QUE: the waning moon
The four ECLIPSES III knives take their names from 陰晴圓缺 in Su Shi’s poem Shuidiao Getou. The poem places parting and reunion beside the moon’s changing appearance, and closes with a wish that people separated by distance may share its light.
- 陰YIN
- 晴QING
- 圓YUAN
- 缺QUE
蘇軾《水調歌頭》 · Our rendering人有悲歡離合，We know sorrow and joy, parting and reunion.
月有陰晴圓缺，The moon is clouded or clear, full or waning.
此事古難全。Perfection has always been hard to find.
但願人長久，May we live long,
千里共嬋娟。and share the moon’s beauty, though far apart.
QUE
Ebony
QUE (缺) is the waning moon, its name connecting an ending with a new beginning. Its dark Ebony handle contrasts with the three lighter woods in the series.
Each Ebony handle varies naturally in colour and grain.
- Blade 135 mm
- Total 228 mm
- Net weight 111 g
QUE is also part of the ECLIPSES III set of four steak and utility knives, together with YIN in Bocote, QING in European Boxwood and YUAN in Cocobolo.
Thin, but solid
In the ECLIPSES III knife certificate, Jacob Bech explains why he made the knife: he had struggled to find good steak knives that were both thin and solid. He wanted one that cut cleanly without serrations and still felt substantial in the hand.
“Very thin. Very sharp. But with real substance.”
The 67-layer Damascus steel blade has a VG10 core and a fine grind. The Damascus layers form the visible pattern. The fine grind and final sharpening by hand shape the cutting edge. RICEKNIFE specifies 62 ± 2 HRC.
For the third batch, Jacob Bech used a slightly different Damascus steel composition, resulting in a livelier, more fluid pattern than before. He describes spending countless hours folding, pressing and etching the steel until the pattern moved the way he wanted it to.
A plain edge, sharpened by hand
The continuous, non-serrated edge is sharpened by hand before the knife leaves the workshop. Draw the blade through the food in a controlled stroke and let the edge do the work.
QUE serves as both a steak knife and a utility knife. Use it at the table for steak and grilled meat, or on a suitable wooden cutting board for vegetables, sausage and boneless meat. Wash and dry it before moving from preparation to the table.
The edge can be resharpened as it wears. Rather than following a fixed schedule, sharpen it when clean slicing starts to require extra pressure. Keep the edge clear of bones and frozen ingredients, and avoid twisting the blade in a cut or scraping it against a plate.
The wood and the handle
Ebony was chosen for its density, hardness and colour. Preparation of the wooden handle, including vacuum stabilisation, takes two months.
The handle is then waxed and polished by hand with organic Danish beeswax blended with food-grade mineral oil. The mineral oil soaks into the wood and helps protect it from drying out. The wax finish brings out the grain and can be renewed.
The wooden handles in this batch show deeper grain and richer contrast than in previous batches.
How hard is Ebony?
The Janka test measures the force needed to press a steel ball halfway into wood. According to The Wood Database, Ebony has a reference value of 3,080 lbf, more than five times the 540 lbf recorded for yellow poplar and Scots pine. European beech has a value of 1,450 lbf.
These are published values for the wood species, not measurements of our finished, vacuum-stabilised knife handle.
The stainless-steel pommel adds weight at the end of the handle. The pommel and wooden handle counterbalance the finely ground blade.
What arrives
Your QUE knife comes in a black gift box with a RICEKNIFE knife certificate.
QUE makes a considered gift for the chef in your kitchen or someone who enjoys a good steak. ECLIPSES III is a RICEKNIFE design by Scandinavian chef Jacob Bech and Creative Director Shanru Lin.
QUE can also be given for Christmas, birthdays or Father’s Day, or as a corporate gift for a client or colleague. Restaurants and steakhouses can combine the four ECLIPSES handle woods to distinguish individual place settings.
- One QUE steak and utility knife with an Ebony handle
- One black gift box
- A RICEKNIFE knife certificate
€ 65,00 incl. taxLisää ostoskoriin
Dimensions and weight
The knife is 228 mm long overall, with a 135 mm blade section and a 93 mm handle.
QUE weighs 111 g net, excluding packaging.
| Name · wood | Net weight |
|---|---|
| QUE 缺Ebony | 111 g |
Wash by hand and dry straight away
- Hand wash
- Dry promptly
- No dishwasher
- Renew with wax
Wash the blade and wooden handle by hand with mild detergent and a soft sponge, then dry both straight away. Do not use the dishwasher or leave the handle soaking; vacuum stabilisation does not replace this care.
