Forged Knives With Nicks in Them?

[salthechef]

I have a customer who has the paring knife, utility knife, chef's knife, and santoku all in the forged steel. The chef's knife and the santoku both have nicks in them, as if they have hit something sharp. The customer can't figure out why, she mostly uses them for lettuce or meat, and is very careful with them, and has only had them since November of last year. Has anyone else seen this happen, or is this just something that needs to be replaced?

 

[kspry]

Mine are OK, and my family constantly abuses them by never putting the covers on them in the knife drawer.

I think your customer wants to check out the lifetime guarantee, but I could be wrong.


(edit- sorry that was a bit cryptic. I would contact HO for replacements.)

 

[PCJenni]

My santuko had a big nick in it. I used my honing tool on it and it seems to have done the trick

 

[salthechef]

she did try the honing tool, and it helped, but it definetly still has nicks

 

[Christ Follower]

The last 3 or 4 hosts that got the forged cutlery all had to return them for replacements!!! They were either bent tips, scratched or had nicks!!!

It's very frustrating b/c you tell them about the great quality then that's what they get!

 

[mpkegley]

My Santuko has a tiny piece of the tip broken off. I don't want to have to send it back to and wait on a replacement because I use it and love it so much. I agree that I thought the steel would hold up better than that.

 

[chefann]

Regarding the tips: If you store the forged knives in your TTA, the constant weight of the knife on the tip will cause it to bend or break off.

 

[Smashie]

I have my 5" utility knife that I just sent back for replacement for a knick in the blade, and my Santuko knifes' tip is bent. I don't put any of my knives in the turn-about, I have only handwashed, dried, and but right back in the case and they lay flat. I have babied these knives and I am not very please with the fact that I had to pay to get them shipped back!

 

[ljeffries]

If the tip of any of these knives is bent, then there has obviously been pressure put on the tip. If during shipping, it should have been noted when it arrived.
Many folks - not saying this happened in any of these cases - use the tips of the knives more (and harder) than they think they do.
I would advise anyone to look up a tutorial on how to use a knife - it will help you sell these wonderful products to be able to show customers how to properly use them!

 

[Smashie]

If the tip of any of these knives is bent, then there has obviously been pressure put on the tip. If during shipping, it should have been noted when it arrived.
Many folks - not saying this happened in any of these cases - use the tips of the knives more (and harder) than they think they do.
I would advise anyone to look up a tutorial on how to use a knife - it will help you sell these wonderful products to be able to show customers how to properly use them!

Quite possibly, I know in my case, the tip was bent as I took it out of the box for the first time.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

mine in my kitchen have nicks and rust spots. I use them and handwash and dry them immediately. not very happy about it either. I have a set in my kit and I noticed they were huddled around them whispering Tuesday ngiht. Sure enough when i went to demo them they had rust stains.

 

[stacywhitlow]

My Santuko has a tiny piece of the tip broken off. I don't want to have to send it back to and wait on a replacement because I use it and love it so much. I agree that I thought the steel would hold up better than that.

Mine is the same way & can't figure out what happened.

 

[ljeffries]

mine in my kitchen have nicks and rust spots. I use them and handwash and dry them immediately. not very happy about it either. I have a set in my kit and I noticed they were huddled around them whispering Tuesday ngiht. Sure enough when i went to demo them they had rust stains.

A lot of times, the rust stains are caused by another piece of wet steel touching the blade. Most times, this can be removed by using something slightly abrasive like Cameo or Bar Keepers Friend.

 

[PampMomof3]

mine in my kitchen have nicks and rust spots. I use them and handwash and dry them immediately. not very happy about it either. I have a set in my kit and I noticed they were huddled around them whispering Tuesday ngiht. Sure enough when i went to demo them they had rust stains.

I use the stainless steel cleaner on my knives and it works like a charm. They look brand new. Definitely suggest buying some of that. ALso, my new petite paring knife has a nick in it and I'm so sad!

 

[Chef Kearns]

My chef's knife got several nicks in it after using the honing tool. I don't know what that's about. I had my Utility knife for a few months and then the tip bent and broke off. I was like the other lady, I babied the knife(ves). There was no defect I could discern when I took it out of the packaging (which is pretty heavy duty packaging).

 

[chefmelody]

My regular paring knife has a nick out of the tip, and I think I'm going to send it back. It snags on the towel every time I use it. Also, my Santoku has several tiny little nicks along the edge... I figured that was normal wear, and was going to take it to get sharpened. Is it not? I'd hate to wait for a replacement for it...

 

[Christ Follower]

I try to remind my guests to wassh and dry them right away. They are German steel, not stainless steel, so they WILL get rust stains.

 

[Christ Follower]

BTW, has anyone else had complaints that they are German steel "made in China?" I try to joke around with them that although they are made in China, they are "lead free." I also try to explain that they would be a lot more expensive if they weren't made in China.

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Praise God it's NOT JUST ME with problems with these.I thought it was something I was doing wrong, everyone one of my knives have issues of some kind.

They all have this yucky rust looking stuff on it. I've bought SS cleaner that says it's safe to use with things you eat with, and it hasn't touched it.

My Chef's knife is HORRIBLE with knicks.

Santuko looks terrible and doesn't cut well anymore (can't use that with honing tool, right??)

My BRAND new petite paring knife is knicked and I'm so careful with these it's not funny.

I know my water is terrible and can cause problems, so I'm like someone else here, wash and dry right away. At my shows I always wipe then down before putting away until I can wash them, but still a mess. I'm embarassed to show them at shows.

Lisa

 

[chefann]

Santuko looks terrible and doesn't cut well anymore (can't use that with honing tool, right??)

You can hone the Santoku. The honing tool can be used on any of our forged cutlery.

