MOLLE Clip lot

Steel Flame

Derrick Obatake born and raised in East Los Angeles and has been designing and making jewelry for over 35 years. At an early age he was taught to be a machinist by his father. He is a Graduate Gemologist from GIA and has had formal training in traditional jewelry arts, Diamond setting, model making, casting, finishing and fabrication. He has extensive experience in Die striking, and 3D CAD design. I like to blend old school craftsmanship with new age technology to create an out of the box style that is hopefully refreshing and empowering. The parent company of Steel Flame®, Elements has been in business for over 25 years.

USN

Dervish Knives (John Gonzalez)

"My interest in knives and swords began in adolescence, but it wasn’t until the late 1990’s when I discovered my passion for custom knives. I was initially drawn to tactical pieces, but my approach to knife making is largely inspired via the myriad of elegant and lethal designs from diverse cultures and eras. Due to my background in graphic arts and illustration, designing knives has always been the easiest part of knife making for me. Aspiring to create aesthetically pleasing knives which excel in both form and function, I draw heavily on time-tested designs, geometries, and materials."

Emerson Knives

Ernest Emerson started making custom knives in his garage in 1979. He rapidly rose to prominence as a knife maker due in equal parts to his expertise as a craftsman, (tool and die maker), his artists eye for design, and his practical experience as one of the world’s most sought-after and respected hand-to-hand combat instructors. Emerson’s work has been featured and exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Museum. There are only a handful of living artists who can make that claim. As an instructor in hand-to-hand combat and edged weapon skills, Mr. Emerson has taught the most elite warriors on earth, from the US Navy SEALs to the Guards of Parliament in London and everywhere in between. He is the author of scores of articles, books, and videos regarding tactics, training and combat. As one of the most sought after instructors in the world he is in high demand for seminars and lectures to civilian, military and law enforcement agencies. He is an inducted member of The Martial Arts Hall of Fame, along with such venerable names as Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. In fact he is the only knife maker known who also owns and operates his own training facility, the world-class “Black Shamrock Combat Academy Gym” in Los Angeles, California.

Krein, Tom

I have been fascinated with knives for as long as I can remember. I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have a knife… Growing up I usually had a slip joint of some kind in my pocket. As I got older I realized how useful a good knife was while playing in the woods, or fishing on the creek. After seeing a copy of Blade magazine my sophomore year in high school I decided that I wanted to be a custom knife maker. After reading everything I could find on the subject I started making some fixed blades around 1993. A little later I got a chance to work for knife making legends Bob Dozier, and A.G. Russell. I currently work for myself and my three boys help in the shop. Knives are some of man’s oldest tools. I feel the beauty of a knife is that it can be tool and weapon in one package. In my knives I feel that form should follow function. This doesn’t mean that a knife can’t be beautiful, just that its functionality shouldn’t be affected by aesthetics. I continually strive to improve my knives and the methods I use to build them.