Knife Lingo

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to prevent that blank look on your face when the salesperson speaks of a "full tang."

STAMPED KNIVES: Most less-expensive knives are stamped from sheet steel and are lighter and thinner than forged knives. Stamping can produce a decent blade, but without the heaviness of a bolster larger stamped knives may feel flimsy and unstable when used to cut hard-surfaced foods such as watermelon.

FORGED KNIVES : Forged blades are made by heating crude steel to more than 2,000°F and shaping it with a mold and a hammer. The blade is then ground down, tempered, sharpened and finished off. Forging is a labor-intensive process, which is reflected in the cost of the knives.

BOLSTER: A sure sign of a forged knife is a bolster - a thick collar of metal between the blade and the handle. Manufacturers claim that the bolster adds weight and balance to the knife, but it also keeps the user's hand away from the blade, which makes the knife safer.

TANG: In a full-tang knife, the blade metal extends to the end of the handle. According to manufacturers who produce full-tang knives, this gives the knife more balance. The full tang is visible on wood handle knives; on synthetic handles, full tang would mean that the blade extends at least 60% of the way through the handle.

ROCKWELL HARDNESS SCALE : This is a progressive measurement in degrees used to rate the steel's hardness: from 52 for soft steel to 60 for high-carbon stainless steel.