 

[katie0128]

You can hone the Santoku. The honing tool can be used on any of our forged cutlery.

Anything except the serrated knife, right?

 

[chefann]

OK- yeah. Forgot about the bread knife. Can't use the honing tool on that.

 

[Lisa/ChefBear]

Thanks for letting me know that, I thought it was the Santuko and Bread Knife.

Thanks,

Lisa

 

[bethsbiz]

I have 2 of almost all the forged cutlery knives and other than a few "stains" that I've gotten off with Bar Keeper's Friend, mine are still in excellent shape.

I'm wondering if there was just a bad batch (or 2 or 3) of the steel and that is reflective in some people's experience. Just like other things that can be good for many purchases and then suddenly you get a dud.

But...with the number of comments in this post, I would encourage that each person who has experienced problems write to the solution center email and made their concern about the product noted. I'm not sure how "returns" info gets to the "product people" so if I see a trend I email solution center and write "product concern: with the name of product" in the subject line.

For example, I love the salad chopper but that little red gizmo that holds the unit together frequently gets loose and then you can't use the chopper to its full effectiveness. After both mine had this problem, I replaced them and then I emailed PC about my concern. I got the standard "thank you for your concern and we'll let the appropriate department know" response but I feel that I have now made my concern known. The more folks who do this, the more likely a product is to be improved, or if need be, removed from our product line.

 

[Chefkimk]

Another thing that could be causing stains/discoloration is citrus/acidic foods. I always tell my customers that if they do decide to cut citrus, tomatoes, etc. they will need to wash and dry their knives right a way because it will discolor the steel. Then I mentioned that if they are the type who won't do that, then they should also buy the color coated knives. I then make a joke about how everyone loves the color coated knives because they match their kitchens but that isn't what the color coating is for and that they were originally introduced for foods that would discolor traditional forged steel knives.

 

[Christ Follower]

Another thing that could be causing stains/discoloration is citrus/acidic foods. I always tell my customers that if they do decide to cut citrus, tomatoes, etc. they will need to wash and dry their knives right a way because it will discolor the steel. Then I mentioned that if they are the type who won't do that, then they should also buy the color coated knives. I then make a joke about how everyone loves the color coated knives because they match their kitchens but that isn't what the color coating is for and that they were originally introduced for foods that would discolor traditional forged steel knives.

Great tip! The problem I'm running into , is that people say if they are going to spend that much money on knives, they should do this or shouldn't do that.

 

[its_me_susan]

Great tip! The problem I'm running into , is that people say if they are going to spend that much money on knives, they should do this or shouldn't do that.

My knives are knicked too. I'm not glad to see there are so many others... I hope it was just a bad batch. I'm going to send mine back and not show them until I get perfect ones.

 

[PC_CPR]

Another thing that could be causing stains/discoloration is citrus/acidic foods. I always tell my customers that if they do decide to cut citrus, tomatoes, etc. they will need to wash and dry their knives right a way because it will discolor the steel. Then I mentioned that if they are the type who won't do that, then they should also buy the color coated knives. I then make a joke about how everyone loves the color coated knives because they match their kitchens but that isn't what the color coating is for and that they were originally introduced for foods that would discolor traditional forged steel knives.

I did not know that was another reason for choosing the colored knives. I really couldn't give a convincing answer to a few folks who asked me about why choose the green Santoku over the forged one! Thanks!

 

[legacypc46]

I don't know if this applies here, but sharing just in case.

I find that when a customer calls me about their blades being nicked, it is usually a matter of them not regularly honing the knives.

Often was appears to be a nick is actually a part of the blade, called the burr, being rolled-over thru normal use. The process of straightening the burr is called honing (verus sharpening which actually removes metal from the cutting edge).

Steel knives naturally form a burr - a thin bendable projection on the edge - during the manufacturing and sharpening processes. The burr is usually not visible to the naked eye, but you can feel it by running your thumb across the blade (not up and down the blade! ).

Chefs traditionally hone their knifes before every use. It's taken me awhile to get into this habit, but I am seeing a real difference in my knives. I used to get what I thought were nicks, but now I don't. (And honing only takes seconds.)

I tell my customers that our stainless steel knives with the sharpening cases are for a lifetime of convenience. Our forged cutlery knives are for a lifetime of exceptional cutting capability. The difference is like that between a Camry and a Porsche. Both are outstanding vehicles in their class, but the driving experience is what sets them apart.

Purchasing the forged steel cutlery without the honing tool is like buying a car and never servicing it.

Anyway...that's my experience.

 

[Christ Follower]

Thanks for the tip Leggy!

 

[Addie4TLC]

Thanks for the tip Leggy!

I second that! Great explanation and example!

 

[lauraP2000]

I tell my customers that our stainless steel knives with the sharpening cases are for a lifetime of convenience. Our forged cutlery knives are for a lifetime of exceptional cutting capability. The difference is like that between a Camry and a Porsche. Both are outstanding vehicles in their class, but the driving experience is what sets them apart.


This is a great metaphor. When you think about it, most purchases in life are a trade off between convenience and experience. Owners of porsches choose a superior driving experience over automatic car washes. I dryclean my best outfits to preserve their superior look, etc...

 

[lauraP2000]

I tell my customers that our stainless steel knives with the sharpening cases are for a lifetime of convenience. Our forged cutlery knives are for a lifetime of exceptional cutting capability. The difference is like that between a Camry and a Porsche. Both are outstanding vehicles in their class, but the driving experience is what sets them apart.


This is a great metaphor. When you think about it, most purchases in life are a trade off between convenience and experience. Owners of porsches choose a superior driving experience over automatic car washes. I dryclean my best outfits to preserve their superior look, etc...

Edit: that first paragraph is a quote from legacypc46. I don't want to take the credit for it, I just can't figure out how to use the quote function.