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Four James Brand Models Star in Rosewood + Damasteel Collection

September 17, 2021

James Brand is chasing the announcement of the Carter XL with another line expansion project. The new Rosewood + Damasteel collection does what it says on the tin, bringing the popular wood and flashy stainless Damascus to four of their models, the Duval, Chapter, Wayland, and Pike.

Rosewood and Damasteel are like peanut butter and chocolate when it comes to elevating knife designs. “Rosewood” is actually a catch-all term for multiple woods that share a similar rich coloring; we see it often in both the modern and traditional knife genres whenever makers want to add a gent’s folder-esque flair to a model. And of course Damasteel almost needs no introduction: it is a modern alloy that replicates the look of traditional Damascus without carrying over its non-stainless quality. Damasteel comes in a slew of different patterns; implemented across this entire line is the Rose pattern, which has tight “rosebud” orb shapes floating in a sine wave-like background.

What steel the Damasteel replaces depends on the model. In the case of the Chapter, Wayland, and Duval, it supplants S35VN. Comparing Damasteel to S35VN, there’s a minor but noticeable drop in performance, but it still holds its own in terms of everyday cutting chores. With the Pike, however, the Damasteel replaces 12C27N – and in that case we think it actually performs a little bit better than that stainless.

The entire Rosewood + Damasteel Collection on display

The Chapter in particular is an interesting addition here, as this is the first time James’s flagship has been available with an onlay of any kind. The Duval, on the other hand, has been pretty lucky in the special edition arena: it was the subject of a recent collaboration with Portland-based artist Sebo Walker, and, in the hazy reaches of the past, there was a cool variant with scales made of Elyse Graham‘s MetaMATERIAL.

That one was also a limited edition, but it doesn’t seem like the Rosewood + Damasteel collection will be. All four variations are available now.

Knife in Featured Image: James Brand Rosewood + Damasteel Chapter

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