The high-end kitchen knife represents the most rapidly growing segment of modern custom knife making. Ten years ago, there were only a small handful of makers putting out decent work in this category, and only a few who truly specialized in it. Today, the high-end kitchen knife market is booming, and with so many makers. . . Read More
If you are thinking about ordering your first custom chef’s knife, you may not know where to begin. New customers sometimes ask how the process starts, and my answer is always the same: with a conversation. Tell me in plain English as much or as little as you would like about the knife you are. . . Read More
If you are looking to buy the best chef’s knife, you have come to the right place. This is a bold claim, so it is worth looking at. There are a number of factors that go into this, but there are only a few big ones: steel, feel, and appeal. Steel Mankind has made and. . . Read More
Turn on the Food Network today and chances are very good that you’ll see someone preparing food with a chef’s knife. It is such a simple, ubiquitous, and iconic design that it can be easy to overlook. Even its name is almost subliminal; a chef’s knife—obviously, the knife that a chef uses would be the. . . Read More
Handmade knives are defined by the quality of their craftsmanship and can be as much an expression of the owner as they are an expression of the maker. They can also be easier to sharpen even with prolonged use over time and can be passed down to the next generation. Collectors sometimes ask me whether. . . Read More
A customized hunting knife will not make you a better hunter with a better shot … nor will it reward your patience on those cool autumn mornings with better weather conditions, more abundant game, or easier tracking. But once you have made that shot, a customized hunting knife will make the rest of the work. . . Read More
More than two million years ago, our early ancestors began using rocks as tools. These were initially simple and unrefined, mainly used for blunt impact work, but over the millennia they evolved into much more specific and elegant forms, including sharp cutting tools. Stone remained the pinnacle of material technology all the way up until. . . Read More
I will give you an unhelpful hint: not me. Here are who I think make the world’s top chef’s knives: Bob Kramer Nick Rossi Bob Kramer The world’s top chef knife maker in the world is, without a doubt, Bob Kramer. His pricing starts at $1000 per inch, and his wait list was 15 years. . . Read More
When I exhibit my work at shows, there is a subset of people who approach to defend the virtue of “true” damascus steel. They contend that the modern version of it is a different animal, and it should in fact be called “pattern welded steel” instead. It is difficult to say precisely where this idea. . . Read More
Have you ever walked down the baking aisle in a supermarket? Generally, somewhere in between the flours, the spices, and the cake and brownie mixes, you will find a few shelves full of baking trays and a rack with a selection of kitchen tools and gadgets. Somewhere on that rack, usually somewhere higher up, will. . . Read More