Cutco 7-5/8" Petite Chef Knife

My husband purchased this knife, along with 20 other Cutco pieces, in Harrisburg, PA. It's been 5 and 1/2 years and it remains my favorite knife. I use it for everything (except to hang pictures on the wall). It's comfortable in my hand so lots of prep work is no burden. The blade has been factory sharpened only once in 5 years. It took about 2 weeks for the entire process. Customer service from Cutco is ALWAYS a pleasant experience, which is SUCH a bonus these days. While expedient, I didn't like being without the knife for 2 weeks. We now sharpen them in-house. 

Among his many other skills, my husband is a skilled knife sharpener so he makes sure they are ready to perform. As for problems with Cutco's, there are two. The first is that they are so sharp, they don't simply cut, they cut off. An accident with a Cutco can leave you missing a digit or two. (Hasn't happened to me yet but I've come close a couple of times). The second problem, which is really a testament to how good they are, is that if I don't keep a close inventory on them, they tend to disappear.   

I've had my Cutco 7 5/8" Petite Chef's Knife for almost 6 years. I'm female, 5'4", and have been very pleased with the blade length and the comfortable fit for my hand and arm length.  The width of the blade makes for the perfect rise and fall of my wrist as it glides across the cutting board, creating little strain esp. with lengthy prep work.  I've only sent it back to the company for sharpening once in those 6 years, about 2 years ago, but it was long overdue.  Customer service was excellent -- the knife was returned in the expected time period with a nice sharp straight edge and packed like it was fine crystal.  Out of ignorance, I didn't use a knife steel during its early years of use so I will blame myself for the dulling of the blade.  But after the sharpening, I used a knife steel fairly regularly and was disappointed that the edge did not retain its sharpness for very long.  My assessment is based on how well it sliced through tomatoes and it only worked well for a few months.  Now I use an inexpensive paring knife for tomatoes.  I don't even attempt tomatoes with the Cutco.  It should probably be sent for sharpening once a year but I haven't been willing to deal with the hassle.  For the price, it's still my favorite and best knife of the ones I own, mainly because it's very comfortable in the hand.