Rolin Knives Honyaki 200mm W2 Curly Walnut & Maple with Brass

Hand forged and differently heat treated honyaki style gyuto made from W2 carbon steel with octagonal handle made from stabilized curly walnut with a stabilized maple ferrule and brass spacer. Comes with a custom maple saya with a leashed brass pin, matching the brass spacer.

The blade features a walkschliff convex grind where the convexity widens as it leaves the super-thin edge then tapers back down as it approaches the spine leaving the high point of the curve about 2/3rds up the blade from the edge. This creates a precise and smooth, low drag cutting feel with good release. The walkschliff grind pairs very nicely with the strong distal taper.

W2 is renowned for it's ability to take a high contrast hamon when used in honyaki style knives. It can get very hard when heat treated appropriately, allowing it to hold a sharp edge with great edge retention supported by small tungsten and vanadium additions in its alloy but it is susceptible to edge damage if abused.

All aspects of this knife were meticulously forged, treated, ground, machined, worked, shaped and fit with an incredible amount of detail and intention by Nick Rolin. Originally from the Bay Area, his blade shapes and styles are inspired by his years as a fine-dining line cook preceding his time spent as a NYC bartender after earning a degree in Sustainable Agriculture from UCSC. After a weekend knife making class in 2016 Nick began making knives for friends and evolved into Nick returning to the Bay Area in 2022 to make knives full-time.

We were able to test a few of Nick's knives and were impressed not only with the craftsmanship and aesthetics but also the edge performance, cutting feel and sharpenability of the knives. We are lucky to have Nick in our backyard and are proud to be able to introduce his work to our knife community.