The Córtele
[some call it Serbian]

The first time I saw this knife it was at my grandparent’s house, they were originally from the Aragon area in Spain and this style of cleaver was what people from that area used as a multitasking blade, chopping veggies, processing game, and farm animals, etc. Nothing fancy. They inherited the design from the Almogavares, people from the northern mountains that fought the Invading Moors for centuries (they had probably the best battle cry ever “DESPERTA FERRO!” Or AWAKE THE IRON!

The ones I made are a bit more fancy-looking, but with the same high carbon metal that was originally used, around 12 to 14 inches in length and either full tang or stick tang. I like to use materials like zebra bone (all my natural materials are ethically sourced) or exotic woods. My Corteles are 4 ml thick and hardened to 58/59 Rockwell. This is not a knife for chopping bones, the edge is made at 15 degrees and too brittle for breaking bones, is a knife for cutting ( as it should be). It’s also very fun to use and domesticate, learning a new trick every time. Being hard carbon, it requires some maintenance to prevent rust. NEVER PUT GOOD KNIVES IN THE DISHWASHER!. I will post the available ones as I complete them. Below are some of the previous Córtele-style knives I’ve created. I made dozens of these knives.