Gyuto 230mm SanMai S700, Apex Ultra & Royal Ebony By Simon Krichbaum
The handmade kitchen knife designed for the MCX Design Studio in collaboration with renowned Austrian knife maker Simon Krichbaum is a masterful blend of form, function, and artistry. This exceptional tool was born from a creative partnership forged during a visit to Krichbaum’s studio earlier this year, where every detail was meticulously sketched and refined. The result is a kitchen knife that embodies precision and performance. At its core, the knife features a 230mm tapered profile—a hallmark of Krichbaum’s signature design—which offers a versatile edge geometry suited for a wide range of culinary tasks. The Apex Ultra core, known for its extreme sharpness and edge retention, provides unparalleled cutting power. One of the most innovative features of this knife is its removable, takedown handle, allowing for convenient cleaning, maintenance, and easier sharpening of the blade.
The blade’s profile is a work of art, reflecting Simon’s elegant, pointed silhouette that combines stability and versatility. The subtle santoku-inspired tip enhances control during precision tasks like dicing, slicing, and mincing, while still offering the robust chopping ability of a classic chef’s knife. The kasumi-polished, low, convex bevels create a subtle yet effective geometry that excels in food release, ensuring ingredients slide cleanly off the blade with each cut. This design also contributes to the knife’s buttery smooth cutting action, gliding effortlessly across the cutting board. The edge’s slight radius allows for a natural rocking motion, making repetitive chopping and slicing feel smooth and efficient. The result is a knife that offers a harmonious blend of beauty and utility, catering to both professional chefs and dedicated home cooks.
Constructed with an Apex Ultra core and clad in S700 mild steel, this knife is engineered for exceptional sharpness and edge retention while maintaining an element of visual drama. The kasumi polish reveals the contrast between the dark kurouchi finish and the luminous blade’s surface, creating a striking aesthetic that’s as beautiful as it is functional. The removable handle is crafted from royal ebony, whose blonde, natural luster pairs stunningly with the black kurouchi finish on the blade. This thoughtful material combination elevates the knife’s visual appeal, offering an eye-catching presentation on any kitchen countertop. The takedown feature of the handle is not just practical but a nod to modern craftsmanship, allowing users to disassemble the knife for thorough cleaning and easier sharpening of the blade. This kitchen knife stands as a testament to modern knife-making excellence—a balance of heritage craftsmanship, precision engineering, and aesthetic brilliance.
Product Specification
Blade Type: Gyuto
Overall length: 366mm
Edge Length: 230mm
Spine Heel: 4.58mm
Spine Mid: 1.77mm
Spine Tip (20mm before): 1.11mm
Blade Height: 58.61mm
Weight: 191g
Cutting Edge Steel: Apex Ultra
Stainless: No
HRC: 66
Blade Construction: 3 Layer (San Mai)
Blade Finish: Kurouchi and Kasumi
Grind: Convex
Handle Construction: Hidden Tang, Take Down
Handle Materials: Royal Ebony
Handedness: Ambidextrous
Saya, Hand Crafted Storage or Display Included: No
Shipping & Returns
Shipping
We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Berlin, Germany. We ship with FedEx, UPS and Deutsche Post.
We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value. You can check to see where things sit for you here.
Returns
At Modern Cooking we want our customers to be inspired and delighted by the products they purchase through our shop.
However, we understand that you may need to return products occasionally. If you are not entirely happy, you can return your purchase in its original condition within 14 days for a refund. Please email if you wish to return any goods.
In the unlikely event that you receive faulty goods or your order is damaged in transit, please contact us for instructions on how to return the goods as in this case we will meet the cost of return postage, though only if this is arranged through our authorised carriers. Any claim for refund or exchange resulting from faulty goods or goods damaged in transit must be raised within 5 business days.
All Modern Cooking logistics partners provide insurance in case of damage, but the coverage is only valid if we are notified within 5 business days. Please make sure to inspect your order immediately upon receipt to ensure that there is no damage.
Once we have the goods back, we will issue a full refund or send replacements where possible, as you prefer.
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 one of the many premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. In this case we advise that you keep the knife dry between uses and when storing the knife for longer periods wiping the knife blade with Tsubaki oil or another food safe oil is a wise choice. This will not stop a patina forming on the blade, but it will stop rust. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming. So, dry your knife regularly between uses, store in a dry place and apply some Tsubaki oil from time to time when storing for long periods.
A reference guide to steel types
Handle Care: If you have a knife with a non-stabilised wooden handle, you can apply Tsubaki oil or another food safe oil to your handle from time to time. Food safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and no-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.
