Options for acquisition of Made-in-the-USA knives are plentiful, and with a little bit of research, you'll easily find products that put most of the foreign-made knives to shame, with the reward being a quality product made by American hands.
Tonight I will present two Made-in-the-USA knife makers, each taking a very different approach to making knives. The makers to be highlighted tonight are
Anza Knives and
Moore Maker.
Anza Knives
https://anzaknives.biz/store/
From the Manufacturer
"Anza has been committed to providing top handmade affordable knives for the sportsman and collector. Charlie Davis, owner of Anza Knives, has over 50 years experience making knives and founded ANZA in 1980. Our knives are so sharp and hold an edge for so long that they have become a favorite among guides, outfitters, hunters, backpackers, and fishermen as well as a utility knife by the "workingman". Anza Knives are completely handmade, each one different in its own way. Built for the collector, priced for the sportsman, used by the working man. These are high carbon steel and made to CUT!"
My Thoughts on Anza Knives
Anza manufactures fixed blade knives, mainly from files, though a few of the fishing knives are made using High Carbon 1095 Steel to help achieve the flexibility needed in a fishing knife. Proper care is easy and needed to keep the blades from rusting.
No two Anza knives are identical since they are made one at at time by hand by a craftsperson. That said, Anza has a variety of different knife patterns, including multiple patterns for the various file sizes used as the base for the knives.
A beautiful feature of an Anza knife is that the makers leave some of the file texture in place, making it obvious the knife steel began as a file. Of course the file blades are tempered by Anza to render them less brittle.
I have found that Anza knives come very sharp, and with a little attention at home, I can easily bring them to arm-hair shaving sharp thanks to the high carbon steel. Edge retention is very good
Anza knives will set you back somewhere between about $70 and $2,600, with the majority of Anza knives in the $100-$200 range.
The best way to buy an Anza knife is to visit their showroom in El Cajon, CA where you can view the knives first hand. The Anza web store is another way to buy...just make sure you carefully view each knife against the ruler in the photo inset so that you know the size of the knife before you buy it. Also, not all knives comes with a sheath, so read the description to find out which knives do.
Video of Charlie Davis telling the story of Anza Knives:
https://youtu.be/ybMDdLpMAvQ?si=XAxj4plwpnXOy6WW
Two Examples of Anza Knives
Top: About 7.5" overall length with 3" edge (ricasso to tip), laminate scales, full tang, and leather sheath.
Bottom: About 5" overall length with 2" edge, Elk and American Walnut scales, file work, full tang, and leather sheath.
- Anza Knives Large and Small - Copy.jpg (961.91 KiB) Viewed 4438 times
Moore Maker
https://www.mooremaker.com/about.html
From the Manufacturer
"Moore Maker INC. was established in 1985 by Wayland Moore, and Glynard Moore, in Matador, Texas. Matador is a small town at the bottom of the Texas panhandle, 65 miles northeast of Lubbock, and 300 miles west of Dallas. Agriculture makes up the bulk of the local economy, with cattle ranching and cotton farming being among the top occupations.
The Moores started making bits, spurs, and buckles in the family garage, soon thereafter they began to build dehorners. Next came bullnose fencing pliers, and later, knives, saddle pliers, and other fencing and ranching tools. Today Moore Maker INC., is the largest manufacturer of knives, and ranching tools in Texas. All Moore Maker products are top quality and guaranteed to last, some for as long as the life of the owner. The reason Moore Maker emphasizes quality in their products over any other aspect, is that if a consumer buys the best, and that item lasts him or her forever, then that person will come back and buy from us again, and he will tell all of his friends. That reputation is what we strive for.
The knives and tools that Moore Maker produces are tested extensively on some of the worlds greatest ranches before they are ever sold to the public. The King ranch, the 6666 ranch, the Waggoner ranch, and the Pitchfork ranch are among those that use and test the knives and tools from Moore Maker. If there is any deficiency in the tools, it will be soon found by the men and women of these ranches, then the tool will be redesigned to meet the demands of the working cowboy.
Moore Maker INC. has built knives for President George W. Bush, Gov. Rick Perry, Charlie Daniels, and George Strait. Moore Maker is active in the local community, and regularly donates both time and money to livestock shows, and local schools. The Moore family still owns and operates Moore Maker INC. on a daily basis, and still finds the time to ranch and farm around Matador."
My Thoughts on Moore Maker Knives
Moore Maker knives are 100% Made in the USA using American made materials, including its folding and fixed blade knives. Moore Maker contracts its knife manufacturing to American companies, with Moore Maker owning many of the knife patents along with the jigs and dies used in the manufacture of the knives. Importantly, Moore Maker writes the knife specifications and oversees quality control. Moore Maker has had their knives built by Canal Street, Camillus, Queen, Bear & Sons, and Utica. For a period, Moore Maker contracted some knives to Boker in Germany, though that practice seems to have ended.
Most of Moore Maker's knives are made from 1095 High Carbon Steel hardened to 56 +/- 1 Rockwell. Proper care, which is pretty easy, is needed to prevent the blades from rusting, especially before the blades age and the carbon begins to migrate to the surface and darken the blade. Moore Maker suggests Pam cooking spray for rust prevention.
Moore Maker makes knives with a variety of scales, with bone being most common. Scales using synthetics and composites are available. Perhaps most interesting are the exotic scales, including stabilized Pinecone Damacus, stabilized Cholla, stabilized Cedar Fence Post, Mesquite, Impala, stabilized Armadillo, and Stag.
Moore Maker knives will set you back between $40 and $400, with most of the bone-scaled pocket folders in the $80 to $100 range.
Two Examples of Moore Maker Knives
Folder, Dyed cow bone scales, 1095 High Carbon Steel, Double Lockback (each blade has an independent lock), Leather Sheath
- Moore Maker Double Lockback - Copy.jpg (1.09 MiB) Viewed 4433 times
Folder, Composite scales, 1095 High Carbon Steel, Lockbadk, Leather Sheath (I made and added the lanyard)
- Moore Maker Sodbuster - Copy.jpg (832.58 KiB) Viewed 4433 times
