Knowing the difference between an ordinary product and a premium knife is sometimes quite easy. Just consider French wines, which have a governmental body known as the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée that oversees their classifications. When you see “Vin de France” on one label and “Grand Cru” on another, you instantly know the quality of each product and can have confidence in their classifications. Many other kinds of products, though? It’s anyone’s guess if “premium” actually means, well, premium. When a product lacks oversight from a professional or regulatory group, terms such as “premium,” “reserve,” and “luxury” become little more than market speak and promotional gibberish. And yet there is a difference between a merely good product and a truly premium one.

There aren’t any overseeing organizations declaring what differentiates a good knife from a premium knife, so in this article, we will discuss the differentiators and talk about how you can make the best decision when purchasing a new blade.

Differences Between a Good Knife and a Premium Knife

Before we begin listing what separates premium knives from standard, allow us to offer a few cautions and caveats. Because every blade comes from different manufacturers, is offered by different retailers, contains varying materials, and gets sold in a different environment, none of the differentiators listed below are absolute. Rather than thinking of them as rules, consider them to be guidelines. However, if you see a particular product that can be described using more than one or two of the following guidelines, then you can likely conclude that you have more than just a good product in hand: You have a great one.

Quality and Type of Materials

One of the most important things that separates an average product from an excellent one is the kind of materials that went into its construction. When it comes to knives, the main material considerations include the composition of the blade and the handle. Good knives may feature blades of 420, 440, or D2 steel, all of which offer a decent combination of sharpness, toughness, and edge retention. However, these types of metals are widespread due to their relative ease of manufacturing as much as their inherent qualities, and other superior options exist that perform better. Steels like M390, CTS-204P, and Vanax provide similarly balanced characteristics but also function more effectively at every point.

The same holds true for knife handles. While we’ll discuss them more below, understand that average blades will feature grips of composite wood, simple plastic, or resin, ordinary materials with limited longevity, average attractiveness, and low-price points. Some assert that natural substances such as hardwoods, bone, and horn make for superior handles, and while they are certainly nice to look at, synthetic substances like carbon fiber, G-10, and Zytel look passably nice and offer increased durability.

The comfort of Grip and Ease of Use

Good knives may very well have durable handles in decent materials, but such implements often fail to fully account for ergonomics. Common, decently constructed knives are typically designed to take the proverbial beating without too much lasting damage. They aren’t intended to last a lifetime, often placing ease of assembly and availability of materials over how it feels to hold the knife and how it actually performs during use.

When properly used, a premium knife ought to provide a superior cutting experience. That might sound pretentious, but it’s really the best way to describe the difference between using a good knife and an excellent one. From handle shape and materials employed to the ability to easily open it and a feeling of lasting solidity, premium knives are more enjoyable in the hand and on the job.

Edge Retention

One of the most sought-after qualities in a premium knife is its ability to retain an edge after long use. Good knives tend to use more common forms of steel, which have the oddly complementary qualities of dulling relatively quickly and being easy to sharpen. This works well when you need a blade primarily for rough use. It’s not desirable, though, in a premium knife.

Because premium knives ought to function better than simply adequate options, cutting well time after time is a prerequisite. This is why premium knife makers select steels that should remain sharp for longer periods. Note, though, that qualities such as a lack of corrosion resistance and brittleness don’t necessarily indicate that you’re looking at a lower-grader knife. Some blades that prioritize enduring sharpness may exhibit these other qualities due to the steels that they use, and a number of the world’s best knives may chip or break easily if misused.

Aesthetically Attractive

Admittedly, this qualification is more than a little subjective. One person’s ideal beauty may be another’s lipstick-smeared swine, and as the old proverb says, we all know there’s no accounting for taste. Still, high-end knives place a premium on appearance and are typically more aesthetically pleasing than more common options.

Method of Production

Mass manufacturing churns out lots of knives with less precise tolerances, knives that feature more errors and mistakes. Premium knives are produced in small batches or even by hand. Lower numbers produced translates into greater oversight and increased overall quality.

Superior Customer Service

Every good is comprised of its unique combination of physical, image, and service characteristics, and though the first two parts of this triad receive a significant amount of attention, consumers tend to ignore the service aspect of knife purchases. However, problems arise with even the best knives, and a premium product ought to come with superior service.

Higher Prices

This final point is one you should take with a grain, no, with a *block* of salt. Yes, premium components cost more, and that expense usually gets passed on to the purchaser. Still, many pricey knife purchases prove to be of poor quality, and even inexpensive knives can end up being truly excellent.

TAKCOM offers beautiful OTFs crafted with superior materials, OTFs that will hold an edge and are made in small batches. The only thing we don’t have? Expensive pricing. View our offerings here.