This Luxe Kitchen Knife Just Raised Nearly $1 Million on Kickstarter

Misen is looking sharp on Kickstarter. With just hours to go, the Brooklyn kitchenware startup is closing in on a $1 million haul on the crowdfunding platform in its quest to market a premium-quality chef’s knife at a line cook’s price.

The cutting-edge blade (pardon the pun) made a splash fast, blasting past its $25,000 funding goal in its first hour on Kickstarter. The rest is gravy. At press time, its Kickstarter kitty topped $990,000 and it’s still chugging.

The brains behind the 8.2-inch Misen knife are entrepreneurs Josh Moses, formerly of Tiny Kitchen Brands, Omar Rada, formerly of FreshDirect, and Peter Müller, an industrial designer from Chicago. The trio was inspired to design the knife due to “ frustration with existing products,” but that wasn’t the only motivation.

“We got interested in knives for a few reasons: An 8-inch knife is the single tool you’ll use for literally everything, Moses told the Village Voice. “And it’s healthier, fresher and more affordable to do your own cooking. It’s the idea we want to promote for our brand.”

The slicer and dicer, 18 months in the making, is a blend of classic German and Japanese knife designs. Embodying elements from both enables the high-carbon steel implement to handle both “chopping through bones and stuff” and “fine slicing,” Moses says.

Billed as an “amazing knife at an honest price,” the Misen has a retail value of $65, though it was offered for only $45 on Kickstarter. Remaining pledge options range from $55 to $600, depending on the level of perks thrown in.

Incidentally, the men of Misen recently backed a Kickstarter campaign for a laser-based razor called Skarp. The device had garnered more than $4 million on the crowdfunding platform when Kickstarter suddenly pulled the plug on it for allegedly breaking its rules.

No such fate is in store for the Misen. The blade’s creators have a working prototype ready to roll, along with partnerships with factories, craftspeople and raw material suppliers throughout the globe, they say. And now they have the cash to fund the first production run of their sharp idea.