out thin blades with handle slabs riveted on) and of the same steel. Camillus' MSRP for an 8" chef's knife was $36.50, which would be discounted to about $25 for retail sale.

For about the same price at a discount store, you should be able to find a variety of brands that make forged knives (blade and bolsters all one piece) that are about as good as Cutco as far as edge holding. Forged knives are nice because they have more weight (good for cutting) and the weight is usually balanced better too. It isn't absolutely critical to have this, but we wanted a "good" knife, right?

How much does a large Cutco knife go for now?
 
You should sell these instead.
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My experience has been that they are overpriced and overhyped. You can probably sell them to housewives, but not knowledgeable chefs or people that like knives.
 
Thanks for the replies. Here are some prices on some of the larger CutCo knives:
7 5/8" Petite Chef $94
9 3/4" French Chef $104 (thats pretty much the most expensive knife)
9" Carver $75
6 3/4" Petite Carver $71
Butcher Knife $85
Santoku Knife $94

And, for the heck of it, some smaller knives:
2 3/4" Paring Knife $42
Trimmer (also could be called a utility knife) $46

One of the details that distinguishes CutCo knives is the Forever Guarantee that allows people to send in their knives to get repaired or replaced if ever a tip breaks off, or they're just not sharp enough anymore, etc. for free. This increases their value because you can get a new set in 10 or 20 or 30 years for free and if you pass them onto your kids or to friends, they have the same guarantee.

How often have any of you replaced or needed to replace or repair some nice cutlery? How often would you say most people would replace their knives?

I know that knives that need to be sharpened regularly eventually can't be resharpened or their shape changes enough that it's not the same, or something of that nature. How long does it take for that to happen? In other words, what is the lifespan of a knife?

And there are sort of two subparts to that question, because there's CutCo compared to other high quality cutlery, and then there's CutCo (or other high-quality cutlery) compared to the cheaper knives that most people own. And considering that most people probably put their knives in the dishwasher, etc.

I haven't heard of any other knife company having a guarantee/warranty like this, and my thinking is that it is a worthwhile and valuable add-on. What are your thoughts?

-Amanda
 
I believe that a GREAT warranty is the wrong reason to buy a tool. You buy it because it does a great job and is a good value for the $$$$ Cutco knives are nothing special and compared to many similar commercial knives very, very expensive which given their marketing approach is understandable. I don't find them honorable as a company either given that once a rep ads you to their mailing list they have no compunctions approaching you directly (catalogs, special "holiday" sales and emails) and I doubt that the rep, who recruited you originally, is getting commissions on THOSE sales.

I own one Cutco knife that was bought at an antique store for $5. Nice paring knife but when you take shipping into account would it be worthwhile to return it for sharpening? Not to me and most people I suspect.

Just my thoughts............

Syn
 
I would compare them to any stamped out 420 series Kitchen knives.

I only own a couple of Cutco's (gifts) and they do not compare well to the forged Henckels that I own as far as comfort and edge retention, but that is a given considering the steels used on each line.
 
Maybe my perspective could be helpful. I've never used nor owned a Cutco knife, and have no prejudice against or in favor of them.

So pretend for a minute that I'm a potential customer. Answer these questions of mine and then I'll be able to give you an initial reaction as to which other kitchen knives I think are comparable:
1) are they available in natural handle materials?
2) what type of steel? Rockwell hardness?
3) full-tang?
4) where are they made?
5) forged or stamped?

----------------------------
How often have any of you replaced or needed to replace or repair some nice cutlery?
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Never had to replace anything other than freebie-cheapies. Mom would buy 5c knives at the church rumage sale to send me. Most lasted for years, some I still have, and others were useless and thrown out. The 'good' kitchen knives, even very inexpensive brands, seem to last forever. Chicago Cutlery - 20 years and counting (and sharp as heck). Camillus - ten years so far, and still look like new (don't hold an edge though).

How often would you say most people would replace their knives?
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I would guess never. Most people get a set as a wedding gift and keep them until they die. Just my guess...

The most common brand of knife that I see in peoples' homes, Tramontina.

edited to answer:
I know that knives that need to be sharpened regularly eventually can't be resharpened or their shape changes enough that it's not the same, or something of that nature. How long does it take for that to happen? In other words, what is the lifespan of a knife?
Click to expand...
For a non-professional, using my mother and late grandmother as examples, I'd say 50-100 years.

-Bob
 
I own a few Cutco knives...I too started out selling them and quickly dropped it because of same things eveybody else says.

However, I will say that I do like them...and they did honor their sharpening agreement.

It's hard to say whether they are overpriced or not....like any production cutlery...there is a profit margin of at least 100% (probably higher).

The big downer is the sleazy sales technique...almost pyramid...at the very least an MLM.
 
Is Cutco still around? Several years ago a rep showed me his knives, Mybe I am just snobbish, but , Thes knives just didn`t seem to measure up to my standards . I didn`t purchase any. As for Henckels. I have a couple burried in the bottom drawer. They don`t get as sharp as I like to have my knives.
 
