• Gyuto 250mm Damascus Clad Apex Ultra Ivory Juma & Brass
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Gyuto 250mm Damascus Clad Apex Ultra Ivory Juma & Brass

Gyuto 250mm Damascus Clad Apex Ultra Ivory Juma & Brass

By Karol Karyś

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Karol Karyś

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Forged by the skilled hands of artisan blacksmith Karol Karyś, this one-of-a-kind K-Tip Gyuto stands as a testament to functional beauty and brutalist-inspired design. The blade features a robust tapered spine and a subtle edge radius, allowing for smooth, precise movement across the cutting board. This sophisticated blade geometry balances strength with agility, while the convex bevels and ultra-thin, razor-sharp edge ensure precise, effortless cuts. The interplay of power and finesse is a hallmark of Karyś's work, offering a cutting experience that feels fluid and natural.

The blade is crafted using a proprietary house-made composite steel, where an apex ultra steel core is encased in random-pattern Damascus cladding. This multi-layered construction not only enhances durability and sharpness but also creates a visually arresting finish. The blade undergoes an acid-etching process, drawing out the intricate Damascus pattern in rich contrasts of deep black, slate grey, and sharp white. This striking aesthetic is a deliberate nod to the raw, textural beauty found in brutalist architecture—a core inspiration behind Karol’s work. Just as brutalist structures reveal the raw essence of their materials, this knife exposes the raw artistry hidden within its layered steel.

The handle is a tactile embodiment of Karol Karyś's brutalist design philosophy. Crafted from ivory Juma and brass, the handle features a textured surface that mirrors the rugged, unpolished elements often seen in brutalist buildings. Its ergonomic shape, a signature of Karyś's creations, fits naturally in the hand, offering exceptional control and comfort. Bold, functional, and undeniably striking, the handle complements the raw elegance of the blade. Together, the handle and blade form a harmonious whole—one that reflects the essence of brutalist architecture: honest, purposeful, and undeniably captivating.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Overall Length: 395mm
  • Edge Length: 250mm
  • Spine Heel: 3.72mm
  • Spine Mid: 2.83mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 1.17mm
  • Blade Height: 57mm
  • Weight: 267g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 65
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Matte Polish
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Ivory Juma, Brass
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous

Blade type

Gyuto

牛刀

The Japanese take on the Western chef's knife, and the most versatile blade in a modern kitchen. A gyuto carries a long, gently curved edge — most often 210 to 270 mm — that allows both push cuts and a rocking motion, with a pointed tip for fine work and enough height at the heel to keep knuckles clear of the board. It handles proteins, vegetables, and herbs without complaint, which is why most cooks reach for it first.

Compared with a European chef's knife, the gyuto is usually thinner, harder, and lighter, ground to a finer edge that rewards good board technique and regular honing. That same thinness is the trade-off: the edge is less forgiving of bone, frozen food, and twisting cuts, and it asks for a little more care in maintenance in exchange for its keenness.

View full knife type guide →

Cutting edge steel

Apex Ultra

Low-alloy fine-grain carbon tool steel

Typical HRC
64–68
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
Austria (developed by Tobias Hangler and Marco Guldimann; project led by Hangler at Messerschmiede Hangler)

Apex Ultra is one of the most carefully engineered non-stainless kitchen knife steels in modern circulation, and the project of an Austrian smith — Tobias Hangler — who set out, with Marco Guldimann, to design a steel for the kitchen rather than borrow one from another industry. It carries roughly 1.25 percent carbon, around four percent chromium, modest tungsten and molybdenum, and a small vanadium addition. The composition is tuned to produce a fine, evenly distributed carbide structure that supports hardness up to 67 HRC while delivering toughness comparable to 52100 at the same hardness — a combination that is the entire point of the steel.

What this means for a cook is unusual permission. You can ask a maker to grind an Apex Ultra knife thin enough that a White #1 owner would call you brave, then ask for the heat treatment to land at 65 HRC, and the resulting edge will hold for longer than Aogami Super without microchipping. It sharpens cleanly on natural and synthetic stones alike and patinas slowly because of the chromium content, though it is not stainless and should be treated as a carbon steel.

Apex Ultra has become a signature steel of the European maker community, and the Modern Cooking catalogue carries an unusually deep bench of smiths working in it. Tobias Hangler himself heads that group, alongside Marco Guldimann, Benjamin Kamon, Martin Huber, Jonas Johnsson, Karol Karyś, Birch & Bevel, and MCx. It is genuinely a step forward — one of the relatively few cases where the marketing claims and the underlying metallurgical data are saying the same thing.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Damascus

Pattern-welded steel — multiple layers of different alloys forge-welded, then folded, twisted, ladder-cut, or otherwise manipulated to expose the layer interfaces in a visible pattern. The pattern is revealed by acid etching, which preferentially attacks one of the two steels in the laminate.

Damascus is a construction technique rather than a single steel. The cutting performance is determined by which steel forms the cutting edge — often a clad core in Japanese damascus knives, occasionally the harder of the two laminate steels in full-damascus Western work. A beautiful damascus pattern is a craft achievement; it does not on its own tell the buyer how the knife will cut. A good maker lists both the pattern and the core steel.

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Grind

Convex

A grind whose bevel bulges outward in a gentle curve from spine to edge, rather than running flat. That extra steel directly behind the edge makes a convex grind notably strong and resistant to chipping, while the curved geometry helps food release and lets the blade glide through dense ingredients with less wedging than a flat grind.

The strength comes at the cost of ultimate thinness and ease of maintenance. A convex edge has more metal behind it, so it is not quite as effortlessly keen as a thinly flat-ground edge, and it is harder to sharpen freehand — holding the curve takes a stropping technique or a deliberate hand rather than a single fixed angle. The reward is an exceptionally tough, smooth-cutting edge.

View full grind guide →

Handle construction

Hidden Tang

A construction in which the tang runs into the handle but stays concealed inside it, rather than showing between two scales. A narrower tang — a full-length stick or a shorter projection — is set into a drilled or burned channel in a one-piece handle and secured with adhesive, a friction fit, or a threaded fitting drawn up against the blade. This is the traditional construction of Japanese wa-handles and many European hidden-tang knives.

The design puts the handle material in charge of the look and feel: a single piece of wood, horn, or composite — often with a ferrule or spacers at the front — is shaped into any cross-section the maker wants, from the classic octagonal and D-shaped wa profiles to fully rounded Western forms. With no steel showing along the grip, the handle can be slim and light, and is frequently made to be removed and replaced, with the balance sitting toward the blade.

View full construction guide →

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

Returns

If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

  • Returns are accepted for 14 days
  • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
  • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
  • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

Faulty or Damaged Items

You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

Product Care

Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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