Cangshan Gets Sharp on Swedish Steel
By Greg Gonzales
Cangshan Cutlery brought incredible colors to kitchens last year with the introduction of the S+ Series and TC Series, and plans to bring more surprises in 2018. According to the team, this year is all about doing something a little different. The company plans for a new focus on Swedish steel, eye-popping designs and a knife made for the space age.
“We are pushing heavily into Swedish steel,” said Rob Walling, Cangshan National Sales Manager. “We really believe in it, and formed a partnership with Sandvik, a Swedish steel company thats been around for generations. More and more of our product will feature Swedish steel as we move forward.”
Christopher Saunders, Creative Director of Cangshan, said Swedish steel is a high-alloy steel much like German knife companies use, but the difference is that Swedish is finer-grain, which allows manufacturers to get it harder in the heat treatment process. What that equates to is a knife that’s sharper out of the box, and edge retention goes up significantly, he said. “Swedish steel versus German steel, the Swedish will hold its edge up to five to seven times longer than the German steel, which would be softer. Usually when you use hard steels, you can get them sharper, but with that hardness comes brittleness. Very hard steel, you can get it very sharp, but it has a tendency to chip when it hits something hard, like a chicken bone, and your knife is basically done. With the Swedish steel, you’re not getting that brittleness. We think it’s the future of cutlery.”
This year’s introduction has an interesting texture built into the knife to add grip. “The texture is based on the patterns of the surface of Mars, so we’re pretty excited about presenting that at the show,” Saunders said. The new knife will be part of the Top Cut brand, and is called AEOLIS, named for the mountain on Mars also known as Mount Sharp. Cangshan Owner Henry Liu wanted to create a knife from a single piece of metal that was suited for commercial kitchens and designed one with a textured finish to ensure a firm, secure grip. “Commercial kitchens have chefs and artists, and we wanted to push a little design in there,” Saunders said. “All-metal knives, a single piece, very easy to clean, easy to maintain – we wanted to design something along those lines. Thinking of ways to add grip to the texture of the handle, Henry, who’s designed a lot of our products, he came up with the surface of Mars. We played around with raindrops and water, and really couldn’t get the look we wanted, but when we went with Mars, it really became a fascinating, interesting texture.”
Cangshan’s push into Swedish steel included the TC Series, a German Design Award winner noted for its sleek, modern look and simple, smooth lines. The set of full-tang knives is forged from high-alloy Swedish Sandvik steel and includes a solid walnut wood block, an 8-inch chef knife, 7-inch santoku, 6-inch boning knife, 5-inch serrated utility knife, 3.5-inch paring knife, 2.75-inch peeling knife, four 5-inch steak knives, a honing steel and a maple block. “Knives are very personal,” said Saunders. “The TC is our heaviest knife, but then we’re doing a 5-inch santoku that’s a lot lighter, different feel in your hand. We get that there’s minimal kitchens that only need your two essential knives, but then there’s those people who do want a 23-piece block set. We’re looking to fill every cutlery need.” The TC Series Swedish Sandvik Steel Forged 14-Piece Knife Block set has a suggested retail price of $749.95.
The S+ Series is a vibrant two-piece set that includes a 5-inch santoku knife and a 3.5-inch serrated paring knife, the latter of which combines elements of a paring knife with a utility knife. “Santoku knives are traditionally 7 inches, but we got a lot of feedback in the marketplace telling us that a smaller knife is sometimes a little less intimidating to some people,” said Walling. The knives are forged from premium high-alloy German steel, hand-sharpened to an Asian-style cutting edge, full-tang, non-stick and coated with titanium. Each set comes with protective sheaths, which match the color of the handle. “So far, the retailers that have adopted it have really gravitated toward the color more than anything else,” said Walling. “Anybody who’s looking for something a little different, that’s unique, that makes a statement in the kitchen, doesn’t want a whole block set with 14 knives in it – you have your two basic knives that will get you through just about any given situation in the kitchen.” The S+ Series is available in Jupiter Red, Atlantic Blue, French Teal, Vanilla White and Noir Black, for a $49.95 suggested retail price.
Walling and Saunders agreed that color and design are extremely important, but that nonessential gimmicks don’t work in today’s age. It has to serve a purpose that’s essential, that’s practical, said Saunders. “Today’s consumer is way too savvy — this is not 1974.You can’t do design without quality knives, otherwise, nobody’s going to buy your stuff. You’re going to be a one-trick pony — if somebody thinks it’s really cool and buys it, and then it doesn’t perform, you’ve accomplished nothing. We put the quality of our knives up against any of our competitors, but we’re focused on doing something that’s different.”
