The innovative curved blade cleanly slices through hard crusts****FOUR STAR is the top-selling knife series of ZWILLING J.A. Henckels worldwide. Honed and hand-finished by the most skilled artisans, this celebrated collection is the model of safety, ergonomics and comfort.The ****FOUR STAR 9" Country Bread Knife handily slices bread with ease. Its innovative blade curves upward for effortless, clean cutting through hard crusts while being gentle on the breads soft interior. With the improved Z15.1 Serration, the knife stays sharp and cuts effortlessly through bread or any food with a hard crust or skin and soft interior.Precision-forged from a single piece of special formula steel, the blade is exceptionally sturdy and balanced. Thanks to ZWILLING's signature ice-hardening technique, the blade is harder, sharper, it will NOT STAIN or chip and it retains their sharpness longer.Featuring a seamless transition from bolster to handle, this bread knife is comfortable to use for long periods of time. Its bolster provides the right balance and acts as a safe finger guard so you can cut with confidence. Manufactured in Germany Special formula high carbon NO STAIN steel SIGMAFORGE knife is forged from a single piece of solid steel Ice-hardened FRIODUR blade starts sharper, stays sharper longer, and has superior resilience Serrated blade is curved upwards for effortless cutting Ergonomic polypropylene handles permanently bonded for seamless accuracy and gaps 57 Rockwell Hardness = excellent edge retention