At 2.75 inches deep this is the slimmest blade in the Chinese chef’s family. The reduced face means less drag through dense vegetables and less weight to reverse at the end of each stroke, which is what makes rapid repetitive slicing sustainable.
The W in the model designates the wood handle. Rosewood is dense and close-grained, so it takes the rivets tightly and does not swell the way softer stock can. As with all the Traditional wooden-handled knives it should be dried rather than left to soak.
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.
