SHARK II
Chinese cleaver for vegetables and boneless meat · 73-layer Damascus, cobalt-bearing VG10 core
1.593,00 kr. incl. tax
The making
SHARK II was designed by Jacob Bech and Shanru Lin, from the first sketch to the finished edge. Every detail was tried, argued over, and tried again. Each of the six knives in EX-ANIMO III has its own finish. That is by design, not by chance. On SHARK II, that finish is a surface of closely spaced hammer marks, hand-forged on a power hammer and etched until you can feel it, a broad 68 mm blade in the shape of a Chinese cleaver, and a full-tang handle of stabilized figured hardwood, orange G10 and brass.
- The steel73 layers in total, including a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel core; the Damascus layers on both sides are 316L stainless steel.
- The hammer marksSHARK II is hand-forged on a power hammer with a fine oval die that leaves closely spaced hammer marks across the flat of the blade. Deep acid etching then brings the Damascus layers up around them as a pronounced texture you can feel.
- Oil quenched and temperedHardened and tempered to 62 HRC. The figure comes from our production testing.
- Deep acid etchingThe layers respond differently to the acid, leaving the hammer marks as raised and recessed areas you can feel on the flat of the blade.
- The markThe RICEKNIFE name and a shark carrying the words In a world of fish, be a shark are engraved directly into the right side by EDM. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos are stamped into the left side.
- The handleStabilized figured hardwood, orange G10 liners and brass pins on a full tang: the steel runs the whole length of the handle. The grain of the wood is different on every knife. The wooden sections are hand-finished with a wood wax Jacob makes himself from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil.
- Ground by hand, then approvedEvery edge is ground by hand. Jacob examines each finished knife before it is approved. A numbered certificate comes with the knife.
I have worked on its shape and balance for repeated use at the chopping board. With SHARK II, I want to remind you to stay true to yourself and choose your own direction, and to keep moving forward even when the next step calls for courage.
73 layers. One cobalt-bearing VG10 core.
The steel, certified
- IA documented core. We keep the mill certificate for our cobalt-bearing VG10 core and publish its recorded composition, so you can see which steel forms the cutting edge.
- IILayers you can feel. Deep acid etching leaves a relief in the steel itself, not a pattern printed or lasered onto the surface.
- IIIA mark engraved, not lasered. The motif and name are cut by EDM to avoid deforming the blade. It costs more time, labor and electricity.
- IV62 HRC, tested. Oil quenched and tempered; the hardness comes from our production testing, not from the certificate.
- VAn edge ground by hand. Ground by Jacob and his team in the workshop, not on a production line. Every knife examined by Jacob before approval.
The certificate describes the annealed raw bar, 236 HB, and does not certify layer count or finished hardness; the 62 HRC comes from our own testing after heat treatment. No single element makes a knife; the core, the heat treatment and the geometry do.
In a world of fish, be a shark.
On the right side of the blade, a shark carries the words In a world of fish, be a shark within its body, engraved directly into the steel by EDM next to the RICEKNIFE name. For Jacob Bech, SHARK II is about staying true to yourself and choosing your own direction. It is about moving forward, even when taking the next step calls for courage.
That is why this is the knife for someone who has just taken a big step: a promotion, a new business, a signed lease, a move to a new country, or leaving a safe job for the thing they actually wanted. The words in the steel say what you want to say to them.
The first release includes 200 SHARK II knives. Each comes with a numbered certificate.
The compact Chinese cleaver.
A càidāo, the everyday Chinese kitchen knife, in a smaller format. The blade is 68 mm tall, more than twice the height of CARBON I, and that height is the point of a cleaver: the tall blade gives your knuckles clearance, and after chopping you can carry a whole onion’s worth of pieces from board to pan on the flat of the blade. For vegetables and boneless meat, not for bones.
Forged on a power hammer.
SHARK II is hand-forged on a power hammer and finished by hand. A fine oval die leaves closely spaced hammer marks in the hot steel, and deep acid etching brings the Damascus layers up around them as a pronounced texture you can feel on the flat of the blade, away from the edge. Turn the broad blade in the light and the hammer marks take on depth.
The shark and the words In a world of fish, be a shark on the right side are engraved directly into the steel by EDM, no laser. Run a finger over them and you will feel the edges. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos on the left side are stamped into the steel. Give this knife to someone who has just taken the leap, and the blade says what you want to say to them.
Figured hardwood, orange G10, brass.
The handle is stabilized hardwood with pronounced grain, set on a full tang: the blade steel continues through the entire length of the handle. Between the wood and the steel sit liners of orange G10, visible as a thin stripe along the edge of the handle, and three brass pins hold it all together. G10 is a laminate of woven glass fiber and resin; it absorbs very little moisture and needs no oiling. The grain of the wood is different on every knife, and the wooden sections are hand-finished with a wood wax Jacob makes himself from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil.
