Yes, you can enjoy a steak without a good steak knife, but real meat lovers argue you will be doing it a great disservice.😉
Buying American-made steak knives supports the local economy and encourages American businesses that employ Americans (while helping you cut through that steak like a hot knife through butter).
Unfortunately, you won’t find a ton of options for steak knives made in the USA, but as you’ll see below, there are a few good options, and two of them won’t cut into your steak budget.
👉 RELATED: The 6 Best USA-Made Dinnerware Sets – in 2024!
This post contains affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
What's In Here
How to Choose a USA-Made Steak Knife?
If you eat meat regularly, like to entertain, or searching for a special gift for a steak lover, you appreciate a well-made blade designed for these purposes.
Even today, there is no universal agreement on what makes a good steak knife. Some are straight-edged (fine-edged), some are serrated (like bread knives) and others are micro-serrated (fine-toothed blades).
Other factors include the blade length, shape, material, (a high percentage of carbon is better), handle material, and whether the blade is forged or stamped.
Why?
Because fine-edged blades slice through the meat smoothly and easily, without sowing back and forth as with serrated blades – that makes the cut somewhat ragged.
How We Picked the Best American-Made Steak Knives
High Carbon Stainless Steel Blade
We looked for high-carbon stainless steel for rust prevention and strength, where the blade is sharp out of the box (a sign of hand grinding instead of cheap factory stamping).
We also looked for steak knives that respond well to sharpening, a sign of longevity.
Also, carbon content is the most significant influence on steel performance.
Good Handle Construction
Steak knife handles are made from a variety of materials (wood/rubber/aluminum and more), but the most important factor is the handle construction and comfort.
Well-Constructed Hilt
The area where the blade meets the handle should be well constructed, and without a gap that may make it difficult to clean and weaken the knife.
The 4 Best Steak Knives (Made in the USA)
Who makes the best steak knives made in the USA?
And now, here’s our research and results for the finest steak knife sets made in the USA, how we picked them, their pros and cons, and where to find the best price for them.
1. Rada Steak Knives Set Best Value
- Blade – T420 surgical grade stainless steel, all blades (4.75-inch long) are hollow ground.
- Handle – black stainless steel resin, or aluminum handles that should be hand washed and dried (the first option is more practical)
- Warranty – Lifetime
Rada Mfg. Co. is making cutlery since 1948 and is located in Waverly, Iowa.
All their products are 100% American-made, and Rada manufactures and oversees everything from raw materials to packaging.
These straight-edged, super-sharp knives not only cut through meats easily, but are equally useful for food preparation, including chopping, cutting, and slicing vegetables, fruit, and more.
They are lightweight, relatively thin, and just a bit flexible.
The handles are made from stainless steel resin that is dishwasher safe, so they won’t get stained and last for years.
RELATED: The 5 Best Slimline Dishwashers
Rada Knife Set Pros
- Great value steak knives at this price point
- The knives come in a beautiful box to hold them in place
- Dishwasher-safe handles (no stains will be found)
- Lifetime guarantee
Cons
- The blades are a bit thin and flex a little
- Stainless steel handles (if you chose this option) – are not dishwasher tolerant
✅ Available on Amazon ($68) and Walmart ($68)
2. Lamson Steak Knives Set Extra Sharp
- Blade – 4116 high-carbon steel
- Handles – triple-riveted acrylic handles
- Warranty – lifetime (for manufacturer defects)
Lamson is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the USA (established in Massachusetts in 1837), oversees every step of knife creation in New England, and still handcrafts each piece in Western Massachusetts.
To this day, a 62-piece Lamson dinner set, owned by former President Ulysses S. Grant, is presented at the Smithsonian Museum.
Lamson steak knives are forged with the finest grade 4116 high-carbon steel, with beautiful fire-like acrylic handles (triple-riveted) that will make anyone take a second look before cutting smoothly into their steak. The full-tanged, hard, and extremely sharp blade retains the edge and is corrosion-resistant and elastic.
These steak knives offer the best balance between balance and weight, and you’ll love the comfortable thumb and finger support when you easily cut through your meat.
The Lamson company stands behind its products and offers a lifetime guarantee, along with a lifetime supply of complimentary professional sharpening.
Lamson Steak Knives Pros
- Beautiful, eye-catching design
- Water-resistant and dishwasher safe
- Extra sharp out of the box
- Choose between straight-edge or micro-serrated blades
- Balanced yet not too heavy, excellent grip
- Lifetime warranty and professional sharpening service at no cost
Cons
- Expensive (but well worth it)
✅ Available at Lamson ($359 with free shipping) and on Amazon ($359)
3. Cutco Table Knife Set Best Serrated
- Blade – 440A high carbon steel steel
- Handle – ergonomic thermo-resin
- Warranty – lifetime sharpening and replacement
Cutco, established in 1949, employs more than 600 American craft workers at their factory in Olean New York.
