Do you know the Douk-Douk? Do you know the Vendetta?
If not check my previous articles!
Do you know Fred Perrin?
Now take all that, mix it (shaken, not stirred…) and you get the Vendedouk.
Everything started during an evening party in Corsica when Laurent Bellini, Julien Moroselli, Elsa Fantino and the famous Fred Perrin, all knifemakers, were discussing knifemaking and souvenirs from Corsica.
Too much Asian made stuff, not enough made in France. They wanted something genuine, affordable and really made in France…
Vendetta
That’s when Pierre Cognet came into the game. He is at the head of the Cognet manufacture, which makes the famous Douk-Douk and all its offspring.
They came to an agreement and decided to make a Vendetta, based on the Douk-Douk. The Vendedouk was born.
The filiation with the Douk-Douk is obvious: ferro-blackened steel handle, carbon steel etched blade, slipjoint with the spring nestled in the handle…
However, the blade shape isn’t the Turkish clip anymore, but more like a needle point, that reminds the dagger that inspired the Vendetta, the etching has its own style of arabesque with a “Corsica” inscription. The handle gets the characteristic recess and is stamped with a stylized silhouette of Corsica
Corsican island
The knife keeps all the advantages of the Douk-Douk: flat, good construction, strong spring, excellent carbon steel blade, affordable price… with a different style.
Definitely a nice variation of the Douk-Douk… Unless it is a variation of the Vendetta?
Corsica is a French island, just above Sardegna, in the Mediterranean Sea.
It is French since the end of the Eighteenth century but was under Genoan domination for centuries before that, reason why the Corsican language is close to Italian and the Corsican culture is marked by its Genoan history.
The Vendetta is now considered as the classical Corsican knife, but its history is a bit particular.
Everything started with a novel from Prosper Merimee: Colomba, that came out in 1840. The book is about a vendetta, or vengeance, between two families.
This book came along a development of tourism in Corsica and merchants from Ajaccio, the capital city, got the idea of making a knife typical that tourists would bring back.
They, of course, turned toward Thiers for the manufacturing.
The knife is inspired by the Corsican stylet, coming itself from the Genoan stylet, a thin dagger.
Corsican stylet
The knife is characteristic with its thin spear point blade, its very long top bolster, that takes roughly half of the handle and the recess in that bolster to make it look like a stylet.
The handle was traditionally made of bone or ivory with ink decoration, usually arabesques and flowers. The moor’s head, traditional symbol of Corsica, appeared later.
The blade was often etched with mottos relating to the vendetta theme:
Vendetta Corsa : corsican vengeance
Vendetta Morte : vengeance until death
Vindica l’Unore : avenge the honor
Morte al Nemico : death to the enemy
The knife was a commercial success but not really popular with the locals, favoring more traditional knives like the curnicciolu, famous with the shepperds.
Modern curnicciolu
However, since the 1990’s, some cutlers from the island revived the type and increased the quality. It was then, again, produced by Thiers’ cutlers
Vendetta by Gilles ReynewaeterVendetta by Arbalete Genes DavidVendetta by Fontenille Pataud
Today it is still typical from the “Island of beauty”, as we call it, and a very interesting knife
Even if some makers are still making straight laguioles, the norm is now more for the modern form with the yatagan blade, as invented by Pierre-Jean Calmels.
Modern straight laguiole with damascus steel blade
Of course, stainless blades are now also the norm. They tend to all have a kick on the tang, that rests on the backspring when the knife is folded, letting the edge away from the spring. Original laguioles had the tip of the blade resting on the spring. This is still true on some modern Alpin or Barrel knives for example. When it often leaves a part of the blade not so sharp (blade rap), due to the contact with the spring, it makes it more convenient in the long run. Back in the days, when the knives were used everyday to eat, to do all kind of work, the blade was sharpened over and over and over until sometimes being half the original width.
With a kick, and after heavy sharpening, the tip can overhang form the handle (proud tip), making it dangerous. No risk of that with the tip resting on the spring. That lack of kick is the reason why you should not snap close those knives but slowly follow the operation until the tip rests on the spring.
Nowadays the bee at the end of the spring is the norm but some other styles can be found, like flowers, musical instruments or other symbols.
