Designed, shaped, and finely tuned by California bladesmith Don Carlos Andrade, this exquisite chef knife combines carbon damascus by Salem Straub and custom handle material from G.L. Hansen & Sons with Don's world-class craftsmanship to produce a one-of-a-kind culinary tool. Using Salem's Ladder W's pattern damascus steel, Don has forged the 222mm / 8.7" blade to shape by hand, giving it a unique and utilitarian profile with nicely curved edge for rocking on the board, strong, workhorse bevels for all variety of kitchen prep, and an eye-catching stepped down spine with detail work including a rounded stretch that transitions to flat, and then to a faceted, three-face section toward the tip. The handle, as you may notice, is just as vibrant as the blade, sculpted in Don's infamous wa-style handle style from a one-of-a-kind piece of multi-colored rag micarta and given a rare blue Westinghouse micarta inlay and unique mosaic pin with red and blue highlights. A cloth-covered saya is included.