Bladesmith Joseph Schrum delivers a beautiful and very capable full-size chef knife in his latest build which features 235mm / 9.3" of house-made deep ladder pattern damascus steel. Balanced a hair in front of the blade's 52mm tall heel, the knife is weighted and solid at 8oz, yet nimble in the hand, with a very thin edge below convex 'S-grind' bevels, yet stiff at a spine that tapers only slightly. Together, these complementary qualities make this an outstanding daily-use workhorse with edge geometry and a needle-like tip for effortless and precise slices and detail work. Hand-sanded to a silky finish and then etched, the damascus pattern shines beautifully throughout the blade, including the nicely rounded spine and choil which lend comfort in the pinch grip. A long, classic, and elegant octagonal handle features two variety of blackwood, the dark bolster piece from Africa, the lighter with stunning grain from Tasmania.