Cutco’s table knife set (4 pieces) is made from double D edge 440A high carbon stainless steel blades and thermo-resin ergonomic handles that will not crack or chip. They are comfortable to grip, have a great balance, and are useful for more than steaks (cutting vegetables, spreading butter, and more)
They fit large or small hands and customers who are left-handed praise these knives as well. They come in a dishwasher–safe tray.
Customers who have had these sets for more than 15 years claim they are still sharp, but if they lose sharpness – you can send them to the factory for sharpening – at no additional cost.
Cutco Knives Pros
- Extra sharp, use with care
- Come in a gift box!
- Stay sharp for years and can be sent for sharpening at no cost
- Versatile uses (more than just cutting meat)
- Lifetime guarantee
Cons
- High price
✅ Available on Amazon ($305)
4. New West KnifeWorks G-Fusion Set Best High-End
- Blade: S35VN high-end steel
- Handles: G10 handles
- Warranty – lifetime and free sharpening
All kitchen cutting tools made by New West are made in the USA with the best materials, which is why they offer a lifetime warranty.
Their best steak knife set is the G-Fusion lineup, with its gorgeous, colorful, and unique G10 handles (looks like art!), and the high-quality S35VN high-end steel blades.
You can choose between one knife, two knives, or the full set of 6 steak knives (inside a wooden box) – and have them laser engraved as well.
The handles are basically bombproof, made from an aerospace-grade, fiberglass epoxy composite dressed up with color)
The blade is half serrated (where it needs to protect the edge from cutting on hard plates), and half razor-sharp straight edges to finish the cut.
The knives are very comfortable to grip with just enough weight – not as heavy as German steak knives.
They are very expensive, but certainly well worth their cost.
- Beautiful, unique, colorful
- Finest blade and handle materials
- Lifetime warranty
- Last a lifetime
- Half serrated and half straight-edged
Cons
- Expensive
✅ Available at New West KnifeWorks ($150 per knife)
5. Oneida Flight Steak Knives Best Budget
- Blade – 18/10 stainless steel
- Handles – 18/10 stainless steel
Oneida is an American manufacturer and seller of tableware and cutlery, that was founded in upstate New York in 1848. However, these days they have outsourced their manufacturing to Vietnam.
The Oneida 4-piece serrated steak knife set is perfect for family dinners – without emptying your pocket.
They easily cut the meat without any “give” or bending, but they are not as sharp as other steak knives on this list.
And the price? For less than $25, these American-made knives are a risk-free investment.
Oneida Knives Pros
- Heavier weight, feel sturdy
- Dishwasher safe
Cons
- Come without a box
- Fully serrated blades
✅ Available at Oneida ($21), and on Amazon
How to Care for Steak Knives
When you take good care of your steak knives, you can reduce the frequency of sharpening and keep them looking good and cutting smoothly for years to come.
We advise keeping the knives in a knife block or box – to protect the edges from contacting other utensils (so they won’t become dull).
RELATED: The Top Rated Kitchen Utensil Sets of 2024
If you want to save space and prevent kids from reaching them – use a magnetic strip. Do not use them on a glass cutting board.
Always dry the knives fully before storing them. Storing them while they are still wet can make them rust and deteriorate faster than normal.
Don’t wash them in a dishwasher, unless the manufacturer states they are dishwasher safe.
Stainless steel handles tend to get stained if not hand-washed and dried.
The best way to sharpen your steak knife is to send it to the factory for professional sharpening (premium American brands offer this free of charge once you buy from them).
If that’s not an option, use an electric knife sharpener for straight-edged blades, but make sure it fits a serrated blade should you choose one.
Straight-Edged Blades vs. Serrated – Which is Better?
While serrated blades last longer because of the fewer exposed edges, the cut made by them is more like a tear into the streak fibers compared to the clean and smooth cut of a sharp straight-edged blade.
Some choose serrated blades due to the illusion of a sharper blade, but they are more difficult to sharpen and maintain so you end up stuck with a dull steak knife.
What Are American-Made Cutlery Brands?
In this post, you’ve found the 4 best USA-made steak knives, but if you want to have the full list of American cutlery brands, here it is:
- Rada Cutlery
- Cutco
- Lamson
- Warther Cutlery
- Dexter-Russell
- New West KnifeWorks
- R. Murphy Knives
- Case Cutlery
- Buck Knives
The KM Team
On checking the Amazon website today (11/25/2021) through the link provided, I noted that the Amazon listing indicates that the Oneida knives highlighted in this article are NOT made in the USA – Amazon notes country of origin as Vietnam.
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. It appears that this is a change they have made in the last years. I will have to remove them from this list.