Füri FAQs
The Füri FAQ list gives a little more information for those who are curious about our background, and for those who don't understand why we made the deliberate choices that we did.

Please note that the answers here were not compiled by our marketing department: they were written by the Füri designer and company founder, Mark Henry. Füritechnics is very different to all the importers of 'name brands' in this industry, and our complex story can be difficult to understand at first glance. Mark hopes this list will help to help dispel some myths about Füri knives in particular, and knives in general.
Select a question from the list, or just scroll down.

Füri FAQs: for curious cooks!
Q1: “Why is Füritechnics Australia’s only knife design company?”
Q2: “Why should I try Füri knives? Aren’t they just another fashionable knife like Global?”
Q3: “Why does Füri material hold its edge so long, if it is also easy to sharpen?”
Q4: “Why is Füri knife material so good if it isn’t forged from CrMoV stainless steel in Solingen, Germany?”
Q5: “Why is the Füri handle not slippery, if it is shiny metal? What about when your hands are oily or wet?”
Q6: “Why can’t Füritechnics manufacture Füri knives in Australia, if they are designed and developed here?”
Q7: “Why are Füri knives the closest thing to an all-Australian knife?”
Q8: “Why are Füri knives exported to seven countries and so popular with leading Chefs, but still not the no.1 brand in Australia?”
Q9: “Why aren’t Füri knives available at as many stores as the major imported brands, and why do some knife/kitchen retail chains not carry them?”
Q10: “Why the name ‘Füri’? Where did it come from, and was it to look German?”
Q11: “Why did Mark Henry (an engineer) go ahead and design Füri knives (with Chefs), and establish Füritechnics in 1996 after years of development work, when everyone told him a Brisbane engineer couldn’t do a better job than the popular European brands, and that he would fail against the large importers of established brands?”
Q12: “Why do many leading Chefs now believe that Füri knives are a revolutionary step forward in knife design, and that they really are the best available for professionals?”
Q1: “Why is Füritechnics Australia’s only knife design company?”
A: Australia doesn't have a history of commercial knife design for a number of reasons. Economic history in Australia has led us to not be competitive at manufacturing simple objects in large volumes (this will not change, and generally we are better off as a nation to concentrate on high-tech manufactures, information technology, finance, and services, like all advanced economies).

Recent commercial history in the professional knife industry has also led to several brands dominating (particularly German/Swiss/French brands). Because Chefs and home cooks so very strongly believe that these few brands are the best, and slow to change these opinions, it is very difficult for any new brand to be trialled, and to be put in stock by the retailers. "We'll put it in after it is a well-known brand" was a common response in our early days: a classic catch-22!

We were advised by many industry experts to not attempt to launch our knife designs, let alone waste time on developing them fully, because it would be simply too difficult to convince people to try something new, particularly if it wasn't designed or made in the regular countries.

We decided to press ahead regardless, because we were so sure that we had designed a knife that would eventually be recognised as the most technologically advanced knife available, once people tried it with an open mind.

Q2: “Why should I try Füri knives? Aren’t they just another fashionable knife like Global?”
A: 'Yes' (you should try them), and 'no' (they are not a fashion knife, and they are not a Global copy!) Füri knives were designed by Mark Henry seven years ago (before Global was here), and the only reason he designed them was to produce a professional knife that worked where it counts (the first five of the seven Füri features were his design goals, because these are what cook’s really needed). Füri knives were also designed for heavy European-style prep work (strong Cook’s knife blades, comfortable handles, and safe bolster).

Q3: “Why does Füri material hold its edge so long, if it is also easy to sharpen?”
A: Füritechnics has made some important discoveries about knife materials and their wear and edge retention. Mark Henry has tested many knife materials in an apparatus that wears them to precisely the same stages, and looked at their wear characteristics with a Scanning Electron Microscope. The research has also looked at the effect of different finishes on cutting edges (honing methods).

Hardness is only one measure of a material’s ability to hold an edge (resist wear), but it is the easiest one to understand (and therefore most popularly discussed) by non-metallurgists. There are many other factors that contribute to edge retention, but toughness (not hardness) is also a major factor. Füri knives have the toughest material on the market, and hold an edge without being difficult to sharpen. In basic terms, the Füri knife material is tougher and is less likely to suffer from broken cutting edges at the micro level. For more detail, see the 'Tech Edge' articles on this topic in the 'Information Services' section (main menu on top left).

All this research has led to a material that holds its edge for a long time, but is much easier to sharpen than the CrMoV stainless steels.

Q4: “Why is Füri knife material so good if it isn’t forged from CrMoV stainless steel in Solingen, Germany?”
A: Forging of CrVMo stainless steels became popular (and Solingen (Germany) factories were very good at it) decades ago, when it was the best way to combine some edge retention, toughness, and stain resistance. Times change. Füritechnics has chosen a very different, and new, alloy for the Füri range because it offers excellent edge retention, but superior toughness and easier sharpening than the common CrVMo stainless steels. Having no vanadium (or the resulting vanadium carbide compounds) is a major reason why Füri knives are easy to sharpen. It is a totally different material and, Füritechnics engineers are certain, the best availabe today (and, being the only knife designers in Australia, you know they are speaking from hard-earned experience; not from someone else’s factory brochure!).

