Cedar Feather Gyuto 215mm

His formal training as an engineer, highlighted by both practical and theoretical studies in metallurgy, and his passion for food and the role that cooking for our loved ones plays in our lives, combine and manifest in each of Jeroen Knippenberg’s heirloom culinary creations. That confluence is as beautifully evident as ever in this first chef knife to grace our collection. At his studio near Weert, The Netherlands, Jeroen begins the build of this versatile, do-all 215mm / 8.5″ chef knife by making the stunning, feathered damascus steel used for the blade. Combining 1.2842 and 15n20 high-carbon alloys, he folds and forges the materials to create a dense, detailed, and repeating pattern which he then ‘feathers’ to create the flowing aesthetic witnessed through the striking blade and integral handle bolster. With the finished material in place, the blade is shaped for balance and daily meal prep, its center of mass lying half an inch in front of the blade’s 63mm tall heel, providing a weighted yet quick and nimble feel in the hand. Tough and rigid at the rear where a long, straight section of edge allows for effortless chopping whether push-pull cutting in the pinch grip or rocking while the tip remains in contact with the board, the geometry is dynamic and refined. Compound ‘S-grind’ bevels, the concave portion of which begins just up from the choil and tapers out gently and purposefully as the tip approaches, offer cutting performance and food release. The lower, convex portion of those primary bevels culminates at a thin and very sharp edge hardened to approximately 60 HRC. The blade’s spine, faceted along the edges for comfort, tapers distally and steadily from the bolster forward to a slim, needle-like tip. For precise slices of delicate proteins or hours of vegetable chopping, the blade is designed to become any chef’s kitchen workhorse. Sculpted with striking lines that combine flat faces and curved edges and transitions, the bolster not only presents the damascus pattern’s complexity in a distinct light, it provides comfort in any grip as well as visual continuity between blade and handle, an attribute associated with Jeroen’s approach to design. Completing the handle, with stepped, heirloom fit-up between metal and wood, is a piece of ergonomically carved cedar burl with all of its spectacular, natural grain. At the rear, a flush, stainless steel retention nut cap is visible, signifying the hidden presence of the mechanical retention bolt construction within the handle.