Sabatier knives?

Question

I'm confused about Sabatier knives. Is Sabatier the make or the design? There are Stellar Sabatier, Judge Sabatier, Deglon Sabatier and for all I know there could be a whole lot more. Does anyone know what is the best, i.e. professional quality and which ones are intended more for domestic food prep.

Answer 1

Bloody hell. Was going to write a longer answer but after your 1st and 2nd answers got nothing left to say !!
Personally I like to use Vicorianox knives. There blades are thinner so you can keep a sharper edge on them.

Answer 2

Sabatier Knives Review

Answer 3

No Sabatier company owns 'The' Sabatier brand and the following info may be of some help. The Sabatier brand is ancient and appeared at a time well before the first French legislation concerning intellectual property rights. For historic reasons several companies registered the Sabatier brand in France. At the beginning, when the brand name Sabatier was registered in France, it had to be accompanied by a word or traditional image, (for instance, Sebatier Diamont registered the name Sabatier accompanied by a diamond). Outside France the situation concerning the Sabatier brand is far less complicated, but that is by no means a guarantee of quality. As you rightly comment, a large number of knives bear the name Sabatier - it is even possible to find knives marked as such which are made in China, and this is the case notably in the US. The only way for you to be sure of buying a genuine top quality Sabatier knife is to steer clear of those produced in the Far East. A Sebatier knife maufactured in France and bearing the Sebatier name and a recognised symbol on the blade (such as the diamond) will ensure that the knife was indeed manufactured in France, according to traditional methods and respecting the quality criteria that make the Sabatier a 'gold standard' knife.

Answer 4

Both Sabatier and Henckel make a good product. They both make multiple grades of their knives as well. That being said, buying on name alone is not always a good thing. My knife collection is made up of Sabatier, Henckel, and Wustorf. Depending on the use/function of the knife I have selected knives based on my preference and the performance. Find what you like and what works best for you, regardless of product reputation or marketing. Go to your local chef's supply store and look at all the options.

Answer 5

Sabatier is an industry standard as a superior performance professional service knife, they require little beyond the occasional sharpening and are extremely well balanced. They are also very expensive and not really the best bet for the home kitchen. I have a favorite set by Henckles, but my neighbor prefers Chicago Cutlery as her hands are larger and stonger. My recomendation is you handle a few and see what feels most comfortable for you.
Choosing a cooking tool is recognised as very personal and I would direct you to this article from consumer reports on how to choose a knife:
November 2005
Knives: How to choose

Whether your forte is feasts or finger food, follow these tips when you shop:

Focus on essentials. Every kitchen should have at least four types of knives. The chef's knife, usually 8 inches long, is the most important and the workhorse of the kitchen. It is used for chopping, slicing, and dicing a variety of foods. A slicer is generally longer and thinner and is used mainly to cut cooked meat. A utility knife is often interchangeable with a chef's knife for cutting and slicing fruits and vegetables, though its smaller size--4 to 6 inches--can make it more convenient. A parer, usually 3 to 4 inches long, is perfect for peeling and coring.

Know the terminology. Knives are forged or stamped. Forged knives, which tend to be higher priced, are created when a single piece of molten steel is cut and beaten into the desired shape. The blade is sturdy, with a heavy bolster and heel to protect the hand during cutting (see our November 2005 report on knife anatomy). Because forged blades are generally less flexible than stamped, they are less apt to bend over time. Some makers use the term “forged” when in fact they use a different process to imitate the forged look.

Stamped knives, created by a cookie-cutter-type machine, are usually the same thickness throughout, except at the cutting edge. They lack a bolster and heel. Although the top-rated knives are forged, stamped knives are capable of excellent performance. They're also generally less expensive than forged.

Consider how you cook. For more specialized preparation, choose a set with lots of pieces, or buy additional, separately sold knives from the same line (“open stock”). Most fine-edged knives have open stock available. A popular new knife, the santoku, is a cross between a chef's knife and a cleaver. Its cutting edge is straighter than a chef's knife, so there's less opportunity to “rock” the blade for fine slicing. But people who aren't versed in rocking may prefer the santoku. It's also lighter and less bulky than a cleaver, though not suitable for chopping through bone. The Ratings in our November 2005 report on knives (available to subscribers) show which sets have a santoku, either as part of the set or in open stock.

