Cutlery Profiles

Note on Knife Metals: There are three types of metal alloy used in high quality cutlery today:  ( 1) all carbon steel, (2) high carbon stainless steel, sometimes called "no-stain steel," and (3) very high carbon stainless steel.  All carbon steel is the softest, and very high carbon stainless steel is the hardest.  In the middle is high carbon stainless steel.  

All-carbon steel and high carbon stainless steel have the same basic amount of carbon:  .45% to .50%.  The carbon gives the steel hardness.  The more carbon, the harder the knife metal.  The difference between the two metals (all carbon steel and high carbon stainless steel) is chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium, which give stainless steel its stainless qualities.  They also give the steel added compression hardness and tensile strength.  Knife stainless steel has 13% to 14% chromium, and about 1% molybdenum and vanadium together.

• All-Carbon Steel:  iron + .45% or .50% carbon.  No chromium, molybdenum, or vanadium.  Will rust and stain, but softer than stainless steel, so it hones and sharpens easier.

• High Carbon Stainless Steel or No-Stain Steel:  iron + .45% - .50% carbon + 13% chromium + 1% molybdenum + vanadium.

• Very High Carbon Stainless Steel:  iron + 1% carbon + 13% - 14% chromium + 3% molybdenum + vanadium.  Used in Chef'sChoice knives.

German knife producers pioneered the high carbon stainless steel so that a knife's metal would be (a) hard enough to hold an edge, (b) flexible, (c) soft enough to hone and sharpen, and (d) resist rust and corrosion.  The formula for German stainless steel is as follows:  

                     X 45 Cr Mo V 15     or     X 50 Cr Mo V 15

     X means stainless.
     45 or 50 means .45% or .50% carbon.
     Cr Mo V means the total percentage of chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium, namely 15%.

Our Benchmark Knives are Messermeister and Chef'sChoice
Our Premier Knives, a Step Above Benchmark, are MAC knives.

Arranged Generally in Order of Increasing Cost

  
Victorinox Fibrox
Best Knife for Dishwasher Cleaning!  Best Buy!

• Since 1855; most widely used by chefs and butchers worldwide
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Stamped blade
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Non-slip Fibrox Handle
• Extensive line with many, many specialty pieces
• Unique serrated pieces
• A note about dishwashers and cutlery:  Dishwasher soaps and heat are hard on knife metals.  If you are going to put your knives in the dishwasher, Victorinox Fibrox are the knives you should buy.  They are relatively inexpensive and have dishwasher proof handles.

Victorinox Rosewood
Consistently Rated #1 by Cooks Illustrated Magazine!

• Since 1855; most widely used by chefs and butchers worldwide
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Stamped blade
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Beautiful African rosewood handle attached with three rivets
• Extensive line with many, many specialty pieces
• Unique serrated pieces
   

Schaaf International
Best Buy!

• Designed in Germany and made in Portugal
• Extensive collection:  many specialty knives
• High carbon no-stain steel with molybdenum for elasticity
• Forged blades with heavy bolster.
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Black polyoxymethelene handles

Global

• First designed in 1985 by Komin Yamada in Niigata, Japan
• High carbon no-stain steel, ice tempered, and hardened
• Unique lightweight construction:  two halves of the handle are manufactured hollow then filled with just enough steel to achieve perfect weight and balance
• Seamless hygienic handles are dimpled for secure grip
• Unique concave blade shape sharpened straight to a point rather than beveled for long lasting razor sharpness
• Most knives are welded:  the two sides of the handles welded together and then welded to the blade.  That is how the hollow handle is obtained.
• Certain knives are available forged.  They have solid handles.

F. Dick Premier Line
Best Buy!

• Manufactured in Esslingen, Germany since 1778
• Most used knife in cooking schools worldwide
• Unique extensive collection:  many, many specialty knives
• High carbon no-stain steel with molybdenum for elasticity
• Forged blades with heavy bolster.  Some stamped available
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Black plastic handles

Messermeister San Moritz elité Cutlery  
A Benchmark Knife!

