Laguiole - Grindstone Steel

Handy knife sharpener from Laguiole on the go. Through the finger hole the knife sharpener lies well in the hand.

• Material: metal
• Dimensions: 6.8 x 2.5 x 0.6 cm
• Weight: approx. 25 g

Once upon a time was the Laguiole

This humble farmer’s knife was first created in 1829, in Laguiole, a small mountain village of the Aveyron, in southwestern France. The bee decorating the spring plate would eventually become the prestigious symbol of France’s most celebrated knife.

The first Laguiole knives were inspired by the Arabo-Hispanic knife, the Navaja. Local men who migrated to Spain in winter as pit-sawyers brought this knife back as souvenirs. Local cutlers and tinkers blended the Navaja with a local knife of the time, the Capouchadou, thus creating what came to be known as the Laguiole.

The knives of today have a spring-stop that protects the blade upon closing. But when folding his knife, the connaisseur will do so softly,thus respecting both the Aveyronnais proverb, “ressort silencieux vivra vieux” “silent springs make better lives” and the tradition according to which only the head of the household was allowed to snap his blade shut, thus asking the family to clear the table..

Authenticity of a Laguiole knife

Several cutleries produce Laguiole knives in the two main locations: the Laguiole area, the cradle of the first Laguiole knives, and also in the area surrounding the city of Thiers, the capital of knife making in France. In each of these areas, different knife-making techniques are employed :

• Industrial production, with assembly line techniques and mechanized shaping, decorating and assembly
• Handcrafting, where a single person carries out each individual production step, manually, shaping, assembling and decorating the knife. Thus, each knife that passes through his hands its own unique qualities.

To be sure of the authenticity of a Laguiole knife, you should verify :

- Its exact origins
- The duration of the guarantee on its certificate
- The quality of the materials (all natural), their assembly and finish.