Le Thiers 4.3in juniper 1 bolster

Those of us quirky characters who appreciate pocket knives, buy knives for a variety of reasons. The one recurring thread between those reasons is simply because the knife just looks and feels spectacular; enter 'Le Thiers' by Le Sabot. The gentle curves of this knife pattern create a timeless, subtle elegance -quite different than the more ostentatious, busy Laguiole-patterned knives. The unadorned satin bolsters and the earthy juniper wood handles further vouchsafe the clean, unpretentious appearance of this knife. The Laguiole may be a better known French export, but in my book Le Thiers is the more elegant of the two. But knife nerds need the tool to be practical as well as attractive. Not an issue with Le Thiers! Le Thiers' blade is ground to an almost paper-thin bevel -just the right length to pare an apple. The sweep and breadth of the handle is comfortable (and leaves your hand smelling of cedar after each use). This particular offering by Au Sabot was well made. I appreciated the thin bevel; the flush pin construction; the firm backspring and the beautiful grain structure of the handle covers. Sure, there was a little gapping in the bolster transitions, and the backspring was slightly sunk when the knife was closed, but these are technicalities. You'll never get an ounce of blade play on an Au Sabot knife -neither lateral nor vertical. The lockup is rock solid every time. No poor grinds. No shoddy steel. Give me Juniper, Broomwood, Ebony or Boxwood anytime over the delrin, G-10 or gaudy jigged bone so prevalent in U.S. slipjoints. The French know what they're doing in the cutlery business. Le Thiers by Le Sabot is a prime example of that fact. This will site nicely by the equally fantastic Aurillac in Broomwood by Au Sabot and the Yssingeaux in Olivewood by GR Knives: three of the best full size folding knives under $100 you'll ever find.