I've used Cutco knives before, and specifically the Santoku. I prefer my Wustof Santoku, honestly. Long term, the Wustof held up better and is my go-to knife. The Cutco Santoku just sits in the knife drawer, waiting for it's turn when I'm cooking like mad for the holidays and can't be bothered to wash up my knives and just get out a new one to keep chopping. I find the Wustof more comfortable too, and slightly more lightweight in a pleasing way.

I love Cutco! I always wonder why I don't see the brand listed more often in someone's favorite knives list. They are wicked sharp, have a great hand feel, and have never let me down.

my old roommate had a set he swore by. My complaint with them is that once they lose their edge, it will never get it back. The steel is just too cheap. In addition, I would much rather my money went to a reputable company that didn't scam college kids out of money. See: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/78530/cutco_cutlery_its_a_scam_but_the_knives.html

I disagree with author's assertion that the knives are "fantastic." Just another gimmick. Stick with Wustof.

My CUTCO knives are great. I have a trimmer, a pairing knife, and I just got the cheese knife (favorite). I'm slowing buying the whole set to replace the cheap knives currently in my kitchen.

The CUTCO knives also sharpen well if you know how to use a wet stone properly.

@strambley- you can send them back to cutco and they'll sharpen them for you. As for the scam, I also know people who put themselves through college selling the knives, so I guess it can vary.

I have a paring knive and a steak knife that I got as gifts. The are pretty good, although not precision. I use them when I want to cut fruit in half and then put them in the dishwasher. I agree with strambley regarding their selling method. Why in the world is the price so mysterious? Poor kids that get roped into it thinking it's a job when it's just MLM.

I have a full set of CUTCO Knives. I grew up with CUTCO and purchased my set last year. I love the Santoku it is all this article say it is. Don't let the prices of the knives discourage you. It is wise to not ask how much they are, but what they are worth!! In less than a year they already paid for themselves.

My chef's knife is a Cutco and I adore it. I've been using it for almost 10 yrs now on a daily basis. Love, love, love it.

I actually sell Cutco Cutlery, and I'm a huge fan of your site. When I saw this review I got really excited, I love it when people give Cutco the props it deserves :) So glad you love it!

In regards to kids getting roped into it, I've been selling Cutco for two years, and I've sold over $30,000 worth, and I've made a nice chunk of change, especially for a college student. Just throwing it out there :)

I got a Cutco set from my brother-in-law (out of pity, the only other set he sold was to his mother) almost 20 years ago. I still use the knives and find they continue to perform very well. The regular knives I have professionally sharpened once a year, and maintain on a steel in between. No problems with the edge.

I do think they're a shady company, but if you feel like taking pity on a cousin or coworker's kid, they do make a good product.

My parents have a full set and every time I go over there I'm impressed all over again. They've had most of them for 10+ years and have been sharpened multiple times which seems to make them better than before. They recently bought a spatula spreader (http://www.cutco.com/products/product.jsp?itemGroup=1768) and use it for every single knife task in their kitchen.

Just be careful, because they're so sharp, you'll give yourself a pretty deep cut before you even realize you've done it. Trust me, I've watched it happen.

I am so glad to hear from a student who has had success selling these knives - it put my conscience at ease.

I love, love, love my Cutco knives. They are easy to handle and sharp as all get out. You are usually gifted band-aids with your purchase. :)

Cutco knives saved my mom from a burning bus and cured my poodle's gout! Don't ask how much getting them will cost you; ask how much *not* getting them will cost you!

Tell us how you like it after a year or two of regular use, because really, even the cheapest piece of junk knife works fine straight out of the package. That is not what makes a good knife good.

I've never used a Cutco knife that wasn't a dangerously dull piece of you know what, which probably says more about the people who buy them than anything else.
Apparently, when they're dull, they're rEALLY dull...whereas with a Wustof, there's never a point where it becomes so useless that few passes over the steel doesn't help.

A few years ago, I stopped at the Cutco factory store in Olean, NY, and came away with a new respect for the company and products. I own a few and use them regularly. No complaints.

This is really informative... I have always that of them as being "cheap" I guess just because they were always being sold at H & G shows. Interesting... I will have to check them out.

The main review I've seen comparing CUTCO to other brands is at Cooking for Engineers:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/129/Chefs-Knives-Rated

It didn't do well, but that's a bit of an old review.

