Traveling Knife GalA forged knife is hammered into shape from a hot bar of steel and usually has a thick bolster; a stamped (or laser-cut) knife is cut from a sheet of steel, then ground and heat-treated. Forged knives tend to be heavier; stamped knives lighter and more nimble. Performance comes mostly from the steel, heat treatment and grind, not the forming method.
How each is made
Forged: a heated bar of steel is pressed or hammered into a blade shape, often with a thick bolster where blade meets handle, then ground and heat-treated. Stamped: the blade shape is cut from a sheet of steel by blanking or laser, then ground, heat-treated and polished.
How they feel
Forged knives with bolsters are usually heavier and more blade-forward; some cooks love that heft. Stamped knives are lighter and quicker in the hand, and without a full bolster the whole edge can be sharpened to the heel.
Which is better?
Neither by default. Modern heat treatment means a well-made stamped blade can match a forged one in sharpness and edge holding. Judge a knife by its steel, heat treatment, grind, balance and guarantee, and by how it feels in your hand.
How Cutco is made
Cutco kitchen knife blades are cut from 440A high-carbon stainless sheet steel by laser or blanking, then given a three-step heat treatment (extreme heat, deep freeze and tempering), hollow ground on both sides, polished, and fitted with a full tang and three nickel-silver rivets. Each knife must pass up to 25 quality standards. The Table Knife is the exception: it's forged.
Questions
Are forged knives better than stamped knives?
Not automatically. Steel, heat treatment and grind matter more than whether the blade was forged or stamped.
Are Cutco knives forged or stamped?
Cutco kitchen knives are cut from sheet steel by laser or blanking, then heat-treated and ground. The Table Knife is forged.
Why are forged knives heavier?
They usually have a thick bolster and a thicker spine.
Keep reading
Sources: Cutco: How Cutco Knives Are Made · Cutco: Just the Facts