Proper maintenance and proper use will ensure the longevity of your knife.
Maintaining The Blade
If a knife can do a job, that doesn't mean it's the right tool to do it. For example: Is it possible to open a can with one of our knives? Yes. Is it recommended? No. Do you risk breaking your knife? Yes. Are you at risk of injuring yourself? Absolutely. This is therefore not the proper use for our knives. Our knives are not made for slicing large bones, or for striking (in order to chop large pieces of meat, for example). They will get the job done, but it will dull the blade and require much more frequent sharpening. This will therefore decrease the longevity of your knife. A good knife is a knife that cuts. Hone and sharpen your knife as needed. Read our article on sharpening and honing to find out which option to choose.
Maintaining The Handles
Our handles are made of wood, so you will have to pay more attention to them than to a handle made of resin or metal. Unlike the blade, a damaged handle is difficult to recover.
Oiling the Handle
You will see that after time, washes, and use, the wood loses some of its shine. We, therefore, recommend oiling the handle from time to time. There is no exact frequency for this. When you notice that your handle lacks its original shine, give it a little oil to rehydrate it. To do this, apply a few drops of oil to a clean cloth, and gently rub this soaked cloth on the handle, in the direction of the grooves. Once the handle is covered in oil, let it sit for 15 minutes before wiping it with a part of the cloth that does not contain oil. Repeat the application until the wood is saturated. Wood is an organic material, it will 'drink' the oil, so you want to give it to drink until it has had enough, and the oil you apply to it no longer decreases in quantity after the waiting period. Be sure to remove the excess oil when finished, you don't want a slippery handle.
Which Oil To Use?
Most knife makers suggest using turpentine or linseed oil. Although these oils work very well, edible oils are less expensive (or at least will already be in your kitchen) and will provide quite satisfactory results. On the other hand, avoid oils that go rancid quickly, as this could lead to a handle that does not smell good.
Washing Your Knife
Wash your knife like you would wash any other knife. There is only one instruction: Do not let them soak. (That means that the dishwasher is a definite no-no)
Wood is an organic material. If you let your knife soak, the wood will expand, overfilling with the liquid it's soaking in, which will also affect the glue that holds everything in place. Small spaces between the materials may then appear, and the handle will therefore be less solid (and less pretty).
In the spirit of the poorly shod shoemaker, we tend to mistreat our knives in order to know their limits. Believe us when we say that our worst enemy is the classic: "I'll just let that soak for a bit, I'll be right back in a few minutes," which turns into a few hours.
Take up a good habit right away: Wash and dry your knife the moment you are done with it. Food won't have time to dry up and stick to the blade, which will protect you from the thought of letting it soak.