Cutco knives -- has anyone bought a set?

[Storygirl]

My daughter's friend has started selling Cutco knives, and I'm trying to decide whether it is worth buying a set. Anyone have experience?

Some of my knives do need replacement, and the idea of a complete set with a knife block for storage is appealing to me. Right now I just have my randomly collected set of knives in a kitchen drawer, which is not the best set up.

The best knives that I currently own are two Henkel chef knives that I would keep. The rest is a motley assortment, mostly Chicago Cutlery pieces that are 20 plus years old.

I wouldn't mind supporting DD's friend with my business, but I'm hoping that some of you might have some first-hand experience to share about Cutco knives.

[school17777]

I have a set.  I like it.   I do use all of the knives in the set, but if I was only buying one or two, I’d get the cheese knife (my most used knife and last addition - cuts more than cheese) and a paring knife.

[MercyA]

I received a set for my wedding 24 years ago and they are still going strong.

Cutco has a great, pain-free guarantee. I've had to have one steak knife replaced (handle somehow snapped in the dishwasher when it was 20+ years old) and one pair of scissors. I sent them to Cutco and they very quickly sent me brand-new replacements. 

I love the very large serrated knife for cutting bread. I also have a large all-purpose type serrated knife that I use a lot, a paring knife, the scissors, and steak knives. I also have some sort of large combo butter spreader / knife and I rarely ever use that. The wooden block is perfect for storage. 

Edited March 25, 2020 by MercyA

[ScoutTN]

❤️❤️ Cutco knives.

[cjzimmer1]

I have a few Cutco knives but not a full set.  I have 4 styles and have found it meets all my needs.  Cheese knife is the best, I have a bread knife, a small chef knife and a small knife (can't remember if it's called pairing or steak or what but I use if for all those small jobs of cleaning up produce).  I've slowly thrown away all my Chicago Cutlery knifes that I received as wedding presents because they just don't compare.  Plus Cutco can go in the dishwasher!

[May]

If I really was into cooking, I’d probably buy a few. Our friends have a set, in their vacation place, so I’ve used them there. 

[kbutton]

I grew up with Cutco, and my parents bought us a set as a wedding present. Love them! Mine are due for a new factory edge though--I think we just pay shipping to have them sharpen the set. I know two people who bought used sets and had them resharpened--they were just kind of "well, let's see what the hype is" when they bought them, and they are loyalists now, lol! 

I use my chef knife a lot, and if I bought a new piece, it would be the small chef knife. I think the other one I use the most is a boning knife. They all get used though, and we love them!

I don't have the butcher block, I have the trays. I've used them mounted in a cubby hole, and I currently use them in a drawer. 

Cutco has amazing replacement/fix policies as well.

[gardenmom5]

dh had a friend who sold them eons ago, so he bought a pie server.  we use it and like it.  as for regular knives, dh had Chicago's at the time and has since bought a set of wusthof's.  My dd also really likes her Cutco pie server - to go along with her henkle and wusthof knives.  while I'm happy with the pie server - I wouldn't want a set of Cutco regular knives.

[Jann in TX]

We have had ours for YEARS-- love Cutco!

I purchased most of mine on Ebay... (we purchased starter sets for our 2 older daughters when they left home).

We use the table knives every day (often for just regular food prep instead of a paring knife)... great for steaks too!

I ditto the cheese knife being a favorite-- it cuts so smoothly (great balance and wedge)--but it is EXTREMELY sharp so caution is necessary.

I keep most of mine in a 'tray' inside our pantry on a wall...

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I have a whole bunch of Cutco, but I didn't buy it all at once. (Got some from my nephew, some from a family friend, some from a vendor at the state fair). They're all awesome. I love their guarantee. It really is a full lifetime warranty, and they honor it. When we moved my mom out of her house (after 50 years), we found two Cutco knives that she had received as a wedding present in 1952. One was very dull (after 60 years, that was no surprise). The other had the blade completely sheared off, apparently by someone using it as a pry bar (probably my brother). Anyway, I sent them to Cutco, along with a check for $7.00 to cover return shipping. They sent me two brand new knives that are the modern equivalent of the styles I sent in. No extra cost, just two brand new knives, even though one had been clearly abused.

I love my Cutco. I love that I can put it in the dishwasher without them rusting or dulling or the handles getting loose.
I love that they're always sharp, even after years of use.
I love that, when they do get dull, I can send them to the factory for sharpening at no cost, except shipping charge.
I love how they feel in my hand. The contoured handles are wonderful, and they're all well balanced.
I love that the scissors easily come apart for cleaning. You just open them all the way, and they slip apart. They go in the dishwasher as well. (No worry about what grossness is hiding in the hinge)

If I were only going to buy a few, these are my favorites:
Scissors (they're awesome, and I think every kitchen should have scissors that can be sanitized, but they are very expensive)
Chef knife (for chopping veggies)
Table knives (they're serrated, so they work wonderfully for steak, but they have rounded tips, so they're safer at the table than steak knives)
Cheese knife (so versatile. It's not just for cheese.)
Small serrated utility knife (I can't remember what it's called) Wonderful for slicing tomatoes.
Bread knife (super sharp, be careful)
Fillet knife (wonderful for removing skin, bones, or fat from meat)
Paring knife (fits well in the hand)
Spreader (Has a flat, flexible blade that's serrated on one edge. I like how it rings when I pull it out of the knife block, and it's great for lots of light duty uses)

I have several others, and they're all very good. They don't fit my cooking style, so I don't use them as often.

