Darren Chard Mokume Damascus Wharncliffe
Here I have another peice by Canadian Knifemaker Darren Chard. I still consider Darren one of the best least known knifemakers out there. Everything that comes out of his shop is perfect. His fit and finish is among the best, bar none. He is also always up to a challenge, and creates knives because he enjoys it, not because it is profitable.
Darren Chard continues to craft knives on a part-time basis from his fully featured shop in the GTA area of Ontario. I visited his shop a couple years back, and for a part-time maker, that was a hell of a shop! Probably the cleanest I’ve seen as well, I think his perfectionism extends beyond just his knifemaking!
This Mokume Damascus knife was built for me on order by Darren as a new design. He was not happy with the previous model that shared the same style, so modified it into this new style. I was looking for something with Titanium with Mokume, so he came up with this blasted blue Titanium to go with his own Mokume bolsters… yes, Darren makes his own Mokume.
The approach Darren takes to knifemaking is a bit different than what a lot of others do. He sees it as a challenge, as something new to learn and perfect. This is reflected in his knifemaking, and the care put into each knife is very evident when you get the chance to handle one.
This particular model has an interesting long tail, with handles of blue blasted titanium, and gold mokume bolsters. Blade is Odin’s Eye Damasteel, with a wharncliffe edge. Liners are polished and jewelled (machine-turned) blue titanium. All the screws are 24kt gold plated, and the backspacer is a full length, fully fileworked affair that is very unique. Darren had his signature professionally engraved on the inside of the backspacer, which he does frequently with his damascus blades.
The Mokume matches extremely well with the Odin’s eye Damasteel when the knife is opened, and when it is closed, is seemlessly streamlined. Lock-up is perfect, as all his knives are, with absolutely no bladeplay closed, opened, or anything in-between.
Without a doubt, Darren is one of the best knifemakers out there as far as fit and finish. At his prices, you can’t go wrong. His designs may lack the flair of some of the bigger names out there, and don’t quite have the refinement as far as grips and ergonomics, but from a purely fit and finish perspective, Darren is a great choice.
Blade Length: 3 1/8″
Overall Length: 7 1/2″
Blade Steel: Odin’s Eye Damasteel
Handle Material: Titanium
Bolsters: Mokume
Liners: Titanium
Video Review: