Ultimate Nora #1439 - 3.5' Paring - Black & White Ebony Collection [evECOu1A]

*Please note that this guy has an ever so slight cosmetic imperfection in the handle which accounts for the slightly lower price on this paring knife.  The handle has a very small crack in the wood located near the top end of the handle near our logo.  You can clearly see it in the pictures below.  We just wanted to be transparent about it.  Its a beautiful knife that should serve you well but if you wanted a perfect piece of wood, this one isn't it.  If you wanted a good sturdy knife with a small scar, this is your guy. The crack is, again, cosmetic in nature and if you were ever to have any issue with the wood then we would fully replace it under our warranty.

KNIFE HIGHLIGHTS

• Blade Type: Paring
• Blade Length: 3.5 Inches
• Total Length: 8 Inches
• Handle Style: Western | Right or Left Hand Use
• Steel: AEB-L Stainless Steel
• Rockwell Hardness: 61 HRC
• Grind Type: Full Flat
• Handle Materials: Black & White Ebony Wood (stabilized), stainless steel pins, black G10 liner

• Thin for Performance (best performance but also more delicate)
• >>>Thick for Durability (tough, built to last for heavier wear-n-tear)
• Mid-Range with Special Geometry (specially ground for food release and glide but blade is kept slightly thicker for durability)

• Heavy in Hand (hefty, durable)
• Light (nimble, maneuverable)
• >>> Not too heavy, not too light (Mid-Range Weight)

GENERAL USES OF THIS KNIFE

The paring knife is often overlooked but the truth is it is one of the single most-used knives in the kitchen. It is also unique with respect to where it is used...not just on a cutting board but also in hand. 

With this in mind, we redesigned our paring knife to have a smaller, more nimble handle that feels great in hand and gives its user a wide amount of maneuverability. This knife works wonderfully for small tasks that are easier completed by using the knife in-hand, such as hulling a strawberry, paring fruit, or deveining shrimp.

HANDLE DESIGN & MATERIAL INFORMATION

Every one of our knives is handmade, unique and numbered.  This NORA is as simple and classic as they come.  We took a beautiful piece of stabilized black and white ebony wood and we added black G10 liners.  The liners help with overall durability of the knife and pins are a crisp stainless steel.  The look is simple and timeless.

Wood stabilization is an added feature that we offer with our knives. Wood that is stabilized has been injected with a clear acrylic resin under a vacuum process. Stabilization helps to minimize, if not eliminate, any cracking, warping, shrinkage and/or expanding of the material. Stabilized wood will not absorb water and is generally impervious to oils. The process helps to ensure your knife has a long lifespan in the kitchen. 

STEEL INFORMATION:

AEB-L STAINLESS STEEL

This knife blade is composed of AEB-L stainless steel which is a high-quality Swedish metal, originally developed for razor blades.  Recently, steel suppliers have made this steel available in thicker sheets and it has proven to be an excellent adaptation for the cutlery industry.

AEB-L has a beautiful balance of carbon and chromium and, with proper heat treatment, this steel produces both a very fine edge as well as excellent toughness and edge stability.  The fine grain structure also makes this steel very easy to sharpen. We believe it is one of the finest stainless steels available on the market today for use with kitchen knives.

As a side note, there are two things we like to mention about this steel:

1.) This steel responds beautifully to honing and if the knife is honed regularly it should need infrequent sharpening.

2.) AEB-L is a stainless steel but just barely.  The higher carbon content in this stainless is what allows it to get a fine edge and higher hardness than other stainless steels but it also has a tendency to sometimes form very fine rust spots on the blade.  If this happens, these are easily removed with a green scotch brite pad and usually the rough end of a kitchen sponge will also do the trick.