NORA 8.5" Chef #1022 - XHP Stainless Steel
$ 427.00
Our take on the classic Chef knife. This is an extremely versatile knife that is a jack-of-all-trades worker and one of the single most important knives in a kitchen.
Every one of our knives is numbered and unique. This NORA knife, number #1022, has a number of smaller details that come together to form an absolutely gorgeous knife.
To start, this blade has been handled with a beautiful Shokwood scale which is a hybrid mix of live edge wood and urethane based resins. This particular scale is one of the more beautiful that we have ever had in the shop. The blues in the resin just pop against the black and the result is really gorgeous. The wood is big leaf maple burl wood and has been stabilized for durability.
Wood stabilization is an added feature that we offer with our knives. Wood that is stabilized has been injected with a clear acrylic resin under a vacuum process. Stabilization helps to minimize, if not eliminate, any cracking, warping, shrinkage and/or expanding of the material. Stabilized wood will not absorb water and is generally impervious to oils. The process helps to ensure your knife has a long lifespan in the kitchen.
Also note that this handle was hand shaped with care and formed into a classic coke bottle shape that helps position your hand comfortably around the handle both with a full grip and a pinch grip. You can reference the attached pictures to get a better idea of what we are talking about.
We also custom engraved this blade with a classic Japanese style wave pattern that goes well with the overall look and feel of the knife. We even added a two-tone feature on the engraving which makes the top of the engraving slightly lighter in color which is meant to mimic the white foam in a wave. Its just a small effect that we experimented with to make the blade unique.
Our Chef knife design can easily accommodate both a pinch grip and a full hold. It is a good choice for those with larger hands or those who prefer a full hold on the handle. Our design is also excellent for those who like a rocking motion while cutting.
This knife blade is composed of CTS-XHP stainless steel which is a premium stainless steel that we rarely offer because it is fairly hard to source. This steel has excellent durability for a stainless steel and it also can be taken to a fairly high hardness at 62 HRC. Besides this, the actual stain resistance on this stainless is high compared to some of the other stainless steels we use which are stainless but just barely and sometimes have a tendency to form small rust spots. In general, this is an excellent steel choice that combines great performance with heightened durability.
{ Knife Details }
Metal: CTS XHP Stainless Steel
Blade Length: 8.5 inches
Total Length: 13.25 inches
Handle Material(s): Urethan Based Resins, Big Leaf Maple Burl Wood (stabilized), Black G10 liner, Black Micarta Pins
Rockwell Hardness: 62
Grind Type: Full Flat