Just found a very informative article about the various types of oysters knives used traditionally, and now, and their variations. The journeyman below is a American design called a
Boston ("Bostons feature long, moderately narrow stainless or high carbon steel blades with long oval-round or pear shaped wooden or synthetic handles"). A longer blade would make it a
Boston stabber, Cape Cod or
Cape Cod stabber. Love this sort of stuff... Excerpt below, or just go read the 5,000 word article
here.
Any chef or meat-cutter gracious enough to loan out his or her fine cutlery is doing somebody a real big favor, as merely dropping a fine knife on the floor accidentally may ruin it forever. Telling someone to please not drop one's oyster knife is more likely to be interpreted as kind concern for another's foot rather than the survival of the oyster knife.
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Hence, a good knife-maker can't bank on all that much repeat business with his oyster knives, at least not in terms of replacement. A new oyster knife of high quality that is priced under US$ 20 is always a bargain - the price of merely one dozen oysters on the half shell ordered at a nice restaurant. The only way to beat that bargain price down even more and still end up with a quality oyster knife is to buy a good used one.
-via oysters.us
