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Since they are very famous, the Laguiole knives need no introduction. But do you really know how to recognize a real handmade Laguiole knife? Read our guide to make sure you hold the excellence of the French cutlery in your hands.
The main characteristics of the Laguiole knife
The bee
At first glance, the bee is easy to notice! That bee always varies from a manufacturer to another, since it is often customized due to the guillochage process and to the fact that is filed by hand. The Laguiole knife is easily recognizable: a pointed, slightly curved blade, just like its handle, folded backwards, and the famous bee.
The length of a Laguiole knife
Its standard length when it is unfolded is often 21 or 22 cm with a 10-cm blade and a 12-cm handle, that one is by the way called the 12-cm Laguiole knife; but different lengths are actually available: 9, 10 and 11 cm.
The Laguiole hunting knife
There are also wonderful Laguiole hunting or “outdoor” knives, with a more rounded and thicker handle for easier grip, made from various materials such as ram or buffalo horn, related to hunting. All the hunting Laguiole knives are equipped with a safety catch which prevents its user from opening it too easily.
How to identify the Laguiole knife’s provenance?
Chez les Artisans du Couteau, chaque pièce est fournie avec une indication claire de sa coutellerie d’origine ainsi qu’un certificat d’authenticité.
French craftspeople produce the Laguiole knife by hand and use ancestral manufacturing techniques. Each artisan therefore engraves its name or logo on the blade, or a number. A knife with only the “Laguiole” engraving on it can in no way be the fruit of a French artisan’s work, or maybe a very old Laguiole knife.
The logo is also a good way to identify its craftsman, generally on the blade, or sometimes represented by a hallmark.
Beyond the logo and the name, the configuration of the rivets of a Laguiole knife is a good indication. If the rivets are well aligned, then this is a handmade-in-France Laguiole knife.
Many people believed they had found an authentic Laguiole knife in their parents’ or grandparents’ stuff, and were disappointed to learn, after a short expertise, that it was not a handcrafted one.
At Les Artisans du Couteau, each piece comes with a clear indication on the cutlery factory it comes from, as well as a certificate of authenticity.
The shepherd’s cross of a Laguiole knife
A Laguiole knife can only be certified as one by taking into consideration the presence or absence of the shepherd’s cross on it. It is true that, originally, a Laguiole knife displayed a small Christian cross. This is tradition. However, with the touch of perfection the French artisans add to their knives, some of the materials and models do not make it easy to engrave the cross on the sides.
This is the case of the model made with raw buffalo horn. Indeed, for this type of Laguiole knife, the basic material is too smooth to engrave a cross on it.
The nature of the handle’s materials
The handle of a Laguiole knife is made from high-quality materials. You can distinguish a Laguiole knife thanks to its handle made with pistachio wood, or raw or polished buffalo horn. You can also find Laguiole knives whose handle is made from juniper, olive tree or stamina wood, stainless steel or graphite.
If the handle of your Laguiole knife is not made with one of the materials mentioned above, then this is a counterfeit.
The sale price of a Laguiole knife
A handmade-in-France Laguiole knife costs at least €80. For this price, you can treat yourself! There are beautiful Laguiole knives, both light and stylish, such as the Nomad and Liner-lock models, which you can carry along easily, or handmade models equipped with basic technology, with a tougher opening system. Of course, the more expensive they are, the more they are equipped with rarer or more expensive wood varieties, or noble materials. The most expensive models are the Laguiole Guilloché knives or the Damascus knives.
A really unique knife
According to ancient techniques, the Laguiole handcrafted knives do not have any serration. The Laguiole knife is entirely handmade. This is a true unique handcrafted masterpiece. This explains the little differences which can be noticed from a knife to another, even though they all come from the same cutlery factory or the same artisan.
The specificity of the Laguiole Damascus knife or Guilloché knife
Are you looking for the best customization? Would you like to have a beautiful tailor-made Laguiole knife? Opt for a Damascus or Guilloché knife. Both are real unique masterpieces. The Damascus knife is the result of successive twists forged with heat on the blade. The latter is beaten several times to get a maximum of layers made of blended carbon and steels. After it has been modelled, it is soaked in oil to enhance patterns which are never the same. There are natural grooves on the blade, which shall then be finished and calibrated to be fixed to the handle. This guarantees you a unique Laguiole Damascus knife. This is yours. Each knife is a unique piece.
As for the Laguiole Guilloché knife, this is the back of the blade which is chiselled by hand. All these steels, including that of the bee, are meticulously filed and guilloché one by one, so as to create a real unique piece and work of art.
