knife recall

[SLAG]

Attention, i.f.i. Enthusiasts,

There is a 2 million knife recall starting in Canada, & the U.S.A. The knives are, generally,  kitchen knives but they include other types.

The blades are breaking in use and also when the blades are dropped. Many people have suffered cuts. A minority required stitches

The company is called Calephon.

Check this link for more details.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/more-than-2m-knives-recalled-after-reports-of-blades-breaking-injuries-1.3298123

Could this be yet another example of manufacturer's race to the bottom?

SLAG.

[JHCC]

It's "Calphalon", but yeah, not good.

[Matt O'Neill]

I *had* a  calphalon saute pan. I cooked with it only two or three times before it began warping and became unusable, I can only imagine what type of steel they used for those knives. Just glad it was free! My daughter makes mud pies with it now.

Edited February 24, 2017 by Matt O'Neill
Spelling

[Will W.]

I am by no means an authority on the subject, but it sounds like, perhaps, their steel was hardened but never tempered? That's the only thing I can think of that would cause a knife to break. That and cracking, I guess, but unlikely to be in every knife. 

[Frosty]

Calphalon is really over priced in the first place. A couple years ago I wanted to save a few bucks a week baking my own jumbo muffins. Deb and I have a jumbo muffin and coffee for breakfast. Anyway I looked all over the place and the only jumbo muffin tins I could fine were Calphalon and the cheapest I found were $34.xx ea. 6 muffin tin. I found what I was expecting, plain steel, no fancy finish muffin tins at WalMArt for under $5.00 ea. so I bought a pair. No contest and they still work a treat.

Anyway, I talk to a lot of people who cook and none of them will buy Calphalon, they say they're expensive but cheaply made and don't last.

I can't say I'm terribly surprised they have a line of knives that break. My impression is they're a looks over performance outfit The brand is the value, not the product.

Frosty The Lucky.

[JHCC]

29 minutes ago, Frosty said:

The brand is the value, not the product.

Frosty The Lucky.

Calphalon made in their name initially with a pretty decent line of anodized aluminum pots and pans.  Unfortunately, like so many other brands, once there was a perception of value attached to their name, they turned to profit to the detriment of quality. 

[Frosty]

6 hours ago, JHCC said:

Calphalon made in their name initially with a pretty decent line of anodized aluminum pots and pans.  Unfortunately, like so many other brands, once there was a perception of value attached to their name, they turned to profit to the detriment of quality. 

The bottom line is what counts. <sigh>

Frosty The Lucky.

[beammeupscotty]

I actually own several of these exact knives.  I have the 8" Chef's knife, 5" and 7' Santoku and 4.5" paring knives.  I also have a couple I bought for the family cabin and several I bought for my mother.  They were being sold at Ross for very reasonable prices and I have been using them without any problems for several years now. They are pretty nice knives IMO, especially for what I paid for them.  That said, I am not one to turn down free knives so I will probably register all of them and get replacements, if I can do so without having to send them off before replacements are provided.  

[SLAG]

BMPS,

Your knives are most likely fine knives, The recalled knives are of recent manufacture.

 I suspect that your knives are not brand new. As have been pointed out above, these "new" knives may have been  improperly heat treated.

Or I suspect, the company more likelystarted using a cheaper steel.

SLAG.

[ThomasPowers]

And possibly didn't change their heat treat! (or research a proper one for the different alloy, or were sold a different alloy under the same name as the original, or were sold an alloy that was just like the original---but wasn't, or....I work in a factory....)

[Frosty]

I wouldn't worry about older Caphalon blades. This is a quality control problem with a batch and there are all kinds of possible reasons. Bad steel. poor heat treatment, maybe a bad subcontractor. I don't know what their process of manufacture is so can't say. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[beammeupscotty]

I contacted the company about this recall only to discover that they have set it up in such a way that securing replacements is very difficult.  You have to send your knives in and wait 6 to 8 weeks for replacements.  When I asked how I was going to prepare food during that period the answer was essentially, that's my problem.  I guess I'll just be keeping them and hope for the best.

[JHCC]

1 hour ago, beammeupscotty said:

I contacted the company about this recall only to discover that they have set it up in such a way that securing replacements is very difficult.  You have to send your knives in and wait 6 to 8 weeks for replacements.  When I asked how I was going to prepare food during that period the answer was essentially, that's my problem.  I guess I'll just be keeping them and hope for the best.

Sounds like it's time to try knifemaking!

[ThomasPowers]

One of the things my Mother gave me when I moved out to the casita was the high carbon steel butcher knife that was her first anniversary present, they were poor as churchmice and her anniversary gift was a decent knife for the kitchen. 

That makes it a year older than I am; so 61 years and still going strong!  I pick up some of the old knives every now and then at the fleamarket---to go with the old cast iron pans, (new ones tend to be more clunky), they both suit my old curmudgeonly lifestyle...