The knives in the Alpha series are perfect for professional and amateur chefs, because they meet the requirements of the guidelines for knives for use in the catering trade. Thanks to the finely polished handle made of robust and easy-care Hostaform, they are even dishwasher safe.
The Alpha series offers the largest variety of models of all the GÜDE series. Professional and amateur chefs alike will find their favourite knife to suit their taste.

Alpha Brochure

Material

The blade material of knives has to meet a wide range of requirements, some of which are contradictory. It is therefore important to achieve an optimum between the different requirements. A knife steel should be hard, but not too hard, otherwise it would break. But it should also not be too soft, otherwise the knife would become blunt too quickly through wear. That is why the knives in the Alpha series from GÜDE are made of a chrome-molybdenum-vanadium knife steel that has an optimum hardness of approx. 57-58 HRc (Rockwell).

The hardness of the knife steel of the series Alpha of 57-58 HRc is optimal for the different requirements that a good knife must fulfil.
Thanks to this hardness, the blade of the Alpha series knives is torsion-resistant and thus guarantees a more precise guidance of the knife and thus a more precise cut. But even a hard steel, such as GÜDE knife steel, can be very flexible when ground very thin. A flexible blade like that of the Alpha fillet knife is particularly suitable for filleting fish by moving the blade back and forth between the skin and the fillet with a slight bend.

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Production

Knives in the Alpha series are drop-forged from one piece of steel. Drop forging ensures high material strength even under dynamic stresses. During drop forging, the entire forging blank is heated and deformed. In up to 55 additional steps, the forged blank is transformed into a unique handmade knife from the knife manufactory GÜDE.

After the knives have been roughly ground, calibrated and cleaned, the so-called ice hardening follows: The knives are cooled to -80 °C to improve the microstructure in the blade steel. In the next step, the knives are tempered in two stages, i.e. heated again to make them break-proof.

The blade is then pre-ground, followed by pre-grinding of the back of the knife. This is followed by fine grinding of the back of the knife and point grinding of the bolster. The insides of the handle are now pre-ground. Pre-grinding of the bolsters is carried out in 5 steps. This is followed by the fine grinding of the blade. This is also called
"pliesten". The serrated edge is now applied to bread knives and the bolster is applied to paring knives. Tomato, cheese and steak knives receive their serrations The handle scales are now adapted to the knife handle. The holes for the rivets are then drilled. A countersink must be made in the holes for the rivet heads. The handle and blade are now connected with rivets. The handle scales are roughly sanded on the tang and bolster in about five passes. These five passes must be repeated with a finer grinding belt. Now the back of the knife is given its finest finish. The front bolster is then finely ground and the knife handles are pre-polished. The middle decorative rivet is then fitted and the handles are finely polished. The knife edge, also known as the bevel, is then ground (honed) and the trigger is polished. In the next step, the GÜDE logo is etched onto the blade. The knives are then cleaned and the quality checked. The knives are then placed in a sheath for protection. Finally, the mailing bags are fitted with rivets and appropriate stickers. The finished knives are now sent to the warehouse for dispatch.

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Form

In drop forging, the design language is free from the tip of the blade to the end of the handle. A design language like that of Alpha is only possible in the drop-forging process. That is why GÜDE has remained true to this proven technology since 1910, now in its fourth generation. An unmistakable feature of many series from GÜDE is the so-called double bolster. A bolster is the thickening of the blade steel. The (front) bolster between the handle and the blade serves both as finger protection and balance weight.
The second bolster at the end of the handle gives the knives a better balance. This guarantees the user pleasant and fatigue-free work.

The tang is the part of the steel to which the handle of a knife is attached. If the tang goes from the blade to the end of the handle, it is called a full tang. The knives in the Alpha series from GÜDE all have a full tang, as this provides a better balance of the weight. Since the full tang is completely visible from above and below over the entire length of the handle, it virtually proves that the knives in the Alpha series are forged from one piece. No seam, no material transition - simply drop-forged from one piece.

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Function

A good knife must be sharp, stay sharp, fit well in the hand and be balanced so that fatigue-free and safe work is guaranteed at all times.
The hardness of the GÜDE blade steel with approx. 57-58 HRc (Rockwell) and the GÜDE bevel angle of approx. 33 degrees ensure optimum sharpness and edge retention of the Alpha series. The shape of the handle, the full tang and the double bolster typical of GÜDE guarantee perfect handling and balance of the knives in the Alpha series.

In terms of sharpness and edge retention, the wading angle is of particular importance, as cutting is "physically" the driving of a wedge through a material to be cut. The sharper the angle of the wedge, i.e. the bevel angle, the better. Wate is the knifemakers' term for the cutting edge, i.e. the sharply ground part of a knife. An acute bevel angle makes a knife sharper than a blunt bevel angle. However, if the bevel angle is too acute, the edge can break. This is why the knives in the Alpha series from GÜDE have an optimum bevel angle of approx. 33 degrees. This angle guarantees sharpness and stability at the same time. With its hardness of approx. 57-58 HRc (Rockwell), the chrome-molybdenum-vanadium knife steel in the Alpha series ensures that the sharpness lasts for a long time. The prerequisite is cutting on a suitable cutting surface, e.g. made of wood or plastic.

The proverbial balance of the knives in the Alpha series is achieved thanks to the double bolster in combination with the full tang, which creates a counterweight to the blade in the handle area. For the user, this means perfect balance and fatigue-free work. A secure grip is guaranteed at all times. This is because the front and rear bolsters enclose the hand and thus protect against unintentional slipping, even when greater force is applied. The knives in the Alpha series deliver what both professional chefs and ambitious amateur cooks expect from a perfect knife. And thanks to the Hostaform handle, they are also dishwasher-safe for cleaning. Made by hand, drop-forged from a single piece, with the experience of centuries of Solingen knife-making.

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Our knife series

We value individuality - especially in the development and optimisation of our knife series. This is reflected in every single blade that leaves our manufactory, in the selection of particularly beautiful and tactile handle materials and a unique ergonomic design that fluently enables and celebrates fast, precise work.

Synchros

Alpha

Damascus steel knife

Kappa

Delta

Karl Güde

Franz Güde

Caminada

Discover knife icons

THE KNIFE.

Our THE KNIFE. lives up to its name: this all-rounder was conceived, developed and forged by us with a particular focus on perfect ergonomics. Its special shape and balance ensure an automatic over-grip of the hand, which encloses the blade when cutting and thus finds a quasi natural extension in THE KNIFE.

Güde Bread knife

Developed in 1941 by the heir to the manufactory Franz Güde , the special "GÜDE serrated edge" of our bread knives today delights bakers and bread lovers all over the world. The pointed teeth of the unyielding, sharply ground chrome-vanadium-molybdenum steel ensure that breads, baguettes and rolls can be sliced instead of squashed, but also cabbages, melons and crispy crusted roasts can be cut more easily than ever. Unadorned, beautiful handles made of different high-quality materials do the rest for this knife legend of ours.

Utility knife

Our compact all-round talent is handy and effective - not only when it comes to precise work with smaller items. Its fine serration and double-sided hollow grinding make our universal knife the ideal companion for peeling, cutting and slicing vegetables, meat, fruit and co.