Louvre Museum Hand Forged Steel Laguiole Steak Knife Handmade Pocket Knives French Knife Steak Knife USA Made Wood Handle | BMK-621

Description

The Louvre pattern pairs a pale, streaked timber handle with a corkscrew and a long, fine clip point.

At its best: a table set for six where the knives are meant to be looked at. Light-colored handles read very differently against linen than dark ones do, and this one is the brightest in the range. It is still a working folder: a 4.5 inch edge, a corkscrew, and 3.5 ounces closed.

What a plain edge does to steak

Serrations tear. Each tooth punctures, drags, and the fibers between the punctures pull apart rather than part cleanly. On a rested steak that means more juice on the plate and less in the meat. A plain edge like this one severs the fibers in a single line, so the cut face stays sealed and the slice holds together on the fork. The second advantage is that you can sharpen it back to new. No serrated table knife is ever as good as it was.

The handle timber

The wood here is pale gold shot through with darker olive streaking, which is why no two of these handles pair up. The streaks are the mineral lines in the grain and they run right through the block rather than sitting in a stain on the surface. Pale timber shows a mark sooner than dark timber does, so this is the one to keep off the wet part of the counter. If it ever does pick up a stain, very fine abrasive paper followed by a wipe of oil will lift it out, because there is no lacquer film to break through first. Nothing on this handle is sitting on the surface.

The corkscrew and the spring

Blade and worm pivot from opposite ends and share the handle between them. Both are held by spring tension, and the arc of that spring is what forms the visible spine of the closed knife. The bee sits where the spring terminates at the rear, standing slightly proud so your thumb can find it without looking.

Care: hand wash only, and dry the blade the moment it comes out of the water. Do not soak the handle; pale wood shows a water ring permanently. If the pivot gets gritty from crumbs and cork dust, a rinse with the blade held open and a drop of oil afterward will free it. Keep it shut, keep it dry, and keep it out of direct sun, which bleaches pale timber over years.

FAQs

Can it go in the dishwasher? No. It will ruin the handle and the pivot.

How do I re-edge it? A fine stone or a ceramic rod at a shallow angle. It takes very little.

Is a set available? These are sold individually, so you can mix handle materials across a set.

Read our knife sharpening guide, learn what different blade shapes do differently, or see our knife gift guide if this is a present.

Model: BMK-621