When I first came out with the Pripåra knives, I loved the classic look.
That redwood Japanese-style handle had that clean, traditional feel. It looked beautiful. It felt different. It gave the knife that classic Japanese kitchen look that a lot of people appreciate.
And trust me, I still love that style.
But over time, I started paying closer attention to who was really using these blades.
A lot of my customers are not just buying knives to look pretty on the counter. They are working in restaurants. They are prepping food every day. They are cutting, slicing, chopping, trimming, and moving nonstop for hours.
Some are chefs. Some are cooks. Some are home cooks feeding big families. Some are getting ready for fiestas, BBQs, catering, parties, and big island gatherings where the food prep does not stop.
That made me look at the Pripåra Series a little differently.
Pripåra means “to prepare.”
So if I’m going to put that name on a blade, the knife has to live up to it.
It has to be more than beautiful.
It has to be a workhorse.
That is why I decided to upgrade this version of the Pripåra Series with black G10 handles.
G10 is a strong fiberglass-resin material that is built for hard use. It is tough, stable, moisture-resistant, and made to handle the kind of environment knives are really used in.
And let’s be real — kitchens are not dry, gentle places.
There is water. There is steam. There is oil. There is fish, meat, vegetables, citrus, sauces, sinks, towels, cutting boards, and long hours of prep.
A knife handle in that environment needs to be reliable.
That is where G10 makes a lot of sense.
It gives the knife a more robust feel. It handles moisture better. It gives you confidence when you are using the blade over and over again. For a knife that is meant to prepare food every single day, that matters.
Another thing I had to consider was the style of these Japanese-inspired knives.
A lot of these handles are designed with a partial tang setup, which is common in this style of knife. With the new black G10 handle being formed as one strong, solid piece around that construction, it gives the knife a tougher, more workhorse feel while still keeping that clean Japanese-style Bunka profile.
To me, that is the balance I was looking for.
I did not want to take away the soul of the Pripåra Series.
I wanted to make it more ready.
More durable.
More built for the people who are really putting these blades to work.
The 8.5" Chef Knife is for your big prep work — slicing, dicing, chopping, carving, and breaking down ingredients.
The 6" Bunka gives you that compact control for quick prep, vegetables, meat, garlic, herbs, and everyday kitchen work.
The 4" Paring Knife handles the detail work — peeling, trimming, coring, garnishes, fruit, vegetables, and all the small jobs where control matters.
Together, they cover a lot of ground in the kitchen.
And now with the black G10 handles, the Pripåra Series feels even more ready for the people who cook hard and prep often.
From fine dining kitchens to home kitchens…
From restaurant prep tables to fiesta prep at the house…
This version was built for use.
Of course, I still wanted to keep the cultural identity of the blades. The Åchugao pattern is inspired by ancient Chamorro pottery designs found in the Marianas. That part is important to me because I do not want these knives to just be tools. I want them to carry a story.
Our islands have always had makers. Builders. Carvers. Fishermen. Farmers. Cooks. Families preparing food for the people they love.
So when I put that Åchugao design on a blade, it is my way of carrying that history forward.
It is culture on steel.
But now, with the black G10 handle, it is culture on steel that is ready to work.
I think everyone is going to like this version of the Pripåra Series.
It still has the look.
It still has the story.
It still has that shinarp edge.
But now it has that extra toughness that makes it feel worthy of the name Pripåra.
Because this series was made to prepare.