Description
Light, thin, and quick in the hand, this razor-sharp santoku by Nick Anderson features the final expression of the remarkable Nautilus damascus, forged in collaboration with renowned artisans Joshua Prince and Charlie Ellis. Conceived and assembled at Nick’s San Francisco Bay Area studio, the three makers devoted countless hours to designing and producing this complex three-alloy material—one defined by complex, mollusk-inspired metallic tendrils reaching outward through a dark, tightly packed field of steel. While the flowing tendrils announce themselves immediately, it is the surrounding backdrop, composed of countless finely layered strands, that rewards close inspection, revealing depth and intricacy only as the eye draws nearer.
Pushing the concept further, Nick completes the blade with forge-welded bolsters of Joshua Prince’s jellyroll damascus, created alongside the Nautilus material itself. Tall and slim, with a touch of flexibility in the forward inches, the 198mm / 7.8” blade showcases Nick’s superbly honed, symmetrical convex bevel geometry. Hand-sanded and polished to a luminous finish, the blade tapers to a fine edge suited to confident chopping, precise slicing, and delicate detail work. The gently curved edge profile carries to a glass-thin tip, making the knife effortless to pick up—and hard to set down—as each cut invites the next.
For comfort and control, the carbon damascus bolster transitions through heirloom, stepped fit into a striking piece of half-charred lignum vitae—aptly known as the wood of life and among the densest woods on earth. A stainless steel end cap with a domed retention bolt pin completes the build. Expressive yet disciplined, this one-of-a-kind santoku captures a rare convergence of collaboration, material exploration, and joyful use—meant to reward the hand that reaches for it again and again.
