I've been working for Vector Marketing - Cutco for about two months. Yes, I am a cutco sales representative, and I've been having a hard time getting the company to actually pay for my work, but that's a different story... about the knives.

Cutco is not sold in stores. The only way to purchase Cutco is through one of the sales reps to come to your house and do a presentation which usually takes between half an hour to an hour. During this demonstration, a high school or college student (such as myself), working for Vector, will come to your house and show you all the products that Cutco produces, as well as tell you about the company, the knives, and the guarantee.

So here is the runthrough...

Cutco has been around since 1949, when the first Cutco knife was manufactured in Olean, New York. All Cutco products are American made, and Cutco is the number one seller of cutlery in all of North America. Cutco has been featured on TV, on the David Letterman Latenight Show, the Food Network, etc. Cutco has also received the Consumer Digest Best Buy Award.


Next, the sales rep will show you and tell you about the problems which exist with common knives, most of which should look familiar to you. These are problems with wooden and plastic handles, different kinds of steel (stainless and carbon), serrated and straight edges, and wobbly knives (knives that don't have a full tang).

And ofcourse, after this, you'll be told of how great Cutco knives are. There's a special Double-D edge which lasts longer than a serrrated edge and a straight edge without having to be resharpened. The steel is the best steel money can buy. The handle is ergonomically designed to fit the hand, and the material it's made out of is thermoresin... same stuff as football helmets.

Then, the Forever Guarantee. This is not the same as a Lifetime Guarantee because lifetime is on the person, while forever is on the product. This means that if the knife ever breaks, chips or cracks you get a free one. If the knife needs to be sharpened at any time, it'll be done for you for free. The guarantee also covers misuse and abuse: half price. You also get a 15 day trial once you purchase the knives.

Ok, there are many sets that Cutco offers. This one is the Homemaker Knife Set, sometimes referred to as the "Newly-wed Set", since it is the perfect set for the starting out family. It is the full set that is offered first in the demonstration. It is the most complete set (except for the Ultimate Set, which includes pretty much everything that Cutco makes). This is what the Homemaker Set contains:

- Paring knife
- Trimmer
- Spatula Spreader
- Petite Carver
- Turning Fork
- Butcher Knife
- French Chef Knife
- Slicer
- Carver
- Carving Fork

This set can come with eight table knives, or without any table knives. With either of these sets (the one with the table knives and the one without), you also get the wooden box that holds the knives, a sharpener for the straight edge knives, a cutting board, and a carving guide. And, if you buy the set the day it's shown to you, you can also get the first call special. Which means that you can get for free the super shears (scissors that cut a penny in the demonstration which usually cost $68) and the kitchen tool set which includes five essential kitchen tools, usually sold for $125.

Well, the knives are great, but the price is not. For this set, the price is $760, plus tax and shipping. In New York, this will come out to around $850 altogether. Now, considering that you will never have to buy another set of knives for the rest of your life, and that this is a complete and beautiful set, the price may be worth it for you. However, for most people, this is a pretty steep price for a set of knives, no matter how you twist it.

Cutco is compared to another knife company, Henckels, manufactured in Germany and considered to make excellent knives. Cutco says that Henckel's 18-piece set is sold at Macy's for $1006 when it goes on sale. However, my friend's mom found this full set for less than $200 at a discount store. True, Henckel's are not as good as Cutco knives, but they do have a good guarantee, excellent materials and reputation, and they're a whole lot cheaper than Cutco.

Cutco is convenient, beautiful, and overall excellent cutlery. If you do buy this set, you will have no regrets. However, let's look at things realistically. Some of the knives included in this full set are ones that you don't really need. This set is expensive. Perhaps for most people, a smaller set would be more convenient and economical.


P.S. No offense, but it seems like people who work for Cutco are willing to defend this product with their life. I've gotten a lot of misunderstandings about this review. I never really had trouble selling this product, when I was showing it to target customers. The only thing I had a problem with is getting the company itself to pay me for the work I did. I won't go into detail, but it just took them a while to get their act together. Anyway, please, I'm aware of all the rules and regulations, and, oh yea, please stop telling me about the different Henckels sets out there. I know the difference.
~Marina


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 760+tax+S&H