Can Kitchen Knives have deals that are too good to be true?

(Spoiler: Yes. Yes, they can.)

Let’s be real for a second. We get a ton of walk-ins at Kakushin who head straight for the red tags. And hey, we get it — everyone loves a deal. That little splash of red feels like victory. Like you just outsmarted the system. But here’s the thing no one likes to talk about: sometimes, that red tag is just lipstick on a scam.

We even made a short parody video where we take a knife, slap a fake price of $2195, and then mark it down to $595 — boom, red tag! Looks like a killer deal, right? But it’s totally made up. The original price never existed. And unfortunately, this kind of tactic isn’t just a joke — it happens way too often.

Some shops crank up the “original” prices just to drop them dramatically. It’s all theatre. The truth is: no seller — none — is willingly losing money on a knife unless they’re going out of business, or they’re trying to dump stock that no one wants. And if that’s the case? That’s your red flag, not your red tag.

So what should you look for instead?

• Do your homework. Google the knife. Check the steel, the brand, the maker. Compare prices from real, trusted stores — not just the ones that throw wild numbers around. If you can’t find any solid info? Walk away. That silence says a lot.

  Ask questions. If a deal looks too good, dig deeper. Why is it so cheap? What’s the catch? Funny how we’ll second-guess a house or a car when the price is too low — we instantly assume something’s wrong. But with knives (or tools in general), we drop our guard. Don't.

  Don’t fall for fake MSRP. That “original” price? It better come from somewhere real — not pulled out of thin air just to make a discount look dramatic. A lot of folks see the red tag and assume that is the knife’s true worth, when in reality, it’s just clever math.

At Kakushin, we don’t flood the shop with fake “deals” or run constant promos just for show. Our prices are fair from the start — no fluff, no inflated MSRPs. Once in a while, yeah, we’ll run a seasonal event on demo units, discontinued stock, or offer bundles and red tags when it actually makes sense. But we’re not here to play pricing games. That’s just not our thing.

If you’re buying a tool you’ll use every day — something that preps your meals and feeds your family — don’t cheap out on smoke and mirrors. Go for real quality. Because a knife that’s still gliding years later? That’s the kind of deal that actually matters.