Hawaii Knives

Hand Carved Alaska and Hawaii Knives

Hand carved knives using materials from Alaska and Hawaii...I have spent many months alone in the wilderness, but eventually moved to a small town and after many odd jobs became an artist and have been doing that since 1992. In 2012 I sold my 5 log homes and moved to the big island in Hawaii. I still spend summers in Alaska but winters in Hawaii.

Hiko Ito Custom Knives

I design my knives to perform exceptionally well for their intended purposes. Designing process begins with conception and drawing, then prototypes are made and tested. These prototypes may be modified and retested, until the perfect geometry is achieved. I carefully select the best steel for the intended purpose of my knives. The steels most often used for my knives include, but not limited to: cpm s30v, n690, aeb-l, z-finit, elmax and 20cv. These steels meet my qualification of sharpness and edge holding as well as stability and corrosion resistance. My blades are heat treated by one of the best heat treating companies in the U.S. who also services aerospace, military and nuclear industry. Each blade is hardened to a specific hardness I assign to bring out the best performance out of a knife. In order to eliminate the possibility of overheating and subsequent loss of steel integrity I grind my blades using advanced water cooling system. To go a step further I hand sharpen each knife on Japanese wet stones to attain the best cutting edge possible.

Keith Ouye Knives

Keith Ouye Knives, Knifemaker of Custom made folders and fixed blades, Honolulu, Hawaii. I currently utilize ATS 34, S30V, and CPM 154 stainless steel for my folder and fixed blades. Folder handles are made of titanium. Handle materials for fixed blades are micarta, G10, and stabilized woods. I work out of my garage with just the basic tools to make my knives. I have a Hardcore grinder, Jet milling machine, 14” band saw, two disc sanders, a buffer and several drill presses. Heat treating of my blades is done by Paul Bos. Except for the screws, dowels, standoffs, and pivots, I fabricate the rest of the knife myself.

Mayo Knives Hawaii

I make all of my knives via the stock removal method, using either S30V or CPM 154CM (the Crucible Particle Metallurgy Steels) or the super alloy Stellite 6K. I favor S30V for knives that are going to be used very hard, as it remains very tough at high hardness. It is showing more and more that it is the best all around steel in the custom knifemaking industry, as more and more knifemakers turn to it as their primary steel. I have friends who will testify to going through 30 or more animals before the knife needed sharpening, but these are definitely not the steels for a camp axe or machete. I primarily use these two steels on small hunting knives and folders that are going to be used for hunting. They are much more expensive than a lot of the more common knife steels and require a lot more belts in the grinding and finishing process, and so there is an extra charge for these steels.

Scot Matsuoka Knives

I am a part-time knife maker whose goal in life is to, one day, make knives on a full-time basis. I attended my first Las Vegas Classic Knife Show selling fixed blades and folders. I had a lot of fun, and was able to show my knives, get my name out, and make friends and contacts. After returning to Honolulu, I began receiving orders through email from people who saw my knives at the LVCKS. A picture of my most popular knife, the pahinui, made it onto a knife forum. Pictures of my knives have appeared in Tactical Knives Magazine, the Knife Annual, and on the cover of the April 2006 issue of Blade Magazine.