K Sabatier x Bernal Cutlery Nouvel Ideal collaboration series 6" bolsterless chef knife. XC75 carbon steel blade with brass riveted palissander handle. 

Over the years, many cooks who appreciate classic French carbon steel chef knives have requested that we grind down the bolsters to make sharpening easier. In response, we worked with K Sabatier to modify the bolster and create an exclusive line of palissander handled carbon steel knives.  These knives draw their inspiration from the first iteration of this quintessentially French knife design.

Our Nouvel Ideal line is an homage to the original Sabatier Ideal model of the 1920s.  Forged full tang integral ferrule/bolster carbon steel construction with brass riveted palissander handles are true to the first Ideals forged in the 1920s in Thiers.  We have added or subtracted some design features on different knives, but the essentials are still intact after 100 years.

Nouvel Ideal series knives are drop forged from a single piece of XC75 carbon steel and tempered to 54-56 HRC. They are hand ground extra thin behind the edge for awesome cutting feel, easy to sharpen and have good toughness, and a great all around workhorse. Carbon steel will develop a patina, and rust if left wet. Dry immediately after use, never soak or put in the dishwasher. Rust can be removed with a light abrasive.

The original Ideal pattern is a blend of two knife patterns.  The original hand forged Cuisine Massive (aka Nogent) with triangular blade, short tang and second ferrule ring and the drop forged, full tang, short bolstered Canadian.  The Ideal line blends the two with its integral, round ferrule extension of bolster, now synonymous with French knives.