French Cuisine Hand Forged Steel Laguiole Steak Knife Handmade Pocket Knives French Knife Steak Knife USA Made | BMK-617

Description

Fold out the corkscrew and this stops being a table knife and becomes a sommelier’s tool — which is what the Laguiole shape was doing long before it reached a steak plate.

Fits: anyone who eats and drinks well and would rather carry one object than two. It opens the bottle, then cuts the meal. The bee-shaped spring bolster at the tail is the traditional Laguiole signature and it is forged as part of the spring rather than glued on.

What the Laguiole shape is for

The blade is a slender clip point with a long straight edge and very little belly — the opposite of a hunting profile and exactly right for a plate. A straight edge takes a steak in one pull without the sawing a curved edge forces on you. The fine point lifts and separates rather than pierces. It is a good table knife and a poor utility knife; do not open boxes with it. Our Laguiole guide covers the history and how to tell a well-made one.

The corkscrew and the folding action

The corkscrew swings out from the back of the handle on its own pivot, independent of the blade — a more complicated build than a plain folder, with two pivots, a shared spring, and tolerances that have to be right or one tool drags on the other. Use it as designed: worm centered, screwed in straight, then a steady pull rather than a lever against the neck. Sideways force bends a worm, and a bent worm is hard to true again. The blade side is a slip joint held by spring tension, so close it with your fingers clear of the path.

How it wears

The bolsters at both ends are polished steel and take the brunt of handling. Expect them to move from bright to softly satin within a year, which most owners prefer. The pivot loosens very slightly as it beds in — normal for a hand-fitted slip joint, and it usually improves the action. Grittiness is almost always debris rather than wear.

Care that suits a folding knife

Two rules cover most of it: no dishwasher, and never leave it wet. Heat and detergent attack the scales and drive moisture into the pivot, where it stays. Wash by hand, dry at once, and watch the gap between blade and bolster where food and wine residue collect. A drop of light oil on the pivot every few months keeps the action smooth; wipe off the excess. If the joint starts to feel stiff, flush it rather than forcing it — our pocket knife cleaning guide walks through doing that without disassembly. Sharpen on a fine stone at a shallow angle; a table knife wants keenness, not durability.

Questions buyers ask

Is it dishwasher safe? No. Nothing with a pivot and a natural handle should ever go in one.

Can I buy a matched set? The Laguiole range runs to a dozen variants in different handles, so a set can be assembled — the Magnum Damascus Laguiole is the patterned-blade version if you want one standout at the table.

Does the blade lock open? No. It is a traditional slip joint held by spring pressure, as Laguiole knives have always been.

Model: BMK-617