Once you have finished reading this, please vote at the bottom of this page.  I am interested in hearing from the few who did not find this info helpful, as how I can fix that.

This guide has been created for current owners of CUTCO as there are many variations in handle colors.  I have also written a guide for non owners of CUTCO and many have never heard of CUTCO.

I have organized this guide, so that you can skim through it and/or go directly to your era and read up on what you need to know. 

A reader pointed out to me a major problem I failed to address.  This guide works best for knives that have been repaired by Cutco.  I recommend that you go first with the few sellers who sell a lot of Cutco including vintage.  They handle a lot of Cutco from all generations and most were old time sales reps when vintage was new. They are all nice guys and good with communication.  Others sell whatever they find at estate sales, for example.  They can use wrong terminology for Cutco products. Butcher knife is often used for any large knife like the French Chef.

Also, overexposure is common to the photos they take which changes handle colors. There knives usually have not been repaired and they do not know that the protective coating is gone which gives knifes prior to around 1987 ugly brown appearance.  You need to let these other sellers know how to look for the handle codes as most are nearly washed off.  With good strong lighting, hold the knife at just the right angle and the code should become visible. 

Brief History

The word CUTCO stands for the Cooking UTensil COmpany and can trace its roots back to late 1800's when skilled cutlery craftsmen began immigrating from England. Those who settled in parts of New York State and Pennsylvania formed many successful cutlery companies.

Cutco began production in 1948 as a new spin off product line of Wear-Ever Aluminum. Wear-Ever focused upon restaurant applications where as Cutco was intended for home use. During this brief one year production of 1948, Cutco's famous Forever Guarantees do not apply. Combined locations in Olean, NY and New Kingston, PA began. First generation Cutco can be marked with the PA location on it such as chests for the Table Knife Sets. Also Chilocothe, OH.

I have spoken to many sales reps and managers from the early days. A lot of the information here was provided from them. Cutco has always used direct marketing. In fact, During the early days of Cutco, sales reps were allowed to sell competition brands with the belief that the Cutco products would out perform them. Men on leave form Navy bases to satisfied owners where among the earliest sales people. In 1985, Alcas (owner of Cutco) purchased Vector Marketing and made this marketing company. Having been a Vector sales rep myself for 6 months, my experiences were mostly positive, full of fun, and always learning more about the products which practically sell itself.

Starting in 1949, these products are covered by the Famous Forever Guarantees. Vintage can openers are the only products I know of not covered and can be stamped Wear-Ever or Cutco. Plans for a new can opener have been on the table, but no word of its production potential has been made public.

Here is a basic outline of the generations. The guide covers the Kitchen Knives which can be used as a general guide for accesories and Table Knives.

First generations are denoted the 30's series which ran from 1949 to 1951. These all have the straight handles that are squared. The smaller knives in the set are the hardest one to find in good enough shape to use. The larger ones hold up very well. Perhaps your grandma owned a set. Nine total items in the set with 7 knives and 2 forks. All use a concave cutting edge which allows the blade to get sharper each time resharpen. Over time, the blade wear out and that is when owners need to return them to Cutco. Handle composition unknown, but suspect same as next two generations. The Trimmer is a 31, for example.  Table Knives for 1st generation denoted as 47.  Have dark hardwood appearance with 3 rivets and non ergonomic grips, but surprisingly good balance. Handles from the 1st generation do not have the fade problem needing periodic recoating like later generation.

Second generation are the 20's series ran from 1952 to 1959.  The ergonomic handles were added and small monogram can be found on handle of Trimmer and larger knives with script TLH for Thomas Lamb Handle.. Blade shapes never changed much through the current generation. All blades were still straight edge. Handle composition is built of samsonite which is a rock hard substance which is impossible to break with normal use and not heavy. Next layer gives appearance of wood and appears brown color and unattractive. You maybe fooled thinking a plain mud brown handle is not the one you need. That is often the light bulb flash. If the steel appears with few scratches and price is super low, why not just buy it and send it direct to Cutco for repairs. They will add the 3rd layer which give deep colors and highlighting. Resellers like me charge a much higher price for these knives. Here, the Trimmer is a 21. Table Knives for this generation remain straight edge, but ergonomic handle with 3 rivets and denoted 57.