Consider care. If the people in your household leave unwashed knives in the sink or put them in a dishwasher--both no-nos--choose a set that indicates “less corrosion” in the Ratings (available to subscribers). All the fine-edged sets require regular honing. If you're not willing to hone, consider one of the two low-maintenance choices mentioned in CR Quick Recommendations (available to subscribers).

Hold the handle. Look for a knife that is rated excellent or very good for handle comfort and balance. If you're shopping at a specialty or department store, ask a salesperson if you can hold a sample knife to see if you like the fit.

Answer 6

I've just bought a 6" bladed sabatier knife,it's a fine enough blade to do most jobs and also strong enough too. As a knife for general household use it's a pretty safe bet and at less than £20 affordable.I use it and an 8" blade for work and find you don't need much else as long as you keep them sharp

Answer 7

The name (or brand) Sabatier is famous in the cooking knife industry. This name originated in Thiers, France at the beginning of the 1800s. There are many knife manufactures using Sabatier as their brand as a result of the oftentimes confusing history of the Sabatier name in France. Some Sabatier manufacturers are considered authentic, and some are simply using the reputation of the famous Sabatier name for marketing purposes. Generally speaking among connoiseurs of fine cutlery, only knives manufactured in Thiers, France from well established manufacturers from the 19th century are considered "genuine" Sabatier knives. This is similar to how "Champagne" only comes from Champagne, France.

There are many manufacturers in the other countries that also use the Sabatier name on their products. However these products are generally manufactured cheaply in mass production processes in China and other countries. These manufacturers generally use non-traditional and lower quality semi-forged and welded production technigues.

The use of the Sabatier name is an anomaly of "branding" because the name was used by many different companies before intellectual property or trademark laws were fully established in France. Today, in France, to use the Sabatier name, the brand must also include a second word or mark to distinguish the brand from other Sabatier manufacturers. As a result there are many makers such as Sabatier-K (the oldest), Sabatier Lion, Sabatier Diamant, L'unique Sabatier, Sabatier Provence, and others. In 1979, the various holders of the Sabatier brand in France, decided to form an association to defend the brand name.

Among the many Sabatier manufacturers in Thiers, France, they all generally provide high quality cutlery using traditional forging techniques that developed in the area in the early and mid-1800s. Most of these manufacturers use a "fully forged" technique and hand shaped and sharpened process using the local skilled labor.

Fully forged means that three of the four parts to the knife (blade, bolster, tang and handle) are forged from a single piece of steel. In this process, a single piece (cylinder shaped billet) of steel is heated where the bolster will be, and squeezed from the ends to induce a bulge. Then, the entire piece is heated again and forged (stamped) to the shape of the blade, bolster, and tang using forging dies in one operation. Afterwards, a clipping tool is used to cut the forged piece to the rough shape of the knife. Finally, the handles are riveted on, and the final shaping and sharpening is done by hand.

Sabatier Aîné & Perrier is the oldest Sabatier knife maker still in existence and operated by the original family located in Thiers, France. This prestigious brand has been part of the heritage of Thiers, the French Cutlery Trade Capital, for more than 150 Years.

A bit of History

In the early-19th century, two prominent families carved out the reputation of SABATIER knives : the SABATIER's of Le Moutier (lower town of Thiers) and the SABATIER's of Bellevue (Upper Town of Thiers). The Sabatier of Le Moutier company survived in many incarnations until the brand was finally bought out by Cuisinox in 1979. Nowadays, the only surviving family is SABATIER of Bellevue, which is still located at the same address and still owned by the ancestors of the original founder, Philippe Sabatier. It continues to make high-end kitchen knives, as 8 generations have done, under the corporate name : ETS SABATIER AINE & PERRIER

The beginnings of Sabatier K

In 1834, the SABATIER's of Bellevue added the initial "K" to their name to set themselves apart from the SABATIER's of Le Moutier. This "K" is a very old maker's mark in Thiers and can be found in the town archives, engraved on the Silver Tablet of Cutlers, dated 7 June 1813 under number 231.