With a niche carved for himself at the forefront of house made, high-performance stainless damascus formulation, William Brigham of The Artificery crafts chef's knives one by one at this California studio, always aiming to improve upon what has come before. Finely tuning each element of a build, testing, and re-testing, his knives, including this 225mm / 8.86" chef, are designed for comfort and efficiency on the cutting board, plain and simple. Compound 's-grind' bevel geometry and a very thin edge mean fast, precise and effortless cuts and excellent food release. A long, steady distal taper provides strength and stability toward the heel, and a fine, paper-thin tip and a touch of lateral flexibility at the opposite end. An integral bolster transitions through spacers of stainless steel and G10 and in to the sculpted, textured ironwood burl handle with a shape that is as welcoming in the hand is it is easy on the eyes.