Customer Reviews

Sabatier Laguiole 6-Piece Steak Knife Set, Black and Stainless Steel

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It's unfortunate when something that has so much potential goes so far awry. Sabatier has done a great disservice to a French tradition.
My first Laguiole was a folding knife that my father gave me after a trip through the French countryside. I decided that I NEEDED a set of Laguiole steak knives. I set out researching and discovered a thing or two.
Laguiole is the name of the town in which knives of this style were first produced...neither it nor the bee emblem are copyrighted. The knives are now made almost exclusively outside of Laguiole. For this reason, any other knives you may have seen in this style are NOT indicative of the quality of these knives. ANYONE can make Laguiole knives.
A set of Laguiole steak knives will typically cost hundreds of dollars...why are these so much less? I bought a set and quickly discovered the answer. The handle is not solid and the metal at each end of the handle is a very thin, molded piece. As a result, the knife has almost no heft...it feels soulless in the hand. The handle itself is high impact plastic - conceptually contradictory to the craftsmanship of the traditional Laguiole. The rivets are for show only and the traditional riveted cross that is embedded in the handle of a classic Laguiole is absent in this knife. The knife is serrated - a big faux pas among dedicated carnivores as the serrations tear the meat (damaging the texture) while a sharp edge (traditional Laguiole) will cut through the meat effortlessly. The blade itself is far thinner than it should be and is clearly machine cast. Three of the knives in the set that I received already had some discoloration in the metal.
What does all this mean? It means that if you buy these, you will have a reasonably priced and functional set of run of the mill mass produced steak knives that look very much like a set of expensive traditional steak knives when viewed from a distance. Kind of like Cubic Zirconium set in nickel plate for the dinner table. Don't worry though...you will get what you pay for. If you love the look but can't afford the real deal, go for it...just know that anyone who recognizes the motif will know that you're cheating.

I have now been through 5 sets of these knives amongst myseld, family, and friends. I have returned one set, and I know of at least three other returned sets. These things are terrible.

It's embarrassing to have the Sabatier name on them... they're that bad.

The handles of my first set arrived with split handles. The plastic had been split during construction. Further, all the blades had burrs on them and the metal of the tang was completely unfinished. I got a small cut just grabbing the handle of one out of the box. The second set had three passable knives in it and the first set had three, so I picked and choose to assemble a set of 6 not-too-embarrassing knives.

These are absolutly bottom rung quality.

The box is untreated pine, pleasant smelling, and rustic in finish It displays and stores the knives well. One Star.
The knives are apparently "made by French Mastercraftsmen." This might be what you expect from the name "Laguiole." The 'mastercraftmen' must have been very very drunk though. Instead of nice hardwood handles they put on tacky plastic ones. The rivets they used were slight ones of poor quality brass that matched the rest of brass fittings which they must have found in recycle bin. The high carbon steel blade they replaced with low grade quality blades with lots of branding all over them. We can only assume they looked good through glazed vision. The quality control person must have cut himself on the burrs and rough edges of the finished products and bled to death on the floor while production went on and on. Thousands of terrible low quality knives in wooden boxes. No Stars.
So, one star for the box which your fourth grade child could make in woodwork shop.
(The great danger with internet shopping is that you have to trust brand names. Don't trust this name - see an earlier review explaining what happened.)

I Purchased a set simply because they came close in design to our everyday flatware. They come in a nice pine box which has no lid so they do take up space on a drawer or shelf. The knives themselves are very light weight. Our set (black and steel) was fine with no obvious flaws. The handles are lightweight plastic and the rivets are small so there is a question of how long they will hold up. They would have done better to use resin impregnated wood. The tang does go the length of the grip. These seem as sharp as any steak knives I have used and are quite comfortable in the hand and do afford good control when triming a steak or a chop close to the bone! I would say they are of the same level of quality that you might find at a Woolworths (of sainted memory!) or a K-Mart. Not something to buy if you are really looking to even come close to the traditional high quality of either Sabatier or Laguiole. That said I am planning on buying a second set to match the number of place settings of our everyday flatware.

It's unfortunate when something that has so much potential goes so far awry. Sabatier has done a great disservice to a French tradition.
My first Laguiole was a folding knife that my father gave me after a trip through the French countryside. I decided that I NEEDED a set of Laguiole steak knives. I set out researching and discovered a thing or two.
Laguiole is the name of the town in which knives of this style were first produced...neither it nor the bee emblem are copyrighted. The knives are now made almost exclusively outside of Laguiole. For this reason, any other knives you may have seen in this style are NOT indicative of the quality of these knives. ANYONE can make Laguiole knives.
A set of Laguiole steak knives will typically cost hundreds of dollars...why are these so much less? I bought a set and quickly discovered the answer. The handle is not solid and the metal at each end of the handle is a very thin, molded piece. As a result, the knife has almost no heft...it feels soulless in the hand. The handle itself is high impact plastic - conceptually contradictory to the craftsmanship of the traditional Laguiole. The rivets are for show only and the traditional riveted cross that is embedded in the handle of a classic Laguiole is absent in this knife. The knife is serrated - a big faux pas among dedicated carnivores as the serrations tear the meat (damaging the texture) while a sharp edge (traditional Laguiole) will cut through the meat effortlessly. The blade itself is far thinner than it should be and is clearly machine cast. Three of the knives in the set that I received already had some discoloration in the metal.
What does all this mean? It means that if you buy these, you will have a reasonably priced and functional set of run of the mill mass produced steak knives that look very much like a set of expensive traditional steak knives when viewed from a distance. Kind of like Cubic Zironium set in nickel plate for the dinner table. Don't worry though...you will get what you pay for. If you love the look but can't afford the real deal, go for it...just know that anyone who recognizes the motif will know that you're cheating.

Bought these as a gift. Had occasion to try one later. Hated it. Clumsy to handle. Look like a switchblade but do not cut well.

I purchased these elsewhere for a lot more money. They work great. They are more lightweight than I would have anticipated, but don't let that fool you.

The bumble bee is a known sign for qaulity in France. These type of knives are the same ones used in the top restaurants in France and the rest of the world over. There is not a finer steak knife in the world. I have been to the factory and have seen these craftsmen at work. They create perfection.

A grand surprise, these are much better looking and definitely better behaved than any I have bought over the years while paying much more. They are nicely balanced, cut well, and even look good as part of a place setting. The more slender shape, curved handle, and even the position of the Napoleonic bee come together in a nice design that is functional and a pleasure to use. (The little bee-shaped finger rest is a conversation starter too.) I've heard of another set by the same company with bone handles and a much higher price tag. These suit us just fine.