Q5: “Why is the Füri handle not slippery, if it is shiny metal? What about when your hands are oily or wet?”
A: Füritechnics patented the handle shape because it is so good at resisting slip toward the blade. That is the direction that really counts. The wedge shape locks into the hand, and the only way for the hand to slip forward is for the fingers to open up (doesn’t happen in use). Traditional handles encourage slip toward the blade, because they taper down smaller toward the blade (and it is easier for the fingers to close up and for the hand to slide forward, down the taper). Basically, all your work can be done with a lighter hand grip: for less callouses, fatigue, and hand strain. But, you won’t believe it until you try (because it looks shiny): grip a Füri handle and push forward!

Q6: “Why can’t Füritechnics manufacture Füri knives in Australia, if they are designed and developed here?”
A: There are a lot of reasons why no professional knives are made in Australia (too complex, for anyone not well-read in international economics, trade, and politics) but, basically, it isn’t really feasible to produce professional knives here (Australia is good at other things now, like info-tech, services, etc, but not low-tech manufactures). The construction is difficult and expensive, and the only way to make them affordable is to produce them in a low-cost country. Fortunately, Mark Henry (the designer) speaks Mandarin, and had spent years in China before starting manufacture of Füri there. His best friends there now represent Füritechnics full-time: this (apart from the good design, and all the training) is one of the reasons why Füritechnics can achieve world-class quality in China (Füritechnics is well ahead of other companies manufacturing this type of product there, so people don’t know what’s possible yet). The combination of revolutionary design, high quality, and low cost, has made Füri knives take off worldwide, very quickly. Füri knives are now quickly rising in popularity Australia, the US, Canada, UK, Italy, New Zealand (and other countries being added soon), and those who are serious about their knives aren't concerned that Füri was designed by an Australian Engineer and Chefs, and made under close control in China.

Q7: “Why are Füri knives the closest thing to an all-Australian knife?”
Because Füritechnics is the only knife engineering company in Australia, Füri is the only knife that is developed here. All others brands are designed and manufactured by large overseas companies (not that there is anything wrong with this, it's just that we're different)!

Q8: “Why are Füri knives exported to many countries and so popular with leading Chefs , but still not the no.1 brand in Australia?”
A: One reason is that they are relatively new on the market. The other reason is that many retailers (particularly restaurant/Chef suppliers) are very conservative, and prefer to stick with the tried and trusted brands (see below). Sales are growing very rapidly, though, as more Chefs discover that they are the best available now.

Q9: “Why aren’t Füri knives available at as many stores as the major imported brands, and why do some knife/kitchen retail chains not carry them?”
Most stockists will only put a new product into stock if it is already famous. Also, the more traditional suppliers still think that all ‘good’ knives are made in Germany (with reasonable knives coming from France, Italy, Japan, Switzerland). We have heard, more than once: 'How can you say that your knives are the best, if they are designed by you in Australia and made in China?' That's just the way it is, but attitudes are changing!

However, the more progressive stockists could see that Füri knives were simply a higher performance product (and this could eventually make them the new standard, and all others just there for the memories!). In those stores that had the vision to stock Füri, they now find that Füri is close to their biggest-selling professional knife brand. It will take time (most old Chefs will probably stay emotionally attached to traditional brands for ages yet): but professional cooks are catching on very quickly, around the world, to the real advantages of Füri.

Q10: “Why the name ‘Füri’? Where did it come from, and was it to look German?”
When Mark Henry formed the company (in 1996), he wanted a name that ended in 'technics' (having worked for an engineering firm with 'Technics' in the title, and liking the name). He also wanted a synonym for 'passion' as part of the name, and 'fury' was one of the synonyms offered by Roget's Thesaurus. He didn't think it was a good idea to print 'fury' on the handle of Chef's knives (!), so modified its look and pronunciation with the 'ü' symbol. Changing the 'y' to 'i' just looked better!

Q11: “Why did Mark Henry (an engineer) go ahead and design Füri knives (with Chefs), and establish Füritechnics in 1996 after years of development work, when everyone told him a Brisbane engineer couldn’t do a better job than the popular European brands, and that he would fail against the large importers of established brands?”
A: This had everything to do with the strength of his belief in the design advantages of Füri over all others, and that Chefs would eventually agree that it was a better option, after they had tried it (see below).

Q12: “Why do many leading Chefs now believe that Füri knives are a revolutionary step forward in knife design, and that they really are the best available for professionals?”
A: This is because they have discovered that the seven Füri features are true, and that Füri is the first knife ever to combine all these features (hygiene, durability, comfort, grip, sharpen-ability, style, and value). This means Füri performs better than traditional knives.

Leading Chefs were the first to adopt Füri, and now the word it getting out! It may take a few years, but Füri will be accepted as the new standard and become a 'household' name.