Description
Quintessentially Kamon in profile and presence, rare and extraordinary in detail, this Bronze Damascus Gyuto by Austrian bladesmith and artist Benjamin Kamon is a true showpiece. Its 310mm blade is hand-forged from go-mai (five-layer) steel created specifically for Benjamin by fellow Austrian and Eatingtools maker Tobias Hangler.
Holding a master’s degree in metallurgy, Tobias not only forged and assembled the 60-layer Damascus outer cladding over veins of pure nickel for this build, he also developed ApexUltra, the high-performance tungsten-carbon core steel, from the ground up. Engineered specifically for edged tools, ApexUltra brings remarkable hardness, toughness, and edge stability to the heart of the blade.
From Tobias’ workshop in Graz, the finished billet made its way north of Vienna to Benjamin’s studio, where it was shaped and honed one movement, one hammer blow at a time. The result carries Benjamin’s iconic tsuchime language, here expressed through his visually arresting “Denty” finish, where the Damascus layers ripple dramatically through peaks and valleys across the blade’s flats. Below, as Damascus and nickel give way to hardened ApexUltra, symmetrical convex bevels flow with subtle curvature and a silky, polished surface. At their culmination lies a very thin, very hard, and exceptionally sharp edge built to perform every cut in the kitchen.
With over 12 inches of edge and a commanding 69mm of height at the heel, the knife begins with strength and authority, ready for the largest, densest ingredients. Moving forward, a steadily progressive full distal taper sees the spine slim from 4.5mm above the choil to 2mm at the midpoint and further still to just 0.8mm one inch from the glass-thin tip. Along that length, there is a point suited to every task, from delicate detail work to powerful draw cuts.
Comfort and control are delivered through Benjamin’s “Advanced rokkaku hanmaru” handle profile. Translating to half-round (hanmaru) hexagon (rokkaku), his design marries rounded top and bottom surfaces with tapering flat facets along the sides, creating an ambidextrous grip that locks naturally into the hand. Here, it is rendered in richly figured amboyna burl, capped in brushed bronze at both ends. Fully removable for care or maintenance, the handle is as technically considered as the blade itself.
More than a large-format chef’s knife, this work represents a meeting of contemporary metallurgy and masterful hand forging. A rare collaboration between Benjamin Kamon and Tobias Hangler, resolved into an object of lasting technical and aesthetic significance.
