Patch Lot

Cope, Ed

Ed Cope is a custom knife maker from Hawaii who learned to make knives from legendary craftsman Tom Mayo. Ed's style closely mimics his mentor's, as does his fit and finish, which is precisely what makes his knives so appealing.

Wilkins, Kevin

"My name is Kevin Wilkins and I’ve been making knives in Berlin, Germany for over 20 years. Originally from Dallas, I moved to Germany in 1990. Since 2002 my primary occupation has been the design and production of knives."

Elishewitz, Allen

"I was born in Texas where I have lived most of my life, but I also lived in Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand. I have been interested in knives ever since I was very young. I have been practicing different martial arts over the past 30 years like Okinawan Te, Thai Boxing, Northern Shaolin and Kali. These trainings, along with my experiences as a Recon Marine, gave me the perfect background to design both defense and utility knives. During the time I spent at 4th Recon C Company, I was a Team Leader in charge of a Deep Recon Platoon. I am trained in Artillery Call for Fire, Naval Call for Fire, SOTG, Amphibious Recon and many in-company trainings. I have a Bachelor Degree in Criminal Justice and an Associate Degree in Fine Arts. I started making knives part time while I was in College and decided to become a full-time knifemaker after graduating. I have been making knives since 1988, constantly researching, refining and developing this craft. I am a member of the American Knifemakers Guild since 1994. At that time I was the youngest Guild Member. My work has been awarded several prizes: “Best Utility knife” at the 1992 Lone Star Knife Show in Dallas “Beretta award” at the 1995 Guild Show Fighting Knife Magazine’s “Knifemaker of the Year” award in 1996 “Best High-tech Knife” award at the 2001 SICAC in Paris, France. "

Raid Ops

RAIDOPS was established in 2005 in South Korea. The company's goal is to manufacture innovative, top-quality tactical and survival knives.

De Villiers, Andre (ADV Tactical)

André started making knives while at school in South Africa. A need for a hunting knife snowballed into a career after his father wanted one too. Now he makes all kinds of knives, ranging from folders to fixed blades, to swords. His specialty, however, is artistic folding knives. He has been a full time maker since 1990.

Curry, Tim

Miller Bros. Blades

Miller Bros. Blades is operated by three brothers. We are proud to offer blades of exceptional performance and durability. We make all our products in the United States of America. All our Steel, G-10, Leather, Sheath materials and fasteners are made by American companies. At Miller Bros. Blades our personal faith has a huge impact on our business. We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and salvation is possible through His death on the cross and not on the basis of human merit or works. We believe the Bible is God's word and we choose to follow Him in our lives. We pray you would consider how Jesus' sacrifice on the cross affects your life.

George, Les

I began making knives in 1992 and have been fortunate enough to have worked with and learned from some of the best knife makers in the world. The maker most responsible for my progression is Stan Fujisaka of Kaneohe, Hawaii. I had been making knives for several years before I met Stan, but he opened the door to a new level of knife making for me and shared his considerable knowledge with me freely. I will continue to refine my craft and to build on all that I have learned so far. I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1997 and spent over 10 years in its service. I served as a heavy equipment mechanic, an Embassy Guard in foreign lands and a Senior Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician in many of the world's garden spots. I have trained in Explosive Dynamic Entry, Advanced Access and Disablement, Improvised Explosives and Devices, Weapons of Mass Destruction, Close Quarters Combat and many other technical and tactical skills. I have deployed to, lived and worked in Laos, Thailand, North and South Korea, Peru, Mozambique, South Africa, Iraq and many other places in between. Since my departure from the Marines I have worked as an Unexploded Ordnance Technician clearing unexploded munitions, from projectiles to land mines from old training areas. As an EOD Team leader in Iraq, I oversaw over 300 EOD responses and over 100 Improvised Explosive Devices where rendered safe. All of these experiences have given me a unique view of how I think knives and tools should be designed, made and used. I look forward to many new things during this new phase in my career. There is a lot of work left for me to do to get ready for more work to come.

VanderMeulen, Jeff

"Each blade is handmade by me in the USA using manual machines. I specialize in hard use tactical folders with the best materials I can get my hands on. My current blade steels are RWL-34, stainless steel Damascus, and San Mai. I use various materials that include Titanium, Carbon Fiber, Zirconium, MokuTi, Timascus."

Bass Brothers (BBC Knives)

We are twin brothers (Jordan & Darren) who have a passion for making custom pocket folding knives.

Gavko Knives

Michal Gavac, owner and operator of Gavko Knives is a custom knifemaker from Slovakia.

