Steady Β· a knife that disappears into the everyday
Issue NΒΊ01 Β· May 2026
HomebodyPlus Β· The Everyday Issue
Issue NΒΊ01 Β· May 2026 Β· HomebodyPlus Pre-launch Β· Q3 2026

Steady.

A knife that disappears into the everyday.

Coming to Kickstarter Β· Q3 2026

The chef knife we wanted to come home to.

  • β€” Drawn from a single piece
  • β€” Japanese steel, titanium-finished
  • β€” Boring in the best way
  • 01 / 18
β„– 01 / 18 Β· Steady Β· The Everyday Issue Β· Boring Β· in Β· the Β· best Β· way.
01 / 18
02 Β· Three Pillars
Material Β· Process Β· Design
Three pillars Β· one tool

Three things hold Steady together.

Material, process, design. Three decisions made once, so the knife asks nothing of you after.

Pillar 01 / 03 Β· Material

Japanese steel, titanium-finished.

A core of Japanese AUS-10 β€” the steel home cooks reach for when they want a keen edge β€” shielded in a titanium nitride finish tuned for the counter, not the cabinet.

Pillar 02 / 03 Β· Process

Drawn from a single piece.

One gesture, one material, one object. Blade, bolster, and handle are pressed and ground from a single billet β€” no pins, no seams, nothing to trap what you cooked last night.

Pillar 03 / 03 Β· Design

Boring in the best way.

A matte silver silhouette that vanishes on a walnut board. No logo on the blade. No decorative flourish. A tool that lets the ingredient speak β€” boring in the best way.

02 / 18
03 Β· Origin
the third question
Steady on walnut Β· thyme Β· lemon Β· linen Β· photographed by Mia, 2026

Two questions had answers. The third didn't.

How strong?

The first question was strength. The great workshops answered it β€” a knife built to outlast the cook.

How sharp?

The second was sharpness. The Japanese smiths answered it β€” steel taken thin, an edge that falls through a tomato's skin without pressing.

9pm

We didn't set out to win either argument. Two of us and a cat, a notebook, a counter. We asked the question nobody had built a knife around: what happens at 9pm, after the meal, at the sink?

So we chose the sharper steel β€” Japanese β€” for the edge. We shielded it in titanium, so pulp slides off and flavour stays where you put it. We drew it from a single piece, so there's no seam to hold what you cooked. No pattern. No logo.

Germany asked how strong. Japan asked how sharp. We asked what happens at 9pm.

03 / 18
04 Β· Designer's Desk
Photo Β· sketch & brass caliper
Designer's desk Β· sketch Β· 15Β° edge angle Β· brass calipers Β· photographed by Mia, 2026
03Drawn from a single pieceone gesture, one material, one object
04 / 18
05 Β· Lemon Test
Acid Β· pigment Β· tannin
Lemon test in real time Β· halved lemon and brushed titanium blade on walnut, juice beading without staining
Acid Β· pigment Β· tannin Β· the kitchen test Β· photographed by Mia, 2026

The lemon test, in real time.

T = 10 min Β· ambient Β· wipe only

Before the spec sheets and the cross-references, there is a kitchen test you can run with two lemons and ten minutes.

Test method Β· lemon, tomato, wine

Three ingredients selected for acid (citric), pigment (lycopene), and tannin (polyphenol). Cut in half, applied to a cleaned blade, observed at minute one and minute ten. Wipe with linen between observations.

Reference Β· bare steel

Untreated edge Β· 90 seconds

LemonCitric acid etches a dull haze across the edge within 90 seconds.Oxidises
TomatoPulp leaves a warm gray film that transfers to the next slice.Film transfer
WineTannin marks the blade; marks linger unless dried immediately.Tannin mark
HomebodyPlus Β· PVD Titanium Nitride shield

Steady, titanium-finished Β· Brushed shield Β· 10 minutes

LemonThe titanium shield is non-reactive; the blade looks identical at minute ten.No reaction
TomatoPulp slides off. No film, no flavour carry between ingredients.Wipe clean
WineTannin beads on the brushed finish and rinses away under warm water.Rinses off
05 / 18
Titanium scrim Β· matte silver close-up
06 Β· Pull-quote

"The core is steel; the shield is titanium."

HomebodyPlus Β· titanium-coated chef knife
06 / 18
07 Β· Why Titanium
Cross-reference

Titanium nitride is not a kitchen experiment.

The same surface chemistry that protects turbine blades, milling cutters, and food-line conveyors sits on the Steady edge β€” re-tuned for the weight of a home cook's hand.

01 Β· Aerospace

Turbine blade surfaces.

