Country Pick 2017 / / Professional

Pair Knife

• Company
  Hofer Studio, Canada
• Lead Designer
  Joseph Hofer
• Design Team
  Simon Coulson, Jeffrey McIsaac, Allan Michaud
• Project Link
  view
• Other credit
  Pair Knife, Currently In Phase Two Materials Development And Testing, Has Been Made Possible Through A Partnership With The Mohawk College Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre, With Support By The Natural Sciences And Engineering Research Council Of Canada, Ontario Centres Of Excellence, And The Canada Foundation For Innovation.

Pair Knife redefines the standard knife set for modern
lifestyles. A chef and paring knife nesting as one allows for
optimized packing for the adventurer, as answering the need
for knife storage in compact living spaces.

It is the result of a yearlong product and materials study
between award-winning industrial designer Joseph Hofer of
Hofer Studio, Canada, and the advanced Additive
Manufacturing Resource Centre within Mohawk College,
Canada.

An area of ergonomic refinement was the transition between
blade and handle. Since there was complete freedom of
surface as a result of 3D printing, the transition was shaped
to fit a professional chef’s holding style. As a result, the
design teaches new users how to hold the product for
optimal control and safety.

An insight gained through user observation was that
professional chef’s often keep a pairing knife in a pocket
while they use their main chef’s knife for food preparation.
Pair Knife addresses this by keeping the two most common
knife sizes readily available in demanding environments.

Printed on demand using additive manufacturing, Pair Knife
is produced with future technology, laser-sintered stainless
steel, often reserved for modern jet engine innovations.
Traditional hand sharpening techniques are used to create
and maintain a sharp edge.

Low volume production is planned for 2017.

pairknife.com
hoferstudio.com

Bio
Hofer Studio was founded by Joseph Hofer, a multiple award-winning Canadian industrial designer and design partner. The studio approaches design projects with the user at the forefront, innovating the experience, and building with quality to celebrate and communicate a product's meaning and use. Collaborating with a number of aspiring, forward-focused brands, the studio specializes in the defining and redefining products based on technology, business, and user experience breakthroughs.