The knife community is worldwide, but we have a special place in our hearts for the home team. Below, you’ll find the stories of some of the greatest knife companies in the world and how they have achieved the American dream – building a great life by the sweat of your brow. Each of these companies stands for quality, determination, and commitment to the craft of the knifemaker. Blade HQ would be nothing without these amazing USA-made knives and the amazing people who make them!
Benchmade
Les de Asis was born to a Portuguese mother and a Filipino father in 1951. His family wasn’t rich, but Les learned the value of hard work and a connection to his Filipino heritage as he worked alongside his father from a young age. It was that work ethic and ancestral connection that led to Les creating the first USA-made Balisong, the first you could bet your life on. Today, Benchmade continues to make high-quality knives that are good enough to be Yours, for Life.
Spyderco
Sal and Gail Glesser started Spyderco in 1976. Living out of their van, they traveled the country selling the Tri-Angle Sharpmaker at fairs and trade shows. A few years later, Sal had a genius idea—a knife with a thumb hole opener and a pocket clip. They set up shop in Golden, Colorado, and Spyderco has been busy making great knives ever since!
Microtech
In 1994, a young machinist named Tony Marfione in Vero Beach, Florida, had an idea for a compact automatic knife. After working his 9-5, he’d fire up his CNC machine on his apartment balcony and work on his design late into the night. Not long after, his first knife was out, Microtech Knives was born, and the knife industry was changed forever. For three decades now, Tony has kept Microtech on the cutting edge of knife technology.
Buck Knives
In 1902, a young Kansas blacksmith apprentice named Hoyt Heath Buck started making knives out of worn-out files and selling them to contribute to the family income. As it turns out, these original Buck Knives were really good. When the World Wars broke out, Hoyt was galvanized by patriotism and started making knives full-time to support the war effort. In 1945, he and his son established H.H. Buck and Son, and the rest is history.
Pro-Tech
Dave Wattenberg was raised in southern California working at the family business, Ross Cutlery. He became a teacher and ran a small custom knife retail business as a side hustle, but eventually, he wanted to make his own knives. Dave designed a knife, had parts made by various reputable machine shops, and then assembled the first Pro-Tech knives on his kitchen table with his father. The company has grown a lot in the years since, but every Pro-Tech knife is still made by hand in the USA!
Case Knives
William, Jean, John, and Andrew Case began selling knives from the back of a wagon in 1889. Years later, William’s son, John Russel Case, established W.R. Case & Sons, and that company stands today. These pioneering knifemakers created one of the first production knife companies in America. And while most other companies from the era have sold, dissolved, or moved manufacturing overseas, Case Knives are still made in Bradford, Pennsylvania, to this day!
Chris Reeve Knives
After working a few years as a tool and die maker, Chris Reeve decided instead to pursue his passion – knifemaking. His first workshop was his one-car garage in Durban, South Africa. He worked to perfect his craft and build his reputation in the industry, and that work paid off. He invented the Frame Lock, helped develop several blade steels, has been awarded many times for manufacturing quality, and in 2015, was inducted into the Cutlery Hall of Fame. Now, Chris Reeve Knives are made in Idaho, and they are considered by many to be the best knives in the world.
The Journey Goes On
This list is not anywhere near exhaustive. There are dozens of other knife companies in the United States with similar stories to these and dozens more who are writing their own stories right now. We couldn’t imagine a better time or place to enjoy knives than the United States of America right now, and we’re thrilled at how many USA-made knives are available today. Here, we have an industrious spirit, vast swaths of wilderness, cities to be built, work to be done, and the freedom to do it the way we want with the tools we love.