Wash the knife by hand and dry the blade and handle after use. No soaking, and keep the knife out of the dishwasher. Because of the wax finish, routine oiling is not required; wipe the handle dry with the blade. Treated that way, the handle is made to last as long as the blade.
About the edge
Warning: this knife arrives sharper than most people expect. Unpack it with care and keep it away from children.
The core is a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel, oil quenched and tempered to 62 HRC, then hand sharpened on stones by Jacob and his team in the workshop. In the film above, at the very end, he tests it the way we test every knife: a sheet of printer paper, no pressure, one clean cut.
Cut on wood or suitable plastic, never on glass, stone or metal. No bones, no frozen food, no twisting in the cut. Wash by hand and dry straight away.
In detail
- Type
- Compact Damascus Chinese cleaver (càidāo, chūka hōchō)
- Blade
- 17.2 cm. Blade height 68 mm at the heel. Overall 290 mm, handle 118 mm
- Weight
- 309 g
- Steel
- 73 layers in total, including a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel core; the Damascus layers on both sides are 316L stainless steel
- Core
- Cobalt-bearing VG10 steel: C 1.10 · Cr 14.56 · Mo 0.84 · Co 1.54 · V 0.25 · W 0.11%
- Hardness
- 62 HRC after tempering, oil quenched
- Making
- Finished by hand
- Surface
- Closely spaced oval hammer marks from the power hammer, brought out in relief by deep acid etching
- Right side
- RICEKNIFE and a shark with the words In a world of fish, be a shark, engraved directly by EDM
- Left side
- RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos stamped into the steel
- Handle
- Stabilized figured hardwood, orange G10 liners and brass pins, full tang
- Edge
- Ground by hand
- Edition
- First release of 200. Numbered certificate included. Further production possible
- Gift
- Engraving and gift wrapping on request
- Collection
- EX-ANIMO III 2026
Designed in Denmark by RICEKNIFE. The cobalt-bearing VG10 core is documented by a mill certificate we keep. Read about the steel
Buy
1.593,00 kr. incl. tax
- Limited edition. First release of 200, numbered certificate included.
- Ground and finished by hand. Jacob examines every knife before approval.
- Engraving and gift wrapping on request.
Ask JacobAsk Jacob anything: a knife, a stone, a gift, or your own sharpening. We do our best to be here around the clock and to reply within the hour during the day, Copenhagen time, or first thing next morning if you write at night.
WhatsApp +45 20 46 46 90 · Instagram @riceknife_denmark · [email protected]
We keep evolving.
EX-ANIMO III is the third generation of the series, and every generation has been a step on from the last. EX-ANIMO III has a cobalt-bearing VG10 core with a mill certificate we can show you, a motif and name engraved by EDM instead of laser, a deeper etch you can feel, and an edge ground by hand by Jacob and his team. We do not release a new series until we are sure it is a step forward. This is the best we have made so far, and the next one will have to beat it.
The collection
VALKYRIE III
The longer, lighter chef’s knife. 23.7 cm, 204 g, long Damascus lines and runes cut into the steel.
Knife care
Keep it this sharp
A knife this sharp stays sharp only if you maintain it. Jacob spent five years on the sharpening system below, and made a video for each set. Start with the set that matches how often you cook, not how good you think you are.
The full system, Jacob’s story and all the videos: Jacob’s Sharpening
Questions
Is SHARK II a Chinese cleaver?
Yes. It has the tall, rectangular blade of a càidāo (菜刀), the everyday Chinese kitchen knife, which the Japanese call chūka hōchō. SHARK II is a compact version in Riceknife’s own design: a 17.2 cm blade, 68 mm tall, 309 g, with a cobalt-bearing VG10 core. The knife is finished by hand.
Can SHARK II chop through bones?
No. SHARK II is for vegetables and boneless meat. Avoid bones, frozen ingredients and twisting the blade to protect the cutting edge. The broad blade is there for knuckle clearance and for carrying chopped ingredients from board to pan, not for splitting bone.
What do the words in the steel mean?
On the right side of the blade, a shark carries the words In a world of fish, be a shark within its body, engraved directly into the steel by EDM next to the RICEKNIFE name. For Jacob Bech it means staying true to yourself and choosing your own direction, and moving forward even when the next step calls for courage.
Who is SHARK II for, and is it a good gift?
