Forging by hand in southern England, Polish bladesmith Leszek Sikon expands on his well-loved Graphite collection of chef’s knives with the largest and most capable blade to date. Long, sharp, weighted, and powerful in the hand while remaining wonderfully balanced in all ways, from mass distribution, to bevel geometry, to attainment of both toughness and finesse, this is a tool to rule the kitchen. Beneath forge-finished blade flats that show the marks of the knife’s hand-hammered origins are mid-height convex bevels that slim to a thin but tough edge; what we would call refined, workhorse geometry, perfect for even the largest ingredients and most demanding chopping tasks. The rounded blade spine tapers forward, especially at the tip where it becomes quite thin and precise, ideal for delicate and detailed slicing work. All of this comes in a handsome, head-turning aesthetic from which the Graphite collection gets its name: 01 tool steel layered over a vein of pure nickel, together jacketing a core of 26c3 ‘Spicy White’ carbon steel, all with a dark, nearly-black forced patina finish. For control over the XL 240mm / 9.45″ blade is a handle in Leszek’s recognizable style that pairs bog oak to a brute-de-forge integral bolster that is at once both extremely comfortable, and rustically hand-hewn.