NORA Line Slayer #1044 - M4 Carbon Steel

This is a custom one-off design and grind. The blade shape is a cross between a chef and a honesuki...a chefsuki if you will. It is an extremely versatile knife that is a jack-of-all-trades worker and should serve you will in the kitchen and on the line.  

We made this knife specifically for a right hand user.  This is a sort of hybrid take on a single bevel knife but we wanted to keep it versatile so we did a flat grind on the back of the knife and on the front it is a half grind down the blade and then the blade goes to a light convex. Again, this is a great worker knife and would be excellent on the line. 

Every one of our knives is numbered and unique. This NORA knife, number #1044, is a nimble 6 inches has been handled with a urethane based material called Juma.  The material has a distinct sort of snake skin pattern on it that comes in and out of focus and is part of the design.

The handle on this one is thicker than most of ours and has a very nice weight to it. Knuckle clearance is low but that is somewhat par for the course with utility-type knives. If Also note that this knife is heftier than you would expect so if you are a knife lover that loves your knives super light then this isn't quite the best fit but if you want a real workhorse in the kitchen that can handle any task, including some of the more rough and tumble tasks with protein breakdown and what not, then this is your knife. 

The blade on this knife is composed of a high carbon CPM M4 steel.  M4 is the best carbon steel we have ever used in regards to blade performance.  After doing a wide amount of research on this steel, we decided to give it a go and have been extremely impressed with its performance thus far.  CPM M4 steel is unique in that it gets extremely hard.  We took this blade to a solid 66 HRC.  The hardness allows it to maintain amazing edge retention but unlike other steels at this hardness its not as brittle or delicate.  It is actually highly wear resistant which means you don't need to worry as much about the knife chipping or breaking. As an added bonus, M4 is surprisingly corrosion resistant when compared to other carbon steels.

Its a rugged knife for the performance it offers and this combination is rare when you harden steel to beyond 62 HRC.  (Please note though that the steel isn't bullet-proof...if you drop the knife on a very hard surface or slam it down on a hard object, it is likely to chip.)

The pros of this steel outweigh the cons in our opinion but it must be mentioned that this steel is harder to sharpen than many others so you will need to factor that into your decision as it does represent a bit more maintenance than other knives. On the flip side, you don't need to sharpen this knife nearly as frequently as others. Note that we provide free sharpening on all of our knives and we are always happy to help in this respect.  

As this is a carbon steel, the blade will form a slight patina over time.  This is normal and is actually the mark of a beautifully used knife.  Please note, however, that a carbon knife does require more maintenance than its stainless steel counterpart, mainly that it must be washed or wiped clean shortly after each use to prevent unwanted rust or stains.  We have acid etched this knife to protect the steel and start the patina process.  Over time this etch will fade slightly and will be replaced by the individual patina you make while using the knife.

{ Knife Details }

Metal: CPM-M4 Carbon Steel

Blade Length: 6 inches

Total Length: 11.5 inches

Handle Material(s): Green Juma, Carbon Fiber Pins, Black & Purple G10

Rockwell Hardness: 66

Grind Type: Full Flat to Slight Convex on Logo Side/Full Flat on Side Opposite Logo