We're all guilty of paying a bit more for a product just because it's a brand we recognize, whether we're cognizant of it or not. A new e-commerce retailer,Brandless, thinks paying for a brand is a waste of money, so it's stripping their products of brand recognition—and the up-charge that comes with it.
Brandless' mission is "to offer unrivaled quality products without BrandTax—the hidden costs that come with buying a national brand." BrandTax, a term coined by the company, refers to the costs of everything except actually producing the product: the label designs, the televisions commercials, the marketing campaigns. Brandless passes savings on to consumers by cutting out all of this (though it has to be said that their "undesigned" labels have a chic minimalist aesthetic that is instantly recognizable and brand-y). The result? Every product they make—every single one—costs three dollars.
The founder of the company, Tina Sharkey,tells Bon Appétitthat "there's an average savings of 40 percent across our whole Everyday Essentials assortment, but in many cases it's much higher—up to 360 percent."
We're guessing Brandless's knives are in that latter category. Brandless sells three-dollarserrated bread knives,paring knives,steak knives, and—most surprising achef's knife—the most important knifeto have in your kitchen.
The chef's knife (which is vastly less expensive than a typical chef's knife, which runsanywhere from 50 bucks to a few hundred) has a stainless steel blade and a non-slip grip. Epi's food director,Rhoda Boone, tested out the knife by slicingtomatoes(notoriously hard to cut with a dull knife),dicingonions, and finely choppingherbs. The verdict? "While it's a little too lightweight for me, I'm impressed that it'srivetedand full-tang." (Full-tang means that the steel blade extends through the entire length of the knife's handle, and rivets are the studs on the handle that keep the blade in place.)
"It would probably last a little while," Rhoda continued. "And because of the full-tang and the rivets, the handle isn’t going to fall off, which is the biggest issue with cheap knives."
Rhoda won't be replacing her knives with Brandless versions anytime soon, but for a backup—or perhaps asummer rental—it's a great option. As she says, "it's probably cheaper to buy this Brandless knife than to get your current chef's knife sharpened." What's not to like?
