Spyderco kitchen cutlery

[jackknifeh]

First. I ordered the 6.5" serrated kitchen knife. We have had it for a few days. Last night wife went out of her way to say how much she liked it and wanted to know if there were other sizes and how much they cost. So I ordered the 4.5" serrated knife. I might get the Santoku but don't know yet. The mini-paring knife looks interesting also. Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know what wife thinks about the knife. This is the first time she has liked a knife well enough to ask about other models. What really proved to me she liked it was her asking about price.

I emailed Spyderco but they won't reply til Monday or Tuesday about the kitchen cutlery being dishwasher safe or not. Does anyone know Spyderco's stand on this and/or have any of you put your Spyderco kitchen cutlery in the dishwasher. The only thing that worry's me is edge damage if knocked against other silverware.


Jack

[bh49]

Jack,

Do not even think to put not only Spyderco, but any half decent kitchen knife into dishwasher - heat+detergent would kill the edge. And get Santoku.

[bh49]

BTW, I have original K04 and K06 SE since 2006. My wife almost never use them. Her favorite out of Spyderco family is Yang (I thinned the edge a bit). She doesn't like K04 PE because it flexing. My favorite is Santoku at this time, which can change, if Spyderco will make 9-10" bladed Gyuto.

[The Deacon]

Don't know what Spyderco's stance is but, while I doubt the handles on the new ones would be damaged, the general consensus is that decent knives should never be put in a dishwasher. In addition to the risk of damage due to contact with other objects, dishwasher detergent is more caustic than regular dish detergent and can erode blade steel.

[sal]

I kind of have to agree with bh49 and Deacon. Heat, detergent and as you mentioned edge damage from hitting other hard materials are all danger to the usefulness of the knife. Wash, dry.

sal

[jackknifeh]

Ok I think I get it. Dishwasher BAD! :) I didn't know anything about the dishwasher soap being harmful. Good to know.

Thanks guys.

Jack

[bh49]

I didn't know anything about the dishwasher soap being harmful. Good to know.

I am not sure that dishwasher soap is harmful, but combination of dishwasher detergent and heat is. Also like Sal said hitting other hard objects is not good. The same reason for not keeping kitchen knives in a drawer, unless the edge is protected.

[Chopping Broccoli]

I ordered the entire set of plain edge black handled kitchen knives. I guess that is the Santoku, utility, paring, and mini paring. I was impressed with the quality and value of these knives that I went ahead and ordered the red handled serrated paring knife even though I was pretty sure I did not need any serrated kitchen knives. It is now my favorite knife of the bunch. Something about the red handle and those mean looking serrations. Its a cool combo.

Question for Sal: why did you make different color handles for the serrated knives. I haven't ordered the blue utility knife yet as I'm kinda hoping it will eventually come in red. Any chance of that happening?

Second question for Sal or anyone that cares to answer. My Santuko has developed a patina rather quickly. Is MBS-26 suppose to patina? I did not read up on the specifics of this type of steel before buying. I just assumed it was a stainless. I have only cut a few things. I suspect the grapefruit did it. And they have only been handwashed.

[sal]

The serrated versiosns were, by far, the most popular because of their aggressive cutting behavior and edge retention. We made the blue version for food establishments. The blue was easy to find in a kitchen. We made the red handle on the K05 for bars. Cutting lemons, limes, etc. and the red was easy to find in a bar. The red version became very popular with the commercial fisherman.

Acids will affect even stainless. Best to rinse off the blade after cutting thingslike grapefruit. But under normal cirfcumstances, they should be quite stain resistant. MBS-26 was 2nd only to 440C in our corrosion resistant tests of all of the martensitic steels. Of course nitrogen steels will be better. You might be able to remove the patina with some polish like Flitz.

sal

[Donut]

I guess that is the Santoku, utility, paring, and mini paring. I was impressed with the quality and value of these knives that I went ahead and ordered the red handled serrated paring knife even though I was pretty sure I did not need any serrated kitchen knives. It is now my favorite knife of the bunch.

Yeah, but which one does Dana Carvey think is the best for chopping broccoli?

[Chopping Broccoli]

I guess that is the Santoku, utility, paring, and mini paring. I was impressed with the quality and value of these knives that I went ahead and ordered the red handled serrated paring knife even though I was pretty sure I did not need any serrated kitchen knives. It is now my favorite knife of the bunch.

Yeah, but which one does Dana Carvey think is the best for chopping broccoli?

Clearly that would be the Santoku. :)

[The Deacon]

I didn't know anything about the dishwasher soap being harmful. Good to know.

I am not sure that dishwasher soap is harmful, but combination of dishwasher detergent and heat is. Also like Sal said hitting other hard objects is not good. The same reason for not keeping kitchen knives in a drawer, unless the edge is protected.

I've never done it, but I'm fairly certain that if you compared the Ph of dish detergent with that of a dishwasher detergent, the dishwasher stuff would be more alkaline. Heat tends to speed up any chemical reaction, so a dishwasher's hotter water will also be a factor in the detergent attacking the steel.

