The Pair Knife: A Cutting-edge Culinary Innovation for the Modern Kitchen

With Hofer Studio and Mohawk College (Hamilton, Ontario)

Simultaneously a common kitchen tool and a marvel of modern manufacturing, the Pair Knife explores both what is and what could be. We focused on balance in every detail, from the manufacturing process to materials, and from usability to sustainability, to create a cutting-edge design in both form and function.

Words by Jackelyn Gill

What happens when materials and advanced manufacturing processes normally reserved for jet engines and healthcare components enter our kitchens?

3D metal printing allows for the creation of products that are otherwise impossible to make in terms of complexity of shape and efficiency of manufacture. I wanted to make that technology relatable by using it to create a product that demonstrates what could exist in our everyday lives over the next five to ten years.

Inspired by the space-saving and travel-friendly knife roll and the ever-smaller kitchens found in urban centres, the Pair Knife—a hollow chef’s knife that nests a smaller paring knife inside— tests the abilities of modern manufacturing as much as it chops the perfect onion.

Finding the right balance

Balance matters in knife-making; it ensures the blade doesn’t fall forward and the handle doesn’t slide backward when in use. The Pair Knife is finely balanced both for each individual knife and when the knives are joined together. The triangular blade, ergonomic handle and bolster that smoothly transitions between the two communicate where the knife should be gripped while creating a feeling of solidity and control in the hand.

Materials that make the cut

Most inexpensive knives are made of stainless steel, taking advantage of its resistance to rust—though trading off in durability, as it’s a softer material that doesn’t hold an edge as well as other metals. Higher-end knives use carbon steel, which stays sharper for longer but is prone to rust if not cared for properly. The Pair Knife is designed for maximum utility at its price point, balancing the strengths and drawbacks of commonly used materials in knife-making using MS1, a hardenable carbon steel with rust-resistant qualities. An all-metal construction also ensures there’s no loosening or separation between handle and blade.

Safety meets delight

Though both knives are 3D printed side-by-side, they slide smoothly apart and lock back together with a quick, clean snap. The wave-and-crest shape that differentiates the handle from the blade ensures the inner knife doesn’t loosen or dislodge in use when nested, and an intuitive grip on the end of the paring knife makes detaching and inserting into the chef’s knife as simple as it is safe. The set is stored in a slim leather envelope to allow easy and secure transport and storage.

Environmentally (and kitchen) friendly

Metal 3D printing uses a laser-sintered metal powder to form an object layer-by-layer. Unlike the forging and stamping process typically used in knife-making, metal 3D printing is zero-waste. Leftover powder can be reused in the next batch of printing, and there’s no leftover or cut-away material to be thrown away or recycled. The manufacturing process can be done on-demand anywhere where there’s a capable printer, reducing the impact of shipping across long distances. The Pair Knife focuses on two of the most used knives in the kitchen, eliminating the production and disposal of knives that rarely get used in modern kitchens.

Honing the perfect design

The Pair Knife began as a project in partnership with Mohawk College’s Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre with support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Ontario Centres of Excellence, and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Since 2016, it’s been featured in Azure Magazine as one of its “Products of our time,” and earned a 2017 European Product Design Award (EPDA) Platinum Award and a 2017 Toronto Design Week Design Lines Award.

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