laguiole knives at cost plus / brookstone.. real or fake..

i've been sort of looking for a new set of Laguiole knives (specifically a set of 6 tableware or serrated steak knives)...

i've seen them in stores as well as on the Internet... the problem, it seems, is there are lots of fakes out there... there are sites explaining how to tell the fakes (saying to look for certificate of authenticity, etc...., if its really cheap its probably fake, etc..), but how do i really know?

http://www.laguiole-france.com/index.ph ... d=70&lg=en

I've seen them in some places for as much as $550 for a set of 6 (maybe more or less $ depending on the type of wood), and in france they sell for ~220euro min.

I saw a set at Cost Plus the other day and they were far less (around $90 i think)... Brookstone sells them really cheaply as well ($100, WITH corkscrew too)... Sur la table has them, but only in plastic handles and I want wood ... The brookestone ones may be plastic too, i can't really remember..

Is it possible that these national companies could be selling fakes? or are they cheaper there because they're somehow getting a good deal ? or are they selling plastic ones only and the plastic/acrylic ones are much cheaper?

i don't see how its possible that they could get by with selling fakes knowingly, and i don't see how they could be so stupid that their buyers don't know they're buying fakes... at cost plus the package was sealed in a way that i couldn't see the certificiate of authenticity (if there was one), but even if there was one how would i know that
that is not fake too?

any other local sources that have them where it won't break the bank?

real, fake, thoughts anyone?

I've seen a bunch leftover from Christmas and holiday season at HomeGoods. They seemed fairly inexpensive (if they were 'real') but perhaps these are the mass produced runs of the mill.
Everybody and their grandmother seem to be making 'Santoku' knives as well.
I know Sabatiers come in various grades - both real and fake ones.
I've taken the easy option - stayed away.

It's not that they're selling fakes... it's that anybody can legally use the name Laguiole and mimic the design. The bottom line is that the genuine articles are produced by a single craftsman, start to finish. As such, you're not getting a $120 knife for $20.

So, are they Laguiole knives? Technically, yes. Are they high-quality handmade knives that are made by the masters in France? Noooooooooo.

Dmnkly wrote:So, are they Laguiole knives? Technically, yes. Are they high-quality handmade knives that are made by the masters in France? Noooooooooo.

Dmnkly,

I've always wanted a set of Laguiole steak knives and a Laguiole corkscrew, never quite worked up the steam to buy them. Couple of years ago I saw an advertisement for 6-steak knives for an impossibly low price, drove half-way across the city to buy them only to find that, while they may have said Laguiole, legally I'm sure, they were in no way, shape or form similar to the beautiful bench-made knives I had in mind.

I am, however, the proud owner of a Laguiole folding pocket knife I bought in France. Guess that will do for now.

By the way, anyone who sees sets of JA Henckel, Sabatier or I'm sure a number of other well respected brands, beware as they are making/subcontracting many (many) different lines now. An 18-knife set for $59.99 might not be good value even if it does say Henckel on the blade.

Enjoy,
Gary

Ahhh, those folding pocketknives are stunning. Sadly, mine ended up in the hands of the TSA at Midway when I forgot to remove it from my pocket before trying to clear security.

*sigh*

Do you have the knife with the corkscrew? Mine is big enough to not be a pocket knife. Pretty, though.

Kit

kit wrote:Do you have the knife with the corkscrew? Mine is big enough to not be a pocket knife. Pretty, though.

Kit,

Nope, just a plain jane pocked knife, if one can call anything Laguiole plain jane.

I've seen the knife/corkscrew models, and they are really nice, but when/if I ever get a Laguiole with a corkscrew it's going to be a straight-up corkscrew model with something interesting for handle material.

Enjoy,
Gary

Dmnkly wrote:It's not that they're selling fakes... it's that anybody can legally use the name Laguiole and mimic the design.

So, are they Laguiole knives? Technically, yes.

All, thanks! good to know...

And yes I know its legally not fake perhaps, but its misrepresentative really just as fake as the Fendi handbag you buy on Chicago Ave in front of the McDonald's... Or its kinda like Marshall Field's selling their NY made Sparkling wine as "Champagne"

So, did anyone come up with a source that has the real deal?

Sur La Table and others sell ones that are plastic handled... do the real craftsmen ever use plastic, or are these "fake" too? They say they're crafted at aa family-owned factory in France (Jean DUbost)... they're $195 for a full 20 piece set..

Also, do restaraunts always use the real deal, or would some be inclined to use the fake stuff just because they think nobody notices? All of this came to mind after eating at the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton last week... One of the courses was served and out came a Laguiole knife... But the bumble bee was flatter than I remember and looked a little funny, but it could just be that it was made by one of the other companies than I've seen make the ones I've seen in the past...

dddane...

FYI, if it can be said that any company is "real deal", this one would be it:

http://www.forge-de-laguiole.com

dddane wrote:Sur La Table and others sell ones that are plastic handled... do the real craftsmen ever use plastic, or are these "fake" too? They say they're crafted at aa family-owned factory in France (Jean DUbost)... they're $195 for a full 20 piece set..

Jean Dubost has a low-end line of Laguiole-branded products with plastic handles (FYI, go to HomeGoods/TJMaxx to buy these, they're the same stuff sold at Sur La Table at less than half the price), but they also have a much nicer line with rosewood handles which cost about four times as much as those with plastic handles.

IMO the top-of-the-line "brand" is Chateau Laguiole. Their corkscrews are works of art, I guess that's why they cost $100...

Mark

...bought one as a wedding gift for some friends that appreciate nice things... )