[JD Spydo]

Don't know what Spyderco's stance is but, while I doubt the handles on the new ones would be damaged, the general consensus is that decent knives should never be put in a dishwasher. In addition to the risk of damage due to contact with other objects, dishwasher detergent is more caustic than regular dish detergent and can erode blade steel.

That's one of the main reasons I don't own a dishwasher anymore and probably will never own another one. Unless you have a huge family I see no practical purpose in having one at all. And I think you're so right about those commercial dishwasher detergents being caustic.

I find the very best thing to clean all my kitchen knives is the new DAWN OverNight dishwashing soap. It cleans them squeaky clean with no residue at all and does it fairly quickly.

And for GOD's sakes don't put good quality kitchen knives in a drawer with all your other kitchen tools :eek: Definitely keep them separate or get one of those wooden blocks to store kitchen knives in>> you can find really good ones at many thrift stores for as little as $5 sometimes. I got one recently made of solid oak for even less than that recently.

[Experimentalist]

Don't know what Spyderco's stance is but, while I doubt the handles on the new ones would be damaged, the general consensus is that decent knives should never be put in a dishwasher. In addition to the risk of damage due to contact with other objects, dishwasher detergent is more caustic than regular dish detergent and can erode blade steel.

That's one of the main reasons I don't own a dishwasher anymore and probably will never own another one. Unless you have a huge family I see no practical purpose in having one at all. And I think you're so right about those commercial dishwasher detergents being caustic.

I find the very best thing to clean all my kitchen knives is the new DAWN OverNight dishwashing soap. It cleans them squeaky clean with no residue at all and does it fairly quickly.

And for GOD's sakes don't put good quality kitchen knives in a drawer with all your other kitchen tools :eek: Definitely keep them separate or get one of those wooden blocks to store kitchen knives in>> you can find really good ones at many thrift stores for as little as $5 sometimes. I got one recently made of solid oak for even less than that recently.

I agree that kitchen cutlery should be washed by hand and not in a dishwasher.

I disagree on the wooden blocks though. They can get dirty inside and are difficult if not next to impossible to clean.

I'd recommend a wall mounted magnetic holder. Preferably wooden so it doesn't damage the edge.

[jackknifeh]

I also emailed Spyderco asking about the kitchen cutlery being dishwasher safe. While they said the knives are dishwasher safe they also expressed strong suggestion not to put them in the dishwasher. They sited the same reasons as have been posted here. But if someone does it we know the handle won't melt off. :)

[The Deacon]

I disagree on the wooden blocks though. They can get dirty inside and are difficult if not next to impossible to clean.

I'd recommend a wall mounted magnetic holder. Preferably wooden so it doesn't damage the edge.

Magnetic holders are good, but only if you have a safe place to mount them. They're not foolproof, it's fairly easy to dislodge a knife from one. I know that I managed to do so a couple times back in NY. For that reason, IMHO, they're far from the best choice if you have cats or kids. For me, the ideal is a dedicated knife drawer fitted with a knife rack like that pictured here. Keeps the knives, and the rack, clean. Barring that, a wooden block is fine, as long as the knives are thoroughly dried before putting them away, which they should be in any event. The slots in mine go all the way through, so I could always wash them out, if I cared to do so.

[Ankerson]

Have to get a few of the Kitchen knives myself to replace some of the garbage that I still have around and have to sharpen all the time.

Edit:

Here is what I have coming, should do nicely I think. :spyder:

Spyderco K04PBK Utility Knife 6" Black Plain Edge
Spyderco K04SBL Utility Knife 6" Blue Spyderedge
Spyderco Paring K05SBK Kitchen Knife, Serrated Edge, Black
Spyderco Paring K05PBK Kitchen Knife, Plain Edge, Black

I can chuck out the old junk once these get here.

[Ankerson]

I also emailed Spyderco asking about the kitchen cutlery being dishwasher safe. While they said the knives are dishwasher safe they also expressed strong suggestion not to put them in the dishwasher. They sited the same reasons as have been posted here. But if someone does it we know the handle won't melt off. :)

I wouldn't put any good knife in the dishwasher, better to just wash by hand and let dry. :)

[bh49]

I disagree on the wooden blocks though. They can get dirty inside and are difficult if not next to impossible to clean.

I can be wrong, but I do not see a problem here. I am using the two wooden blocks. One of them is 24 years old and second is 20. There is no dirt in any slot. Of course, if people do not clean their knives, they can contaminate slots, but in this case even magnetic strips are not foolproof.

[Ankerson]

I disagree on the wooden blocks though. They can get dirty inside and are difficult if not next to impossible to clean.

I can be wrong, but I do not see a problem here. I am using the two wooden blocks. One of them is 24 years old and second is 20. There is no dirt in any slot. Of course, if people do not clean their knives, they can contaminate slots, but in this case even magnetic strips are not foolproof.

I used them in past, if you rinse off the knives before use they are fine. :)

But then I always rinse the blades off before using in the kitchen.