A Brief History of Knife Production

It was also around 600 BCE that knifemaking experienced a major upgrade from the introduction of iron, the popular metal of the new age. Yet iron came with some pros and cons. On the one hand, iron was resilient, durable, inexpensive, and abundant. On the other, iron rusted easily and was usually still too soft for many of the tasks it was up against. One hundred years later, however, saw the invention of iron smelting, a process that involved adding carbon to iron to create steel. Both supple and robust, steel was a game-changer in the history of knives, and gradual advances in furnace technology increasingly allowed for better control, higher quality, and exceptionally long-lasting products.

Knife Production Today

At WÜSTHOF, there have been many innovations across the two hundred years and seven generations of our family business. Handles are no longer crafted from bone, of course, but from a mix of natural and ultramodern materials that include Calabrian olive wood, smoked oak, and our patented, honeycomb-textured Hexagon Power Grip, to name just a few. We created the Double-Serrated Bread Knife, which adds additional serrations within the standard blade serrations for unparalleled stability and effortless slicing. We patented and developed the “sacrificial anode,” a chemical trick we adapted from the ship-building industry that prevents corrosion inside the knife handle, making each WÜSTHOF knife virtually indestructible. Our knife collaboration with the virtuoso Italian master engraver Dario Cortini, for our limited-edition WÜSTHOF Amici 1814, showed that a blade could be a canvas for stunning artwork. And as of the 21st century, we combined centuries of artisanship with one hundred and twenty state-of-the-art precision robots for millimeter-precise work. And though the WÜSTHOF factory in Solingen is regarded as one of the most modern knife factories in the world, the human touch from our experienced knife artisans is essential to our production processes. Among many other tasks, our premium knife specialists polish each knife by hand.

Knife history is deeply entwined with our origins at WÜSTHOF. Our knowledge, passion, and dedication to the perfect blade has survived two centuries and seven generations, but the seed of such craftsmanship began much earlier. Whether we’re making the highest-quality kitchen knives for the home cook or the best knives for professional chefs, our customers inspire us to continually contribute to the beautiful history of knives — and to support the talented knifemakers who sustain us.