Bloomfield, Hazenberg & Bauer Chef Knife Black Mirror Apex SanMai Takedown

This one-of-a-kind handmade kitchen knife represents a collaborative work of craft and intention by artisanal makers Jelle Hazenberg and Korban Bloomfield. Built around a contemporary interpretation of the Japanese santoku, the blade carries a thick, lightly tapered spine that provides strength through the cut while maintaining a fluid, agile forward motion. Forged in Apex Ultra clad in 80CrV2, the blade features a five-layer go-mai construction with Brute de Forge texture, an acid-etched forced patina, and refined mirror-polished details—an aesthetic and functional expression of the makers’ deep understanding of steel and geometry.

The wide convex bevels define the knife’s performance identity, offering excellent food release and a confident, adaptable cutting feel. Neither a featherweight laser nor a heavy workhorse, it occupies a purposeful middle ground that excels across a wide range of produce—from dense root vegetables to more delicate ingredients. With 190 mm of cutting edge, a height of 65 mm, and a spine that transitions from 3.93 mm at the heel to 2.2 mm before transitioning to the fine tip, the knife balances robustness with nimbleness. At 214.9 g, it moves with precision and stability, delivering a cutting experience that feels intuitive and controlled.

The removable hidden-tang handle brings both utility and visual warmth, crafted from dyed and stabilised Quilted Maplewith an acrylic bolster and engineered for take-down maintenance. Complementing the knife is a handcrafted leather sheath by Magdy Richard Bauer, made from Alran Sully goatskin with a waxed interior, Meisi fine linen thread, and meticulously polished edges. Presented in its dedicated display box, this piece stands as a singular fusion of design, material mastery, and artisanal intent—equally at home in a working kitchen or as a centrepiece in a curated collection.