Frequently Asked Questions

Steel and Sharpness

What does “EN1.4116 German steel” actually mean?

It is a specific high-carbon stainless alloy — the workhorse of European professional cutlery — chosen because it takes a very fine edge yet still resists kitchen corrosion. When our listings name the grade instead of saying “premium steel”, that is on purpose: a named alloy is checkable, an adjective is not.

What is HRC, and is 58 good?

Rockwell hardness — in practice, how long an edge keeps its geometry. Around 54 a blade dulls quickly but forgives abuse; at 56–58+ — where ice quenching puts our blades — the edge visibly outlasts budget knives between honings, while staying easy to resharpen at home. Harder than that you enter chippy, stone-only territory we deliberately avoid for kitchen use.

Why do you sharpen edges by hand?

A machine bevel is set once for a million blades; a hand finisher feels each blade and corrects as they go. The result out of the box is an edge at 15 degrees a side (14–16 on the serrated and heavy lines) that a factory belt line simply does not deliver at this price. It is the most expensive minute in our production, and the one we will not cut.

Honing or sharpening — which do I need?

Honing, almost always. Daily cutting folds the microscopic edge over; a honing rod stands it back up without removing steel — ten strokes a week keeps a MAD SHARK blade shaving paper. Actual sharpening on a stone removes metal to rebuild the bevel and is a once-a-year event in a home kitchen. If your knife stopped biting, hone first; sharpen only if honing no longer brings it back.

Choosing

Chef or santoku — which first?

If you rock the blade when you chop, the curved chef knife; if you slice in straight strokes and hate food sticking to the steel, the flatter, hollow-ground santoku. Genuinely unsure? The 8″ chef is the more universal first knife, and its thousand-plus public ratings agree.

Do I need a cleaver if I have a chef knife?

You need one the day you meet a butternut squash, a rack of ribs or a whole chicken. Chopping through bone with a 15-degree chef edge is how chef knives die; the cleaver line exists so the thin edge never has to do the thick edge’s job.

Are the sets the same knives as the singles?

Same steel family and the same 14–16 degree hand-polished edges — the five-piece sets are built as a starter kitchen in one gift box, not a diluted version of the range.

Care

Can the knives go in the dishwasher?

Please no. Detergent is abrasive to a fine edge, rack contact chips it, and heat cycles work on handles. Thirty seconds of warm water, soap and an immediate towel is the entire routine. The stated exceptions — like the poultry shears — say “dishwasher safe” on their own page.

There are faint grey spots on my blade. Rust?

High-carbon stainless resists rust; it does not ignore being left wet overnight. Early spots polish off with a paste of baking soda and water on a soft cloth. Dry after washing and they do not come back — this is the single habit that decides how a carbon blade ages.

What cutting board should I use?

Wood or plastic. Glass, stone and ceramic boards un-sharpen any knife faster than cutting ever will — they are the number one edge killer we see, ahead of dishwashers.

Ordering

How do I pay, and can I cancel?

Payment happens at the checkout of the authorized retail partner — major cards, PayPal and the usual device wallets, listed on their payment screen. Cancellation works until the parcel ships, from the partner’s order page; after dispatch it becomes a return.