Knife Sharpening at the Cutco Factory: An Inside Look

Sharp is our middle name a Cutco. After all, what’s a knife if it’s not sharp? Along with manufacturing the best knives around, we also sharpen customers’ well-loved knives when regular at-home sharpening just isn’t cutting it anymore. In fact, servicing knives is built in to The Forever Guarantee.

At Cutco we have an entire department dedicated to factory sharpening. Everyone there handles our customers' knives with tender loving care. Their job requires an attention to detail, a steady hand and coordinated skills. When visiting that department, I am always amazed at the dedication our team has to putting a smile on customers’ faces.

Being in that area of the factory almost always provides a trip down memory lane as we get knives sent in for sharpening that are decades old. Knives that are 50, 60 or 70 years old or more, often make their way through the process. If only those knives could talk and tell us of the family dinners, kitchen mishaps and holiday gatherings they’ve lived through.

If you’ve ever wondered exactly what happens during knife sharpening at our factory, here’s a tour from a 9-1/4" French Chef knife’s point of view.

Knife Sharpening at the Cutco Factory

Before a well-loved Cutco knife even makes its way to our factory, we ask customers to take care when packaging them up. Watch our quick video for tips on safely doing that so that not only your knives are protected, but so are the people handling them during shipping and those opening packages here.

• When a package arrives for factory sharpening, it is carefully opened and our return/repair team inspects the contents to assess what needs to be done.
• The knife makes its way down a conveyor belt to our factory sharpening team where sharpening begins. Straight- edge knives are honed and Double-D® edges receive a fresh edge on a grinding wheel.
• Knives then move to high speed buffing where the burr is removed, taking the knife edge from sharp to super sharp.
• Knives are then carefully cleaned and repackaged for their trip back to the customer.
• Customer service, including knife sharpening and repair, is a cornerstone of Cutco’s business. What we do is not just about knives; it’s about building a relationship that lasts forever.