Hey the other thread about a SF knife set and then replies by TS and Mr. Harsey got me to thinking about kitchen knives. The links to the very fine Shun and Chris Reeve knives had me drooling over knife pictures for a few hours last night. ...Which then got me to thinking about buying another knife to add to our set.
I’m not really a knife guy and I’m certainly not selling but since I didn’t see anything posted already I thought I’d share a bit of of Americana.
The knife set that we have currently is made by Warther Cutlery in the little town of Dover, OH. It is a family run business (4th Generation) that has been making knives since 1902. We got ours as a wedding present 20yrs ago. My mother’s set of Warther kitchen knives are a prized possession that she has had for almost 60 years. They were the one big wedding present given to my mom and dad when they were married, the best that the families could afford at the time. In that part of the state, they are well known, but not well publicized elsewhere, I don’t think.
I have no basis to compare, but I am not suggesting that fit and finish, ergonomics etc. are on par with the best knives in the world if money were no object, but it seems to me that they are made with quality steel (the same steel IIRC, that the Chris Reeve chef knife is made from) and are definitely a step up over many mass-produced knives and are great to use every single day. We are happy with ours, and short of just “wanting” a different knife that I can say I paid 2-3x+ as much for, we have no need for any better. We are not professional cooks.
They are 100% American made. Beginning a couple of years ago they started using CPM S35VN steel made in NY, treated to 58-60 Rockwell. The blades are convex ground. Handles are also made from US Birch wood. They are French style knives that are if I had to generalize, light and on the thin side. A unique spotted pattern on the blade (engine turning?) that is a distinguishing feature of Warther knives (you either like it or you don’t...). Affordable and a very good value (naturally given how long my mom has been using hers and we have been using ours) . A 9” Chef’s will set you back about $105.00-ish. My mom’s and our sets are made with different steel, but they can be made scary sharp. I’m sure this new steel is even better. Free sharpening for life… just send them back and they‘ll sharpen them for you.
A link to their history (can get to the knives from here)
http://www.warthercutlery.com/our-history
Whats even cooler is the story behind the founder, Earnest “Mooney” Warther. Known as the “Worlds Master Carver” . It is well worth you time to look at his story. And if you are anywhere in Ohio, you need to stop at the museum (next to the knife making shop) and see his carvings on the “history of steam”…. Working trains carved from wood, ebony, and ivory. Parts and pieces made to scale mechanically correct. All carved by hand and made by a steelworker turned knife-maker from an immigrant family living in small-town Ohio who never had more than a 2nd grade education. I guarantee you’ve never seen anything like it. Be prepared to be blown away by the one of a kind talent and mechanical engineering genius. He started making knives so that he would have a better knife to carve with, then he made his mother a knife and she told her friends and then all the neighborhood women wanted knives and his knife-making business took off. The short book that they sell on Mooney’s life is a good read. An amazing story.
A link to a multi-part blog about Mooney Warther and his carvings:
http://blog.woodcraft.com/?s=warther
A pacifist, Warther, at the request of local wives and mothers, after much prayer and soul-searching, also hand-made "commmando" knives for local servicemen during WWII. From my memory, in his workshop (preserved as part of the museum) still sits a knife that he was working on when victory over Japan was announced. He left it unfinished and it is unfinished to this day.
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