Some manufacturers use terms or place stickers that say "Acier Forge" (forged metal) while referring to their knives. The catch is that most of them refer to some parts of the knife, usually the bolsters but place the "forged" sticker on the blade. They use the word "forged" in a general term and do not try to be specific as to let you know that the blade (the most important part of a knife) is not forged but made from stamped sheet metal - usually stainless steel (12c27 if it is a high-end manufacturer). With this say, stamped blades made from high quality stainless steel are perfectly suited to manufacture blades. However, one needs to know that forge blades are far better and cost more to manufacture. Note that Forge de Laguiole is the only Laguiole manufacturer in France that forge all pocket knife blades "in house", They own and operate the forge: thus, the name "Forge de Laguiole". If you happen to drive in the south-west of France on a Thursday stop by the forge and see for your self. Why Thursday? FDL forges blades one day a week, on Thursdays. Of course you can stop any day of the week for a free guided visit but forging day is the best.