Knives (handmade) 101 #2 – What’s Wrong With My $10 Supermarket Knife?

So, you like to cook for yourself or for your family and friends? I’m guessing you have a knife or two in your kitchen. And, for most of you, those knives are some kind of commercial product, either low-end budget ones you can by in a set or even one of the thousands brand name knives.

And let me make myself perfectly clear –THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT!

If a knife is just a tool to get the job done and it gets the job done – I am perfectly fine with the fact that you are using a $10 knife.
But, if you enjoy the time you spend in your kitchen and cooking is not just a process that results with you not being hungry, but an event that you take great pleasure in, why not think about having an awesome tool.

A handmade or a custom knife is not just a tool. If done right, it is a piece of art that someone has spend lots of hours, sweat and tears and most importantly has done it with unconditional love and care.

I'm not saying that there are not guys (and gals) that just want to make some money and are doing a poor job, maybe not of knife making, but certainly of making them with love. In my experience, most of the makers don't do knives for the money.

Now, I'm not saying that it's not super cool when you get some $ for your knife, but it's a bitter-sweet transaction. It's like selling a part of yourself and believe me, the money is not that good.
For me, it's not about the money, it's about seeing that look on "clients" face when they take one of my knives in their hand. The bemused look in their eyes, the speechlessness, the joy and the knowledge that in one small part I have made someone's life happier.

OK, knife-junkie mode off.

So, why should you think about getting a hand-made knife for yourself?

First of all, a proper hand-made knife will out-preform any commercial knife: it will be surpassingly sharper, it will stay sharp for much longer, and last but not least, it will cut so much better that you will never ever want to use anything else in your kitchen.

Secondly, it will look and feel amazing. Once you get hold of a knife that is made with care and attention to both function and form you will know what I'm talking about. There's simply no comparison!

Thirdly - not the last argument but let's save some for future posts - if you take care of it, it will last forever. You will literally leave your knife to your kids and them to your grandkids.

You don't believe me? Let me tell a story, one of them that got me into knives.

My grandpa was a butcher, he started working as an apprentice when he was 14 years old - that was 1914. When he finished his "internship" he was given a set of 4 knives - I'm not sure of the exact year but it was around 1920. Need I say that he wasn't given a set of new knives? Of course, they were hand-downs.
Do you know what happened to them? Nothing, they are still in use - my father has them, and some day (hopefully not too soon) I will have them.

So now you are thinking "Yeah right, an apprentice got handmade knives - who are you kidding!" Well, he did! You know why? Because back then having a blacksmith in the neighbourhood was as common as having a coffee shop nowadays. So naturally, he got a handmade knife.

Those knives are now more than 100 years old, and sure handles have seen better days, but they are still the best knives in our house. Well, they were until I've started making them :)

OK Doc, that's all nice and pretty, but how much will I have to spend for a super-duper, everlasting knife that will leave myself and all around me speechless.

Well, you gonna spend some money, but not as much as you think. Furthermore, compared to what you are spending on some other things in your kitchen - next to nothing.

obnoxious plug

Something like this will set you back 100 bucks in my workshop.
Now, that's nothing to snees upon - $100 is quite a lot of money, especially when you remember that you've paid $10 for the one you have and I did say that there's nothing wrong with it.
Sure, $100 seems a lot, but let's do a comparison.

You use paper towels, right? How much do you spend on them a week? Let's say $2, there're 52 weeks in a year. So you are more than willing to spend over $100 on paper that you throw in the trash, but buying something that will last you a lifetime for the same amount is too much?

So next time when you're out buying paper towels, think about saving your money and buying yourself a proper knife for next Christmas.

That's it for today - I will be back with more on knives soon.

If you have any questions or comment I would like to hear them.

P.S. Don't throw paper in the trash - please recycle!