If you're reading this, chances are you've looked at countless knives for sale and found yourself wondering, “How do I tell which knives are really hand forged? And does it really matter?”

The tradition of forging knives has been passed down for centuries, with the methods and tools changing gradually over time. What used to take a blacksmith hours to heat and hammer out can now be done more quickly with modern power tools. Today, a knife does not even need to be forged, but can be mass produced by being stamped out of a sheet of metal, sharpened, and sold for a fraction of the price. However, there are some who market these stamped knives as hand forged because they have heated the blade and hit it with a hammer. So how can you tell the difference?

An example of brute de forge along the spine of a knife.

What Is Brut de Forge on Hand Forged Knives?

Brut de forge (French: “from the forge”) will be the biggest proof that a knife is hand forged. Brut de forge is the term for the hammer marks or texture left on a knife from the forging process and is present on many of our knives along the spine; if you care to look, you will see that no two have the same pattern. A true brut de forge knife will be as unique as a fingerprint.

It is important to note that some knives will have patterns stamped into them. If you see a repeated or deliberate pattern, this is not brut de forge, but rather ornamentation of the blade by the artist/manufacturer.

"Alright, but what if I am looking for hand forged knives without brut de forge?" Then you look at the next thing on the list.

Blade Thickness: Forged vs Stamped Knives

Manufactured knives are cut from a sheet of metal like cookies from a sheet of dough. As a result, manufactured knives will have a consistent thickness throughout the entire knife. Forged knives, on the other hand, will be thicker at the spine and taper down to a sharp edge.

As a generalization, hand forged knives will be thicker than manufactured knives.

Does It Really Matter Which One I Get?

A blacksmith begins forging a raw billet.

What Makes a Knife Truly Hand Forged?

A true hand forged knife will have:

Begun as a billet (a raw piece of steel)
Been heated and hammered into shape
Had the blade ground to sharpen it and achieve the taper mentioned earlier
Been heat treated
Had the handle attached and shaped by hand
In most cases —at Leaping Dog Forge— the blade will be hand sanded until the desired finish is reached

While they are more expensive, a hand forged knife will outdo any manufactured knife that is sold at your local convenience store. Because of the materials used and the methods used to forge them, hand forged knives have better edge retention than the majority of manufactured knives. If properly cared for, a forged knife can last for life.

These knives do require special care to keep them from rusting. We recommend that you ask the blacksmith for details on how to best care for the knife you've purchased, but the basics are:

Hand wash with warm soapy water
Dry immediately
Rub with knife oil and/or wax at regular intervals

What Are Stamped Knives?

Stamped knives are cut out of a flat sheet of steel, heated, sharpened, and fitted with a handle. Due to advancing technologies in knife manufacturing, there are stamped knives that can compete in quality with hand forged knives. However, they will likely be nearly or just as expensive.

The cheap knives sold at local stores cannot compare, because they are made from cheap material with little attention to quality.

Who Should Buy Hand Forged Knives?

The biggest appeal of hand forged knives is the promise of quality with the added knowledge that you are receiving a knife that is 100% unique. These kinds of knives can also be seen as a wonderful long-term investment for:

If you are already a collector of knives, you can't get more unique than handmade.

Who Should Buy Stamped Knives?

Stamped knives from your local store have the benefit of being dishwasher safe in most cases. It should be noted that running your knives through the dishwasher will speed up the dulling of the knife, but if convenience and function are your only goals then this is only a minor inconvenience. Stamped knives are a good choice for:

Anyone shopping with a limited budget
People who just need to cut a veggie every now and then
Anyone who could just as easily get by with scissors

Hand Forged Knives vs Manufactured Knives: Which One Should I Buy?

This depends on what you are looking for. Stamped knives are:

Affordable (you can get one for about $20.00)
Functional
Easily accessible

Hand forged knives are more expensive (they range from $200 to upwards of $6,000), but they have the upper hand in quality. Not only that, but a true hand forged knife will be absolutely unique, with some blacksmiths who will forge a knife based off of your specifications.

Ask yourself: "What do I want this knife to do?" If you need something to cut your vegetables every now and then, by all means get a manufactured knife. But if you want something that is more personal—something you know no one else has that could be passed down to others—consider making the investment into a hand forged knife.

How to Tell If a Knife Is Truly Hand Forged or Mass Produced