Store the knife dry with the edge protected from other utensils. Renew the wood with suitable handle-care wax as needed, and sharpen the edge when it needs attention. The knife is very sharp; keep it safely out of children’s reach. Read the knife-care guide for further guidance.
Specifications
- Name · wood
- QUE · Ebony
- Type
- Steak and utility knife
- Steel
- 67-layer Damascus steel with a VG10 core
- RICEKNIFE hardness specification
- 62 ± 2 HRC
- Edge
- Plain, non-serrated; final sharpening by hand
- Blade length
- 135 mm
- Handle length
- 93 mm
- Overall length
- 228 mm
- Net weight
- 111 g, excluding packaging
- Handle
- Ebony, vacuum-stabilised
- Handle finish
- Waxed and polished by hand with organic Danish beeswax and food-grade mineral oil
- Pommel
- Stainless steel
- Design
- Scandinavian chef Jacob Bech and Creative Director Shanru Lin · RICEKNIFE
- Packaging
- Black gift box
- Included
- RICEKNIFE knife certificate
Natural wood varies, so colour, grain and weight can differ slightly from knife to knife.
For the curiousAbout the steel: VG10, element by element
ABOUT THE STEEL
VG10, element by element
The supplier’s mill certificate lists the composition of one steel heat. RICEKNIFE identifies this as the material used for the VG10 cores in ECLIPSES knives. The figures do not describe the outer Damascus layers.
For a thin, working edge
One reason to choose a high-carbon knife steel is its potential for a hard, wear-resistant edge with suitable heat treatment. On ECLIPSES, the thin grind and sharpening also shape the edge.
How long the edge lasts also depends on the cutting surface and how you use the knife; the certificate does not cover edge life. Use a suitable cutting board for preparation, and avoid twisting or prying.
A comparison with X50CrMoV15 knife steel
X50CrMoV15 (1.4116) is a conventional stainless knife steel. The table compares the supplied VG10 heat with Lucefin’s published reference ranges for that grade.
| Element | Supplied VG10 heat (%) | X50CrMoV15 reference (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon · C | 1.1 | 0.45–0.55 |
| Chromium · Cr | 14.56 | 14.0–15.0 |
| Molybdenum · Mo | 0.836 | 0.50–0.80 |
| Vanadium · V | 0.254 | 0.10–0.20 |
The clear compositional difference is carbon: this reported heat contains more than the reference range for X50CrMoV15. With suitable heat treatment, higher carbon content can support hardness and wear-resistant carbides. Chromium is in a similar range, so this table does not establish better corrosion resistance.
This compares one reported heat with a grade reference range. Lucefin’s published datasheet lists permitted deviations for product analysis. The small molybdenum and vanadium differences do not establish a performance advantage. An element missing from the reference table is not necessarily absent from the steel.
The complete reported composition · Material references
| Element | Content (%) |
|---|---|
| Carbon · C | 1.1 |
| Silicon · Si | 0.409 |
| Manganese · Mn | 0.428 |
| Phosphorus · P | 0.03 |
| Sulfur · S | 0.0013 |
| Tungsten · W | 0.108 |
| Molybdenum · Mo | 0.836 |
| Chromium · Cr | 14.56 |
| Vanadium · V | 0.254 |
| Copper · Cu | 0.127 |
| Nickel · Ni | 0.224 |
| Cobalt · Co | 1.544 |
| Aluminium · Al | 0.003 |
Supplier mill certificate TGB00091853 · heat 2551785B · 24 September 2025. Values retain the precision printed on the document.
The certificate covers annealed flat bar and states 236 HB; its quenched-and-tempered HRC field is blank. The separately stated 62 ± 2 HRC is RICEKNIFE’s product specification. The certificate does not identify finished ECLIPSES batches or test their performance. No separate benefit is claimed for the reported cobalt or tungsten content.
Questions
Is the knife serrated?
No. It has a plain, non-serrated edge for clean, controlled slicing. The final sharpening step is done by hand, and the edge can be sharpened again as it wears.
Can I use it in the kitchen as well?
Yes. QUE also works as a utility knife for vegetables, sausage and boneless meat on a suitable cutting board. Avoid bones and frozen ingredients.
Can the stabilised handle go in the dishwasher?
No. Vacuum stabilisation does not make the handle dishwasher-safe. Wash the knife by hand and dry it straight away.
Will my knife look exactly like the photos?
Not exactly. Ebony varies naturally in colour and grain, and individual knives can differ slightly in weight.
Can I buy all four knives together?
Yes. The ECLIPSES III four-knife set contains one YIN, one QING, one YUAN and one QUE.
