If you are paying any attention to the world of handmade knives, you will know that the best knife is a damascus knife. Be it a chef knife or a hunter, a letter opener, or a longsword, damascus knives are at the top of the heap. As a custom knife maker, I make little else,… Continue reading
Swords have been a part of our history for more than 5,000 years. For much of that time—in fact up until only the last century or so—the sword has served dual roles as both an object of function and deadly purpose, and also as an object of ceremony and symbolism. Although they clearly play less… Continue reading
There are plenty of details to factor in when considering what makes a good chef knife. As a professional knife maker or blade smith, I have spent more than a decade tuning the details of my own signature chef knife. Tucked away in rural New Hampshire, I have developed a design that is a unique… Continue reading
You might be hearing a lot these days about hand forged kitchen knives. But what is it really? This is a fairly simple question with a fairly simple answer, but like many such situations, there is more to be discussed. Let’s start with the most basic level. What is a hand forged kitchen knife? Well,… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading
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… Continue reading