• Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle
  • Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle – detail view
  • Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle – side profile
  • Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle – handle detail
  • Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle – blade close-up
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Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle

Adonis Mk.1 Gyuto 230mm 1.2442 Mono Laos Ebony handle

By Adonis Forged Arts

No longer available

Antoine Kniamen

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The Mk.1 Gyuto represents the beginning of a new range of knives from Adonis Forged Arts with blacksmith Antoine Kniamen producing limited edition small batches. This first batch sold out very quickly with a single piece being made available to Modern Cooking along with the upgraded "Spicy Edition" one of a kind.

MK.1 features German tungsten alloyed 1.2442 steel, a steel similar to the Japanese carbon steel Blue #1. The profile is a variation on Antoines classic pointed Gyuto profile with a slightly more gentle, relieved heel design, classic subtle radius edge profile and fine convex bevel.

A mono steel construction with a touch of brute de forge, and a Laos Ebony handle with a wood grain "mokuton" textured brass heirloom fit bolster.

An elegant, high performance kitchen knife.

 

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 230mm
  • Spine Heel: 3.42mm
  • Spine Mid: 1.72mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 1mm
  • Blade Height: 58mm
  • Weight: 186g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 65
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Brute de Forge
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Laos Ebony, 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

1.2442

Low-alloy tungsten high-carbon tool steel

Typical HRC
62–65
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
Germany (DIN 115W8)

1.2442 is one of the more interesting niche European tool steels for kitchen knifemaking: about 1.10 to 1.20 percent carbon, around 2.0 percent tungsten, and very little else. The chemistry positions it as the European "answer to Aogami #1" — slightly less Cr, slightly more W — though the impurity tolerances are looser than the Hitachi product.

In a finished knife it runs at 62–64 HRC, sharpens close to the level of a clean carbon, and produces an edge with respectable wear resistance from the W carbides. Toughness is moderate; patina behaviour is conventional. A careful smith can get genuinely excellent results from 1.2442; a less careful one can get a steel that is more variable than its data sheet suggests.

You will most commonly see 1.2442 in boutique German maker work — the Solingen tradition and certain custom specialists — where the explicit goal is a tungsten-rich European carbon. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Oliver Märtens and Adonis Forged Arts work in 1.2442. It is an honest steel in the right hands.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Mono Steel

A knife forged from a single piece of steel — no laminations, no clad layers. The simplest and most direct construction. The entire blade is the cutting steel, with no softer outer jacket to protect or contrast it. Most contemporary Western kitchen knives in carbon and stainless steel are mono-steel constructions, as are honyaki and most European bladesmith work.

The trade-off is straightforward: mono-steel knives are easier to forge, sharpen, and reason about, but the entire blade carries the cutting steel's properties — including its reactivity if it's a clean carbon. There is no soft jacket to protect a more brittle core from impact, so the heat treatment and geometry have to do all the work.

View full construction guide →

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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