SPYDERCO KITCHEN CLASSICS
Featured Product- SKU: K01 / K04 / K05 / K08 / K09
- MSRP: $45.00 - $95.00
- ORIGIN: Japan
“The knives found in most commercial and home kitchens are like supermarket tomatoes—designed more for sturdiness than quality.”
Chad Ward, veteran cook and author of “An Edge in the Kitchen”
If you’ve spent any time in the kitchen, you know that knives are at or near the top of the list of a cook’s most important tools. Despite that fact, the knives tucked into in the butcher blocks of most kitchens leave a lot to be desired. Most often they have relatively soft stainless steel blades that are very corrosion resistant and easy to sharpen, but don’t actually take or retain a keen edge. The more expensive kitchen knives from the well-known European brands are better, but still too thick and their blades too soft for optimal performance.
In contrast, Japanese cooking knives are a totally different breed. Thinner, harder, and with more acute edge geometry, they generally cut significantly better than their Western competition and keep doing so much longer between sharpening. Although savvy cooks worldwide have recently begun to realize this, Spyderco founders Sal and Gail Glesser had this epiphany almost 40 years ago—and our Kitchen Classics line of Japanese-made cooking knives has been setting a high standard ever since.
In the early 1980’s, Sal traveled to Japan regularly to foster relationships with the companies that manufactured our early CLIPIT® folding-knife designs. During one of these trips, he was offered the chance to produce a series of kitchen knives with a highly regarded Japanese company. He embraced the opportunity and ultimately introduced a complete line of Spyderco kitchen cutlery that included everything from mini paring knives through full-sized chef’s knives. This unique series combined the high-performance steel and refined edge geometry of Japanese-style kitchen knives with a style and user friendliness that appealed to Western cooks. It was also the first to introduce a commercial santoku—a versatile Japanese knife that looks like a cleaver but performs like a world-class chef’s knife—to the U.S. market.
Spyderco’s kitchen knives were crafted from MBS-26, a proprietary stainless steel available exclusively to one manufacturer in Japan. Ground exceptionally thin and meticulously heat treated, these knives offered cutting performance and edge retention that actually exceeded the chemistry of the steel. The serrated versions also featured a highly evolved tooth pattern scientifically designed to remain sharp despite repeated contact with a cutting board.
The handles of our original kitchen knives were injection-molded from Sermollan—a lightweight, rubberized plastic with a semi-soft texture that provided a secure grip, even when wet. Their shapes were basically Western-style profiles, enhanced by a unique “stepped” texture pattern that gave them a distinctive look and helped ensure a positive, non-slip grip and precise control.
To evaluate both the hard-use and long-term performance of his kitchen knives, Sal made a habit of providing samples to restaurants and food vendors around the world. During his travels to international trade shows, he would regularly check on the status of these knives, sharpen them as needed, and collect feedback from the professionals that used them. Over the years, this invaluable information served as the basis for minor changes and improvements that brought these workhorse designs even closer to perfection.
After many years of production, Spyderco was forced to discontinue its kitchen knives around 2005. Business relationships in Japan are very complex and governed by deep cultural traditions. When the relationship between Spyderco’s Japanese trading company and the factory producing the knives changed, our “link” to that factory was lost. Although we tried a number of alternative approaches to manufacturing kitchen cutlery, none equaled the performance or quality of our original kitchen series. Fortunately, through careful negotiations and strict adherence to Japanese business protocols, Spyderco was able to “rekindle an old marriage” with our original maker and in 2014 began reintroducing improved versions of select kitchen models.
The New Kitchen Classics
Spyderco’s current Kitchen Classics series faithfully features all the defining qualities of the original designs and includes a mini paring knife, two sizes of utility knives, a bread knife, and the Santoku. Like their predecessors, these knives all proudly feature premium MBS-26 stainless steel blades that are ground exceptionally thin and painstakingly heat treated for optimal cutting performance. Some designs also offer the option of either a PlainEdge™ or fully serrated blade.Although the Sermollan handles of the original knives were durable and long lasting, after many years of service, they sometimes developed a “chalky” appearance and softened slightly. To eliminate this issue, Kitchen Classics knives now have handles injection molded from tough, long-wearing polypropylene plastic. All their handles are molded directly onto the blade tangs and feature our signature “stepped” texture pattern that provides exceptional comfort and control during use. Some models also offer a choice of handle colors.
For precise work—especially specialized tasks like decorative fruit and vegetable carving—our Mini Paring Knife is unequaled. Medium and large food-preparation tasks are easily tackled by the 4.5-inch and 6.5-inch Utility Knives, which, in their serrated configurations, are also the perfect tools for sandwich making. The Santoku’s broad blade and gently curved cutting edge allow it to rival the best chef’s knives and make it the tool of choice for expertly slicing and dicing vegetables. Finally, the Bread Knife’s extra-long blade and serrated edge allow it to excel at slicing breads, cakes, and other baked goods.
Spyderco’s Kitchen Classics were instrumental in popularizing the concept of well-designed, Western-style cutting tools enhanced by premium Japanese blade steel and superior edge geometry. A shining example of our commitment to “reliable high performance™,” they continue to set a high standard in affordable kitchen cutting tools.