PVD Titanium Nitride is the industry finish for jet-engine compressor blades β€” chosen for its hardness and its indifference to salt, acid, and fuel residue.

Spec Β· PVD titanium nitride
02 Β· Precision cutting

Milling & broaching tools.

Carbide endmills run four to six times longer in steel and titanium stock when TiN-coated. The same hardness keeps a kitchen edge from rolling on a walnut board.

Spec Β· 4–6Γ— tool life vs. bare carbide
03 Β· Food processing

Commercial food lines.

Conveyor pins, slicer shafts, and portioning blades on industrial meat and produce lines use TiN for non-reactivity β€” nothing leaches into the food stream.

Spec Β· NSF / 3-A sanitary standard
04 Β· HomebodyPlus Β· Steady

The Steady chef knife.

Japanese steel takes a keen edge. Left bare, it also takes on the kitchen β€” acid, pulp, the slow dullness of a hundred washes. So we shield the faces. The blade is loaded into a vapour chamber at 400 Β°C; titanium and nitrogen bond to the steel as a hard, matte-silver surface β€” the same family of finish that protects cutting tools and engine parts, not a film that flakes off. The edge stays steel, where the work happens. Everything the edge can't do, the shield does.

Spec Β· PVD titanium nitride Β· matte silver Β· on the faces
07 / 18
09 Β· Food Chemistry
T = 10 min Β· ambient Β· wipe only
Food chemistry Β· ripe tomato on walnut Β· photographed by Mia, 2026

The difference shows up in the ingredients.

Bare steelSteady Β· titanium-finished
Tomato Acidic pulp clings to the bevel; a faint gray film transfers to the next slice.
Film transfer
Pulp slides off the brushed shield. Flavour stays where you put it.
Wipe clean
Apple Fructose + iron bond to produce a metallic aftertaste on the cut face.
Metallic note
Apple tastes like apple. No transfer, no carry into the next prep.
Neutral
Garlic Sulphur compounds etch a persistent haze along the edge.
Haze Β· scent carry
Sulphur wipes off under warm water. No scent carry into fruit or herb prep.
Rinses off
08 / 18
10 Β· Philosophy
On the silver monolith
Material honesty Β· brushed titanium nitride Β· macro Β· photographed by Mia, 2026

Material Honesty.

There is no decorative inlay, no rivet, no logo stamped on the face. The blade, the bolster, and the handle were never separate pieces β€” they are one billet of Japanese steel, pressed and ground, then shielded. What's left is a matte silver object that does its job and sits quietly on the board, the way good tools age β€” slowly, and without commentary.

On the shelf beside it
  • Dieter RamsTen principles for good design1976
  • ApartamentoInteriors magazineMilan
  • KinfolkIssue 47, The Slow HomeCopenhagen
  • Donald Judduntitled (stack)1967
09 / 18
Sink ritual Β· rinse Β· wipe clean Β· stow Β· ten seconds
Hands Β· linen Β· farmhouse sink Β· photographed by Mia, 2026
11 Β· The Ten Seconds
08 Β· Ten Seconds

The ten seconds between done and tomorrow.

Rinse under warm water. Wipe clean with a linen towel. Stow, spine up, on the magnet rail.

The titanium shield means there is no special ritual β€” no oiling, no drying schedule. Steady asks ten seconds a day. That's the only rule.

08The Ten Secondsbetween done and tomorrow
10 / 18
12 Β· Ritual Flow
T = 00:10 Β· total

Four Steps. Ten Seconds. Every Day.

Every Steady knife asks the same ten seconds, every night. Rinse, dry, stow, ready. The titanium shield does the rest.

Step 01 Β· 00:00 β†’ 00:03
Rinse.

Warm water over the brushed shield. No soap required for most ingredients.

Step 02 Β· 00:03 β†’ 00:06
Dry.

One pass with a linen cloth. The titanium finish releases moisture in a single wipe.

Step 03 Β· 00:06 β†’ 00:09
Stow.

Spine up on the magnet rail β€” edge protected, handle visible, ready.

Step 04 Β· 00:09 β†’ 00:10
Ready.

Tomorrow morning, Steady is exactly where you left it. Wipe clean once more, go.

11 / 18
13 Β· Blade Profile
Bread Β· Chef Β· Santoku Β· Paring
Spec Β· blade profile Β· 15Β° edge Β· seamless one-piece Β· 380 g
Editorial blade profile Β· Steady chef knife on walnut Β· photographed by Mia, 2026
10Bread Β· Chef Β· Santoku Β· Paringone design language, four blades
12 / 18
14 Β· One Family Β· Four Blades
One design language

One Family. Four Blades.