@nowen, that is a brilliant idea! i can't tell you how many of my clients have wound up with cuts (i've gotten several myself). thank you for sharing!

But this knife lacks a santoku's indentations on the blade which prevent things from sticking. It has the santoku shape, but it's not a santoku without those indentations.

A santoku knife is characterized by the shape of the blade, not the indentations. The indentations are found on all shapes of knives now, even small paring knives. So, this cutco knife is a 'santoku'.

one more thing, a note to Ms. Lubbe, if you're a fan of the regular santoku knife, Cutco has recently rolled out a whole line of santoku-style knives. you can find the details at www.cutco.com :) enjoy!

Another former Cutco seller - I did it for a month (and did it WELL) and would have kept doing it had it not been summer in Miami and my AC in my car died. Too much driving in too much heat. XD

I still have my display knives - I purchased my set back in 2001 and have not sent them in to be sharpened yet. Are they as sharp as they were on day 1? No. But I assure you with the cut on my finger, they are still hella sharp and I just need to mail them to the Cutco factory to get them sharpened at no charge to me.

Like another purveyor of plastic storageware that used to be available only through a "party", Cutco products are no available over the internet instead of requiring the entire demo extravaganza.

I'm another that did decently selling them (~20 years ago), and I still use my demo set of knives regularly. The free lifetime sharpening is better deal than you'd think. 10+ years ago, my BF at the time decided to cut a couch in half, so he could toss it over the balcony, instead of having to lug it down the stairs to the trash. He used my small Cutco trimmer to do the dirty work. It was pretty worn out afterwards, so I sent it in for sharpening. They replaced it and another one of the knives because the tips had broken, for free. True story.

They may not be perfect, but I still recommend them highly.

Hey just to comment, I am a student in college right now and I am currently working for vector selling cutco. I have sold $60,000 in my first 10 months or so. I have made about $25,000 and payed my way through my first year of college without taking out any loans. When people complain about vectors approach to selling it really does get to me. Direct is the best way to go. It lowers the cost of the knives. You may think cutco is expensive now, but if we were sold at williams sonoma or some place like that we would be almost twice as much. Look at brands like Shun knives. The prices are very high for these and still do not offer a forever guarantee. Also a lot of people who complain about vectors direct selling approach are usually people who had a bad experience or know someone who had a bad experience with vector. Generally that bad experience means they were bad at the job. You will never meet someone who was good at selling cutco and complains about it. This is the best opportunity for students in America and literally anyone who is not lazy and is willing to work hard can sell a lot of the stuff.

@splatgirl - as I said in my post, my Cutco set is almost 20 years old. The petite chef knife in particular (the larger chef didn't have enough of a rocker for my liking) gets daily usage. I do use a steel, and I started using a professional sharpening service a few years back. But no more and no less than friends who have wustof, henkels, etc. knives.

If the thing ever gets stolen or run over by a car, I would certainly consider other brands (and the convenience of just going to the mall to get a replacement). But I think that's pretty much what it would take before it would NEED to be replaced.

I don't know, but I just found out that my mom spent $1000 in 1968 (over $6000 in today's money) on a set of CUTCO knives. She still uses them, but she's never had them sharpened. :eyeroll:

Hi Kristen. So sorry, must have missed that you are a long time owner/lover, but honestly, that just makes this post seem even more like an advertisement. I presume you got the knife for free. How about giving it to someone who will use it daily, for short and long term review? Someone who has never bought Cutco and knows nothing about them...

Because all of those absurdly dull Cutco knives I've met? They all lived in kitchens with people who thought they were the greatest thing ever, too.

A friend of mine was selling Cutco and as I opted to not buy them I don't know about how well they do, or don't hold an edge, but I did find that their ergonomic handles made them extremely difficult to hold in a pinch grip (holding the knife by pinching on the blade) comfortably, at least for my hands and that was the main reason I passed on them.

Take a Shun Onion knife and don't sharpen it, or use it directly on your granite counter tops, and it'll get pretty dull, too.

My boss considers herself a foodie and talks like her Wusthof's can do the cutting for you. But her fancy knives are dull enough to use in a kindergarten because she doesn't take care of them. Yet I manage not to blame the knives, or just assume people who like them don't know what they're talking about.