What Makes A Good Kitchen Knife ? part 3 – Fit & Finish or, if you’rehip, phit and phinnish…

It’s Knife Monday! Let’s talk fit and finish…

The  “fit and finish” of a knife refers to how well all of the pieces/parts of the knife fit together and are finished off. Are the handles attached solidly to the tang with no gaps? Are all the edges and joints smooth so they don’t cut into your hand? Is everything polished so that there aren’t any burrs along the edges? Can you see the grind lines of the blade? Are they clean and even? If the blade has a high polish or satin buff is the finish clean and even? (Note: we’ll go into what all these names mean next week when we talk about knife parts).

These attributes – along with high quality materials – are all part of the “good knife equation” which, for me, is this: if a knife is made out of quality materials (i.e. steel that takes and holds a good edge while being easy to maintain along with handle materials that are durable); and the fit and finish of the knife are good; and the weight and balance of the knife are solid… then you have a quality knife. After that, it comes down to personal preference of how a knife feels in your hand and the comfort level you have using it.

There are lots of good knives out there (and a lot more lousy ones). For myself - and Corrado Cutlery - I have narrowed it down to 2 brands which cover all the bases – Wusthof-Trident and Victorinox Swiss Army…

(to be continued…)