Bread Β· Chef Β· Santoku Β· Paring

Four blades, one design language. Same Japanese AUS-10 core. Same brushed titanium shield. Same matte silver silhouette that disappears on a walnut board.

Four-blade lineup Β· walnut end-grain Β· bread Β· chef Β· santoku Β· paring, the full family
11One Family Β· Four Bladeswalnut end-grain, morning light
Steady bread knife Β· 9 inch Β· matte silver, one piece
Bread Β· 9" Β· 368 g
Bread.

Serrated edge for crusty loaves and ripe stone fruit.

serrated Β· AUS-10 Β· titanium shield
Steady chef knife Β· 8 inch Β· matte silver, one piece
Chef Β· 8" Β· 380 g
Chef.

The everyday blade. Tomato, onion, rosemary, repeat.

15Β° Β· AUS-10 Β· titanium shield
Steady santoku Β· 7 inch Β· matte silver, one piece
Santoku Β· 7" Β· 377 g
Santoku.

Flat profile for push cuts; balanced for softer produce.

14Β° Β· AUS-10 Β· titanium shield
Steady paring knife Β· 3.5 inch Β· matte silver, one piece
Paring Β· 3.5" Β· 110 g
Paring.

Small work. Garlic, shallot, citrus supreme.

15Β° Β· AUS-10 Β· titanium shield
13 / 18
15 Β· Timeline
Kickstarter Q3 2026 β†’ first boxes 2027

After the Kickstarter closes, here is what happens.

Kickstarter Q3 2026 Β· first boxes 2027

First boxes ship in 2027. A new core steel β€” Japanese AUS-10 β€” means new tooling, and new tooling means test pieces we'll reject before any knife ships. The campaign runs Q3 2026; production starts once those test pieces pass, and the first walnut boxes leave in 2027. We'd rather ship right than ship fast.

Campaign Β· Q3 2026
Q3 2026
Tooling & test pieces Β· post-campaign
test pieces we'll reject
Production run Β· tested lot by lot
lot by lot
Sea freight Β· regional fulfilment hubs
regional hubs
First boxes Β· 2027
2027

Friday letters every week β€” even the slow ones β€” until the last box ships.

14 / 18
16 Β· Risk Matrix
Risk Β· Mitigation Β· Commitment

The risks we see, and what we will do about them.

HomebodyPlus has shipped small-batch hardware before. Here is where this project can go sideways, and the commitment we are making in advance.

01 Β· Manufacturing
Yield
RiskPVD Titanium Nitride runs can fail QC at 3–6% of batch.
MitigationTwo independent PVD lines booked. A third batch is held in reserve for replacements.
CommitmentIf Steady ships late, every backer gets a sharpening stone on the house.
02 Β· Logistics
Freight & customs
RiskA single ocean booking covers our partner's line β†’ LA β†’ three major fulfilment hubs.
MitigationAir-freight option priced in the budget for the last 8%.
CommitmentWeekly shipping notes. No radio silence.
03 Β· Communication
Updates
RiskMost Kickstarter disappointments are not product problems; they are silence.
MitigationA short letter every Friday β€” photo, status, one honest sentence about what's hard.
CommitmentOne Friday letter, every Friday, until the last box ships.
04 Β· Refunds
Change of mind
RiskA kitchen tool is personal; not every backer will want Steady once it's in hand.
Mitigation30-day no-questions return, shipping covered. Returned knives are donated to local cooking schools.
CommitmentFull refund within 10 business days of return receipt.
15 / 18
Ethan, Mia, and Jimbo at the kitchen counter Β· sketched by Mia, 2026
13Ethan, Mia, and Jimbothe kitchen we build for
S13 Β· About HomebodyPlus

Two of Us. One Cat.
A Small Kitchen.

Ethan and Mia met at the crossroads of numbers and narrative β€” days that ran fast, dinners that ran slow. Jimbo supervises everything from the counter.

We sketched Steady on a notebook at this same counter β€” sixteen iterations, every clever flourish thrown out β€” until what stayed was simply what works at 9pm on a Tuesday.

We built the knife we wanted to come home to.

16 / 18

That's the kitchen we build for β€”

Boring in the best way.

Steady comes to Kickstarter in Q3 2026; first boxes ship in 2027. The core is steel; the shield is titanium. The rest is your dinner.

$30 holds one of the first 300 knives and locks your Early Bird price β€” $99 all-in. We email the $69 balance before the first batch ships.

The first 300 lock $99. After that, Early Bird closes.

Not ready to reserve? Get the launch invite →

One email when the campaign opens β€” Super Early Bird gets 48-hour priority at $99, capped at 300.

19 / 19 Β· End of issue
17 / 18
Reserve your Steady The first 300 lock $99 · 300 left