Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of Laguiole Iforge in Palladuc ?

G

GQsm

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Sep 13, 2018
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Hi, I hope this post is fine in here. Apologies if not.

I am looking to acquire a 12cm Laguiole folder with an Abalone handle. The one I like the look of the best comes from the website couteau-laguiole.com and the maker is Laguiole Iforge based in PALLADUC, but I can't find anything much about them that is not affiliated with their own website. The location of the workshop, company registration and the videos/images all look genuine to me so I am guessing the brand is not that old, but I am more interested in the knife itself rather than brand history.

Does anyone have any knowledge or experience of them or their knives?

I also found a Fontenille Pataud but it is 11cm not 12cm and one from Laguiole Honoré Durand which is nice but over €100 more and I can't find that much about that maker either.
 
just a question? isn't this basically the same and only question that you asked 7 years ago? have you not been able to research this knife in all those years?
 
bladesmith3 said:
just a question? isn't this basically the same and only question that you asked 7 years ago? have you not been able to research this knife in all those years?
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No, totally different. That was about a Sheffield made custom pocket knife. I did look up Michael May but ended up with a non custom A Wright sheepsfoot and it is my edc.

This is a going to be a rarely used knife, that won't leave the house and should be made in France, will not be legal carry, and is for a totally different purpose.
 
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Don‘t know about Iforge, sorry.

The last ones I bought/ordered were from Coutellerie Honoré Durand (13cm) and Laguiole Actiforge (12cm custom), and they were both very good.
 
Not exactly what you asked for but pretty some general info about the area and various makes. You might do well to go with Durand


"The word Laguiole (“LAYULL”), being the name of a village, was never allowed to be registered as a trademark. Therefore products bearing the name Laguiole are made by a number of different manufacturers in France. Some are located in the Their city and two others in the village of Laguiole, where the knife was “historically” conceived some 200 years ago. However, some Laguiole products originate from different countries and in this case, the quality of the components and workmanship can vary greatly.

Laguiole Durand has been family owned and operated for the last 30 years. They are one of two craft knife makers located in the town of Laguiole, France.

The company is recognized as a living heritage workshop by the French state for excellence of their tradition and know-how.

The bee was Napoleon Bonaparte's imperial seal. Local legend says that the right to use the bee was offered to the town of Laguiole as a token of his gratitude for their courage during battle.

Honoré Durand is recognized by the French State as a Master Craftsman. Christophe Durand has earned a Craftsman recognition. Both brothers own and operate the company today.

A majority of their components are made in-house, including the blades, springs, plates and bolsters and leather sheaths. The corkscrews and rivets are currently sourced from within France.

Each knife is made from start to finish by one cutler. This includes the assembly, shaping and polishing. There are between 100 and 200 production steps per knife and some models bear the makers initials on the inside of the knife spring.

They are the only maker in Laguiole, France to have an in-house Damascus steel forge.

The blade material is made of Sandvik®12C27, or 14C28. 12C27 holds an excellent edge, has a hardness rating of 54-61 and offer great corrosion resistance. 14C28 is an updated version of 12C27 and offers the same great benefits, but with a hardness rating of 55-62. This makes both knives ideal for high demand use."
 
ferider said:
Don‘t know about Iforge, sorry.

The last ones I bought/ordered were from Coutellerie Honoré Durand (13cm) and Laguiole Actiforge (12cm custom), and they were both very good.
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So I looked up Laguiole Actiforge based on your reply, the Iforge website couteau-laguiole.com is the top hit and I could not find an official Laguiole Actiforge website. I thought this was strange so asked AI to look for company records and it thinks the following
  • Iforge — company creation / active listing appears in early May 2025 (registry entry).
  • Actiforge — establishment(s) show closure on 21 May 2025 (Pappers / societe listings).
Putting the web address into waybackmachine, the capture from Nov 2024 is basically the same website but the logo and footer are Laguiole Actiforge so Iforge is some form of replacement to Actiforge.

If you were happy with your Actiforge knife, there is hope for the Iforge knife being good too.
 
Modoc ED said:
Not exactly what you asked for but pretty some general info about the area and various makes. You might do well to go with Durand


"The word Laguiole (“LAYULL”), being the name of a village, was never allowed to be registered as a trademark. Therefore products bearing the name Laguiole are made by a number of different manufacturers in France. Some are located in the Their city and two others in the village of Laguiole, where the knife was “historically” conceived some 200 years ago. However, some Laguiole products originate from different countries and in this case, the quality of the components and workmanship can vary greatly.

Laguiole Durand has been family owned and operated for the last 30 years. They are one of two craft knife makers located in the town of Laguiole, France.

