“Andreas Kalani is Awesome! He is passionate and willing to share, teach, and pass on his legacy. The craftsmanship and hands-on, one-to-one private learning experience were priceless! Andreas is amazing and patiently explains the process. What needs to happen, what is happening, and the outcome of the results. From the idea/thought, sketch/drawing on paper, transfer to wood, metal selection, practice metal, and finally, the real deal metal used for the knife. Andreas demonstrates, instructs, translates, and guides you through the grinding, claying, heat treatment, fast quenching, tempering, hand polishing, handle design, and edge sharpening process, and you end up with a razor-sharp knife!
I call this custom-designed knife my Deba-Santo hybrid. Blade balance is weight forward, towards the front tip. A hefty cleaver if needed. Total weight of 11.2 ounces. 8″ blade from 1095 high carbon steel, with a 5″ handle. Handle construction was beautiful! Perfectly stabilized wood, layered with Micarta and G10 liners for the perfect colors and contrast combo! The ergonomics of the handle fit in the palm comfortably. I loved the details applied to the Hamon process, which brings out the unique edge pattern art in the blade. Throughout the entire process, quality control was always inspected to ensure there were no flaws, from testing the edge by chopping away at antlers to literally a “drop test” on the tip. When Andreas dropped the knife, my heart nearly stopped for a second Now I am confident the edge, tip, and overall knife are made of exceptional AK quality!
I’m still on cloud nine! In awe of the aesthetic craftsmanship in this culinary knife. It is always to be applied with passion and love in all of its uses. Being one with the knife and in the food art, it creates. Every time I use my knife, there will always be a connection from beginning to end, full circle. I look forward to learning more from the knowledgeable Andreas in making or forging another knife and his other leather kydex-making classes! I highly recommend Andreas for all your craftsmanship needs, or if you ever want to make a quality piece of artwork, you can use it! Please support AK University and register for a class! The honor and pleasure in the experience you take home with you are priceless. Thank you very much, Andreas, for the humbling experience! Much respect!”
