I use onlyRada knives in my kitchen! Rada Knives hold their edge longer than any cutlery I have ever used. Some of my Rada Knives are 30 years old and still doing what they were designed to do – and doing it well!
30 years ago, a co-worker of mine came to work with a catalog of Rada knives that she was selling for a fund-raiser for her church. I had never heard of Rada knives, but all of the 200 women I worked with had. In groups, they gathered around the catalog and immediately begin filling out order slips. I couldn’t see what all the fuss was over, so I asked why everyone was so excited over these Rada Knives. The women couldn’t believe that I had never heard of “the silver handled knives” that were “the best knives ever made” or that I didn’t know that they were not sold in stores and could only be obtained through fund-raisers. Not wanting to miss out, I ordered a paring knife, but I really did not believe that these knives could be any better than any other knife. My co-worker’s fund-raiser raised over $2,000 from our workplace alone!
In a couple weeks, my Rada paring knife arrived and I came to understand why the women had been so hot to get them. It truly was the best knife I had ever used. It fit my hand perfectly and it was so sharp I had to be really careful with it. The next time there was a fund-raiser, I bought 4 different knives and have continued to buy them anywhere I find them ever since.
What makes Rada knives hold their edge so well and be so sharp?
According to the Rada website, “Our knife blades are constructed using a specially formulated T420 High Carbon Stainless Steel. The results are two fold: first, the formulation helps ensure our ability to apply the initial razor sharp edge to your cutlery and secondly, the formulation maximizes the edge retention properties as you use it in your kitchen.” Meaning its going to be sharp and its going to STAY sharp!
And “Our blades are made from incredibly hard T420 Stainless steel that is hollow-ground and hand sharpened. People are amazed by how long the blades hold their edge – and how easy it is to restore their edge when sharpening.”
Rada Knife handles are “permanently cast solid satin-finished aluminum handles (which) create a “feel good in your hand” balance for superior comfort.” Oh, so true!
The best thing about Rada Kinves is that there is such a variety. There are short blades, long blades, specialty blades, short handles, long handles, bread knives, butcher knives, paring knives. A knife for all occasions. Also, there are utensils – turners, ice cream scoop, pizza cutter, veggie peeler, you name it, they’ve got it. And they ALL work better than any you’ve ever used.
The Granny Paring Knife is my personal favorite in the Rada parer line. It has a slightly downward curved blade and shorter handle which makes it great for my hand when peeling potatoes. And the downward tip is perfect for circling and popping out the eyes.
My husbands favorite parer is the Heavy Duty Parer because of its longer blade and handle. His hands are much bigger than mine, so he needs a longer knife.
The Rada veggie peeler is the only veggie peeler I have ever been able to use. It is fantastic. The blade doesn’t wobble around like other veggie peelers. Both right and left handers can use it equally well. It is amazingly sharp.
The Rada bread knife is a wonder. “Store-bought” bread doesn’t exist for my parents. Mom bakes bread once a week. Back in the 80’s, someone bought her an electric knife. It was so easy to use that she put aside her regular bread knife and only used the electric knife for cutting her home made bread. In the 90’s that electric knife broke. She bought another one. It was not the same, so she took the old one apart and fixed it. It worked for another year or so and then broke again, unrepairable. I, then, gave her a Rada Bread knife. She loved it. Now, she will only use her Rada Bread knife for her home made bread.
And, for the piece-de-resistance, there is the tomato knife. This baby can slice a tomato paper thin, no matter how soft the tomato is. You have to try it to believe it!
As I have said before, Rada Knives stay sharp for a VERY long time. But, eventually, they do become less sharp ( I have never had one go dull). Rada makes the best little knife sharpener I have ever used. It will sharpen any knife blade except, of course, serrated blades. My husband, a carpenter, actually carries a Rada Knife Sharpener on his tool belt to sharpen his utility knives when they go dull cutting dry wall.
There is one thing I must warn you about, though. Using the knife sharpener is very simple, you just “pull the blade through the wheels a few time and like magic, a sharp edge is restored.” When I got my Rada Knife Sharpener, I ran my original Rada knife, the one I bought from the fund-raiser, which was, by then, over 20 years old, through the wheels. It didn’t look like it did anything. I thought, “Yeah, right. Like that’s gonna’ sharpen a knife.” I then, stupidly, ran my thumb along the newly sharpened blade. My husband took me to the emergency room for stitches.
So, even though it looks like the sharpener is not sharpening your knife, trust me, it IS!
Besides the fact that Rada knives are the best knives you’ll ever use, they are made, entirely in the USA! One factory, in Waverly, Iowa, produces all Rada Knives. And, here, in my opinion, is the very best part – from the Rada website: “Rada Cutlery is Made in the USA and carries a Lifetime Guarantee. Rada Cutlery was originally manufactured starting in 1948 as a fund raiser for churches. Over the years the line grew to include various sizes of knives, utensils, and other related items. As the line grew more businesses became interested in selling Rada Cutlery in their stores and at fairs or flea markets. Rada Mfg. Co. enjoys working with many types of Resellers and has purposefully avoided selling to large retailers. We enjoy working with many smaller customers rather than a few large customers.”
You won’t find these knives at Walmart or any other big chain store. You might find them at a flea market or small Mom and Pop store. Or you can order them through the Rada website.
Word of mouth is what keeps Rada alive and once you have tried a Rada Knife, you’ll be spreading the word, too!