The bee can be welded or forged. Forged is the historical way of doing it, the end of the spring is hammered then shaped with a file. The welded bee is a simpler (and therefore cheaper) way of doing it. A bee, often stamped, is welded at the end of the spring. Same goes with the filework of the backspring, it is hand made for the higher end knives, it is stamped for the cheaper ones.
Around 1880 appeared an awl on Laguiole knives. This was a request from shepherds. It is used to treat bloat on livestock, after eating hay all winter, sheep, cows etc. were feasting on fresh green grass, but this can create an accumulation of gas in the stomach and be dangerous for the animal, the awl was used to punch a small hole and bleed that gas, reason why that awl is rather thin.
A corkscrew was added a bit later, asked by those leaving their Aubrac region to go work in cafes in Paris.
The knives can have top or bottom bolsters, either in steel or brass, or be full handles, originally in cattle horn, ivory arrived later on more luxurious models and they can now be found in various types of wood.
Myths and legends
The brand:
Laguiole is not a brand, rather a style like can be an alpin, Yssingeaux or even a balisong or a stockman.
A Laguiole brand was registered in the nineties, selling all kind of products, mainly of Asian origin, but after a long battle from the city and manufacturers, it became again a common name. The fact that it is not registered also explains the countless cheap versions from Asia. Basically, anybody can make a laguiole. Of course, if you are looking for French authenticity and heritage, get one made in Laguiole or Thiers.
The bee:
There is often a confusion between the bee and the fly, it is basically a translation mistake. The “mouche” is the end of the spring, towards the blade. It can be found on various types of knives like the Issoire, Yssingeaux or Saint Martin.
Vintage issoire with its characteristic “mouche”Vintage laguiole from the 1950’s with a smooth mouche
The word mouche translates by fly, the insect. But it’s originally the last name of the cutler who invented the system. The same kind of story goes for the boats on the river Seine in Paris, the bateaux Mouches are not fly boats, Mouches being the name of the owner of the first company operating that kind of boats, the name became generic after that…
The mouche was originally not decorated, like on the Yssingeaux.
The first decoration appeared at the end of the Nineteenth century, with the request for more elegant, sophisticated knives. The first decor were flowers, the first bee appearing at the beginning of the Twentieth century, symbol of the industrious insect. The legend of the bee given by Napoleon to the city of Laguiole is, at best, inaccurate.
Horological themed mouche by David DauvillaireClassic bee by David Dauvillaire
The shepherd’s cross:
Shepperd’s cross on a vintage LacazeLaguiole by Forge de Laguiole with shepperd’s cross
A lot of laguiole knives have a characteristic cross, made of pins, on the handle. The legend says that the shepherds were sticking their knives on a loaf of bread, presenting the cross in front of them, to pray before their meal. That cross appeared late in the Twentieth century so, even if the symbol is nice, the legend is a little bit fabricated.
The Spanish origin:
What inspired Pierre-Jean Calmels to modify the traditional laguiole into the modern version is unknown, but the idea that navajas bring from Spain are at the origin of the modern laguiole is far fetch.
The laguiole is probably the most famous French knife and its history and origin are full of legends and inaccuracies.
I will try here to be as accurate and factual as possible.
As almost every French regional knife, the laguiole gets its name from the eponym city, in the Aubrac region.
The first cutlers registered in Laguiole arrived in the first part of the Nineteenth century.
At the time, it was small workshops where all the steps were made by a single cutler.
Straight Laguiole
The very first laguiole, called straight laguiole, was fairly similar to the other knives of the area like the Yssingeaux, Issoire or even Saint Martin, with a straight handle ending in a crow beak and a drop point blade, called Bourbon blade.
YssingeauxVintage Saint MartinVintage straight laguiole
It is somewhere between 1850 and 1860 that the laguiole in its modern form was invented by Pierre-Jean Calmels.
He replaced the Bourbon blade by a Yatagan blade (see my history of the Yatagan knife) and made a handle with the curve we know today.
Yatagan knife
Both straight and modern laguioles co-existed until early in the Twentieth century.
