I once worked selling Cutco knives. I was not a great saleswoman. However, I also refused to lie and cheat. Yet, when I did this, I had to learn a lot about knives.
By the way, I think Cutco knives are awesome. I love how they are made and how well they handle. It’s just that Vector, the company that does all the selling, is completely immoral. If you want more information on that, see my article about working for Vector.
This article is not about the job experience. Here is a guide for you to know what to look for when you are buying kitchen knives.
Before getting started, this is a guide if you are looking for high quality knives. If you are not concerned with high quality knives, then this article will not help you unless you want to learn the parts of knives (which you may want to learn).
Full Tang
A tang is the metal part of the knife that extends from the blade and goes into the handle. A full tang means that the metal runs all the way through the handle. The metal should be able to be seen as a continuous line through the surface of the handle of the knife.
There are also partial tangs. This makes it easier for the knives’ handles to break. Sometimes they run through the whole length, but only go half the width of the handle. Sometimes they run the whole width of the handle, but they only go through part of the length. Still others only go part way through both.
Metal Rivets
It is best if there are three metal rivets throughout the handle of the knife. This helps to hold the blade in place. The fewer rivets, the looser the blade.
Handle Material
Know that the handle material does make a difference. Wooden handles easily collect things in the spaces with the rivets like loose food particles, dust, and splinters from the kitchen. Plastic handles are nice, but they tend to break. A higher quality plastic is often available. The problem most people have with plastic handles is that they are very slippery if they are wet. If somebody tells you that the knife has a handle made out of the same material as the inside of a dish washer, this is probably true. However, if somebody tells you that a knife has a handle made out of the same material as a bowling ball, this is a lie. Knife handles are not made out of that type of material.
Blades
Educate yourself about the types of blades you want or need. First, know that the blade is not just the cutting surface. It is the full metal part that is outside the handle. When the knife faces down to cut, the bottom is the front of the blade and the top is the back of the blade. These are not terms for the cutting edge. Those terms would be tip and base.
Straight edges blades are just that, completely straight. There are no teeth in them, even if the knife is in the shape of a curve. These blades will need to be able to be sharpened. High quality knives will keep a sharp edge for a long time. If knives lose their sharpness quickly, they are not high quality.
Serrated edges have the teeth. These blades are nice for a sawing type of action. However, they cannot be sharpened due to the fact that they have those teeth. The shape makes it difficult
Handle Shape
Some handles will simply be straight. Others will be curved. Yet others will have ridges or little ledges. These are supposed to help people fit their hands better and give a good grip on the knife. Try holding these knives before deciding that it is a good idea to buy the knives. Some shapes of handles may fit one person’s hands really well, but another’s may not fit well at all.
