The Development of the Hattori Forums FH Series: Knives Designed by Enthusiasts for Enthusiasts
Back in 2005, JCK contacted a leading member of the “In The Kitchen” sub-forum at KnifeForums.com to see if the kitchen knife community would be interested in collaborating on an exciting new project. The innovative new project would allow the community of kitchen knife enthusiasts to design their own series of knives, to meet their specific needs, whilst JCK would use their extensive contacts in the knife industry to secure a highly accomplished maker to produce the knives.
The forum members quickly appointed a committee, consisting of both professional Chefs and home cooks, to oversee the project and collect information from the community members. Slowly but surely, every aspect of the knives was thoroughly discussed and a series of design drawings and specifications were prepared. The new designs combined many features from existing knives that were admired by the community, but they were also intended to fill in some product gaps that existed in the market, that were not being addressed by the major Japanese knife makers at that point in time. The community members also carefully weighed the advantages and cost of various different blade and handle materials. Ultimately, it was unanimously decided that ‘shrink-proof’, contoured Linen Micarta® handles would be the most practical and that the premium version of the knives would have a “Cowry-X” powdered metallurgy steel blade, while the regular version of the knives would have a “VG-10” stainless steel blade. It was also decided that Mr. Ichiro Hattori, maker of the much-admired “Hattori KD Series” Cowry-X Damascus knives, would produce the knives.
When the prototypes were finally ready, they were thoroughly inspected and tested by members of the “In The Kitchen” sub-forum and a few modifications were suggested. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Hattori completed the first batch of knives and they were offered for sale to the forum members and then later made available to the public via the JCK web store. The forum members told use that they were thrilled by the high quality craftsmanship and fit and finish of their “JCK Original Hattori FH Series” knives and expressed their gratitude to JCK for allowing them the opportunity to design their own knives. Bob Worthington, who leads the “In The Kitchen” sub-forum committee, summed up the project by stating:
“This was truly a wonderful experience for everyone involved and we sincerely hope people find these knives to be what we feel are the best knives in the world today .”
We would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Hattori, Bob and the other forum members who participated in this innovative project. It launched the “JCK Original” brand, which has now grown to include a wide variety of knives designed for everyone from home cook, to professional Chefs and discerning knife collectors.
