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Knives with bolster

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In the knife industry, one generally distinguishes between a knife with bolster and without. The bolster is a metal part where the blade transitions to the handle.

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A bolster has the following functions:

 

  1. Finger protection (only in case of full bolster)

  2. Balancing the blade and adding more weight to it

  3. Gapless, smooth transition between blade and handle = more hygienic

There are two basic versions of a bolster

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  • a half bolster (A), only covering the connection between blade and handle, but leaving choil and heel of the blade exposed

  • a full bolster (B), where the metal part covers the whole blade from spine to heel

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The biggest advantage of a full bolster is that it fully protects hand and finger from the sharp blade. But it comes with the disadvantage that it’s not possible to use or sharpen the entire blade up to the heel.

Recently, the bolster has become an area of innovation, with different shapes emerging where the bolster reaches into the blade for superior ergonomics and balance when held in a pinch grip (C).

Half bolster of kitchen knife

A

full bolster of kitchen knife

B

curved bolster of kitchen knife 3/4 bolster

C

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