Rolin Knives Gomai 210mm Compound Gyuto 26c3 Litnum Vitae & Ebony with Saya

Hand forged gyuto featuring a mizu quenched GoMai blade using A203 and nickel on top of a 26c3/125cr1 carbon steel core. The blade was acid etched to bring out the striking contrast of the GoMai cladding against the darkened blade. The blade has a compound grind with a unique patterning of expose core steel running through the middle of the hollow grind. Paired with a strong distal taper, it will have an excellent food release effect. The wa-handle is a rounded hexagonal made from Vitnum Vitae with an ebony ferrule.

125cr1 is a steel that is virtually identical to the well-known 26c3, or “Spicy White.” With carbon content upwards of 1.3%, it’s known to get very hard and have a bitier cutting feel than traditional shirogami steels thanks to the addition of a small percentage of chromium.

Mizu quenching is one of the most difficult and skilled forging methods in knife making, using only high-carbon steel that’s hardened by quenching in water. The process is risky—many blades crack—but when done right, it creates a knife with incredible sharpness, a visible hamon line, and unmatched cutting performance.

Litnum Vitae (palo santo, ironwood) is a hardwood native to the Carribean and S. America. Called “wood of life” due to it’s medicinal applications, it’s density ranks the highest for traded woods. It’s used in shipbuilding, cricket balls and was used as insulators for San Francisco’s Trolley system until the 2000s. 

All aspects of this knife were meticulously forged, heat-treated, ground, machined, and shaped with an incredible amount of detail and intention by Nick Rolin. Originally from the Bay Area, Nick earned a degree in Sustainable Agriculture from UCSC before becoming a line cook. Nick’s blade shapes and styles are inspired by his years in the professional kitchen and by his passion for well made things. After leaving kitchens to bartend in NYC, Nick took a weekend knife making class in 2016. This class sent him down the never ending rabbit hole of knife making, and after making knives for friends and colleagues, the eventual demand led to an inevitable return to the Bay Area in 2022 to make knives full-time.

We continue to be impressed with Nick’s work across many disciplines of knife forging. Not only with the craftsmanship and aesthetics but also the edge performance, cutting feel and sharpenability of his knives. We are lucky to have Nick in our backyard and are proud to be able to show his work to our knife community.