Korth Cutlery (Rick Lala)

Korth Cutlery was formed by brothers Ricardo and Roberto Lala. They started hand-making knives in 1990 and as their work received greater attention and praise they began to expand their efforts and enter knife-making on a full-time basis. The Lala brothers, along with Flavio Ikoma, were the first Brazilian knife makers to adopt S30V as the standard steel for their blades. A collaboration with Flavio Ikoma resulted in the IKBS bearing system. The Ikoma-Korth Bearing System (IKBS) is incorporated in all Korth and Ikoma folders and balisongs.

Shiffer, Doc

"I started making knives in 2000. I have been lucky enough to have some good makers share their knowledge and experience with me. In the beginning Gary Ford, Dennis Phillips and Alex Daniels were a huge help. More recently Jerome Anders, Matt Lamey, Mel Pardue and Jim Burke have been kind enough to answer questions for me. I'm currently on the Board of Directors of the Gulf Coast Knife Makers Assn. I joined the Navy in 1987 as a Corpsman. Served the majority of my enlistment with the Marines at 2nd Division. Did a deployment to Africa and Operation Desert Storm. When I got out I went to Paramedic school and have been one since 1994. Have been a Tactical Medic for 3 different Sheriff Departments. Done some contracting in Afghanistan and am currently teaching Basic and Advanced Medical Skills as a contractor for the US Army. I also rejoined the reserves a couple of years ago and am working with 3rd Force Recon." Season 7 Episode 32 Forged in Fire Champion

Hinderer, Rick

In the mid 1980’s Rick Hinderer began his knife making journey making art knives in a small 14′ x 18′ turkey coop with none of the modern amenities, like heat or running water! Art knives are a far cry from the tactical scene which Rick is so deeply entrenched in now. Over the years his meticulous attention to knife design and knife making, coupled with his real world experience as a Fire Fighter / EMT sets him apart from the rest. Rick’s design philosophy is deeply rooted in his experience with using his knives as part of his first responder tools. That catalyst of change from art knives to hard use tactical was after Rick joined the rescue dive team. He really began to look at knives and designs more as hard use tactical tools than works of art. Rick began changing over from old world knife making techniques to modern CNC precision manufacturing. With the combination of designing art knives, and his real world experience as a first responder, this unusual perspective allows him to design hard use tactical folders that are not only aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but extremely comfortable in the hand. All of Rick’s products are engineered to go the distance when it counts the most whether it be when life is on the line, or you just need a good cutting tool.

Schwartz Knives, Ryan

GTC Custom Knives

The GTC logo and the man behind it, Brazilian Gustavo Thome Cecchini - that's Gus to us - is well known to everyone in the knife world and has been working on knives since roughly 2004. Born 1974 in Brazil from Italian descendants, Gus had a balance of country and city life, which later led to his main field of study and profession, Agronomic engineering. Gus took this newfound knowledge and moved to the family's farm where he worked with agriculture and cattle. During Brazil's long and dry winters, Gus took up knife making as a hobby, learning along the way. Gus made use of the limited tools and steels available on the farm, having little more than a drill press and making his own belt grinder out of spare farming equipment and parts. Self-taught and eager to learn, Gus scoured the Internet as well as available books for literature on knife making. Soon after, Gus was awarded Best New Maker at the 2006 Sao Paulo Knife Show. Gus took the next logical step and began making folders. With the same learning-by-doing philosophy, Gus engineered his own custom pivot-bearings which he patented and shared with the community. Gus applies this innovative practice constantly and has added many firsts to his folders. Unique assisted-opening (2008), Front Framelock with straight-cut lock-bar (2009), a lock-bar limiter screw, a hidden-clip design that won him Best Innovative Design at the 2012 USN Gathering. In 2014 Gus added a Flush Clip design to his bag of tricks. This spirit of technical innovation is only part of the GTC formula. A look at the designs from the aesthetics reveals another level of Gus's creativity. It's no surprise that his work has graced the cover of Blade Magazine with the caption of "Dress Tactical Folder". Gus uses numerous, varied materials, shaping them into works of modern art. Not only do his creative combinations please the eye, they all come together to function as a single, seamless entity with mechanical tolerances that boggles the mind. Gus is always striving to improve his knives, never afraid to test new theories, always working with the latest available materials, technology and techniques. Gus achieves subtle two-tone surfaces simply by varying bead-blast material from glass to ceramic. Gus takes advantage of the best materials in the community and at the same time, is trying his hand at forge-welding his own steel. The final element to the GTC formula can be found in the minutest details. Screw heads, thumb-studs are custom-cut; clips are harmonized with the blade material, coarse jigging or fine filework satisfy both the aesthetic and functional requirements. Innovation, design, attention to detail and accuracy are the cornerstones of the GTC formula.