THE KNIFE.

We watched the chefs closely and, with THE KNIFE., completely reinvented the chef’s knife! Everything about this knife is truly different. The short handle automatically prompts the user to grip the knife much further forward than usual—so far forward that the thumb and index finger wrap around the blade. This makes the blade an (almost) natural extension of the hand, guaranteeing a secure grip and precise control. The hand naturally rests over the blade rather than behind it. This creates a shorter lever arm, resulting in better power transfer. No awkward transitions—all lines are fluid. And then there’s the blade, ground all the way to the tip and extended backward beneath the handle. Cutting where the force is applied, supported by a weight distribution that allows THE KNIFE. to practically fall into the food. It hardly gets any better than this. With the GOOD DESIGN Award ,THE KNIFE. received the oldest, most prestigious, and globally recognized prize for excellent design —alongside a wealth of other renowned accolades. By the way: THE KNIFE with THE KNIFE is actually even more enjoyable than just looking at it!

Solingen knives, Güde , Solingen chef's knives, knife sets, sharpening steels, Solingen knives

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THE KNIFE. DAMASCUS STEEL SMOKED OAK

2.969,00 €

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Wide Damascus steel chef's knife with a smoked oak handle, precision-crafted.

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THE KNIFE. Oak Handle

395,00 €

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An all-metal all-rounder with an elegant oak handle—precise, compact, and perfectly balanced for any hand.

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THE KNIFE. SMOKY OAK

395,00 €

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A design icon. Smoked oak. Hand-forged. Precise.

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THE KNIFE. Olive

395,00 €

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An olive wood handle and a versatile blade—the all-purpose kitchen tool for every occasion.

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THE KNIFE.JADE

1.560,00 €

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THE KNIFE. JADE Damascus

4.574,00 €

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The knife is made to order.

Precision Damascus steel chef's knife with an ergonomic jade handle for optimal control when preparing herbs, meat, and vegetables.

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Material

The blade material of knives must meet requirements that are, in some cases, contradictory. It is therefore crucial to balance these different requirements and ensure an optimal result. On the one hand, the knife steel should be hard, but not too hard, as otherwise there is a risk that the blade will break under heavy use. On the other hand, however, the knife steel should not be too soft, as continuous wear would cause the knife to lose its sharpness too quickly during use. That is why THE KNIFE. by GÜDE is made GÜDE chromium-molybdenum-vanadium knife steel. This steel perfectly meets these sometimes conflicting requirements with an optimal hardness of approx. 57–58 HRc (Rockwell).
THE KNIFE. is available in many different versions: whether Damascus, carbon, or classic blade steel; whether handles made of olive wood, oak, or grenadill—right up to the limited special edition with a handle made of New Zealand jade, commemorating the 111th anniversary of the GÜDE manufactory.

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The hardness of classic GÜDE , at 57–58 HRc, is neither too hard nor too soft for the various requirements a good knife must meet.
This degree of hardness makes the blade torsion-resistant, ensuring more precise control of the knife and, consequently, a more precise cut. However, even a hard steel like GÜDE can be ground down to a very thin edge. Thus, even a hard steel can be very flexible.

Manufacturing

THE KNIFE. is also traditionally drop-forged—from a single piece of steel. This time-honored drop-forging technique results in exceptionally high material strength, even under dynamic stress on the knife. During the drop-forging process, the entire forging blank is heated until it glows red and is then shaped between the two dies—the upper and lower dies. In further detail-oriented manual steps, the die-forged blank is transformed into an innovative GÜDE one-of-a-kind piece from the GÜDE knife manufactory GÜDE handcrafted.

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After being forged in a die, the knives are punched out of the forged blank and then roughly ground, calibrated, and cleaned. This is followed by a process known as ice hardening: the knives are cooled to -80 °C to improve the microstructure of the blade steel. In the next step, the knives are tempered in two stages. Tempering is a term used by Solingen knife makers. Tempering means that the knife is heated once more, making it shatter-resistant. The blade is now pre-ground. This is followed by pre-grinding the knife’s back, which is the upper part of the knife. This is followed by fine-grinding the knife’s back and grinding the transition between the blade and the handle. The back of the blade is now pre-ground for attaching the handle and fitted with retaining ridges. Afterward, the blade is fine-ground. Solingen knife makers also call this “pliesten.” This process gives the blade its distinctive surface. The handle is now placed on the retaining ridges, glued in place, and adjusted. Approximately five more steps are required to adjust the handle and blade so that the transitions between wood and steel are smooth. These five steps must then be repeated using a finer sanding belt. Now the upper part of the knife, the back, receives its final fine-grinding. This is followed by the fine-grinding of the smooth transition between the blade and the handle. Then the knife handles are pre-polished, followed by fine polishing. Only now does the knife receive its sharpening, as the knife edge—also known as the bevel—is now ground (the knife maker calls this “sharpening”). The edge is polished so that the bevel glides more smoothly through the food being cut. In the next step, the GÜDE is etched onto the blade. Cleaning and quality control are the final steps. Afterward, the knives are placed in a protective sleeve. Last but not least, the knives are packed in a gift box with the GÜDE and labeled with the appropriate tags. The finished knives are now stored and ready for shipment.

