Laguiole Damascus Pocket Knives

Double plates or filework: picking your style

Both styles have a Damascus blade, so your choice comes down to what frames it. Laguiole en Aubrac counts hand-chiseled double plates as its most elaborate construction, a style for anyone with an eye for fine detail. Filework plates are a little quieter, so the eye goes straight to the blade and the handle. Either way, the work on the plates of these Laguiole Damascus knives is done by hand. To compare double plates with other models, read Laguiole Double-Plates Knives.

Mammoth molar, olive wood or snakewood

Mammoth molar comes from a fossil tooth, and here it's offered in two satin-finished shades: brown with tiger stripes, or blue. With the brown, the handle's stripes play off the ripples of the blade. With the blue, the pattern stands out in cool contrast. Olive wood also has a satin finish, with a warm honey color and dark veins that sit well beside the lines of the Damascus. Snakewood gets a glossy polish, and its dark, snakeskin-like markings give you pattern on the handle as well as on the blade. Wood varies from piece to piece, so with olive wood or snakewood, your Damascus steel folding knife pairs a one-of-a-kind blade with a handle all its own.

Damascus folding knives for everyday use

For all their looks, these are still pocket knives, made to be carried and used. Slice fruit at a picnic, cut a length of string, open the mail, then fold the blade away and slip it back into your pocket. Keep one of these Damascus folding knives on you and you'll see the pattern again every time you open the blade. After use, hand wash it and towel it dry at once, then it's set for the next outing.

Damascus pocket knife questions

Is Damascus good for a pocket knife?

Yes, if you want a pocket knife that's as much a pleasure to look at as it is to use. The rippled pattern makes every blade unlike any other, and Laguiole en Aubrac sets it off with chiseled double plates or filework and a handle in mammoth molar, olive wood or snakewood.

What is the best Damascus folding knife?

The best one is whichever you'll enjoy opening every day. Go for double plates if you want the most elaborate construction, or filework for a quieter look, then choose a handle: mammoth molar for something out of the ordinary, olive wood for warmth, snakewood for shine. Each one comes from Laguiole en Aubrac, handmade in France.

How should you care for a Damascus knife?

Hand wash it after each use and towel it off, blade and handle, before putting it away. Skip the dishwasher, which is hard on natural handles like olive wood and snakewood. The whole routine takes no more than a minute.

Your knife ships with care instructions. Hand wash it, towel it dry right after, and don't ever run it through a dishwasher.