In 2023, I was introduced to a friend of a friend who was distributing hand made Damascus steel knives. We talked at length about the product and he mentioned that he didn't have anyone selling knives out west, so he welcomed the idea of me working distribution in the west, out of my Utah location. In the following weeks, I received six knives to test, and I put them through rigorous trials to ensure their quality. I clamped one in a vice in my garage, using all my weight to bend it. Expecting it to snap when bent the other way, I was surprised to find that, after bending it back, there wasn't even a stress line on the blade. I also threw the knives at trees, watching them bounce off with each bad throw. I did learn that epoxy handles don’t fare well against repeated impacts with trees, but overall, I was impressed with the quality.
Convinced, I ordered 60 knives to test the market. I received them just before a Renaissance fair in my town, where I packed them into a backpack and ended up selling the entire lot to a single vendor at a good profit. I was stunned. From there, I reinvested in more knives, and the cycle continued. Now, nearly 18 months later, I’ve sold thousands of knives and have hundreds of satisfied customers.
Eventually, the guy I started with retired and we rebranded as Grizzly Knives, something closer to my upbringing (as a kid, we had a family cabin near Grizzly Creek State Park in California).
Today, we focus on building the highest quality knives at affordable prices. We offer a lifetime warrantee on our products and want to hear the story if you break something (It's rare, but usually a pretty good story when it does happen). We continue to build our Reseller Network, offering a template for success with a winning product.