Like the New Knives post? Check out this “Naughty Schoolboy” post. …
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/like-a-naughty-schoolboy.44589/page-4#post-866275
Not only did Steffen’s blade rank among the top potato slap down cutters that I’ve tested … it blew away a Burke Custom costing five times as much … OK “blew away” may be an overstatement, because it was close but, the TX clearly out cut the Burke in my test.
Back to the saya …
I have figured out why Steffens left the highly overpaid glamour world of artisan Swedish Knife Maker. He took a contract from NASA for the Artemis program paying 142 million USD (since expanded to 215 million USD due to Covid induced complications) to produce a fast release enclosure for a cutting device used for emergency escape and adverse Alien interactions. Key to the success of Steffens bid was the absence of any machined penetration and locking device which could be hazardous to other equipment in a free floating micro gravity environment. I say good in ya Steffens.
Back to the saya. First its clear that the saya is an engineered device which is a good thing because Steffens happens to be one. A few pics to help …
First thing to note is that Steffens machines a notch (pad?) in the larger half of the saya. It’s a little bigger than the pad of your thumb.
Second, Steffens removes the filler strip of the saya adjacent to the thumb pad. The distance is carefully calibrated to provide just enough clearance to release the knife blade which is normally captured and retained in the saya by the notch.
An end view shows that the saya material is thinner and therefore more flexible than would normally be used in a saya.
The “downside” may be that the lesser clearance between the saya and the blade may introduce minimal horizontal striations (streaks) on the blade after prolonged use. Current testing using treated bovine containing material (leather) lining the saya would eliminate any striation creation (streaks) from repeated removal and insertion of the blade (knife sex).
So … there you go! The full skinny on Steffens “pinless” blade saya.
At last word Steffens is planning to take his “Steffens Fast Release” company public on NASDAQ with an initial capitalization of 1.7 billion dollars. He is recorded as saying that based on current guaranteed contracts with NASA he hopes to reduce the unit cost of his Fast Release Enclosures (saya’s) to 22 million USD each by the fall of 2028.
Good for Steffens … bad for kitchen knife nerds!
Epilogue … Astronauts on the ISS where the protection devices are receiving a trial are reportedly over joyed to have something they can easily obtain to cut open those stupid plastic bags they are expected to suck their short rib and potato dinners out of!