Wild that the writer of this article lives in Madison, WI, and didn’t even bother to visit their local knife and kitchen shop, ChefKnifesToGo, a few miles south in Fitchburg. They’ve been operating for 25 years and they probably could have easily explained the evolution of modern kitchen knives.
As for price points, tons of different things contribute to how cheap or expensive they can be. The idea that newer brands are making good affordable knives, competing with “legacy” brands is not novel. Why are some people still buying expensive knives? Because of personal preferences, and that they can.
I work in the restaurant industry, so I guess I’m just confused of what this article is exactly addressing.
According to OP, the writer is a veteran knife reviewer. They are not looking at a local trend which is probably why they did not go to a local shop to ask why. Where a writer or journalist lives is generally not relevant to where they are published. For me it was logical to start with key industry players who are participating in the changes in the industry rather than local observers - no matter how knowledgeable.
ChefKnivesToGo is much more than just a “local” shop. They sell to professional chefs and enthusiasts across the US, and plan to resume international sales when the tariffs go away. They import tons from blacksmiths in Japan, and even work with a blacksmith that exclusively produces for CKTG. They have a link from their website to their own active forum, and even their own subreddit here, r/ChefKnivesToGo.
I do understand this article is aimed for enthusiasts, but it was a fairly long-winded review just to say, “hey, these new companies make pretty good knives for a good price.”
OK. Are they driving the industry trends? And explanations in context always sound long-winded to people who either know the information already or don’t care. Either way, the article probably wasn’t written with them in mind.
Driving? Not likely, but they are definitely contributing to the conversation of kitchen knives and providing their own professional reviews of knives on YouTube and their own website, ChefKnivesToGo.com
There are a variety of knife reviewers, and imho, this particular professional reviewer isn’t great.
*I should note that professional chefs drive the industry trends, including celebrity chefs. Bourdain famously preferred Global brand knives, and Alton Brown favors his Sabatier knives. I will agree that the current trend is leaning towards eastern/Japanese style of knives, but the article’s question of “why all knives look the same” was answered fairly quickly: the gyuto knife was Japan’s response in the late 19th century to the popular western style of knives. The article really wanted to push the idea of newer companies making good affordable knives. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the content of the article doesn’t exactly match the title of the article, imo.
The article is indeed rather meandering. I think you have the main takeaway: New brands are making good knives for less. The rest is historical trivia. And a warning, I suppose. The improvements are thanks to design choice, which is here to stay. But the lower prices are thanks to cheap labor, which may disappear.
Summary: The gyuto was invented during the Meiji era and became popular for its versatility and longevity (compared to existing Japanese knives) as well as its sharpness and improved slicing (compared to Western knives). It took off in the US after promotion by a handful of companies and popular chefs in the '90s. In the '00s, production moved from Japan to China, where cheaper labor has allowed costs to drop such that there is now a healthy DTC market driven by competition among upstart companies.
Opinion: Quality that cost $200 in 2000 now costs half that. Legacy manufacturers have been forced to lower prices, but they're still 50% higher than those of modern ones. You can of course get better knives (forged, handmade, custom, etc) for $300–400. But most chefs will be perfectly happy with a modern, inexpensive gyuto.
Submission statement: The writer, a veteran knife reviewer, noticed that every new kitchenware company is launching its own line of knives—and they all look nearly exactly the same. He tried to find out why, but the answer is much more complicated and requires digging into culinary history, geopolitics, and tenuous supply chains.
Lots of knives, even decent quality ones, come from the factory with a pronounced burr that is initially sharp but breaks off with mild use leaving the knife rapidly dull. Most knives should honestly be properly sharpened out of the box and they'll stay decently sharp for a long time if they are.
youenjoymyself | 4 hours ago
Wild that the writer of this article lives in Madison, WI, and didn’t even bother to visit their local knife and kitchen shop, ChefKnifesToGo, a few miles south in Fitchburg. They’ve been operating for 25 years and they probably could have easily explained the evolution of modern kitchen knives.
