K Sabatier Nogent / Cuisine Massive 8" Chef Carbon Steel

Lightly used from previously unused new old stock. Fresh edge is the 2nd or 3rd sharpening of this old knife.

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 in the 1950‘s. They are thin and light being hand forged on an old style 'Martinet' mechanical hammer and then ground by hand on stone wheels, very similaryly 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.

Since 1834, K Sabatier has been the dedicated brand of Sabatier Aine & Perrier, a family cutlery business started by Philippe Sabatier in the early 1800’s. The business has been passed down 8 generations, and has remained located in the hills of Thiers, France in the village of Bellevue. They continue to run their company with pride and precision, keeping all aspects of the manufacturing process within the area of Thiers.