Sabatier

Sabatier is the maker's mark used by several kitchen knife manufacturers—by itself it is not a registered brand name. The name Sabatier is considered to imply a high-quality knife produced by one of a number of manufacturers in the Thiers region of France using a full forging process; the knives of some of these manufacturers are highly regarded. However, the name "Sabatier" came into use before intellectual property laws and is not protected; knives legally bearing the name range from high-quality knives made in France to cheap mass-produced products of poor quality from France and other countries; a registered logo or full name, or both, such as "65 Sabatier Perrier", is necessary to establish origin and quality. History The name originated in Thiers, France, at the beginning of the 19th century. The area of Thiers has been associated with the cutlery industry since the 15th century. With the advent of the industrial age, manufacturers began to consolidate their crafts or trades by creating brand or trade marks. In the early 19th century, two separate families began using the name Sabatier to market their knives: Jean Sabatier of Le Moutier (lower Thiers) and Philippe Sabatier of Bellevue (upper Thiers). The families are not known to be related except by name and craft. There is a dispute over who registered the trademark first, with each citing evidence. The Sabatiers of Le Moutier company survived in many incarnations until the brand was bought out by Cuisinox in 1979. The only surviving family is the Sabatiers of Bellevue, which is still at the same address and still owned by the descendants of the original founder, Philippe Sabatier. It continues to make the knives under the corporate name ETS Sabatier Aîné & Perrier.