ETA: Oh, School1777 reminded me about the Vegetable Peeler. How did I forget? (probably because I keep it a drawer, and I was only picturing my knife block in my head.) Yes. If I could only get one piece of Cutco, it would be the Vegetable Peeler. (I believe it's also the least expensive piece they sell, but I could be wrong about that)

Edited March 26, 2020 by Suzanne in ABQ
New info

[school17777]

The other Cutco product that I highly recommend is the vegetable peeler.  
 

My first one accidentally got thrown away, and I tried lots of other brands, but ended up buying another one.

eta:  I have a weak wrist (carpel tunnel) and it is the easiest to use 

Edited March 25, 2020 by school17777

[mom2scouts]

We have a set of Cutco steak knives. I like them and they've lasted well.

[Ottakee]

I have several of the knives and use them all the time.  I saved a fortune on the knife block though and just bought one from the local thrift store for $1.  Wasn't an exact match to the knife set but saved a ton of money and did t affect use at all.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I guess I'll represent the anti-cutco side...

 

- If you don't like "sharpening" your knives (aligning the blade really), then cutco is probably better for you than high quality German or Japanese knives.  

- But all cutco knives are serrated.  Even their non-serrated knives are micro-serrated, which is what gives them their cutting power, which is actually tearing power.  This is why you CANNOT sharpen/align them at home, you will ruin them.  You can google around for some better descriptions and images of the cutco edge system.

- Cutco knife sellers are taught pretty cut-throat practices for pushing large sets of knives on people.  If you find yourself buying more than 2-3 knives in total (not counting individual steak knives), you are overbuying knives.  No one needs that many knives.  No, really, you don't.  

 

If you absolutely want to help your friend out, buy steak knives and possibly a bread knife, where serrated edge is a good thing.  Otherwise, it really comes down to my first point above.  If you don't want to take care of your own blades, cutco at least give a sort of false impression of sharpness essentially for life, whereas German and Japanese knives will only remain sharp with excellent maintenance.  

 

ETA:  My mom had cutco for a long time, and I LOATHED using her knives.  Ack, it was like a horrible sensory experience to use them.  Ack.  I have German blades, but I believe for my hand size, Japanese would have been a better choice.  I just can't quite justify purchasing something when my Wusthof are already excellent.  

Edited March 25, 2020 by Monica_in_Switzerland

[cjzimmer1]

9 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

But all cutco knives are serrated.  Even their non-serrated knives are micro-serrated, which is what gives them their cutting power, which is actually tearing power.  This is why you CANNOT sharpen/align them at home, you will ruin them.  You can google around for some better descriptions and images of the cutco edge system.

- Cutco knife sellers are taught pretty cut-throat practices for pushing large sets of knives on people.  If you find yourself buying more than 2-3 knives in total (not counting individual steak knives), you are overbuying knives.  No one needs that many knives.  No, really, you don't.  

I have to question the serrated bit.  They sell a knife sharpener to use at home for the straight edge knives and I've used it when mine gets dull and it makes a huge improvement so you can definitely sharpen them at home.

Also I don't doubt that some of the reps are heavy handed with sales techniques but the 3 different ones I've dealt with have been fine when I say I just need one knife right now.  But I do agree most people really don't need the full set and you are much better picking just a few to meet your specific needs.

Edited March 25, 2020 by cjzimmer1

[Lady Marmalade]

My mom has had a set for 40+ years now.  Every once in a while she still sends them in to them to get sharpened for free after all these years. 

I also have a set that I've had for about 18 years now.  I'm really hard on my knives, and the last time I sent the whole set in to be sharpened, they found flaws in all of them and literally replaced every piece- including the kitchen shears!  I really like them. They sit in my hand perfectly and they are the first knives I reach for when I'm cooking.  

 

[Lady Marmalade]

The straight-bladed knives are definitely not micro-serrated.  Somewhere I have a sharpener that I received with my set a long time ago.  We obviously don't use it on the actual serrated knives, but DH sharpens the straight edges every couple of months.  When we notice the serrated knives are acting a little sluggish, that's when I send the whole set in for sharpening. 

[mom@shiloh]

I LOVE my Cutco knives. I've sent mine in for sharpening and they have sent me back completely new knives for some of them. For example, I had one with a broken tip, and they sent a new one. Mine have survived a house fire, so one of the white ones had smoke stains.  They replaced it. Great knives. Great customer service. Highly recommend.