The production of the finest possible handcrafted, forged cutlery is and always has been the driving philosophy of our company. For four generations the Güde family has neither compromised on nor wavered from this credo. Today Güde is proud to continue the centuries old tradition of quality knifemaking for which the town of Solingen is justly world famous. The Alpha Olive Santoku from Gude Solingen is adequate for the European chef's knife. A universal knife that is used in Japanese kitchens for almost all cutting work. In contrast to the European chef knife, it has a wider, straighter blade, which is only slightly rounded at the tip. This is due to the chopping technique preferred in Asia. Additional, a special hollow edges ground prevents food from sticking to the wide blade due to the resulting air cushion. Gude knives are hand-forged in Solingen, Germany from one piece of chrome-vanadium-molybdenum steel, from the blade tip to the double crop. The double crop, a special feature of Gude knives, is a counterweight to the blade. The knife is perfectly balanced. The special mixture of steel and the elaborate manufacturing process with more than 30 manual steps give the stainless steel blades with a hardness of approx. 57 HRC a special robustness and longevity. The handles of the Gude Alpha Olive knife series are made of selected olive wood. It comes from Andalusia in Spain and can be up to 500 years old. This type of wood is generally very hard and extremely weatherproof. The structure is strongly grained and therefore looks particularly noble and elegant. The knives of the Alpha Olive series are not dishwasher safe due to its natural material. Features Handcrafted in Solingen, Germany Blade length: 5 inch Made of one piece of stainless chrome-vanadium-molybdenum knife steel Hand-forged, ice-hardened & sharpened by hand With hollow-edges to prevent food from sticking Perfectly balanced by the double crop (counterweight to the blade) Blade hardness: 57 HRC Riveted & framed handle shells made of natural olive wood from Andalusia, Spain Not suitable for the dishwasher