We originally started making knives by machining the blade bevel, rather than grinding it (grinding is how most knives are made). This original finish, in which we polish the milled bevel but leave the machining lines is what we call our CNC finish. We are in a gradual transition to ground bevels on all our blades. The ground blades will for the most part replace the original finish as they are introduced. The first ground blade is on the Skaha knife and for it we are doing a polished stonewash finish, though other finish variations may become available. More details in the descriptions below.
CNC Finish
This is our original finish. The knife bevel is milled as a series of shallow steps (from 0.001 to 0.003 inches each depending on the model). We then polish the bevel with various grits before and after heat treat, ending up with a bright reflective sheen. The CNC lines remain visible, adding a unique texture to the blade.
We have not been able to measure any difference in slicing performance between our CNC  finish and a typical ground knife finish. However, some customers have reported better food release with the CNC finish on the wider blades (Sitka and Alder) especially when cutting hard and wet items (eg potatoes).
Polished Stonewash
This finish is currently available on our Skaha folder, and the Sitka santoku, the Alder chefs, and the Kermode 9" fillet. The blade bevel is ground, and then tumbled in ceramic media to remove grinding scratches and further tumbled to create a smoother and more reflective finish.