Modern interpretation of a straight laguiole by Arto
Towards the end of the Nineteenth century, part of the production was transferred to Thiers, the industrial hub, like a lot of other regional knives.
Vintage laguile by Poyet Sivet circa 1900
The very first decorated laguioles appear at the same time with a decorated mouche (top end of the spring) and file work on the spring.
At the 1900 Paris Exposition, Pagès and Calmels, both great names in the laguiole knives, received a gold medal for their knives.
Vintage laguiole by Pages
At the beginning of the Twentieth century, and the trend for gentlemen to carry a pocketknife, the decor of the knives get more refined with ivory handles in the shape of a pigeon wing, butterfly, rattlesnake tail or even mythical or historical figures like Napoleon.
Laguiole “pigeon wing”
The mouche sees also various shapes, including the famous bee.
With a lot or workers mobilized and large orders from the Army to Thiers, the first world war is the beginning of the decline of knife making in Laguiole, most of the production being made in Thiers.
Vintage Laguiole by Genes David in Thiers
The last Laguiole forge closed around 1950
Mid 1980’s was restarted a knifemaking activity in the city of Laguiole.
The classic Nontron knife is the oldest folding knife in France.
Nontron is the name of a village from the Dordogne region of France.
The region is naturally rich in iron ore and boxwood.
In the Roman age already, the people living there was renown for their craftmanship in iron products.
In the Fourteenth century, Nontron’s knifemaking was famous and the city was a mandatory stop for cutlers learning the art.
In the Seventeenth century, Guillaume Legrand, master cutler from Paris, settled in Nontron and started making the famous Nontron’s folding knife. He is the one who invented the ferrule, or ring lock, a few years later. As a reminder, the ring lock appeared on the Opinel knife in 1955!
Ring lock assembly
In the Eighteenth century, two families, Bernard and Petit, took over the Nontron’s cutleries.
During the first World War, Nontron’s cutleries were requisitioned by the War Ministry to produce palm knives (see the article about the palm knife history). A knife remnant of that era is still produced today.
Vintage palm knife from the 1930’s
A few years after the end of the war, only the Petit cutlery was still in operation.
In 1931 Alphonse Chaperon purchased the cutlery, starting the Nontron Chaperon era, until 1986.
Today the cutlery is the property of Forges de Laguiole.
The knife is simple.
the wooden handle, traditionally in boxwood, can now be found in various woods like ebony, violet wood or some tastefully done mixes. The boxwood is really hard and sturdy and will develop a nice patina over time and turn into a nice honey yellow color.
The boxwood handles are traditionally decorated with the characteristic Nontron symbol, the “fly”, that looks like an arch, surrounded by 3 dots, and some dotted lines or stipplings.
A traditional Nontron pocket knife has 4 lines of stippling and 5 flies.
The meaning of that symbol has been lost in time and still today nourishes lots of legends: religious symbol, emblem of a guild?
The handles have, traditionally, 4 different shapes: ball, clog, fish tail and double ferrule.
Even if throughout the history various blade shapes have been seen, the “sage leaf” is the more traditional. It is now in T12 stainless (a proprietary stainless of Forges de Laguiole), but some carbon steel XC75 and Damascus steel blades are made.
Catalan blade
Damascus steel blade
The ferrule, or ring lock, is in brass on the boxwood models and nickel silver for the other types of handle.
Ebony, aluminum and olive wood handleBoxwood and violet wood handle
Each step of the knife assembly is made, from beginning to end, by a single cutler: assembling the blade, pin, ferrule, handle finish, sharpening…
All the wood handled friction folders, like Opinel, Capucin or even Nontron might have the blade stuck in the handle.
Vintage Opinel No7Vintage Capucin
Wood is a living material and change in humidity or temperature might make it swell, or even dirt can be stuck in the mechanism.
Nontron No25 with clog handleMontpellier knife
The “coup du savoyard” or Savoyard’s hit or tap is a simple technic to get it free, it is mainly used for Opinels (hence the Savoyard name) and it is even part of the quality checks at the end of manufacturing.
It is a technic known since the first Opinel (maybe before?) and the best way to get the blade free without damaging the knife like by trying to pry on the nail nick.
-For a recent Opinel, make sure that the lock ring is open (!!!)