Form

Drop-forging technology offers a high degree of design freedom. From the end of the handle to the tip of the blade, it allows for shapes that would be impossible to achieve with any other forging technology. Thus, THE KNIFE.’s innovative design language—with its seamless transition from handle to blade—is only possible through the drop-forging process. This impressively explains why GÜDE has remained faithful to GÜDE proven and traditional technology since its founding in 1910—now in its fourth generation.
THE KNIFE. deliberately dispenses with the so-called “kropf,” the thickened section between the blade and the handle, which was long considered a typical feature of forged knives. The now seamless transition from the handle to the blade of THE KNIFE. results in a completely new tactile and functional experience—an innovation from the GÜDE knife manufactory.

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Just as a professional chef holds a chef’s knife, you hold THE KNIFE. completely naturally. Your thumb and index finger form a U-shape and securely grip the blade. Your middle finger rests comfortably in the finely crafted indentation at the end of the blade. This places the center of gravity perfectly in the palm of your hand, ensuring fatigue-free work.
THE KNIFE. does away with the so-called tang entirely. This is because the short handle allows the user to automatically grip the knife significantly further forward than usual—so far forward that the thumb and index finger encircle the blade. The blade thus becomes an (almost) natural extension of the hand.

Function

A good knife should not only be sharp, but it should also stay sharp for as long as possible. A good knife should also fit comfortably in the hand and be well-balanced, ensuring fatigue-free and safe use at all times.
The sharpness and edge retention of THE KNIFE. are ensured both by the optimal hardness of GÜDE at approx. 57–58 HRc (Rockwell) and by the GÜDE of approx. 33 degrees. Furthermore, the blade of THE KNIFE. is ground all the way to the bolster, making it ideal for Asian cuisine.
The innovative shape of the handle allows the user to grip the knife significantly further forward than usual—as professional chefs do—in what is known as the “overhand grip.” Additionally, the wide blade ensures optimal force application while maintaining a safe distance from the cutting board.

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In addition to the blade material, sharpness and edge retention are largely determined by the bevel angle: Cutting is like driving a wedge through the material being cut. The sharper the angle of the wedge—that is, the bevel angle—the easier it is to drive the wedge through the material. The term “bevel” is the knife maker’s term for the cutting edge—that is, the sharply ground part of a knife. A sharp bevel angle makes a knife sharper than a blunt bevel angle.
However, if the bevel angle is too sharp, the bevel can break. That is why THE KNIFE. by GÜDE has GÜDE optimal edge angle of approx. 33 degrees. This angle guarantees both sharpness and stability.
The chrome-molybdenum-vanadium blade steel of THE KNIFE., with a hardness of approx. 57–58 HRc (Rockwell), ensures long-lasting sharpness. It is important to always cut on a suitable cutting surface, e.g., made of wood or plastic.
Thanks to the automatic “overhand grip,” the center of gravity lies within the hand. You can’t get any better balance than this! For the user, this means: perfect balance and fatigue-free work with a consistently secure grip. THE KNIFE an (almost) natural extension of the hand.
The wide blade ofTHE KNIFE.” provides a safe distance from the cutting board, as the fingers are positioned far away from the cutting edge. The exceptional blade is equally suited for Western and Asian cuisine. This is because the continuous bevel extending all the way to the rear end of the approximately 26 cm long blade offers all the functionalities of a Japanese Santoku knife. Thanks to its consistently rounded shape, the sawing motion is executed perfectly.
The innovative geometry ofTHE KNIFE.” guarantees optimal grip, optimal guidance, optimal safety, and optimal cutting results—and it lasts!

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With THE KNIFE, the perfectly balanced kitchen knife, a vertical flow of force is guaranteed! This ensures that every cutting task in the kitchen is performed with precision and the highest possible safety. Watch the product video now and see for yourself!

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The Knife. Discover Jade

Solingen blacksmithing and New Zealand jewelry craftsmanship come together to create the breathtaking THE KNIFE. Jade! Get your hands on this limited-edition special anniversary model celebrating 111 years of history and cook in style!

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Our knife collections

We value individuality—especially when it comes to developing and refining our knife collections. This is reflected in every single blade that leaves our workshop, in the selection of particularly beautiful and tactile handle materials, and in a unique ergonomic design that enables and celebrates fluid, fast, and precise work.

Synchros

Alpha

Damascus steel knife

Kappa

Delta

Karl Güde

Franz Güde

Caminada

Balkhauser Cottages

Gourmet x Güde

The exclusive "Feinschmecker" edition combines authentic craftsmanship from Solingen the high standards of Germany's leading gourmet magazine.

Asian Designs | Hand-forged in Solingen GÜDE

Discover Messer Icons

THE KNIFE.

Our THE KNIFE. truly lives up to its name: we conceived, developed, and forged this all-purpose knife with a particular focus on perfect ergonomics. Its unique shape and balance allow the hand to naturally wrap around the blade while cutting, making THE KNIFE. feel like a natural extension of the hand.

Bread knife

Güde in 1941 by master craftsman Franz Güde , the distinctiveGÜDE on our bread knives continues to delight bakers and bread lovers around the world today. The sharp serration of the unyielding, finely ground chrome-vanadium-molybdenum steel ensures that loaves, baguettes, and rolls are sawed rather than crushed, and that cabbage, melons, and crispy roast meats can be cut with ease. The elegantly simple handles, crafted from various high-quality materials, further contribute to the legend of our knives.

Utility knife

Our compact all-rounder is easy to handle and highly effective—not just when it comes to precise work with smaller items. Its fine serrations and double-sided hollow grind make our utility knife the perfect tool for peeling, slicing, and cutting vegetables, meat, fruit, and more.