The 190mm san mai blade is forged from 52100 carbon steel with wrought iron from a re-purposed wagon wheel rim, and the two-tone handle is handcrafted from bog oak. Our first from Robert Trimarchi of The Nine, this striking hand forged knife feels wonderful in the hand, nicely weighted for effortless slicing and balanced just in front of the choil. The 60mm tall profile, which we would describe as between a gyuto and santoku, is a true workhorse, exhibiting almost no flex, a full distal taper, a slight upsweep toward the tip, and an edge suited to push and pull cutting and chopping all day long. The blade is finished first on a grinder, then a waterstone followed by a hand-sanding and an acid etch to bring out a beautiful variety of tones. An American Oak saya is included with bog oak pin to match the handle.