The company is recognized as a living heritage workshop by the French state for excellence of their tradition and know-how.

The bee was Napoleon Bonaparte's imperial seal. Local legend says that the right to use the bee was offered to the town of Laguiole as a token of his gratitude for their courage during battle.

Honoré Durand is recognized by the French State as a Master Craftsman. Christophe Durand has earned a Craftsman recognition. Both brothers own and operate the company today.

A majority of their components are made in-house, including the blades, springs, plates and bolsters and leather sheaths. The corkscrews and rivets are currently sourced from within France.

Each knife is made from start to finish by one cutler. This includes the assembly, shaping and polishing. There are between 100 and 200 production steps per knife and some models bear the makers initials on the inside of the knife spring.

They are the only maker in Laguiole, France to have an in-house Damascus steel forge.

The blade material is made of Sandvik®12C27, or 14C28. 12C27 holds an excellent edge, has a hardness rating of 54-61 and offer great corrosion resistance. 14C28 is an updated version of 12C27 and offers the same great benefits, but with a hardness rating of 55-62. This makes both knives ideal for high demand use."
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Thank you for that, gives me confidence in Honoré Durand if I go that route.
 
My Durand knife is Sandvik 14C28N at 59-61 Rc, per factory. I think of it as very similar to a good AEB-L (which I'm familiar with).

Roland.
 
Have been to Laguiole (Lie-yull - agree with you Modoc ED Modoc ED it needs pronouncing properly!) a few times now and have handled knives from Iforge - they seemed absolutely ok.

Have handled many knives in the various shops in and around Laguiole - few of them were ever what I'd call Bose fit n finish, but that's all part of the charm and character. Certainly the Fontenille Pataud and Honoré Durand models were 'up there' for sure.

Would be very surprised if you bought and were disappointed.

Just one thing.......I know that customs and excise of late are displaying tighter controls with knives and their natural handle species, types and origins coming in to USA - just make sure your import will be ok to come through.
 
GQsm said:
So I looked up Laguiole Actiforge based on your reply, the Iforge website couteau-laguiole.com is the top hit and I could not find an official Laguiole Actiforge website. I thought this was strange so asked AI to look for company records and it thinks the following
  • Iforge — company creation / active listing appears in early May 2025 (registry entry).
  • Actiforge — establishment(s) show closure on 21 May 2025 (Pappers / societe listings).
Putting the web address into waybackmachine, the capture from Nov 2024 is basically the same website but the logo and footer are Laguiole Actiforge so Iforge is some form of replacement to Actiforge.

If you were happy with your Actiforge knife, there is hope for the Iforge knife being good too.
Click to expand...

Interesting. I checked: bought my Actiforge knife in 2019. Email exchanges came from domain couteau-laguiole.com, and you are right, the domain is pointing to Iforge now. Must have been sold ....

These are the two knives, BTW.

i-Hz3SQkG-X2.jpg


Anyways, you can't go wrong with Durand (on the right in the pic).
 
Chui said:
- however, can't be as bad as a couple o' my mates in UK who pronounce it La-gwill 🙄

😄
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Marbles in the mouth...😉.....Good luck with that Icelandic volcanoes name......I heard an estimate of one hundred thousand persons are able to properly pronounce it....😜🙄😜.....On Earth
 
Two pronunciations, Lag-yol or La-yol. In Urdu, لگوئیول, Logoyol.

Dan.
 
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So I decided to order from Iforge. Dealing with their customer service has been good so hopefully I will be happy with what I receive.
Will let you know how I get on.

I would be interested if Jolipapa Jolipapa gets any info on the Actiforge to Iforge change.
 
GQsm said:
So I decided to order from Iforge. Dealing with their customer service has been good so hopefully I will be happy with what I receive.
Will let you know how I get on.

I would be interested if Jolipapa Jolipapa gets any info on the Actiforge to Iforge change.
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As far as I know it iis "just" a change of name, all seems to have remained, place, patterns, workshop, owners.

About the ©opyright, there's been a change and all Laguiole pattern knives have to be made in Laguiole area to be granted the name, there's now an "Indication Géographique (IG)". Not as strong as an IGP or AOC (which I insist are NOT a protection, but a guarantee of quality, slightly different...), but a pakistanese copy can no more be sold under the Laguiole name. Same applies to the cheese (much less copied, I agree).
https://france3-regions.franceinfo....que-pour-ce-couteau-emblematique-3047218.html

Just my 10cts, should I have to choose a Lag, I'd go to P.Y. Joyeux.

Pronounciation... same as "good size" for a girl. Any is good as long as both feet hit the ground... 😊
 
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