All About Pocket Knives

Took some pictures of the Old Hickory kitchen knife set we have at the farm. Stamped Ontario Knife Co. and Shapleigh's. The first butcher knife is the one my great-grandmother used, according to my dad. I think I paid about $40 for this set at auction several years ago. Great carbon steel that holds an edge well.

Lamson (formerly Lamson & Goodnow) is a great USA made brand since the mid 1800's. Still made in the USA in Westfield, Massachusetts.

They went bankrupt as Lamson and Goodnow a few yeas ago, but have reorganized as Lamson and are going strong.

Made in the USA, forged kitchen knives. I have used them for many years and have given them as gifts.

Old Hickory were a great deal even though they had no Chef's knife in their inventory. However, the last OH I bought, a slicing knife I think they called it, had a thinned down blade and skimpy scales which made it hard on my Arthritic hands, you could look for some older ones as suggested above. I tossed that knife in my BBQ kit where it won't get used much.

CUTCO seems to have a decent set of knives but the handles are too skinny for my hands to grip safely, especially if they're wet. If you don't mind Swiss made you might look at Victorinox, not as inexpensive as Old Hickory but good quality.

I like the kitchen knives made in Solingen, Germany and Thiers, France. These cities are the knife making centers of Germany & France. Most knives produced and stamped or etched "Solingen" or "Thiers" are good knives. The French knives (Sabatier style) usually have a flatter blade shape at the edge & work best by pushing forward to cut or slice. The Germans tend to have a more rounded edge and are good if you prefer a rocking motion but will also slice well. Thiers Issard 4 star elephant knives are my favorite. They are fully forged and usually full tang knives. 4 star Elephant knives are still in production in both carbon steel and stainless, made in France. K-Sabatier also makes a good fully forged sabatier style knife in France as do others. Most of the German manufacturers have gone to stainless but there are a lot of old carbon steel German kitchen that can be obtained at a reasonable price. The key on ANY German knife is to look for "Solingen" on the stamping or etching. For example, JA Henckels makes their best knives in Solingen but also makes a cheaper "international" line that usually come from Spain or China although they could be made anywhere. Wusthof makes a great knife in Solingen, Germany but the new ones are stainless steel. I personally would not use anything but a carbon steel knife. They are the easiest to sharpen and will hold a good edge. Carbon steel is also lighter in weight and costs less to produce. The down side is that you must clean and dry by hand immediately after each use. You should not throw them in the sink or clean them in a dishwasher. Wooden handles are also not dishwasher safe and require more care. Personally, I prefer the black pinned composite handles although I have some (mostly older knives) with wood handles. A lot of people like the Japanese knives and I'm sure they are of good quality. I personally don't like the shape and looks of a Japanese knife. JA HenckeIs makes highly regarded stainless & stainless damascus knives in Japan. Oddly enough, some of the best knife sets are sold without the block. Blocks can be easily obtained at reasonable prices and sized to fit your knife set. The magnetic strips are also good holders. The USA knives are a good deal for the money and available in both carbon steel and stainless. Cutco is probably the best American kitchen knife if you don't mind stainless steel. You can find most of these knives on AAPK and other places online. If you buy new, get the set. A lot of money can be saved If you're willing to make the effort to buy used knives individually although you sometimes see quality used sets. Many of the newer kitchen knives are etched, not stamped. Normal use will eventually remove the etching and the manufacturer becomes unknown unless you recognize the knife. I Hope this is helpful.

LDF Knives wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 12:15 am I was walking around at Wal-Mart yesterday looking at kitchen set knives in Blocks, Looks impressive, BUT!!! As I looked to see if it's made in the USA, NOPE! all from China! So W/O costing an arm and a leg, Where is a good quality Carbon steel Kitchen set could I find some? That will last through the rest of my days? I'm 68 now. Thank you!!

Decent, meaning good quality...not crazy priced Japanese steel...yes it's available but not cheap...you heard that before...you get what ya pay for....CutCo is decent...not upper class but also not junk....BUT way overpriced...and I mean WAY!!
As said used ones are often found in places you might have to find first.
A good set of Swiss made Victorinox kitchen knives will outlast you and sort of affordable! US made Chicago cutlery is ok but not up to my standards...again, you get what you pay for...I am a BIG fan of F. Dick kitchen knives...made in Esslingen/N in Germany!!! Upper quality, professional stuff...am I biased...lol...yes a bit, I am born in that town...lol...used to work there on my College breaks...French knives are a big ringer, Sabatier and others...you can find them used often...Garrett Ward company has right now new old stock French kitchen knives for sale!!
And if you are handy with tools....consider USA made knife kits....add fancy handle, buff and polish...sharpen...ready!!!

I have seen the Ontario Knife Company (OKC) and their Old Hickory brand recommended a few times.

Understanding that I really did not need another set of Kitchen knives, I wanted to try them out for .... reasons .....

Well, I am both happy and sad with the set.

CONS:

1. Change from 1095 Steel to 1075 Steel. Unsure if it really matters.
2. The knife does not have a full tang; I prefer a full tang.
3. Not stainless so these things really like to rust. OKC recommends that you keep them oiled.
4. They cut watermelon poorly.
5. I find the handles are not all that comfortable.
6. I reset the grind angle on mine because I felt like I needed to.

PROS:

1. Change from 1095 Steel to 1075 Steel means you are less likely to snap your knife. I have never snapped my knives but OKC says they switched because of this.
2. The Price. If you are on a budget, the set has a great bang for the buck.
3. These really take an edge.

Sellers, especially on Amazon, cannot get the steel right. My base knife set comes with a block and five knives for under $80. The seller claims that the knifes are stainless. Another seller claims 1074 steel, another 1095 (which used to be correct), and another simply claims Carbon Steel (it is).

This is the statement from OKC explaining the reasons that they use 1075.

https://ontarioknife.com/blogs/educatio ... 075-switch

The primary complaint is that 1075 is great for "big choppers where you want a tough blade, but it won't hold a great edge long." I do not have enough experience to agree with that or not, but, I thought I was buying knives from 1095 steel and I ended up with 1075. Note that some people claim that 1075 holds an edge just fine.

I have not used the knives long enough to know if they hold an edge, but, my first real task was to cut a Watermelon with my 10" butcher knife. This knife was not good at cutting watermelon and I assumed it was simply not sharp enough; silly me.

I grabbed my big knife attachment for my Tormek T-8 (I do not have the Tormek knife sharpening machine) and I put on a lower angle. I do not even remember what angle I chose, but I am guessing that it was probably just under 15 degrees since most of my cooking knives such as Wϋsthof (14 degrees), Henckels (15 degrees), and Gerber Balance Plus (15 degrees) are in that area. Note that I added a new angle and then I honed them on the Honing wheel that is on the Tormek T-8. I have to say that these knives did take a very sharp wicked edge. These things shred thin news-print like there is no tomorrow.

I wanted to see if this inexpensive set was worth it and I think that it is, but, if you can afford better, spend the money and get a knife with more comfortable handles and stainless blades.

Note that if I need to replace the handles, it will be more difficult without the full tang I think.