Victorinox, makers of the Original Swiss Army Knife, has been crafting fine cutlery since the later 1800"s. Oysters knives are unique in the world of cutlery. To shuck an oyster a chef is presented with the task of "splitting a rock" first then proceeding to properly process the most tender of meats hidden within. In this endeavor no standard knife will do. The Victorinox New Haven Oyster Knife is an ideal design particularly when perfect oysters on the half shell are desired. The forward bulge in the handle serves as a stabilizing thumb rest while the more narrow body behind it enhances a good grip for the rest of the fingers. The rear of the handle is bulged again for good support in the base of the palm. The fairly short, carbon steel blade has rather dull edges, the underside is gently convex and the top side is flat. The blade is fairly wide and does not narrow much for about three-fourths of the way towards the top. In about the last fourth of the blade it narrows to a sharp point and the lower convex blade side starts to elegantly taper to the blade point from both sides. Unlike other oyster knife designs, the tip ends up sitting high in the place of the blade. This presents two advantages to an oyster lover. First, the tip design allows excellent leverage, second, the tip tends to travel high inside the oyster above and away from the tender meat. The New Haven Oyster Knife is the best choice for opening any small and medium sized oysters for half shell consumption.