New Vintage Sabatier Nogent / Cuisine Massive 6" Chef Stainless Ebony 60s?

Nogent style knives are characterized by their one piece wood handles, with a rat tail stick tang extending to the end of the handle and a round steel or aluminum ferrule. ‘Cuisine Massive’ was used to describe the style in Thiers, as Nogent was a rival knife making city.

These knives were made in Theirs, France likely in the early 1960's. They are thin and light being hand forged on an old style 'Martinet' mechanical hammer and then ground by hand, very similarly to how knives were made in the 19th and early 20th century, these techniques and equipment are now long gone.

They are lighter and springier than their modern contemporaries with great cutting feel and are super easy to sharpen, don't over-polish them with fine Japanese stones, these do better with a coarser edge (equivalent to 1000 Japanese grit stone) and kept up with a fine honing steel. The advice to use a steel before you use your knife is the result of these kind of knives in a busy professional kitchen; steel them once you feel the edge starting to lean to one side.

Being handmade there are slight differences between knives and they may have slight imperfections that would be consistent with handmade knives of their day such as a slight waviness in edge or small bends, there can also be imperfections in small gaps in handle etc. They are not 'perfect' by strict standards but are still great knives.

These stainless Nogent / Cuisine Massive 6" chef knives were made for several Thiers brands, most are unmarked but several are marked with Diamant Sabatier or Mexeur & Cie Sabatier brands. 

New Old Stock, Vintage and New Vintage knives do not come sharpened. Please request sharpening if desired in the order notes section of the cart page.