1440-Layer Feather Chef 230mm

Austrian bladesmith Martin Huber begins by layering bars of 02 and 15n20 carbon steel alloys to form the initial damascus pattern. That pattern is then cut, stacked, and manipulated to create a tiled mosaic. The resulting piece of material is then ‘feathered’ by Martin to produce the bold, flowing effect seen coursing through the blade of this 230mm / 9.1″ chef knife. The magic, of course, does not end there. A prolific maker of full-size, one-of-a-kind heirloom chef’s knives, Martin imbues this blade with the same balance, versatility, and performance-based geometry we expect of his heirloom work. The blade’s tall bevels are subtly convex before slimming to quite a thin cross section at, and above, the fine, razor-sharp edge. Rounded and soft to the touch for comfort in the pinch grip, the blade’s spine tapers progressively, beginning at nearly 3.5mm out of the handle before halving to just 1.6mm at the midway point, and further to less than 1mm an inch from the glass thin, needle-like tip. Due to this careful shaping, the blade is a workhorse in the rear where the spine is stiff and the edge honed for chopping, while it enjoys a touch of lateral flexibility in the forward inches where it will excel at precise slices and detail work. Complementing the damascus steel’s handsome pattern is the striking, natural grain of curly Hawaiian koa wood surrounding a tapering, full blade tang. In front of the koa are bolsters of ancient bog oak to complete a handle sculpted into a comfortable Western form, all secured by three flush, black G10 pins.