This is the pattern that predates the moulded-handle lines by a century. Carbon steel, a short pointed blade, a wooden handle held on with rivets — the design has survived because there is nothing in it to fail and nothing to improve.
High-carbon steel is the reason it stays in service. It takes a finer edge than stainless and comes back on a steel in a few strokes, which for a knife used dozens of times a day matters more than corrosion resistance. Dry it rather than leaving it in the sink.
Dexter-Russell has made cutlery in Southbridge, Massachusetts since 1818 and is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. Traditional is its original pattern book — high-carbon steel blades on hardwood handles, ground to shapes the company has been making for over a century.
