Classic Laguiole Pocket Knives

Stag and bone, the traditional penknife handles

In Sheffield, stag and bone were long the handles of choice for a good penknife, and to most British eyes they still look exactly right. A stag handle pocket knife comes in stag horn, which is deer antler, with tones running from cream to deep brown. A bone handle pocket knife uses cattle bone, pale and smooth. Both are polished here, and both are natural materials, so the knife that reaches you won't match the photograph down to the last fleck. That's the charm of a natural handle.

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Watch the stag horn pocket knife

See the natural tones of the stag horn handle up close.

View this stag horn knife

Ebony and the satin-finished woods

Ebony is the dark choice: a close-grained wood, polished to a deep gleam. Many of the other woods in the range are satin-finished instead, for a soft, low sheen with the grain in plain view. Picture a satin-finished wood in your hand, then polished ebony, and you'll soon know which you prefer. On a single blade pocket knife, the handle is most of what you see, so the finish deserves a moment's thought. For a fuller walk through the options, read How to Choose a Classic Single-Blade Laguiole Pocket Knife.

Plain classic, or a little decoration?

Most models in this range keep the plain traditional outline, and the appeal lies in the handle material. Some go further. The Crocus has a rounder, fuller handle, the twisted models wind into a spiral cut from the solid, and a few add hand-worked plates or a patterned Damascus blade. If you like a clean shape, go for one of the plain models. If you enjoy fine detail you can pore over, look at the decorated models: still a single blade, still the same maker. Each one has the maker's name, Laguiole en Aubrac, on the blade.

Classic pocket knife questions

Care instructions travel with every order. Hand-wash the knife, dry it without delay, and the dishwasher is never an option.