Photo by the forge
Laguiole Claude Dozorme: the forge and its knives
The forge introduces itself: its workshop, its signature and its knives
A portrait of the forge
The forge was founded in 1902 by Blaise Dozorme at La Monnerie near Thiers. His nickname, the wolf, later became the mark of the manufactory. His son Valentin took over in 1934, and in the 1970s Claude carried the workshop forward and launched the first Laguiole table blade in the early 1980s. In 1991 Claudine Dozorme joined and reorganised sales, marketing and product development; in 2013 she was named personality of the year in the Auvergne. At the end of 2020 she handed the business to Didier Perret. Four generations and more than 120 years are therefore present in every knife.
Production still takes place in the firm's own manufactory near Thiers, with around 18 staff and more than 45 operations per knife. Laser cutting and numerically controlled grinding sit alongside movements of the hand that have not changed for centuries. Roughly ten tonnes of steel are worked each year, stainless as well as damascus. The forge carries the state label Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant and belongs to the Confrérie du Couteau de Thiers and to Esprit de Thiers.
The range is as varied as French knife making itself and covers the Thiers, Laguiole, Capucin, Basque and Corse patterns. Two of the firm's own developments stand out: the Drop9 system, in which a ball set in the handle allows one handed opening, and the Verrou system, which locks the blade in the open position. Kitchen and steak knives, wine accessories and champagne sabres complete the picture.
Inside the workshop
5These pictures were provided by the forge itself.
A finished knife at the large wheel. At the end each piece gets its final shine by hand, not in a tumbler.
Photo by the forge
The handle at the belt grinder. The fingers lie close to the belt: there is no other way to feel how much is being taken off.
Photo by the forge
Wet grinding on the stone wheel. The water keeps the steel cool, for a blade ground too hot loses its hardness.
Photo by the forgeNew and remarkable
15What the forge shows us: new models, special editions, arrangements from their own workshop.
Where the knives are made
Laguiole Claude Dozorme
Everything about this forge, its history and its signature is on our page about the forge.
Have your Laguiole Claude Dozorme knife examined
You already own a knife from this forge? We can examine it and issue an A.I.P.C.L. certificate of authenticity - no matter where you bought it.
You own a knife by Laguiole Claude Dozorme? Then you can have it entered into the A.I.P.C.L. We check that it is genuine, and your knife receives its own number, its own page and its certificate - a proof that stays with it, even when it changes hands.
What we look at on a knife by Laguiole Claude Dozorme
Every forge has its signature. With Laguiole Claude Dozorme it is the combination of modern technique and traditional work that has marked this family firm since 1902. That is exactly what allows a knife to be identified, and it is what we examine in your photographs. If a question remains, we go to the forge itself.
How it works
You register your knife. Right here on aipcl.com, with no sign-up beforehand: name the forge and upload the photographs - open and closed, the bee, the spine, the blade with the forge mark, and if available the receipt or packaging. Then you pay the examination fee; we create your customer account along the way.
We examine it. We compare your knife with what we know from 30 years of trading with French forges, and when in doubt we ask the forge itself.
You get the result. If your knife is genuine it receives its own number, its page on aipcl.com and the certificate as a PDF. If it is not, we tell you that too.
What it costs
10.00 eurosor 15 CARMOS points from original-laguiole.de - what those are is explained there.
Examining and registering one knife costs 10.00 euros.
If the examination shows that your knife does not come from a French forge, we refund the amount, of course. You pay only for a certificate you actually receive.
You order and pay here on aipcl.com, by PayPal or by bank transfer in advance. With the payment you buy the examination, not the certificate; whether we issue it depends on the result of examining your photographs.
Order the examination (10.00 euros)