Château LAGUIOLE® Signature Folding Knives
Château LAGUIOLE Signature Folding knife front top bolster Ebony wood
REF: COPCLS71003
Balance and lightness in the hand
The Château LAGUIOLE® Signature folding knife keeps the curves of the Laguiole knife and pares them down. A single bolster (the steel cap at the top of the handle), a slimmed handle and 78 g in the hand: this is the house's pocket knife, made for the table, for travel and for the outdoors. The blade is Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel, a Swedish steel valued for edge retention and corrosion resistance. The spring is guilloché, that is, chased with decorative engraving, and carries the forged bee, the emblem of the Laguiole knife. Every piece is made by hand using traditional techniques and stamped with the Château LAGUIOLE® logo. Twenty-four handle materials are listed in the house catalogue; seventeen are sold here, from coloured stamina to snakewood, by way of horn, bone, oak barrel wood and briar, plus two special editions, Monaco and Freemason. Every scale of natural material is unique. Text engraving is offered free of charge at checkout. Ebony is the heartwood of tropical Diospyros trees, close to 950 kilos per cubic metre, with a grain so fine that no pore remains visible once the surface is polished. Each handle keeps its own shade, from solid black to a faintly streaked brownish black, because no two ebony logs give exactly the same colour. Signature or Heritage? Both Château LAGUIOLE® folding knives share the Sandvik 12C27 blade, the guilloché spring and the forged bee. The Signature has one bolster only, at the top of the handle, and an 11.5 cm handle: a cleaner, more contemporary line and a lighter object. The Heritage carries two bolsters and a 12 cm handle: the classic Laguiole silhouette. The Le Thiers® by Guy Vialis folding knife, from the house's other brand, follows the rules of the Confrérie du Couteau de Thiers and comes with a full handle, one or two bolsters, in 11 or 12 cm, with an optional corkscrew. Classic, Grand Cru and Melchior, for their part, are sommelier knives: corkscrews, not pocket knives. Château LAGUIOLE® was born in 1993 on the initiative of Guy Vialis, a French sommelier who wanted to turn a service tool into a work of art. After his death in 2016, LIGNE W, founded in 2008 by Sébastien Lézier, took over the brand at the end of 2017; since 2021 the umbrella brand Maison Château LAGUIOLE® has united Château LAGUIOLE®, LIGNE W and Guy Vialis. The knives are made in the house's own workshop in Thiers (Puy-de-Dôme), the French capital of cutlery. It is also the house behind the sommelier knives of the ASI World's Best Sommeliers, from Shinya Tasaki (1995) to Raimonds Tomsons (2023), and a partner of the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale and the Union de la Sommellerie Française. Every folding knife ships with its member card: its QR code registers the product and activates the lifetime warranty.
Materials & finish
- Wooden handle : Ebony
- Colour : Black
- Finish : Brushed
- Bolsters : 1 bolster
- Liners : Single liner
- Spring : Guilloché engraved
- Blade : Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel
Dimensions & weight
- Knife size : 11.5 cm
Features
- Customisable : Yes
Handcrafted in France — Each Château LAGUIOLE is crafted in our workshop near Thiers, France, with exceptional expertise and a rigorous artisanal process.
Ebony wood handle, deep black, fine grained, polished without varnish.
Ebony is the heartwood of tropical Diospyros trees, close to 950 kilos per cubic metre, with a grain so fine that no pore remains visible once the surface is polished. Each handle keeps its own shade, from solid black to a faintly streaked brownish black, because no two ebony logs give exactly the same colour.
Caring for this material
No dishwasher and no soaking: wipe the handle with a soft cloth right after use, as ebony does not tolerate water sitting along the bolsters. Once or twice a year, work a drop of food grade mineral oil into the wood with a cloth to feed it and limit the hairline cracks caused by dry air or a heat source.
Shipping costs are calculated at checkout.
France
- Standard delivery: 2-5 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-3 business days**
EU
- Standard delivery: 4-7 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-5 business days**
International & Non-EU
- Standard delivery: 6-12 business days*
- Express delivery: 2-7 business days**
* Monday to Saturday (excluding public holidays), from receipt of order confirmation email unless otherwise stated in the product description.
** Express delivery guaranteed for orders placed before 7:30 PM, Monday to Thursday (excluding public holidays).
You have 14 days from the delivery date to return your purchase.
In accordance with applicable law, personalised and/or made-to-order products cannot be returned or exchanged.
This product benefits from a lifetime warranty. The warranty is valid for the entire normal use period of the product, subject to compliance with the care and usage conditions defined in the warranty policy. To activate this warranty, you must register your product online.
How to proceed?
- Scan the QR code on the back of the member card included in the box.
- Register your product by following the instructions on the dedicated page.
- Hand wash only, in warm water, then dry at once with a soft cloth. Never in the dishwasher, never left to soak.
- Wipe the blade after each use, especially after acidic food (lemon, tomato, wine): 12C27 steel resists corrosion well but is not immune.
- If opening stiffens, a drop of food-grade oil (mineral or sunflower) on the pivot and under the spring is enough.
- Natural handle material (wood, horn, bone): keep away from direct heat, sunlight and prolonged damp; see the care notes for each material.
- Store the knife closed, dry, in its sheath or box.
- No dishwasher and no soaking: wipe the handle with a soft cloth right after use, as ebony does not tolerate water sitting along the bolsters. Once or twice a year, work a drop of food grade mineral oil into the wood with a cloth to feed it and limit the hairline cracks caused by dry air or a heat source.
To ensure the longevity, performance and elegance of your sommelier knife, please follow these care instructions:
- Hand wash only: this product is not dishwasher safe. Prolonged contact with water may damage materials and reduce durability. After each use, gently wipe your knife with a soft cloth. Do not immerse or soak in water.
- Protect from heat and moisture: avoid exposing your knife to intense heat, excessive humidity or harsh chemicals.
- Handle with care: protect the handle and mechanisms from impacts and drops, which could damage the blade or structure.
- Mechanism maintenance: if you notice slight resistance in the mechanism, apply a few drops of food-grade mineral oil to the moving parts. Professionals should lubricate every 2 weeks.
- Proper storage: after use, store your knife in a dry place, away from moisture, to preserve its performance and quality.
- What is the difference between a Signature and a Heritage folding knife?
- The Signature has a single bolster at the top of the handle and an 11.5 cm handle: a cleaner, contemporary line, lighter in hand. The Heritage carries two bolsters and a 12 cm handle, the classic Laguiole silhouette. Both share the Sandvik 12C27 blade, the guilloché spring and the forged bee.
- Is it dishwasher safe?
- No. Hand wash and dry at once. The dishwasher damages the handle (wood, horn, bone) and can seize the blade pivot.
- Is engraving really free, and what can be engraved?
- An engraved knife is personalised: it cannot be returned or exchanged.
- What is the warranty?
- Lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, under normal use and care. It is activated by registering the knife online with the QR code on the member card included in the box.
- Will my handle look exactly like the photo?
- No, and that is intended: wood, horn and bone are natural materials, and every scale differs in figure and shade. Weight may also vary by a few grams with the material. Only stamina and acrylic are consistent from one piece to the next.