In 2021, James took on the task of completing a 5 blade set over the course of the year. He forged five different blades using the same materials – Damascus Steel and 5000 year Bog Oak, and made what he believes to be the perfect combination of versatile and specialist knives. The set was available one knife at a time:
Chinese Style Cleaver (170mm) – February release. This wide yet thin blade is perfectly suited to a broad range of prep work, especially the fine chopping of vegetables.
Double Bevel Deba (150mm) – May release. Designed for filleting fish, butchering chicken or other small butchery tasks. It’s also great for tasks that would ruin other lighter blades, such as chopping though lobster shells or removing crab claws.
Petty (150mm) – July release. Slightly larger than our usual Pettys, giving them a little more versatility. The extra length makes it perfect as a small slicing knife as well for the usual “off board” tasks you would expect to use a paring/utility knife for.
Slicer (295mm) – September release. Double bevelled take on a Japanese Sakimaru knife. Traditional Sakimaru knives are single beveled and designed for making clean and precise cuts for sushi and sashimi. This long curved blade will be great for such delicate tasks but the symmetrical grind adds a little more versatility to the design making it also great for slicing and carving meat.
Gyuto (200m) – Decemeber release. A nimble all rounder with a little more “belly”, than our usual Gyutos, making them great for rocking chops as well as slicing and push cutting. Perfect for preparing meat, fish and vegetables.
We’ve teamed up with our local leather worker @owen_leather to produce a roll specifically designed to house the knives in James’ 5-piece project. Inspired by the paired back handles used in this project, we decided to make a roll with no hardware, just a sheet of beautiful black leather with hand stitched pockets and a simple strap to tie the whole thing together.