-Hold the knife by the axis side
-Tap the other end on a hard surface. The best would be a wooden table, avoid any uneven or hard surface that would damage the handle, like concrete for example. Avoid also fragile surface like a glass table of course.
The blade should move a little, enough to be able to open it.
After the tapWorks with any wood handled knife
If it is still stuck, you can apply a bit of oil on the axis.
Now, the best way to avoid using that Savoyard’s tap is to take good care of the knife, always wipe the blade after use and store it in a dry place.
The Montpellier knife gets its name from the city seating in South of France, next to the Mediterranean Sea.
It was primarily a sailor knife, created around the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
The knife itself is really simple, a 2 pins friction folder, like a Capucin, no spring or locking system here, it can’t be simpler.
The blade shape is difficult to define, between a clip point and a wharncliff. The straight cutting edge is typical of the sailor knife, like a sheepfoot, mainly dedicated to cut ropes.
The handle is faceted, slightly trapezoidal and with sometimes a hole at the end to affix a lanyard
Very popular with the sailors, it was produced in big quantities by many manufacturers, including Soanen Mondanet, that became Cognet. It lost popularity at the beginning of the Twentieth century, replaced by slipjoint knives, more modern, and the type was forgotten.
But recently some old books and blades were found in the attic of Cognet’s workshop and the knife re-made.
The new version is faithful to the original with an XC75 carbon steel blade.
Montpellier in damascus steel
An interesting piece, remnant from the past and full of character.
As often with French regional knives, the Issoire knife gets its name from a city name, probably because it was originally made or sold in this city.
Its origin is unknown, but there is trace of an order for knives in the “Issoire style” in 1888.
The knife is typical of the knives originating from Auvergne, like the Yssingeaux or straight Laguiole.
It is a slipjoint, with a drop point blade, the point falling very low, giving it almost a wharncliffe shape. It has a swedge on one side, across around a third of the blade.
The handle usually goes thinner towards the bottom, with a long bolster on top and often, but not always, a second bolster at the bottom. The bottom is always in a “crow beak” shape when the top one is often, especially for the older models, in a diamond shape.
The sides are usually made of bone or ivory with large rivets and can be decorated with ink arabesques or dotted with pins.
The spring ends with a long “mouche” on top, usually in a “man’s head” shape (when it is a bee on modern laguioles for example); and has often a lanyard hole on the other end.
This knife was also very popular with the wine merchants from center France and then equipped with a very strong awl, often with a pyramidal point, used to open the wine barrels bungs.
A very elegant tool with some modern interpretations.
The barrel knife (tonneau in French) gets its name from the shape of the handle, pretty round, that reminds the shape of a barrel.
Its origin is in the eighteenth century, from West Center France.
It is the typical worker’s knife. When farmers were hiring workers, they were giving them this knife as a sign of goodwill and good relationship.
It’s a simple knife, with a main blade in the sheepsfoot style and large bolsters on each side, but it was often on a multiblade style with a coping blade, an awl, a saw and sometimes a corkscrew.
It is one of the oldest multiblade.
The handle can be made of wood, horn or ivorine, a synthetic polymer that mimics ivory.
Barrel knife with an ivorine handle
Today, some modern versions are still made, often in carbon steel
The Alpin knife, also known as the Savoyard, Mountaineer, alpinist or even Saint-Bernard was born towards the end of the nineteenth century.
Its exact origin is unknown but we can find a similar model in the other side of the Alps in Italy.
The first Alpin brand was registered by Rivière-Caburol in 1905.
It was the main competitor of the famous Opinel, born in the same region and at the same time.
Even Opinel made its own version at some point
The knife is simple. A Yatagan blade with a half-stop, a spring for the slipjoint system and the handle, that can be with or without bolsters, is made of 2 wooden side.
The first ones were using larch wood, but other woods appeared when all the production was finally transferred to Thiers, like other regional knives.
We also saw cattle horn and even acrylic in some cheaper models.
Coming from Thiers, its diffusion was wider than just the Alps and it was even sold in North-Africa.
The star was for the North African market
The Alpin knife still has modern interpretations and is still a very simple and appreciated knife.
