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Koens Craft Taps Graphic Design Past

June 20, 2016

Like most knives, Koens Craft blades start life as a drawing. Morgan Koens taps into his graphic design background and sketches out each new model. Instead of getting bogged down in embellishment, Koens Craft knives retain the simple elegance of a pencil drawing. “I gravitate towards hard clean lines,” says Koens. Those lines, along with Koens’ preference for muted finishes and modern handle materials, give Koens Craft knives a unique, futuristic vibe that attracts attention.

Koens Craft Bushies

Koens turned to knife making from a career in freelance graphic design. The work was profitable, but Koens knew it wasn’t for him: “I didn’t want to do that as a career so inevitably I started looking for something else.” After three months making knives as a hobby, Koens decided what that ‘something else’ would be. Three years later and he hasn’t slowed down.

Koens is always sketching new designs, offering his customers an ongoing flow of new models to choose from. He will often make only a handful of a particular knife before moving on. But, if a design is particularly popular a second run isn’t out of the question. Regardless of the model, functionality is the first priority: “Some I make I would definitely say are more artsy .. but the majority you can take in the bush and beat up,” says Koens.

Koens Craft Black Sheep Bowie

Right now Koens Craft is primarily a one-man show, but the company is poised to grow. Koens is working with a production knife company on a couple blades, and envisions employees and a bigger shop in his future. He is also developing a titanium framelock folding knife, but has no plans to abandon fixed blades: “I think its a shame to see some makers start with fixed blades and then drop the fixies and just make folders,” Koens says. “Fixed blades can be just as practical and take more abuse.”

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Knives featured in image: Koens Craft Woodsman

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