Laguiole knife: what is the difference between a forged bee and a welded bee?

The bee is a technical term of cutlery to designate the part of the spring which is against the blade when the Laguiole knife is in open position.

The bee on a laguiole knife is a distinctive and traditional sign of this type of knife, and this very particular bee is significant of the laguiole knife.

This bee was always forged before the 1935s, that is to say that the spring and the bee forms only one piece of metal. This result is obtained by crushing a piece of hot metal. But from this period, and with the arrival of an industrial cutlery in France, we see the appearance of welded bees, a simpler and faster production to produce.

A forged bee is always stronger than a welded bee, the technical qualities of a single piece of metal are far superior to two pieces joined by a weld.

The forged bee is a sign of a high-quality knife, unlike the welded bee which is often used for lower-end knives.

In our cutlery, all our Laguiole knives have a forged fly, find our laguiole models on our website.