• Made in Solingen, Germany since 1864
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Forged blades with heavy bolster
• Unique bolster stops just short of the heel of the blade enabling sharpening throughout entire length
• Pin tang (metal goes almost all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground, beveled, honed, and polished entirely by hand
• Sharpened to a 15º angle
• Ergonomic molded black polyoxymethelene handle
• Unique slim molded handle comfortable for small hands
• Unique embedded plate in handle for chef's initials

Messermeister Meridian elité
    A Benchmark Knife!

• Made in Solingen, Germany since 1864
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Forged blades with heavy bolster
• Unique bolster stops just short of the heel of the blade enabling sharpening throughout entire length
• Full tang (metal goes almost all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground, beveled, honed, and polished entirely by hand
• Sharpened to a 15º angle
• Classic black polyoxymethelene handle attached with three rivets
• Slim molded handle comfortable for small hands

Henckels Four Star II

• Manufactured since 1731 in Solingen, Germany
• Fully foged of high carbon no-stain steel
• Pin tang (metal goes almost all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Molded black polypropylene handle with unique Henckels signature stainless steel end cap

Wüsthof Classic Black

• Since 1814; one of the oldest knife companies in Germany
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Forged blades with heavy bolster (metal neck between blade and handle)
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Handle attached with three rivets
• Black Hostaform-C handles
• Unique extensive collection with many specialty pieces

 

Wüsthof Grand Prix II

• Since 1814; one of the oldest knife companies in Germany
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Forged blades with heavy bolster (metal neck between blade and handle)
• Pin tang (metal goes partially into the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Seamless molded handles
• Unique extensive collection with many specialty pieces

Henckels Professional "S"

• Manufactured since 1731 in Solingen, Germany
• High carbon no-stain steel
• Sintered (welded) blades with heavy bolster (metal neck between blade and handle)
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Handle attached with three rivets
• Black polypropylene handle

 

MAC Knives
One of Our Premier Cutlery Lines!

Used and Endorsed by Charlie Trotter.  A favorite knife
of many outstanding chef's:  Thomas Keller, Hubert Keller, Daniel Bouloud, Steven Raichlen, and Nobu Matsuhisa.

• Very high carbon content:  .7% - .8%High chromium content:  14%
• Molybdenum:  .1% - .3%
• Rockwell hardness of 60
• Stamped blade with welded heavy bolsters on Professional Series
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Taper ground from bolster to tip and back of blade to edge
• Thin blades sharpened to 15º angle
• Beautiful black packawood handle:  wood impregnated with plastic

 

Schaaf Goya

• Since 1945, made in Solingen, Germany
• Elegant slicers, cheese knives, steak knives, and so forth for buffets and table slicing
• Unique beautiful stainless steel handle with a black polyoxymethelene insert
• Overall, one of the most distinguished, carefully crafted, beautiful knives made in the world!
• Hand made by skilled cutlery artisans
• High carbon no-stain molybdenum steel fully ice-hardened
• Hot drop forged blade with heavy bolster
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Perfectly balanced and hand finished - tapered, beveled, honed, and polished entirely by hand

 

Chef'sChoice Trizor 10X Cutlery
Runner-Up for Benchmark Knife!

• Manufactured in the USA since 1989
• Unique Trizor hard, very high carbon no-stain steel:  twice the carbon (1%) and three times the molybdenum (3%) of almost all other cutlery
• Unique edge is sharper and stays sharper longer than most other cutlery
• Forged blades with narrowed bolster on chef's knives so they cut through the entire length of the blade
• Full tang (metal goes all the way through the handle)
• Molded black acetyl copolymer non-slip ergonomic handle

 

Kershaw Shun Damascus Cutlery
Most Elite and Unique Cutlery

• Made in Seki, Japan, in the tradition of Samurai sword making
• Made with a very high grade high carbon stainless steel specially developed for knives
• Formed by folding and forging 16 layers of metal upon metal which imparts a unique elegant wavy Damascus pattern to the metal
• Rockwell hardness of 59-60
• True stainless steel - will not spot or rust