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10 THE KNIFE RACK KITCHENWARE NEWS & HOUSEWARES REVIEW n FEBRUARY 2014 n www.kitchenwarenews.com The Knife Rack Laser Engraving Lends Knives a Personal Touch BY LORRIE BAUMANN Knives personalized with an engraved message or monogram are growing in popularity as a gift item for both corporate and personal gift-giving occasions. "This past Christmas season, we had more cutlery going through the engraving department that we've had before," comments Heather Elmer, Marketing Manager for The Swiss Knife Shop. Personalized knives are often given at weddings, graduations or to a person who's off to culinary school or to a couple setting up house. "Our engraving process is very similar to the way that the logos are put onto the knives, so it doesn't compromise the blades or their performance at all. It is permanent. The blade would need to be sanded down by a machine shop. It's not going to come off no matter how much you use it," she says. Laser-engraving can be done on any knife with carbon in its blade. The more carbon; the darker the engraving will turn out, says Mike Staib, Vice President of Sales for Ergo Chef. "Carbon is the key, because it interacts with the laser to get dark. All of our knives have enough carbon in them to work well," he says. "It definitely adds a personal touch to a product." The Swiss Knife Shop is an online-only store that offers the engraving as an option. "The 8" chef knife is the most popular to get engraved," Elmer says. "On the Victorinox knife with the Fibrox handle, we can also engrave the handle, which is much more subtle, but has a nice look to it." Most chef knives have room for about 12 characters to be engraved on the blade, and while most people choose to add names or dates, others often get more creative and add messages like, "Don't cut yourself," or "Be Careful," or "Jake's Knife," especially when the recipient is headed off to culinary school, Elmer says. Engraving service from The Swiss Knife Shop adds $6.95 per piece, regardless of how many characters are ordered and takes from two to five days. "During most of the year, not the holidays, we run much closer to the two," Elmer says. The kitchenware retailer who wants to offer the service can do so by arranging for the engraving with a local jeweler, but Ergo Chef offers another option – buy the Ergo Chef knives from the company's website at regular wholesale price and then order the engraving with it. (Retailers will need to call Ergo Chef first to set up an account login for the wholesale pricing.) Ergo Chef will send the knife out for engraving by its own local source before sending it on to the retailer, and the engraved knife can be in store for customer pick-up in seven to 10 days. "It adds about $10 to $20, depending on what you want: $10 for initials, maybe $20 for a name. Pricing for a logo depends on the size of the logo and the quantity of the pieces," Staib says. "It's pretty simple and very easy to do." WÜSTHOF CLASSIC 9" Sushi Knife WÜSTHOF's new CLASSIC 9" Sushi Knife (4526-7/23) is designed to master the art of slicing raw fish and seafood for sushi and sashimi. This specialty knife's razor-sharp long and slender, single edge blade ensures superior control, precision and perfectly clean cuts every time. Additionally, the knife's specifically angled blade effortlessly pushes off sticky ingredients, such as raw yellowtail and salmon. While primarily crafted to prepare sushi and sashimi with the same level of skill and meticulous attention to presentation as a master sushi chef, the CLASSIC 9" Sushi Knife is adept at slicing all boneless fish, boneless meats and a myriad of vegetables with precision. WÜSTHOF's best selling collection for generations, CLASSIC full-tang knives are precision-forged from a single piece of an exclusive high-carbon, stain-resistant alloy, which is engineered to enhance edgeretention and to facilitate resharpening. The steel used for the CLASSIC line features a hardness that is approximately 58 on the Rockwell hardness scale. Completely buffed and polished by hand, the CLASSIC knife blade is seamlessly attached to highly durable black handles with triple rivets for a totally hygienic and secure fit. Made in Solingen, Germany, the knife capital of the world, and WÜSTHOF's headquarters for 200 years, the CLASSIC 9" Sushi Knife is available for $129.99 suggested retail. For more information contact WÜSTHOF via www.wusthof.com or call 800.289.9878.

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