Handmade (Forged) vs Factory Made Knives

A question from many guests at the shop often comes down to the fabrication method or style of kitchen knives: Should I buy a handmade knife? Are factory-made knives cheap? Do hand-made knives offer me the best performance for my money? Well, let me tell you the honest truth.

First, we must keep in mind that while "factory-made" sounds like knives are produced by a series of machines handling the assembly from step A to Z, similar to what we see in food factories, this is not what truly happens in real environments. On the other hand, "handmade" sounds like it guarantees amazing quality control and stellar construction. However, we often need to be careful about what we are really getting, and price can play a major role.

Factory-Made Knives

Whether you get a knife made in Japan, China, or any other country, most factories have several steps in the fabrication process. For example, Tojiro, known for its Japanese kitchen knives, claims to have over a dozen fabrication steps in their factory. Meanwhile, Shun, also known for their Japanese knives, claims to have over 100 steps, calling them "100 handcrafted steps." This allows them to use the term "handmade knives," when in reality, for most of their knife models, machines initially print and stamp billets shaped like a knife. After that, many hands physically finish the product. So are they factory-made or hand-made?

I’ll also add Chinese-made knives into the mix, as there is a lot of controversy. Realistically speaking, many factories we deal with have similar steps, regardless of the country of fabrication. The key is how much you invest in materials and final quality control. Still with me?

What Factory-Made Knives Offer:

• Consistency in fabrication: hardness (HRC), geometry (grind), sharpness (edge), and performance.
• They tend to be more affordable as they are made in series.
• The majority will look like a well-refined, finished product.

Hand-Made Knives

Pieces of art—these are the blades, handles, and final products that many see on TV shows like Forged in Fire, where blacksmiths compete for a title. They are stunning and appear highly performant, but are they really? At Kakushin, we've had the pleasure of working with some amazing blacksmiths from around the world, exemple Japanese smiths like Mr. Itou and Yoshimitsu Kajiya, but also craftsmen from the USA like Joshua Fisher, the Dao Vua community in Vietnam, and even from Canada, where we work with Morgan from Kaizen Knives.

Let me tell you, the work from each blacksmith offers something unique. Each has a different price point, and the finished products vary greatly. So, what determines the quality of the final product? Price! And don’t be fooled into thinking that handmade automatically guarantees the best bang for your buck in terms of performance even if you pay more. All the smiths I mentioned above create incredible pieces, and that’s why we’ve been working with them for several years. But are you paying more for better performance? Not necessarily as steel, hardness and geometrie will be key factors to the performance of a knife regardless if it was hand-pounded or machine cut. That said, you’re paying for the work of an individual who pours sweat and tears into forging something unique. It’s a creation that tells stories—stories you’ll share with family and friends for a lifetime—while also enhancing the joy of cooking.

What Hand-Made Knives Offer:

• A story of where the knife comes from and how the material was shaped into a piece of art.
• The signature of the smith who forged the knife.
• An exclusive piece that isn’t reproduced countless times.
• And yes, an amazing performance too in most cases.
  *When I say "most cases," it's because there are some backyard makers who call themselves blacksmiths. While their knives may be handmade, the quality of their steel, grinds, hardness, and even sharpening often leaves much to be desired.

So, does factory-made still mean knives are bad compared to handmade knives? If you are looking for a piece of art or a collector’s item, sure, that handmade product with the blacksmith’s signature might be what you want - it will provide you with some perks that no other knife will, however, most home cooks who use kitchen knives daily to simply enjoy cooking and feed their families will be very pleased with the consistency of a factory-made knife.

Shop with your heart and your budget in mind. Everyone has different expectations for their kitchen knives, and I hope this short blog has made you reconsider how to make an educated decision.

Until next time!