Max Knives FP2102 — Chestnut knife with a 440C hawkbill blade, Fred Perrin design

Overview

The Chestnut knife declares its trade in its name. It is the tool you reach for before the fruit goes on the fire, to open the shell in one clean stroke. Fred Perrin drew it for Max Knives as a single piece of 440C steel, blade and handle cut from the same stock: 125 mm overall, of which 40 mm is blade and 85 mm handle, with 3 mm at the spine. The blade carries a StoneWash finish and a hawkbill profile, the curved beak that gives the model its whole reason for being. A paracord lanyard runs through the handle, and a kydex sheath comes with it.

What a raptor's beak changes

A hawkbill blade reads at a glance: the spine drops in an arc towards a low point, while the concave edge hollows out the inside of that curve. On a rounded, smooth surface such as a chestnut shell, a straight blade skates before it bites; the hawkbill lands on its point, catches on first contact and draws the material into the hollow of the edge instead of pushing it away. The cut is made by pulling, the curve does the work on its own, and 40 mm of edge is ample for the depth of a score. It belongs to the same family of geometry as the Fruit Knife FP1904, with which the Chestnut shares its blade length.

Technical specifications

One-piece fixed blade knife. 440C steel blade, hawkbill shape, plain edge, StoneWash finish. A 40 mm blade, an 85 mm handle, 125 mm in all. Blade thickness 3 mm. The handle is cut from the same 440C steel as the blade and carries a paracord lanyard. Supplied with a kydex sheath. A Fred Perrin design, issued by Max Knives. Among the utility knives of the range, the FP2102 is the shorter half of the pair it forms with the Fruit Knife FP1904, which measures 130 mm overall for 3.2 mm at the spine.

Care

Chestnuts, like any fruit, leave marks: rinse the blade under clear water as soon as the session is over, then dry it completely, hollow of the edge included, since that is where moisture lingers on a hawkbill. 440C is a stainless steel, and a light film of fine oil is all it asks before several weeks of storage. The StoneWash finish has no use for polishing pastes or scouring pads: a soft cloth restores its tone. Wash the paracord in warm soapy water and let it air dry, and rinse the kydex sheath the same way, knife out.

Legal notice for international buyers. Carrying it in public without a legitimate reason is an offence in France and in most European countries. It is the buyer's responsibility to check the law that applies where the order is delivered before purchasing.