Maurder Desert Ironwood

Lightfoot, Greg

"I started out in 1988 thinking I could make a better knife than the ones I was buying, and I've been a full-time knife maker ever since. I was a Machinist in my former job, and I knew how to work with steel. Rod Olson was an early mentor and showed me the ropes of tactical folder engineering. Tony Marfione taught me how to do a hollow grind in 1999, and in 2000 his L-CC went gold at the Atlanta Blade Show. Another early design influence came from Joel Pirela; I thought he made a sweet knife and a number of his designs inspired my own. I met Jared Van Otterloo in 2014, and his energy and passion for knives and social media gave me new ideas. I loved his folder design ideas, and he had the ability to support and enhance my own designs and make them better."