Ladder over Fafnir Damasteel pattern on the 323 mm gyuto-style knife

Damasteel® Chef Invitational 2026

DCI2026

Island Castle Tools is one of the makers invited to the Damasteel® Chef Invitational 2026. We forged ten knives for it. On 14 November you can see them on our DCI maker page and vote for us.

Vote for us on 14 November See the 10 knives
Show day14 November 2026

Live online. Meet the makers, watch knife demos and see every DCI knife.

VotingBest in Show

Voted by the show's visitors on 14 November only, until 22:30 Riga time (21:30 CET). Registration is free.

ExhibitionArt to Expose the Metal

The collection will then be shown at the Mencendorf Museum in Riga's Old Town.

How to vote for us

Three steps on 14 November

  1. 1
    Register for free

    Only registered visitors can vote. Registration is free and takes a minute.

    Register here
  2. 2
    Open our maker page

    See the IC Tools page at DCI 2026 and the ten knives Kaspars forged for the show.

  3. 3
    Vote for IC Tools

    Give your Best in Show vote to Island Castle Tools (IC Tools). Voting is open on 14 November only, until 22:30 Riga time (21:30 CET).

Open our DCI maker page

The collection

Ten knives, each one of a kind

Forged in Damasteel® and finished by hand in our workshop in Latvia. The knives are shown at DCI 2026 and sold directly by us. Ask us about any piece.

DCI2026 No. 1: k-tip chef knife, Fafnir Damasteel over RWL34, African blackwood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 1 View knife →

K-Tip Chef Knife 165 mm

Fafnir over RWL34, African Blackwood

  • Overall300 mm
  • Weight143 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 2: tanto-style chef knife, RWL34 over Ladder core, African blackwood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 2 View knife →

Tanto-Style Chef Knife 189 mm

RWL34 over Ladder Core, African Blackwood

  • Overall321 mm
  • Weight149 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 3: fillet knife, Concentric Layers and Dense Twist Damasteel, African blackwood, by Island Castle Tools No. 3 View knife →

Fillet Knife 203 mm

Concentric Layers & Dense Twist, African Blackwood

  • Overall340 mm
  • Weight128 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 4: gyuto chef knife, Fafnir Damasteel over RWL34, African blackwood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 4 View knife →

Gyuto Chef Knife 187 mm

Fafnir over RWL34, African Blackwood

  • Overall323 mm
  • Weight170 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 5: k-tip gyuto, stainless mosaic Damascus over RWL34, olive wood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 5 View knife →

K-Tip Gyuto 228 mm

Mosaic Damascus over RWL34, Olive Wood

  • Overall364 mm
  • Weight187 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 6: nakiri cleaver in multibar mosaic Damasteel, olive wood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 6 View knife →

Nakiri Cleaver 176 mm

Multibar Mosaic, Olive Wood

  • Overall313 mm
  • Weight184 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 7: nakiri cleaver, Concentric Layers and Dense Twist Damasteel, acacia handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 7 View knife →

Nakiri Cleaver 175 mm

Concentric Layers & Dense Twist, Acacia

  • Overall311 mm
  • Weight233 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 8: nakiri cleaver, RWL34 and Ladder Damasteel, ironwood handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 8 View knife →

Nakiri Cleaver 191 mm

RWL34 / Ladder, Ironwood

  • Overall326 mm
  • Weight249 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 9: 280 mm gyuto, stainless mosaic Damascus over RWL34, ancient bog oak handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 9 View knife →

Gyuto 280 mm

Mosaic Damascus over RWL34, Ancient Bog Oak

  • Overall426 mm
  • Weight249 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request
DCI2026 No. 10: large gyuto-style knife 323 mm, Ladder over Fafnir Damasteel, ancient bog oak handle, by Island Castle Tools No. 10 View knife →

Large Gyuto-Style Knife 323 mm

Ladder over Fafnir, Ancient Bog Oak

  • Overall470 mm
  • Weight292 g
  • HardnessHRC 62

Shown at DCI 2026 · Price on request

After the show

Art to Expose the Metal

After the show, the DCI2026 collection will be part of Art to Expose the Metal, a knife exhibition at the Mencendorf Museum in Riga's Old Town. Knives sold from the collection are dispatched two weeks after the show, once exhibition visitors have had the chance to see them.