Is there anything you can’t crowd fund? First it was smartwatches and books and now it’s shoes, pants, and now knives. In fact today’s crowdfunding treat comes from Misen, a group that wants to make a high-tech knife for home chefs who might want to cut some tomatoes and, potentially, a tin can.
Created by Omar Rada, industrial designer Peter Muller, and Josh Moses, the the knives are aimed at the higher end sous vide foodie set. They are also going a little Robin Hood on the mise of traditional kitchenware.
“The model we’re using is not necessarily unique. It’s what Warby Parker did for eyeglasses and Everlane did for clothing. Within the kitchenware industry, however, it is unique,” said Rada. “Other legacy players are operating on outdated margin structures that make products far more expensive than they need to be. You’d be shocked at how little many well-known ‘premium’ knives cost to make.”
The knife is special in a few ways. First, it’s really nice. It has a solid, usable blade and thermoplastic handle. It uses high carbon steel and maintains a nice edge. If it dulls, however, the company will resharpen it for the life of the product, a valuable service if you intend to cut hundreds of pumpkins or use this weighted blade to practice your William Tell routine with a CPR dummy.
The project is fully backed and the knife costs $55 for crowdfunding supporters. The team came up with the Misen idea when Rada lost an expensive frying pan. In trying to replace it he realized the good stuff was more expensive than it needed to be and the mediocre kitchenware was awful.
“Most ‘premium’ chef’s knives also come with fat price tags and confusing, unexplained features,” he said. “We think people deserve access to better kitchen tools at far more accessible prices, which is exactly what our project is: a single, high quality chef’s knife sold at an honest price.”
The team plan on shipping next March, giving us all plenty of time to stock up on durian and French bread so we can fully experience the power of a Misen knife on stuff that doesn’t want to get cut.
