Laguiole

The LAGUIOLE – it is pronounced la.ɡjɔl or la.jɔl. Comparing it to knives from other regions of France, a LAGUIOLE is elegant and slender. This is particularly surprising when one considers that its roots lie in the heart of Aubrac, a remote, wild and rural region. Nevertheless, its beauty, elegance and versatility have made it perhaps the best-known and most sought-after pocket knife in France. Numerous myths and legends still surround its origins and the many details, from the shepherd’s cross to the bee.

 If you would like to learn more about its eventful history – from its beginnings in the village of Laguiole to the present day, and about the workshops and master cutlers – you will find the answers in the richly illustrated standard work *“LEGENDE LAGUIOLE”* by Christian Lemasson. A German translation was undertaken by Wolfgang Lantelme of PassionFrance, which is why there is no need to go into further detail about the history here. If you would still like to find out more, click here on “LAGUIOLE-DROIT” and “LAGUIOLE-1900”.

All LAGUIOLES that you will find on this website are genuine originals, either from our own workshop or from fellow knife smiths in Thiers and Laguiole. They are all 100% handmade and 100% made in France. As a mark of their authenticity, their blades bear the brands of the respective cutlers: PassionFrance®, ARTO, FORGE DE LAGUIOLE, AU SABOT, ARBALÈTE, COUPÉRIER-COURSOLLE …

The LAGUIOLES by PassionFrance® were created by Robert Beillonnet, a “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” who has twice been named France’s finest craftsman. The idea for them came about in 2009 during a shared casse croûte. Robert Beillonnet designed them as a single-piece version (blade only) and a two-piece version (blade and corkscrew). In 2010, they won the IWA’s INTERNATIONAL KNIFE AWARD in Nuremberg, amidst strong international competition. Due to the uniqueness of the concept and the masterful details, they were also awarded the special prize “KNIFE OF THE YEAR”.

Robert Beillonnet’s knives are characterised by their slim and elegant lines, which also conceal technical and structural masterpieces and incorporate a number of innovations in the LAGUIOLES range for PassionFrance®. Compared to other LAGUIOLES, both the 11cm and 12cm models (in France we always refer to the handle length rather than the blade length!) feature much longer, conical and therefore more effective corkscrews. These have been integrated into the side of the knife’s back in such a way that they do not interrupt the harmonious lines of a LAGUIOLES. Just as one knows the perfect lines of the single-piece knives, which have only one blade. Another innovation concerned the blades contact with the spring. Traditional LAGUIOLES knock against the spring with their blade. An improvement introduced in the 1990s uses a ‘poncetage’ to stop the blade from touching the spring, but cannot prevent the blade from being pushed in further. Robert Beillonnet’s LAGUIOLES blades for PassionFrance® use a different system. They rest at their base on a stop pin – a dedicated rivet – on the bevel between the cutting edge and the tang, which ensures that the blades are not only free from impact but also cannot be pushed in.

A defining feature of our LAGUIOLES is generally a ‘full-tang’ design, i.e. without metal bolsters at the ends of the handle. This is more technically challenging and more expensive to produce than using metal bolsters, but it contributes significantly to the knives’ elegance … and elegance and slenderness have always been hallmarks of LAGUIOLES since their inception around 1850. We do sometimes use metal bolsters, but only to incorporate them as decorative elements made from damask steel, titanium and mokume gane. The LAGUIOLE-PassionFrance®, like the other models designed for us by Robert Beillonnet, is protected by trademark law to prevent imitations and copies.

All LAGUIOLES on this website are 100% handmade in our workshop in Thiers. In 2015, our LAGUIOLES with 11cm and 12cm handle lengths were joined by a larger version with a 13cm handle, whose shape is based on the curved head found on the knives of the old masters Calmels, Moulin and Pagé in Laguiole, who chose this design feature to keep the handles of their knives slim and elegant.

Available model variants :
- One-piece (blade only) and two-piece (blade and corkscrew)
- Handle lengths: 9 cm, 10 cm, 11 cm, 12 cm, 13 cm

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