Pocketknives

In France there is a variety of pocket knives like in no other country in Europe. PassionFrance® produces them in Thiers and offers you products from friendly blacksmiths throughout France.

The history of knives

Knives have been with people since the beginning of human history. They are the first human-developed tools. When the first cutting edge was made on a hewn stone 2 million years ago in Africa, the first step was taken. He was followed by a hand ax and flint arrowhead. When you learned to work with metals 5,000 years ago, you ended up with knives and cutting tools as we know them today. The next step was to make the previously fixed knives foldable so that they could be stowed more easily in a pocket.

Foldable pocket knives are technically more complex than knives with fixed blades. Presumably they originated in the Middle Ages. Some suspect that it originated earlier, perhaps as early as the Romans, but there are no archaeological finds to support this. In this earliest form, a pocket knife consists of three parts: blade, handle and blade axis.

Yannick Epiard's "PIÉMONTAIS" is an excellent example. It is a replica of an archaeological fund in London that dates the dendrochronological investigation to the 13th century. It consists only of these three parts. As a rule, another of the blades lies on the back of the handle, preventing a preliminary. All the elements of this knife are typical of the High Gothic: it is extremely elegant, nothing and it belongs to itself. The motto was coined 700 years before the Bauhaus in Dessau, already gilded here: Form follows function.

Pocket knives developed from the first foldable knives in great variety and in direct relation to the regions of their origin. Shapes and materials are created in harmony with natural resources and in line with people's activities. Above all, they are helpers with daily work, in fields, vineyards, alpine pastures, with the herds or on board the ships. They are just as indispensable for the citizens of the cities, doctors, veterinarians and lawyers as they are when traveling and are becoming objects of prestige for the upper classes and the nobility. As different as the uses are, as diverse are the blade and handle shapes. And yet all knives in France have one thing in common: the personal knife is indispensable for the “casse-croûte”, when you take a break, when you share bread and cheese with friends and open a bottle.

Over the past few centuries the knives evolved into the final shapes we know today. Some models disappeared, some received technical improvements. Sizes and shapes arise from everyday use. The materials used for the handles also differ, responding directly to the wishes of the user and the special conditions of their regions. In this way, they are inextricably linked to the terroir in which they are native. It is therefore not surprising that they have become symbols of their homeland for the people, an integral part of the history and tradition which they proudly carry in their pockets. Unfortunately, some models have disappeared in the last few years. But for those who appreciate their beauty and usefulness, PassionFrance® has rediscovered some of them..

We manufacture the most elaborate knives ourselves in our atelier. Some of them were designed for PassionFrance by the two-time meilleur ouvrier de France, Robert Beillonnet. Only exclusive raw materials and best blade steels are used for them: fine-grain carbon steel, Sandvik 14C28 and high-performance steel RWL34. We also use damascus steels for individual pieces and custom-made products. Over the years we have expanded the family of regional knives to include the models Agenais, Alpin, Donjon, Laguiole-Droit, Laguiole, London, Mineur, Poisson-Culot, Serpette, Seurre, Vendetta et l’Yssingeaux.

Other knives are made by our cutlery friends who work according to our quality standards. They are specially trained and manufacture the knives intended for PassionFrance® 100% by hand. Only such knives then receive the PassionFrance® logo as a sign of their quality on the blade

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