The 3rd generation denoted by the 1000 series ran from 1960 to 1971. This generation adds the famous DD edge. For a short run, it was added to the Paring knife, but dropped after too many customers complained. Finding a rare DD Paring Knife is possible on eBay, a real collectable, and may have some applications the straight edge does not, as nothing seems to stick to the DD edge. Again, many of these knives unrepaired have same unattractive appearance of the handle as 2nd Generation. Here, the Trimmer becomes a 1021.

The following knives should have the DD edge: Trimmer, Carver, Slicer/Bread knife, and in 1967, the Spatula Spreader was added and the Professional Spatula made an accessory.  Otherwise, the Chef, Butcher, and Paring Knives are interchangable with the 20 series.

DD actually stands for double durability referring to high grade carbon and stainless steel which allows the cutting edge to hold a superior edge for many decades. These knives can out live the owner. If you ever find a really worn down DD, go ahead and cut something with it. You will be surprised that it will still make an incision as neatly as it did when new!

Any item from 1952 to 1971 will fit into the old Bakelite trays including the forks. Bakelite refers to a type of plastic that was easy to style into any shape and is mistakenly identified as the handle composition They will all fit in the Homemaker block or some break down into smaller blocks. You can contact Cutco at 800-848-0448 to consult on current Cutco questions and they are some of the nicest non-pushy sale reps in the world. A few know about vintage Cutco, but you can contact me if you need clarification. I might even be able to set up an auction if it is in stock, or show you how to find it on eBay from "user friendly" sellers.

The 4th generation runs from 1972 to current. Many variations in the handle coloring have occurred during this era's generational run. This is the current model. They are designated 1700 perhaps for starting in the 1970's is my guess. From dark brown with orange swirls which are retro to the hippie generation to a fade to orange highlighting. You can find new knives all black and some with a bit of red or orange highlighting. I believe that is done to help owners identify a knife while it's blade is hidden in a block.  The next paragraph explains the coding system which begin later.  A Trimmer is now a 1721.

In 1972 to 1987, the year is stamped by the last two digits. 1973 would be 73: "A", "B", "C", or "D" appear before the number which refers to the quarter. So B73 would translate to April thru June 1973.

Starting in 1988, Cutco began dating their knives with  a new code. 1988 are on some knives and also 1989 which was their 40th anniversary.

In 1990, a lettering system began with J, so JA for 1990, JB for 1991 and so on. K denotes 20, so KA 2000, KB 2001. Ask sellers for the codes to help you get close enough to the age of the knife you want.

During 2007, red handles were introduced.

Again, I get questions about Table Knife dating or Kitchen Tools like the Potato Masher.  Kitchen Tools use the same dating system as the knives including the Table Knives.

The pearl handles were test marketed in 1990 and began production in 1991. The classic handles remain the most popular, but pearl does add elegance. The handle composition changed in the 4th generatiion to a super hard plastic covering with the hardness of bowling balls and professional football helmets. These handles are longer and slimmer than the 20 and 1000 series handles. New handles (1700) make them too long to fit into vintage trays and vintage Cutco is a bit too fat to fit into new trays. Blocks allow the handles to stick out and so no problem.

Nothing lasts for all time, but Cutco can last forever with their replacement guarantees.

I fully recommend requesting an in home demo of Your Cutco to emphasize the safe handling of these professional quality knives. Most every owner of Cutco has a scar to show you. Yes, those reps would like to sell you something, but more so, if you could help one out with a few names of others you know nice enough to see the show. It is in this way that Cutco remains the number 1 seller of fine cutlery in North America, by word of mouth.

I always appreciate feedback on how to improve this guide or and other comments. Feel free to contact me about unaddressed Cutco questions.