For a promotion, a new business or a new start: the friend who just started a company, the colleague who got the job, the partner who took the risk, and anyone who cooks Chinese or Asian food at home and wants a real càidāo with a VG10 core. SHARK II is a compact 17.2 cm Damascus Chinese cleaver, 68 mm tall and 309 g, with a shark and the words In a world of fish, be a shark engraved into the blade; the tall blade gives your knuckles clearance and scoops up what you have cut. Give it on Father’s Day, at Christmas, or to someone who signed the lease, moved to a new country or left a safe job for the thing they actually wanted. First release of 200, numbered certificate.
Can SHARK II be engraved or gift wrapped?
Yes. We can engrave a name, a date or a short line, and we can gift wrap the knife. Message Jacob on WhatsApp (+45 20 46 46 90) or Instagram (@riceknife_denmark), or email [email protected], when you order, to agree the text and the wrapping. He will tell you what can be engraved and how long it adds to dispatch.
How does SHARK II differ from a large Chinese cleaver?
SHARK II has a 17.2 cm blade, 68 mm tall, and weighs 309 g. Choose it if you want the broad blade and the knuckle clearance of a càidāo in a compact size for vegetables and boneless meat. If you need a longer blade, choose a larger model. Within EX-ANIMO III, SHARK II is the tallest blade by far: 68 mm is more than twice the height of CARBON I. SHARK II is hand-forged on a power hammer, with closely spaced hammer marks etched into relief on the flat of the blade.
Is SHARK II hand-forged?
Yes. SHARK II is hand-forged on a power hammer; a fine oval die leaves the closely spaced hammer marks on the flat of the blade. Deep acid etching then brings out the relief, and the edge is ground by hand by Jacob and his team in the workshop. Jacob examines every finished knife before it is approved.
Why does SHARK II cost more than an ordinary VG10 Damascus knife?
The steel: not every steel sold as VG10 is the same, and ours is a cobalt-bearing VG10 that comes with a mill certificate, and we publish the figures on it. It is oil quenched and tempered to 62 HRC, and the edge is still ground by hand. The surface: the blade is hand-forged on a power hammer and the closely spaced hammer marks are then deep etched, so you feel a real relief under your fingertips, not a printed or lasered pattern. The finish: the shark and the name are engraved by EDM, every edge is ground by hand, and every knife is examined before it is approved.
Is SHARK II laser engraved?
SHARK II is finished by hand. The shark, its words and the RICEKNIFE name are engraved directly into the blade by EDM, not laser. The RICEKNIFE and LINBECH logos on the left side are stamped into the steel. The hammer marks on the flat of the blade come from forging on a power hammer and are brought out by deep acid etching.
Is the VG10 in EX-ANIMO III standard VG10?
It is a cobalt-bearing VG10 steel, and it comes with a mill certificate that we keep. The certificate lists the core steel as C 1.10 %, Cr 14.56 %, Mo 0.84 %, Co 1.54 %, V 0.25 % and W 0.11 %. We publish these figures so you can compare them with any other knife yourself; we do not claim they are better than the standard.
Looking for a Japanese VG10 Damascus cleaver?
SHARK II gives you what people look for in a VG10 Damascus cleaver, or chūka hōchō: a 17.2 cm blade, 68 mm tall, with a cobalt-bearing VG10 core at 62 HRC, 73-layer Damascus and a hand-ground edge, on a full-tang handle of stabilized hardwood, orange G10 and brass. It is designed in Denmark by RICEKNIFE, not made in Japan.
Is SHARK II a luxury knife? What makes it collectible?
A first release of 200, a numbered certificate with every knife, a blade hand-forged on a power hammer, a shark and its words engraved into the steel by EDM rather than printed on it, a handle of figured hardwood that is different on every knife, a hand-ground edge and a documented cobalt-bearing VG10 core. We call it functional art for the kitchen.
Would you prefer a quieter Scandinavian knife set?
For a more affordable set with a quieter Scandinavian expression, see the Raw Oak six-knife set.
How do I sharpen it?
On diamond stones, following Jacob’s videos. We sell three sharpening sets, each with its own video: Beginner, Chef and Professional. Start with the set that matches how often you cook, not how good you think you are.
How do I care for the blade and the stabilized wood?
Wash by hand and dry the blade and handle after use. No soaking, no dishwasher. Wood or suitable plastic board. No bones, frozen food or twisting. Avoid scraping the cutting edge sideways across the board; use the spine or the flat of the blade to move what you have chopped. The stabilized hardwood is already hand-finished with a wood wax Jacob Bech makes from organic beeswax and food-grade mineral oil, so routine oiling is not required; wipe the handle dry with the blade. The orange G10 liners absorb very little moisture and need no oiling either. Protect the edge in storage. Sharpen as needed on diamond stones; see Jacob’s videos.
Still have a question? Ask Jacob on WhatsApp. We usually reply within the hour during the day, Copenhagen time.