Barret Chrisman

I like making things. I like making things from scratch. I love to bring my visions and dreams into reality. I found my outlet making knives.

I've been making knives for 10 years now. I started this passion as a way to make my own kitchen cutlery. That hobby soon grew towards traditional pocket knives. It all started when my Dad broke his old Barlow that he carried for as long as I've been alive, and probably well before that. I took that as a challenge to make him a replacement. After my few first attempts, I was hooked. I became a traditional knife guy through and through.

Now, I love to take the traditional knife styles and patterns and add my own unique take on classic designs, and maybe design something timeless myself. A knife is a tool. It can be art. But it always has to start as a tool.

David Dixon

Born and raised in Germany, David developed an early appreciation for precision craftsmanship, functional design, and the value of making things built to last. In 2018, that passion found its outlet in knife making, where traditional skill meets modern engineering.

After earning a degree as a Machinist and later pursuing a degree in Mechanical Engineering, David built a foundation rooted in both hands-on manufacturing and technical design. Now based in Indiana since 2023, life is balanced between working as a Mechanical Engineer by day and knife making after hours.

The primary focus is on handcrafted slipjoint pocketknives, combining classic patterns with smooth action, and refined fit and finish. From time to time, the shop also produces liner locks and fixed blades, each made with the same commitment to quality and purpose.

Every knife is built with respect for tradition, attention to detail, and the belief that a good tool should be both reliable and timeless.

Born and raised in Kingston, Tennessee, I've been passionate about knives ever since my papaw handed me my first pocket knife as a young boy. That early spark never faded.

In 2019, I began making traditional pocket knives, turning a lifelong love into a hands-on craft. By day, I work as a full-time millwright, and in the evenings and weekends, I pour my time into knife making—carefully shaping steel, handles, and details with pride.

For me, the best part of this journey is the constant push to learn, improve, and refine the art. Every knife is a chance to get better and honor the tradition I fell in love with as a child.

Zach Hoskins

My interest in knives began at an early age, inspired by my Uncle Bernie who is lifelong collector. I also have many memories of my grandfather carrying a Buck stockman throughout my childhood, which further shaped my appreciation for traditional pocket knives.

I grew up in Southwest Michigan and relocated to Florida with my wife, Vicki, in 2016. I have always been drawn to knives and mechanical design, which naturally led me to pursue building pocket knives.

In 2020, I gained my first hands-on experience in slipjoint knife making by attending a five-day class taught by Mastersmith Steve Dunn at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing. In early 2021, I started outfitting my home workshop in University Park, Florida, where I continue to make knives today. I achieved voting membership in The Knifemaker’s Guild in 2024.

I credit Steve Dunn, Luke Swenson, and especially Evan Nicolaides for their invaluable education and guidance in my development as a slipjoint maker.

The aesthetics, mechanics and distinctive “walk and talk” of traditional slipjoint knives continue to motivate me to produce the highest quality pocket knives I possibly can.

James Hunsberger

Daniel Keown

Daniel Keown is the precision‑obsessed craftsman behind Keown Fine Folders, a rising star in the world of custom slipjoints. His journey started with wood carving as a kid, evolved through years as a specialty pipe welder, and ultimately ignited into full‑blown knifemaking after discovering the work of Ernest “Mooney” Warther (and after acquiring way too much equipment to keep calling it a hobby).

Known for his meticulous builds, complex Sheffield patterns, and hand‑jigged natural materials, Daniel’s work reflects both artistic roots and a perfectionist’s discipline. He credits master makers like Tom Ploppert as major influences and continually pushes himself toward ever‑higher standards.

His craftsmanship has already earned serious recognition—most notably Best Custom Slip Joint at Blade Show for a technically demanding traditional Sheffield pattern build, and Garden & Gun’s Made in the South Award for Best Outdoor, honoring the same thoughtful design and Southern ingenuity that define his knives.

Expect Daniel to show up at the Great Knife Adventure with the same energy he brings to his shop: sharp, focused, and always leveling up.

David Kramp

I am a part-time maker located in Santa Barbara, California. As a maker of traditional pocket knives during the past 5 years, I’ve come to realize this work is about more than making a tool—it’s about carrying forward a tradition.

I’m deeply inspired by classic Sheffield patterns, the kind of knives that were built to be used hard and handed down, and I try to capture that same soul while applying modern precision and materials. Every piece that leaves my shop is one I’ve personally shaped, fit, and finished, with a focus on how it feels in the hand just as much as how it performs. I pay attention to the small details because I know that’s what collectors and users connect with over time.

