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Automatic Knife Veteran Launches Brno Born Production Label

April 25, 2017

Automatic knife expert Stan Moizis is entering the production knife market with the launch of a new brand called Brno Born Knives. Named for Moizis’s birthplace in the Czech Republic, Brno Born is Moizis’ first venture into larger-scale production after 40 years of building custom automatics.

Brno Born’s first model, called the Dog Leg, has an unassuming look that belies the powerful kick of its deployment mechanism. “They’re probably the snappiest, hardest kicking automatics you can buy,” Moizis says. The 3.35-inch blade is fired using a small lever fitted into the show side bolsters.

Unlike most autos, the Dog Leg presents more like a gentleman’s knife and less like a tactical weapon. “I wanted something that wasn’t too offensive and was actually useful,” he says. The early runs of the Dog Leg have been especially popular with Moizis’ fellow knife makers. “75% of my sales are to other knife makers whose work is worth three times what mine is.”

Moizis is working with a Taiwanese OEM to produce the parts but assembles and finishes each knife by hand. “I have to do a certain amount of work on every part to get them to fit correctly and have the right tension in the right places,” Moizis explains.

Moizis left his hometown of Brno in 1968, when the USSR invaded Czechoslovakia, staying for a time in Vienna before relocating to North America. He’s a self-taught designer, and got into automatic knives early. “I was born to make them,” he tells us. “I made my first one at thirteen with a hand drill and a hacksaw.” Now living in Vancouver, Canada, Moizis has been making custom automatics for 40 years and has a Benchmade patent to his name. Moizis invented the InDraft blade retention mechanism used on the Pardue-designed Ambush.

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The Dog Leg is currently being produced in limited quantities and sold through social media. The knives are made with D2 blade steel and come in a variety of handle materials. The Dog Leg is priced at $275 but Moizis is focussed on speeding up Brno Born production, boosting distribution, and lowering prices. A second model, expected late 2017 or early 2018, will be a drop point with a swing guard and Moizis says he’s aiming for a price closer to $200.

Knife featured in image: Brno Born Dog Leg

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