I always have a soft spot for Dexter because they are (usually) made in US. I wish they offer more than one steel though. All stainless steel knives are based on one steel and it is relatively soft. I suppose it is the same for Victorinox too. Though, Victorinox enjoys a slightly higher reputation
2 Likes
+2 on that comment Tim, so very kind of you to say that Thank You !
Gosh, I cannot wait to find out who is RIGHT here.
Whatās that about Misen vs. Mercer knives? Both brands seem to inspire endless pissing contests. Maybe look into different brands 
1 Like
Ha. I donāt think there was any pissing contests between the two brands of knives.
The first pissing match is about should or should not a person buy a new knife ā is it justified.
And then the last match pissing match was about does Marco White has anything to share with home cooks and professional cooks.
Marco or Mario? In the heat of the shouting match peeps got confused. Perhaps shoulda stuck to the topic at hand 
1 Like
Definitely I have some typos there. The fingers just so naturally typed Mario instead of Marco.
I nominate my $15 knives as valiant beaters.
4 Likes
Hi Olunia,
Buying a kitchen knife is very personalāand itās a process.
It always starts with your needsāand some āhands onā experiences.
For needs, identify the āgapā in your batterie that youāre trying to fillāor the knife youāre hoping to replace. Also, the price range youāre willing to spendāyour subjective expected utility.
There are places that will allow you to cut up a few carrots. When I first started to develop my batterie, and did some hands on, I discovered that I hated the bump at the end of the handles. That personal quirk eliminated more than half of the knives I was considering, and played a big part in my ultimately choosing a Wusthof Classic Ikon Chefās knife.
Iām certain that there are others who would only consider kitchen knives with that bumpāor some specific kind of bolsterāor weightāor balance point.
However, the Wusthof Classic Ikon Chefās knife retail price at the store was almost double my willingness to spend. So I kept looking around. It took about six months before I found one for $100ādelivered. I still like mine very much, but glad I took the time to think it through and get the value right.
My experiences have led me away from softer steel knives like Misen and the Mercers that have not focused on the home cook, but I have always gotten nosebleeds just looking at the prices of many established brands with harder steel.
On the other hand, having a knife that stays extremely sharp under our home cook user conditions for a long long time with minimal maintenance is addictive for me.
Iāve now segregated most of my softer steel knives with a honing steel to use on the spot from my other grabbable knives that donāt need that kind of attention.
Iād never recommend a specific brand or a specific knife for any one elseāor even myself. Among the knives I have purchased, there are European, Japanese, Chinese, and American knives purchased at prices from under $10 to over $200.
Ray
I have a 6ā Wusthof that Iāve used for a long time. Nice knife but the Misen 8ā was an upgrade, about 3 years ago. Paid $55 on sale. Holds an edge well. Really like it after I got use to it.
re: Made in Chinaā¦ lots of stuff is made in China and the quality is dictated by the brand and manufacturer. Apple iPhones are made in China and they usually outlast other brands in durability and quality. Thatās the design and manufacturing processā¦not where itās made.
In any case, looking for someone to sharpen the Wusthof and ran into this thread.
Objections to MIC products are not usually objections based on quality or value. They relate more to oneās feelings about the PRC, which are easy to oversimplify, or about MiUSA, which is pretty straightforward.
4 Likes
Exactly my opinion.
Itās impossible to boycott all products made in China (MIC), as so many spare parts for products are MIC.
Iām not a fan of the political regime in China and the way they run things, so I try to limit the number of products I buy from China. Same with Russia and a few other countries.
I do own an iPhone and I know very well itās made in China, but the brand behind is still American.
I would never in my life own a Chinese made Huawei phone. This brand is Chinese through and through.
As a cookware enthusiast I have the choice to buy what I want and what I like. So I try my best to avoid cookware made in China. Simple as that. I do sometimes make a mistake, for instance when I bought two Zwilling Pro frying pans, which I 100% thought were made by Demeyere.
Unfortunately they turned out to be MIC. I still own the pans and they perform great. But it was a mistake buying them since they are MIC.
With that said I still find Misen to be a pseudo brand.
Made in China iPhone is different than Made in China kitchen knives. Made in China kitchen knives are like 90% made in China. Made in China iPhone is assembled in China. Many key components are not necessary from China.
Even for the iPhone assembler company Foxconn. Yes, the factories are in China, but Foxconn is a Taiwanese company. I think comparing iPhone made in China vs Misen made in China is a bit over-blurring some key differenes.