Being recognized as Best New Maker at Blade Show 2025 was an incredible honor, but what matters most to me is building knives that earn a place in someone’s pocket—or collection—and hold their own for years to come.

I made my first knife in 2014 on a whim. And would you believe it - it cut! I was hooked from there and completed my first pocket knife that same year - all with hand tools. I continued to make knives and in 2020, I made the move to a full-time knifemaker.

My focus is on traditional patterns, clean lines and free-hand grinds. Tony Bose once told me that I should make hundreds of single-bladed knives before making the jump to multi-blades, and I have taken his advice as gospel. I'm also the creator of the GKA show. While I love going to all sorts of knife shows, they never seem to give the makers and collectors a chance to get to know each other, and that's what this show excels at!

I make knives out of my home shop nestled in the mountains of the northern Sonoran Desert about 40 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. When I'm not in the shop, it's mountain biking and exploring the West with my wife and 3 kids!

Evan Nicolaides

I have been making custom knives since November of 2014 in my home shop in Sarasota, Florida.

Whether it be my original design, or a reproduction from old Sheffield, England, I strive to make each knife it's own work of art that is not only beautiful, but functionally precise. The challenge of blending aesthetics and utility is part of what drives my passion for making pocket knives, and continues to push me to advance in my craft. I strive for the best, and that is all I can hope to put out there.

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In the summer of 2019 I was honored with the "Best New Maker" award at the Blade Show. In October of 2022 I was awarded "Best Custom Slip Joint" at Blade Show West. In March of 2023 I was awarded "Best Custom Slip Joint" and "Best in Show Custom Knife" at Blade Show Texas.

I have been a full time knife maker since 2000. I specialize in Mosaic Damascus and Gentleman’s folders….until 2016 that is, when I got hung up on Slip Joints. Truth be told, I haven’t been the same since.

Cliff Parker

My name is Enrique Peña and I'm from Laredo Texas. I have always been fascinated with knives since I can recall, especially slip joint knives in traditional patterns. I got introduced to knife making by a local friend (Armando Flores) which helped me get started and made my first knife which was a single blade slip joint in my own shop in late 2005. Later I visited with Bill Ruple and Rusty Preston and they helped me refine my skills. I have become a full time knife maker and look forward to achieving the level of skill of Bill Ruple and Rusty Preston. I mainly make single and double blade slip joints and occasionally single and double blade lock back knives in traditional patterns and currently like to make big folders such as sodbusters, Case bulldogs, Case folding hunters and so on. I like to use natural handle material such as stag and bone and for blade steel I use ATS-34 and CPM154 and 416 and 410 for liners and bolsters.

Enrique Peña

Tom Ploppert

Tom lives in Cullman, Alabama, runs his own business, and on top of that, makes some of the finest slipjoints available. He has always had a passion for pocket knives and took his first lesson from Bill Ruple in March, 2009. Tom is one of the orginal members of the "Slipjoint Cartel." He later studies under Tony Bose, who helped him refine his skills building traditional-style pocket knives. Lockbacks and multi-blades are what he enjoys building most. Tom has won many award over the years including "Best New Maker at Blade 2013."

Jason Ritchie

Jason Ritchie is from Hanover, Illinois. He is a retired Marine and has spent the last 23 years as a full-time Railroad Signalman. As a part-time traditional slip-joint knifemaker, he built his first knife in 2020. Jason got started in the knife industry by doing production knife handle modifications to Case and Great Eastern Cutlery knives a year earlier. His attention to detail and fit-and-finish are testament to his commitment to his craft. Jason is one of those new makers who should be on every slip-joint collector’s radar.

Honoré Vilain

I have been making knives for the last ten years and five years full time in my shop in Paris France, where I also work as a bronze turner to perpetuate an almost lost craft.

I had the chance to go Boulle art school in Paris that enabled me to enrich my knowledge on art, style and design while also learning bronze working.

I started this knife journey with a forge and I made a few hundred fixed blades, mostly kitchen knives before going into folders four years ago.

My main focus in folding knives is design and fit and finish. The idea is to make an object that surpasses it's fonction by pushing every single detail at it's highest.

Even though I design all my knives, I have been deeply inspired by the work of Don Hanson, Jess Horn, Ron Lake and many other talented makers that shaped the modern knife world while keeping a traditional aesthetic.