Kumiko Ultra Chef 212mm
The second such build from Salem Straub featuring a hand-forged blade of homemade stainless-clad san mai steel with cutting edge of ApexUltra carbon steel, this chef's knife is built for daily meal prep in a head-turning and unique style. Recently developed specifically for the premium cutlery industry, ApexUltra steel was created with the help of our maker and metallurgist Tobias Hangler with uncompromising cutting performance and grain structure as the singular goal. Forged at his Washington studio, beautiful 'activity' is visible across the blade's silky, polished bevels where carbon migrates during the forging and hardening processes to produce a rainbow of greys. A nicely balanced blade provides every-day utility in every way: tall, convex lend provide cutting performance; an upswept profile offers welcome rocking on the board and a high, pointed tip for detail work; and a slight distal taper along the rounded spine maintains strength and toughness without compromising versatility. Thin at the edge from heel to tip, this is a blade to chop, slice, carve, and everything in between. One hundred percent Salem is a handle that provides the tool its name: a frame and bolsters in black canvas micarta surrounded by vintage Emerald Westinghouse paper micarta engraved with a repeating Kumiko pattern on each side, all sculpted into a Western profile combined with wa-like facets.
$2,350.00
The Story
A self-taught blacksmith who began shaping metal with a charcoal forge and hand tools at the age of twenty, Salem Straub of Promethean Knives more recently won the 2nd season of the History Channel's Forged in Fire. Honing his techniques and studying the nuances of bladesmithing, Salem's well-rounded metalworking and blacksmithing abilities have been focused squarly on edged tools since 2012. The sole-authorship nature of each tool he builds is key for Salem, providing opportunity for attention to the subtlest details, often resulting in objects that blend the line between art and function. Forging his own mosaic damascus, building integral construction handles, heat treating in house and designing each minutia of each knife, it's an honor to present Salem's work here on Eatingtools.
Find Us On