With a warranty like that I am sure there are a lot of people around that can't afford truly good knives and would appreciate being able to have broken knives replaced forever.
 
Cutco is one of those outfits that has managed (somehow) to stay afloat by offering a decent product with a great warranty. They are, in my estimation, over-priced and of average to good quality. Yes, I have a few of the slicers, and I do use them in food prep. The double d-edge is scary sharp when the knives are new, and holds a fair edge over time. I got one of their hunting blades last year as a gift but have yet to carry it on a hunt with me. Some people think the handle designs are the next best thing to sliced bread.

The Cutco cleaver is a good tool which has been with me for years. I have no reservations about using it for camp chores as it is of stout construction. The thing I hate about Cutco is the way they hawk their knives and then badmouth other good quality kitchen cutlery.
 
Wow, they tried to get me to work for them as a summer job when I was like 16. That was 11 years ago! But I already gotten into spyderco and such by then, and decided that I don't like selling their stuff because there are better knifes out there for cheaper.
 
It's pretty difficult to beat the Forschner/Victorinox for the money. I recently tried a parer, chef's knife, and a bread knife, and was suitably impressed. Cook's Illustrated rates them highly for a relatively inexpensive blade.
 
I'm not sure about the knives, but I've heard horrible things from a couple people that I know that have sold CutCo knives. Quit as soon as you can. There are a ton of better jobs out there if you're willing to work.
 
I attended a CUTCO sales meeting my first year of college (AD 1972) and decided not to sell them because I was just married and needed a sure income. I did, however, buy a 5 piece set for the then princely sum of about $90. I bought them on credit since we had none at the time.
Turned out to be one of the best purchases I ever made. We used them for about 20 years then sent the whole lot in for resharpening. No maintenance is the key here. Throw them in the dishwasher and have at it. My wife has purchased a few or their steak knives on Ebay very cheaply the last year or two. I am a happy customer, I would have to say, and have four of the original five knives still in almost daily use. One got lost or pilfered by a relative at a picnic at some point in time.
Being a knife guy, I have tried other big name brands and stick with Cutco. In the last few years though there are some real promising competitors out there so I think we need a kitchen knife passaround.
To me it was $90 well spent.
 
camel said:
Thanks for the replies. Here are some prices on some of the larger CutCo knives:
7 5/8" Petite Chef $94
9 3/4" French Chef $104 (thats pretty much the most expensive knife)
9" Carver $75
6 3/4" Petite Carver $71
Butcher Knife $85
Santoku Knife $94
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Ouch. That's actually higher than I expected.

Here is Kershaw's Shun series:
http://www.kershawknives.com/searchresults.php?search_by=category&search_value=22

Individually, the Shuns are more than similar Cutco sizes. But if you find a good discount, the difference narrows. This set on Amazon doesn't look bad:
http://www.amazon.com/Shun-Classic-9-Piece-Block-Bamboo/dp/B00022YK84

Shun knives are made of VG10 (very good stuff, used in fancy expensive pocket knives) as the center layer for cutting, sandwiched between fancy layered steel. Works and looks amazing. Cutco knives are very basic steel, which is only average if that. Cutco and Shun could not be further from each other, and yet the prices would make you think these two brands were more similar than different.

Kershaw also has a free sharpening service, with you paying postage there and they pay postage back. No money is actually sent to Kershaw. I don't know how long their warranty is.


One of the details that distinguishes CutCo knives is the Forever Guarantee that allows people to send in their knives to get repaired or replaced if ever a tip breaks off, or they're just not sharp enough anymore, etc. for free.
Click to expand...
According to this...
http://www.cutco.com/customer/faqDetailService.jsp
...Cutco decides if the knife was abused or not, and charges 50% of retail to replace it. Repairs under warranty are free, at their discretion, which is standard practice. Generally, "repair" means anything that can be fixed with sharpening equipment.

If someone actually has to pay the 50% to replace a Cutco, I don't think that is even a good deal. I wouldn't pay more than $20 for most of those Cutco knives, preferably less. Which brings us to...


This increases their value because you can get a new set in 10 or 20 or 30 years for free and if you pass them onto your kids or to friends, they have the same guarantee.
Click to expand...

It might actually take that long to make the price of Cutco pay off. For the same amount of money, you can find some discounted Kitchen Aid, Chicago Cutlery, or Henckels (there are always some floating around the discount stores--that's what I bought), and for the price you can get 3 of everything.

It seems like a really long-term investment for a knife that is far from the best.
 
I ALMOST got a job with them too but declined and had a hell of a conversation with what would have been my manager about stamped steel, quality steel, and good prices, lets just say he was red in the face and I was smiling at the end of it.

As for comparison fist I need you to spit in your hand then I need you to smoosh it around in between you fingers making sure to get a nice even coat, now the hard part... compare, haha.
 
My parents have all their original CutCo's from when they were married in 1972. They're still holding up and they sent them in for resharpening a couple years back. I like them a lot, and they're comfortable, but I'd be weary in buying them myself as they are WICKEDLY expensive for what you get. I'm really interested in the Shun series and maybe the Furitechnics kitchen knives - any thoughts on the latter?

Ryan
 
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