The kitchen knife is getting a makeover with a new design featuring a circular grip for improved ergonomics and versatility. Called Bolo, the designers tweaked the traditional knife design to change the movement of the blade and the way the user interacts with it.
Bolo's creator, chef Randall Cornfield, says the angle of the blade and the grip on the handle in traditional knives put too much stress on the wrist and hand. With the Bolo, the user applies the force of their hand above the blade, this way avoiding unnatural movements with hand and wrist. The placement of the grip around a circular blade is also claimed to enable more precise cutting.
The rolling knife can double as a chopper by holding its blade brake. It also includes an optional pastry blade to cut through dough more easily, and a tenderizer blade for meat. The Bolo knife is dishwasher safe, and the blade can be removed by opening the bolt for a thorough clean.
Bolo is currently fundraising on Kickstarter. The early bird funding options start at CAD 14 (about US$10) for a Bolo knife and a green handle that is available only during the campaign. Delivery is estimated for March 2016 if all goes to plan.
The video below features the Bolo team talking about their design.
Sources: Bolo, Kickstarter
Have you ever tried cutting anything other than pizza with those round wheeled pizza cutters?
Cleaning and storage too much trouble, parts to break, & how are you suppose to sharpen this???????.............never mind there is a reason knives were created 2.5 million years ago......they work, why try to re-invent the wheel?
I'm Bev - the Campaign Director for bolo: The Rolling Knife. I came across your discussion and wanted to jump in.
bolo will stay sharp longer than a regular knife because: 1) the blade is always rolling and not cutting on the same location all the time, 2) you need much less force to cut food so there is much less wear on the edge and 3) it is made of a high grade steel that has a hardness factor of Rc-59 on the Rockwell test, keeping the blade sharp longer. That said, you can take bolo to any professional knife sharpener, send to us or do it yourself. We will gladly sharpen your bolo for free.
Cleaning bolo is also easy because the blade comes right out of bolo and the casing goes in to the dishwasher.
As for the safety of this product...it is a knife! Accidents can happen with any sharp objects if not careful. Using bolo is no more dangerous that other knives and sharp tools you use.
Lastly, bolo is exceptionally good at dicing and mincing all sorts of vegetables, herbs, meats and other common foods....not just pizza!! We have more than a dozen videos demonstrating how effective bolo is on our YouTube channel....please check it out!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHXvYWfUAKDpYGvmVO7TMFg
All the best!