Are Laguiole knives any good?

B

Blackhearted

Joined
Jul 6, 2005
Messages
307
SHS's recent post on traditional styled pocket knives reminded me that ive wanted to ask about these knives here:

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they seem reasonably well made, however its an awfully small photo and without holding one in your hand or seeing many closeups looks can be deceiving. for all i know this could be 'Maxam' quality crap.

the reason i ask is that i see them on ebay all the time - i just passed up an auction where i could have gotten one for $40-ish but i stopped bidding because i realised i knew very little of them.

anyone own one of these or can vouch for their quality?

here is the description of one from the seller:

"This new style Laguiole has all the traditional characteristics but comes with new outstanding features for a more modern appeal. Made under the Laguiole Extra banner by G. David in France and identified by the crossbow symbol on the blade, this new version of the classic Laguiole folding knife offers these additional distinctions:

A thumb stud on the blade allows the knife to be opened with one hand smoothly and quickly.

This Laguiole knife comes with a lever lock system that guarantees that the blade is securely locked into place when opened.

The frame of the handle is made from a solid and brushed finish metal monoblock. Embossed Olive wood inlays are perfectly fitted into each side of the handle. The blade is made of 12C27 Swedish Sandvik stainless steel.

Length of handle is 12 cm (3 7/8 inches) and length of blade is 10cm ( 4 inches).

This Laguiole special folding knife really stands out in terms of appearance and practicality. It is a rare model and a collector's choice.

This is a brand NEW knife and will be shipped to the buyer with a certificate of authenticity."

thanks!
cheers,
-gabriel
 
Yes. Yes they are. The Laguiole have a very nice reputation and are wonderful products. If you like the style, these fit the bill.
 
There are several makers of that style and I am sure the quality can vary. The overall opinion is that they are fine knives. A great design and usually well executed. I have not heard of too many being junkers. Some others can probably point you to the better manufacturers. Nice design though, very classy.
 
I can't imagine anyone making a crappy quality knife and yet going through the trouble to put the fancy filework like that on the spine.

Then again, I don't know and I could be wrong.
 
Hi,

I'va had several laguioles. There are many different qualities among them. Some cheap ones are regularly sold on e-bay at high prices to fool people. The G. David (the ones with the crossbow) brand are good. They still make carbon steel ones, too. I love them. Great, hard, sharp blade, designed for light cutting. There also are custom laguiole makers : they forge it, assemble it, and send it... Some are genuine works of art, and chef d'oeuvres of performance in light cutting. The thin blade, full flat grind and distal taper make those blades perform really well.

The ones without a lock come with a strong spring feel that keeps them open very well.

Those are great and classy EDC's.

Don't get fooled, though, even the nicest G. David ones are available in France for around 25-35 euros. If someone asks 60$ for a G. David, just tell them that they should insert it to where the sun don't shine ;)

Cheers,

David
 
thank you so much, Moine, you probably saved me - and others - quite a bit of money :)
but on the flipside, they look like a great deal for $25-35 euros!

perhaps i should be looking around for a store/distributor that sells them directly from france. do you have any such source, or know where i should look? where did you buy yours?

also, any tips on differentiating between the better/worse quality ones? how do i know the ones i purchase are actually G Davids?

thanks again!
cheers,
-gabriel
 
I have an old Laguiole..it's a fantastic little knife...very attractive...no belt clip though...cuts fairly well, mine is in 440A I think...
 
My Laguiole is from Pradel-Brassard, or something like that. When closed, the blade hits the backspring pretty hard. The entire blade is deeply dented as a result. It's apparantly a common design flaw among many Laguiole brands. So I wouldn't buy another without handling it first or hearing from a reliable source that a particular brand doesn't have that flaw.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
As Ted Voorde mentions there is no single manufacturer, Laguiole is a town in France, known for knives and cheese.

The quality of Laguiole knives ranges from junk to exquisite, go with a good known maker and you should be fine.

Laguioles are usually made of 440A or 12C27 steel and are usually tempered on the soft side by US standards (about 54 RC is common).

Common problems with Laguiole knives (particularly the cheaper ones) are hard springs and edges touching the springs when closed.

I have three but two of them are waiter corkscrews (very good ones by the way) and one is a cheap plastic handled knife that I had to tweak a bit to make right but makes a decent user.

Luis
 
i noticed in several laguiole knife ads they specifically mentioned that the model includes a blade stop that prevents the blade from contacting the backspring. i thought it unusual, because it should be natural and unstated that a quality knife has some sortof design element or device that keeps the sharpened blade from slamming into the backspring when closed and thus dulling the blade. that type of flaw is something i expect from cheap flea-market knives.

now that i know that, ill make absolute sure only to buy ones that mention this, or ask questions beforehand.
as for ordering direct from france - i have faced some hassles and shocking expenses just ordering from the US. how does ordering from france go? is it even worth the trouble? or should i look around for something in north america instead?

cheers,
-gabriel
 
i thought it unusual, because it should be natural and unstated that a quality knife has some sortof design element or device that keeps the sharpened blade from slamming into the backspring when closed and thus dulling the blade
Click to expand...
You would think, wouldn't ya? But I guess traditionally everyone knew about the flaw and was able to work around it.

I should also mention that other than the traditional design flaw in my Pradel-Brassard, it is a beautiful and well-made knife.

I have no idea how shipping from France works, but you should be able to find North American distributors for the major brands.

Good luck and Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Bob W said:
You would think, wouldn't ya? But I guess traditionally everyone knew about the flaw and was able to work around it.
Click to expand...

how? even if you gingerly close the blade with two hands each and every time, simply grabbing the thing would press the blade into the backstop. so could simple pressure in your pocket. so even if you babied it, i think the only way to avoid damage/dulling of the blade would be to use it as a display knife only... which kindof defeats the purpose, for me anyway.

its 2005, i thought we were over this flaw already. for pure display itll pass, but for an EDC i think it would be too annoying. i had some old lockbacks and small slipjoints which were like this, and it absolutely drove me nuts :)

cheers,
-gabriel
 
Sometimes people will cram a little piece of cork into the knife, between the liners, to stop the edge from slamming into the backspring. Unfortunately, this works about as poorly as it sounds like it would, in my experience.

For a North American source, www.cutlerytogo.com has a huge selection of various French pocket knives, including Laguioles. I’ve bought from them before and gotten great sevice.
 
I'm of little help as far as ordering from France is concerned. I live in France, so when I want a laguiole or an Opinel, I find them easily at my favourite knife seller : an old guy at the outdoor market that had all of the nicest traditional blades available. Some are very specific to regions or even towns... all with their unique features, and most being carbon steel with high RC (around 57-58 and sometimes more).

I personally think that laguioles in 12c27 or 440A suck big time. Much too soft for me. Those are usually cheap ones (on the 25 euros side). But carbon steel ones can be even cheaper, as people often dislike them... what an error. They get a nice patina in no time and end up with that very nice dark grey blade that won't rust... You just need to know how to treat them in the first two weeks of use. Carbon steel ones hover around 58-60 RC.

Back springs hitting of the edge is also an issue on cheap models, and lousy imitations of the real thing. Real good laguioles are beyond this.

Real "connaisseurs" like to have the stamp "Laguiole Origine Garantie" on the blade... Those are the only true laguioles IMO. And while the G. David are good, those "Laguiole Origine Garantie" ones are great. They are HAND FORGED in the town of Laguiole, meeting specific design and quality criteria. The ones from http://www.forge-de-laguiole.com kick ass. Many of those are forged with XC 75 steel, all assembled by hand by gifted knifemakers.

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Cheers,

David
 
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