Harbeer Chahal

Harbeer Chahal came to bladesmithing the long way around, through a career in manufacturing operations and engineering management and a deep interest in collecting before he ever stood at a forge of his own. When he finally turned to making, he did so seriously, training with Murray Carter, James Rodebaugh and Mike Vagnino, each an ABS Master Smith. Working from Rivesaltes in the south of France, he speaks with quiet gratitude about the makers who taught him, and that respect for lineage runs through everything HSC/// Knives produces today. The path is unusual, but it has given him an engineer's eye and a collector's standards.

His material preferences are equally considered. Chahal favours specialty carbon steels for the way they take a keen edge, sharpen cleanly, and develop character with use. The knives themselves are pragmatic rather than decorative, built around classic, proven geometry and a top-tier heat treatment that he refines continually. Fit and finish are heirloom-grade, but always in service of the cut. Nothing on an HSC/// blade is there to impress at first glance; everything is tuned to perform under load and to keep performing across years of board time.

That focus on long-term performance is what places Chahal among the most quietly respected makers working today. His clientele includes professionals and serious home cooks across continents, and his knives are made with their daily routines firmly in mind. For Modern Cooking, HSC/// Knives represent the kind of engineering-led, maker-first practice we hold in highest regard: tools built without shortcuts, finished without flourish, and designed to be passed on. A Chahal knife is a long conversation with steel, not a quick statement.