Cooking and hunting knives made from our ABS regrind

Solingen-based knife manufacturer Teckel relies on our ABS regrind for its chef's and hunting knives

Stay sharp with S-Polytec

Okay. Admittedly, we are not going to start producing kitchen utensils such as pots, pans and knives. After all, we see ourselves as an online specialist store for everything to do with building and renovating. I would not rule out the possibility that one day our online shops might also offer the odd cutting tool. However, we are light years away from a handmade chef's knife. Although, that is not entirely true because there is a piece of S-Polytec® in every chef's knife from the Solingen-based knife manufacturer Teckel.

Sustainability is the way forward

We have been offering high-quality plastic sheets made from recycled material for several years because we are absolutely convinced that, in most cases, a reclaimed product can be used as an equivalent replacement for a plastic sheet made from new material. We have consciously chosen this path because a sustainable approach to plastics is important to us. The founders of Teckel Messer follow the same basic idea and also focus on a responsible and resource-saving production process when manufacturing their high-quality knives. For this reason, the company has decided to use handles made from our ABS regrind for its handmade kitchen knives. This plastic is characterised by outstanding robustness and durability, making it perfect for this purpose.

At Teckel Messer, sustainability and quality are the main focus. The company sources the materials for knife production locally or from recycled sources and carefully handcrafts each knife. The self-proclaimed goal is to create knives that impress with their sharpness, edge retention and excellent handling while minimising our ecological footprint. Our recycled ABS is used for the handles, which have the traditional Solingen handle shape. These consist of 100% impact-resistant ABS plastic that is recycled into high-quality plastic sheets using a complex recycling process. We also rely on regional proximity when choosing our recycling partners and extruders and have our recycled sheets manufactured in North Rhine-Westphalia. We supply some of the necessary recycling material ourselves and procure more by acquiring qualified companies whose plastic waste meets our high standards of purity. After all, quality must not be neglected, even when it comes to sustainability. Teckel Messer also embraces this high standard, resulting in a perfect symbiosis between the knife manufacturer and S-Polytec. We normally refrain from reporting on products or companies outside the S-Polytec Group. However, sometimes we are so impressed by a product or company that we feel it deserves a blog post and is worth reading.

The company was only founded in 2023 by three friends who not only share a deep connection to the region but also decades of experience in the knife trade. They are leading the proud tradition of Solingen knife production into the modern age, focusing on traditional craftsmanship, quality and sustainability. Social responsibility and commitment, as well as a love of craftsmanship, are reflected not only in the knives and the materials used, but also in the packaging. The knife arrives at the customer's safely and securely, packed in black Kraft cardboard with a sleeve bearing the logo in hot-foil embossing. The attractive packaging protects the blade and also looks good. No glue, no viewing window made of PP film and no plastic tray to hold the knife are used. This is not because we disapprove of plastic; after all, the knife maker also uses our regenerated materials for the handle. But packaging usually ends up in the rubbish, and waste paper is much easier to recycle, making it better for the environment.

From hunting knife to chef's knife

The name Teckel Messer is no coincidence. A Teckel, generally known as a dachshund to most people who are not familiar with hunting, is a German breed of dog with short legs that was bred specifically for hunting foxes and badgers. This hunting dog, also known as a dachshund, can drive the badger out of its burrow when hunting badgers, making the hunt easy for the hunter. To do this, the dachshund needs to be physically and mentally robust, because the dog cannot wait for its master's decision in the badger burrow. This is also the reason why the dachshund is generally described as stubborn and headstrong.

The Solinger Kotten manufactory, which is behind Teckel knives, has its roots in the production of very high-quality hunting knives that are made entirely to customer order. It is only in the last few weeks that the company has started to use its experience in the blade trade to manufacture chef's knives, Santoku knives and other kitchen knives, which are carefully handcrafted. In the future, the range will be expanded to include paring knives, peeling knives and other kitchen knives. Of course, our ABS sheets will be used again to make the handles. The company also offers a knife-sharpening service for knives from all brands and manufacturers. Even machine knives can be professionally reworked by the company to restore or even improve their original cutting performance.

Use the discount code SPOLYTEC to receive 10% off your entire order!

The discount code is valid for all standard products in the online shop www.teckel-messer.de and can be entered at checkout. But that's not all: the discount also applies to all custom-made products, as well as to re-sharpening.

