Ever innovating, damascus artist and bladesmith Salem Straub delivers a tool that does much more than perform superbly in the kitchen. Thin, sharp, precisely hardened for impeccable lateral flexibility, and ground with his usually superb convex bevel geometry, the blade of this one-of-a-kind chef knife is not just a piece of steel; it is crafted from Salem's new house-made Chainette pattern damascus, or to be specific, a six-bar Chainette mosaic. Tapering along the rounded spine from the integral bolster, an element which further emphasizes the interplay of the 15n20 and 1080 carbon steel alloys, the blade is tall and versatile, thin but tough in the rear, and very slim at the pointed, needle-like tip perfectly positioned for precision cuts and incredibly enjoyable slicing work. Beyond the long, gently rounded bolster, with stepped-down heirloom fit, is a handle sculpted from rather remarkable, modern carbon fiber, a composite by the Lithuanian materials engineer Ovidijus Jučius, founder of FAT Carbon, a producer who, on a side note, uses clean, sun and wind-based energy to power their operations. With an accessible retention bolt visible at the rear of the handle, the carbon fiber itself is mounted on either side of a black G10 frame.