Damascus and Ironwood Balisong #24

Ralph, Darrel

In 1987 Darrel began making knives and the knife industry was forever changed for the better. His designs are not only artistry in motion but imagination come to life for those of us in love with cutting edge weapons. The first knife he ever made was a Butterfly patterned flipper. His first knife sale was five years later in 1992 at a knife show in Cincinnati. It would become the catalyst for over two decades of designs that would set the knife world on fire and raise the stakes for other custom knife makers. In a sense he turned up the pressure and lit a couple of fires in the tactical folder industry. His knives soon garnered the attention of the U.S. Government resulting in a contract to make switchblades for the military. Darrel passed away in 2021.