# Skye Eilers custom chef



## Matt Jacobs (May 24, 2022)

Just a quick 2 week set of notes before an actual review. I want to make sure I get some sharpening / edge retention thoughs after more testing.
Quick back story, I saw Skye on Instagram and Youtube in early 2021 and was impressed with his design and work. I asked him to get me on his books for 2022 and started working on a design.
I had a drawing I made that I sent him to base his design off of. Basically I wanted a dark etched stainless san-mai. We came up with and heirloom fit Huon Pine, copper, and Tasmanian Blackwood handle.
The knife is about 225mm x 58mm. I didnt get all of the exact measurements but the spine roughly goes from 3.5mm tapered down to smaller than I can read on my gauge. 
It is stainless clad Vtoku2 hardened to about 64hrc. So far the edge retention has been great but I havent done enough for actual testing yet.
The fit and finish of this knife is outstanding. Literally every thing is perfect, even things like the exposed core steel at the spine that is etched and perfectly centered. Every thing is rounded and polished far more than it actually needs to be. The geometry is fantastic, it has a nice long "flat" spot but there is a very gentle curve to the entire blade so there is no hard stop when push cutting. 
The edge flexes under my nail and cuts like SKD Yoshikane I had. Unlike the Yoshi though, this has really good food release due to convexity behind the edge. 
Its almost as good of a pure cutter as my Horn but has better food release. 
What really amazes me is that Skye is really young and yet has an understanding of geometry like this. Attached are some close up detail pictures. There is more in my Instagram is anyone wants to see and will post a full review on Youtube in the near future. 
Bottom line this knife is amazing, for what I paid I am blown away. I know he is sending some knives to Modern Cooking as we speak and I would say jump on it now because his price will more than likely sky rocket as he gets more popular.


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## bsfsu (May 24, 2022)

Matt Jacobs said:


> Just a quick 2 week set of notes before an actual review. I want to make sure I get some sharpening / edge retention thoughs after more testing.
> Quick back story, I saw Skye on Instagram and Youtube in early 2021 and was impressed with his design and work. I asked him to get me on his books for 2022 and started working on a design.
> I had a drawing I made that I sent him to base his design off of. Basically I wanted a dark etched stainless san-mai. We came up with and heirloom fit Huon Pine, copper, and Tasmanian Blackwood handle.
> The knife is about 225mm x 58mm. I didnt get all of the exact measurements but the spine roughly goes from 3.5mm tapered down to smaller than I can read on my gauge.
> ...


He's also organizing the Auckland Blade Show, I think it might be the biggest knife show in New Zealand. I think he's really trying to help promote the custom makers of NZ. And he's really young!


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## Matt Jacobs (May 24, 2022)

bsfsu said:


> He's also organizing the Auckland Blade Show, I think it might be the biggest knife show in New Zealand. I think he's really trying to help promote the custom makers of NZ. And he's really young!


I think that added a good month to me getting my knife  Honestly he's a really great guy and I had a ton of fun going back and forth on this build. He shared pics/progress all along the way and has commented on a bunch of my Instagram posts. I would recommend him to anybody.


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## timebard (May 27, 2022)

Nice writeup and knife. The cladding line reminds me of the TX gyuto I had a while back, and it looks like my kind of profile!

The recessed spacers are an unusual choice though. I assume this is what you were after but I would think it'd be irritating in use. Not so?


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## Matt Jacobs (May 27, 2022)

timebard said:


> Nice writeup and knife. The cladding line reminds me of the TX gyuto I had a while back, and it looks like my kind of profile!
> 
> The recessed spacers are an unusual choice though. I assume this is what you were after but I would think it'd be irritating in use. Not so?


Thank you. The handle is what I was going for. Every thing is really smooth and in use I don't notice it at all. It could feel strange in a racket grip but I use a pinch grip so it's not noticable.


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## Delat (May 27, 2022)

Thanks for the write up. I’ve been waiting to snag one on Modern Cooking for ages. You were lucky getting in while his books were still open.


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## blokey (Jun 3, 2022)

His western handled ones are so attractive, definitely grabbing one when he opens up book again.


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