2 Likes
What can I say, Chemicalkinetics ?!?
Youāve said it all and I agree - once again - 100% with your intelligent and wise words.
1 Like
Just stock your kitchen with old, heavy, tinned copper, DeBuyer carbon steel, Thiers-Issard knives, Pillivuyt, Apilco, old Mason-Cash or TJ Green bowls, various Matfer Bougeat tools and molds, and Robot Coupe. Your wallet will have been completely emptied for the benefit of Europe and the UK! You will be a happy but broke anachronism.
4 Likes
Well, a small sidetrack questionā¦ I have been bombarded with DeBuyer copper cookware ads.
Copper Cookware | de Buyer USA (debuyer-usa.com)
Anyone?
You can object. I get it. But all those multinational and American corporations manufacture a LOT of stuff in China, you name itā¦and make a nice profit off it. If you use Amazon guess what? MICā¦most of it. I donāt Amazon and never hadā¦but thatās another story reason.
Yes, China has human right issuesā¦but so does the US. The US is THE international arms dealer to the world and uses the most resources per capita than any other country. The US is not pure on any of it. Globalization was an idea brought on by the big consulting firms (McKinsey) and US and multinationals have made a killing.
So yeahā¦MIC. Right.
You are right. I recently bought a Mercer paring knife with the santoprene handle, and they are to die for. The santoprene handle is soft and very non-slip. Even with really greasy hands I donāt slip on the handle.
The blade sharpness compares very favorably to my Wusthof knives, and at a fraction of the cost.
Iām very tempted to buy more Mercer Genesis knives with the santoprene handle.
2 Likes
Misen, from what I know, is a US company and US brand, but they just outsource their manufacturing to China and other cheaper locations to get the right price point. They were (and may still be) a kick starter funded company at some point who started with a few cooking tools and have now grown into other brands. I have no knives, but two pans from them (that work fine).
Avoiding MIC is fine and personal choice (and I am weary of that myself for specific items), but as already noted itās not necessarily the Chinese government though that this sends a message to. The regime and the politics of the country have nothing to do with where companies want to manufacture their goods for what they believe to be the best price vs quality. Itās the choice of those companies to outsource manufacturing to India, Taiwan, China or some other location and they usually approve specs and the manufacturing QC process as part of that contract. Iām not suggesting that any poor experiences or low opinions others have isnāt true - itās just putting the blame on the wrong area. iPhone has demonstrated that you can get high quality goods, if you demand it (and pay for it) from your manufacturing partners. If companies would just shift gears and not trying to grow revenue by making you buy the next new item, and instead focus on brand loyalty by building quality items, then you would see a different direction. Most companies donāt care that your item breaks in 3 years; they want you to buy another one from them when it does.
Iād never even heard of Mercer, but Iāve been out of the new knife business for a while. Iām intrigued by the feedback (and this ATK recommendation) and will have to check them out.
I disagree with this.
If a company donāt care about where they want to have their products produced and assembled, but only base this decision on production cost, I as a consumer can tell the company, that I donāt approve of its choice and can simply stop supporting the company by buying other brands, that do care about where they have their products made.
I not only try to avoid buying Chinese made products because of the political regime, but also because I donāt think itās environmentally and economically healthy to support brands that have their products made and shipped half around the world instead of using countries closer to the region I live in, which is Europe.
By avoiding buying products MIC we as consumers can slowly but steadily force the big brands to reconsider where they want their products to be made.
So youāre disagreeing that I said the same thing you did - which is that itās the companyās decision to outsource and the cause of quality issues? 
Regardless -
Companies have been outsourcing to China since the 1970sā¦? Any individual can certainly make a stand, but itās going on 50+ years and we havenāt seen a huge tide to move this back. There are plenty of review sites with people giving MIC or non-home country made products as being inferior, but none of this has stemmed the tide to move manufacturing elsewhere. The reasons for this are complex (social political, buying habits of consumers, costs, etc.), and not just a matter of want. A more likely driver of change will be when Chinese labor gets too expensive (there are rising labor costs, as their economy develops) or a real political reason to stop - strong tariffs, logistical nightmares that drive cost up, Russia-like takeover that forces companies to pull out.
But to be back on topic - does Mercer only sell via Amazon and restaurant supply stores? I was surprised that I couldnāt find any direct online retail option.
1 Like
