AD20I Slim Nitro-X7 Shark Foot

A Collaboration of Knifemaking Strengths

The AD20I Slim Nitro-X7 Shark Foot project is a collaborative effort between Demko Knives in Pennsylvania, USA and Demko's partners in Maniago, Italy. We believe that each of the world's historic knifemaking regions and their craftspeople offer uniquely valuable techniques and insights, giving the AD20I additional touches of character while highlighting the traditions of different knifemaking cultures.

Blades from Italy

The "I" in AD20I stands for "International", signifying the collaborative effort across continents that makes this model possible. Partners were chosen from Maniago, Italy because of the city's centuries-old knifemaking heritage. Due to Italy's specific geography and market placement, it is also able to access some unique steels that are hard to obtain in the United States. Demko Knives chose to explore this opportunity with a new stainless steel called Nitro-X7 from German manufacturer, Buderus Edelstahlwerke, which prioritizes the benefits of Nitro-V and Nitro-B steels into a new recipe designed to compete with the newest stainless super-steels of the knife world.

Knives from Pennsylvania

Demko's Maniago partners executes the blade grinding for this new steel. This allows the AD20I project to showcase the beauty and difference in technique of expert Italian knifemakers. Once the blades are ground, they are sent to the Demko Knives headquarters in New Castle, PA, where the USA-made chassis and lock is combined and assembled with the blades into a final knife. All assembly and testing is performed in Pennsylvania.