Chef's knife – made in Solingen

Solingen is internationally renowned for knives of outstanding quality. It is no wonder that almost all of the major brands have at least one company headquarters in the ‘knife city’. But not all knives are the same. And even with well-known manufacturers, there are very big differences in quality from product series to product series, in order to meet every requirement and budget. After all, not everyone values having a hand-forged chef's knife. The differences are not always recognisable just by looking at the shape, so it can be worth taking a closer look at the technical data, as this is the only way to compare knives of identical shape and size.

The knife blade is something special

• Grip S-Polytec ABS regrind
• Grip shape Traditional Solingen handle shape
• Grip length 11.5cm
• Knife type Chef’s knife
• Blade length 16cm
• Blade material 1.4116 Stainless steel
• Blade hardness 58 - 59 HRC
• Abrasive grain size 600

NOTE: The abrasive grain size indicates the sharpness of a knife, which for many other manufacturers already ends at a 180 grain. The higher the number, the finer the cutting edge of the blade is ground, which also affects the final sharpness. The Rockwell hardness, on the other hand, says something about the steadfastness of the blade. If the value is too low, the sharpness of the knife decreases rapidly even with normal use. On the other hand, a value that is too high has the disadvantage that the steel is not sufficiently flexible. At 58-59 HRC, the value is absolutely in the range of premium knives and can certainly be compared with leading brands. Only Damascus knives achieve slightly higher values due to their special and extremely elaborate manufacturing process, without this affecting the flexibility and breaking strength of the knife blade.

What is my personal opinion of the knives?

I do not consider myself a gourmet and usually see cooking more as a necessary evil than as a relaxing hobby. Apparently, I am the black sheep of the family because I have no training as a chef and prefer to use my creativity in marketing. Nevertheless, I like to stand in my kitchen at the weekend and cook for friends to pamper their taste buds. It does not always have to be dry-aged heifer or a side of salmon, but if you're inviting people over for dinner, I like to go all out. Nevertheless, I (necessarily) attach great importance to the quality of pots, pans and knives, and so I also own very high-quality vegetable knives, tomato knives, steak knives, as well as a large Santoku knife from a brand that can be found in almost every good kitchen in the catering industry. Perfect for checking out the quality in direct comparison.

What can I say? They are knives. They are extremely sharp and a pleasure to cut with. Just how sharp they are can be seen in the short video I made, trying to film while standing in my kitchen at home, cutting a whole side of salmon, including the skin, into convenient portions. Without applying much pressure, the knife glides through the raw fish, slicing through the flesh and skin with ease. Chopping onions is also a pleasure with a sharp knife. The lower pressure required with a less sharp knife means that fewer cells are crushed, which means that less of the mustard oils are released, which are responsible for the tears. Hard bacon, as well as tomatoes, courgettes or even dried salami, are also no challenge for a knife with this degree of sharpness.

The advantages of the knives at a glance

• The chef's knife is perfectly balanced between the blade and the handle
• The Santoku knife is typically top-heavy and therefore also perfect for chopping herbs
• The sharpness is impressive and glides through fish and meat with absolute ease
• The handle made of recycled ABS plastic with a Solingen handle shape lies comfortably in the hand
• The knives are painstakingly handcrafted in Solingen, the ‘knife city’
• The knives are durable thanks to the stainless steel and ABS plastic used in their manufacture

The knives are priced. Quite clearly. But when you consider that these are painstakingly handcrafted, the price is quite reasonable. Quality has its price and, in my humble opinion, these knives are quite capable of competing with the high-quality knives in my kitchen. However, since my opinion is not completely unbiased due to my relationship with the company (Teckel Messer uses our plastics), I asked my sister, who works as a chef, to evaluate the two knives. My brother-in-law, who, as a head chef, is also better suited to evaluate the quality of the knives from a purely professional point of view, had to serve as another guinea pig. Both agreed that the chef's knife is a very high-quality product that is also suitable for professional use in gastronomy and that, in terms of price-performance ratio, it is on par with the large brand-name knives. Their opinion of the Santoku knife was similar, although my sister's opinion was limited here because my brother-in-law does not like this type of knife. The only downside was the lack of serrations in the lower part of the cutting edge, which means that the clippings stick to the blade more often than a Santoku with the oval indentations. This sometimes hinders the cutting speed required in the catering industry. I was happy to pass this feedback on to the company.

In any case, it was a lot of fun for us to think outside the box, because we in marketing have very little customer contact and so we are always very happy to learn what our customers can do with our plastics and profiles and with adhesives. In any case, I would not have thought of a knife handle for handmade cooking and hunting knives. I would like to say thank you for the deep insights into the production of knives and I am sure that the joy of the knives will remain for a very long time.

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Your Sascha from S-Polytec