As for price points, tons of different things contribute to how cheap or expensive they can be. The idea that newer brands are making good affordable knives, competing with “legacy” brands is not novel. Why are some people still buying expensive knives? Because of personal preferences, and that they can.
I work in the restaurant industry, so I guess I’m just confused of what this article is exactly addressing.
horseradishstalker | 2 hours ago
According to OP, the writer is a veteran knife reviewer. They are not looking at a local trend which is probably why they did not go to a local shop to ask why. Where a writer or journalist lives is generally not relevant to where they are published. For me it was logical to start with key industry players who are participating in the changes in the industry rather than local observers - no matter how knowledgeable.
youenjoymyself | 2 hours ago
ChefKnivesToGo is much more than just a “local” shop. They sell to professional chefs and enthusiasts across the US, and plan to resume international sales when the tariffs go away. They import tons from blacksmiths in Japan, and even work with a blacksmith that exclusively produces for CKTG. They have a link from their website to their own active forum, and even their own subreddit here, r/ChefKnivesToGo.
I do understand this article is aimed for enthusiasts, but it was a fairly long-winded review just to say, “hey, these new companies make pretty good knives for a good price.”
horseradishstalker | an hour ago
OK. Are they driving the industry trends? And explanations in context always sound long-winded to people who either know the information already or don’t care. Either way, the article probably wasn’t written with them in mind.
youenjoymyself | an hour ago
Driving? Not likely, but they are definitely contributing to the conversation of kitchen knives and providing their own professional reviews of knives on YouTube and their own website, ChefKnivesToGo.com
There are a variety of knife reviewers, and imho, this particular professional reviewer isn’t great.
*I should note that professional chefs drive the industry trends, including celebrity chefs. Bourdain famously preferred Global brand knives, and Alton Brown favors his Sabatier knives. I will agree that the current trend is leaning towards eastern/Japanese style of knives, but the article’s question of “why all knives look the same” was answered fairly quickly: the gyuto knife was Japan’s response in the late 19th century to the popular western style of knives. The article really wanted to push the idea of newer companies making good affordable knives. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the content of the article doesn’t exactly match the title of the article, imo.
potatoaster | 15 minutes ago
The article is indeed rather meandering. I think you have the main takeaway: New brands are making good knives for less. The rest is historical trivia. And a warning, I suppose. The improvements are thanks to design choice, which is here to stay. But the lower prices are thanks to cheap labor, which may disappear.
potatoaster | 17 minutes ago
Summary: The gyuto was invented during the Meiji era and became popular for its versatility and longevity (compared to existing Japanese knives) as well as its sharpness and improved slicing (compared to Western knives). It took off in the US after promotion by a handful of companies and popular chefs in the '90s. In the '00s, production moved from Japan to China, where cheaper labor has allowed costs to drop such that there is now a healthy DTC market driven by competition among upstart companies.
Opinion: Quality that cost $200 in 2000 now costs half that. Legacy manufacturers have been forced to lower prices, but they're still 50% higher than those of modern ones. You can of course get better knives (forged, handmade, custom, etc) for $300–400. But most chefs will be perfectly happy with a modern, inexpensive gyuto.
[OP] calewithac | 5 hours ago
Submission statement: The writer, a veteran knife reviewer, noticed that every new kitchenware company is launching its own line of knives—and they all look nearly exactly the same. He tried to find out why, but the answer is much more complicated and requires digging into culinary history, geopolitics, and tenuous supply chains.
horseradishstalker | 5 hours ago
It is a fascinating read. And not just because the wedding set I received probably lost its usefulness the day after I got it.
Metaphoricalsimile | 2 hours ago
Lots of knives, even decent quality ones, come from the factory with a pronounced burr that is initially sharp but breaks off with mild use leaving the knife rapidly dull. Most knives should honestly be properly sharpened out of the box and they'll stay decently sharp for a long time if they are.