Knife maker cuts through tough economic times

Tom Krein's knives continue to be in high demand

Tom Krein grinds a knife handle in his Gentry shop on Friday. Krein has continued to be busy, even during the slowdown in the economy.
Tom Krein grinds a knife handle in his Gentry shop on Friday. Krein has continued to be busy, even during the slowdown in the economy.

— When the economy faltered, things may have slowed a little for Tom Krein, owner and operator of Krein Knives in Gentry, but they didn’t slow very much and have started to pick up again with high demand for his skill and craftsmanship in making high-quality knives.

“Where form follows function” is the theme of his business and can be seen in his logos and on a T-shirt he was wearing Friday.

Krein believes the intended purpose and function of a knife should determine the design of the knife’s blade and grip, as well as how it’s carried.

“In my personal experience, both in making and using knives, I have adopted the idea that form must follow function in a knife,” Krein said. “My knives are characterized by simple, clean lines, ergonomic handles and thinlyground blades.”

“In my experience as a (former) registered nurse and emergency room trauma nurse, I have learned a lot about anatomy, ergonomics and how the body works. This has had an influence on how I shape my handles and design my knives,” he said.

Krein, who was a registered nurse by training, has been making knives since 1994 and has owned and operated his own knife-making business in Gentry for more than nine years, about eight of those years in its current location.

While most people might not think much about the workmanship and skill which go into making a quality knife, that is not so for Krein. He designs his knives for use; and though his knives are appealing to the eye when finished, that is not his primary goal. His goal is to design and make high-quality knives which fit the hand and do what they were designed to do.

Though he makes customknives, most of Krein’s knives are bench knives - meaning he uses his own knife designs. Customers who order knives can choose the materials used, he said.

He makes utility knives, hunting knives and knives for tactical and defensive fighting purposes. He recently added folding knives to his line. His smaller utility knives have been the most popular, he said.

Far more craftsmanship goes into a Krein knife than one would expect.

“It takes from six to eight hours to complete a single knife, depending on the materials used,” Krein said.

Krein puts his designs into steel. He begins by cutting out the knife from high-grade steels. After the handles are drilled for grips, the blades are ground, shaped and polished. Heat treatment hardens the steel so the blade will hold its edge and stand up tothe wear and tear of regular use. After a final polish, the blades are sharpened.

“The last step is the sharpening,” Krein said. “I sharpen them last so I won’t cut myself. The sharpened blades will take hair off your arm without even touching the skin,” he said.

Made in the U.S.A. is100 percent true of Krein knives. Unlike many companies, which buy their steel and materials from overseas, Krein buys all his materials from U.S. companies. His steel comes fromCrucible Steel Company of America and other U.S. companies. The price for quality steel has almost doubled in recent months, Krein said.

Krein became interested in knife making as a teenager and was fortunate enough to learn his skills from some of the best.

“By the time I was a teenager, I knew I wanted to make my own knives,” Krein said. “I read every book and magazine I could find on knives and knife making, but it wasn’t until 1994 that I successfully completed my first knife. Twelve knives later, I knew this was an occupation I wanted to pursue.”

“My first taste of real knife making started with sweeping the floor in Bob Dozier’s shop. The three years I spent with Bob was like getting a degree in knife making. This proved a valuable experience when I later worked for A.G. Russell and started their custom shop,” Krein said.

Though Krein had worked as an emergency room nurse, he’s now devoted all his time to his knife-making business and anticipates that his oldest son may soon join him in hisbusiness and trade.

He markets his knives online through knife forums and is working on a new website which he expects to go live in a few weeks.

Krein ships hisknives to customers all over the world. A number of major knife dealers buy and market his knives. An occasional customer also walks through his front door, Krein said.

Boker Manufacturing, a German company, recently purchased three of Krein’s knife designs and manufactures and markets them under the names of Boker and Krein. This kept Krein busy for about a year making sheaths for the knives.

“I made 20,000 of them,” Krein said.

Partly because of the sheath making and partly because of the demand for his quality work, there’s a backlog of orders for his knives of almost a year, Krein said.

Krein Knives sell for about $240 and up, Krein said, depending on the materials used and the time required to make them. He makes and sells only about 10 knives a week, he said, because of the time which goes into each knife. People who buy his knives are paying for his knife-making skills and time, Krein said.

Krein, in collaboration with Koster Knives, is starting anew company, K-9 Knives, a line of knives designed for military and police use. Daniel Koster credits Krein for teaching him much about the trade.

In addition to making knives, which keeps Krein and his part-time employee Ryan Cantorna busy, they sharpen and repair knives, too.

Krein Knives is located at 337 E. Main Street, Gentry. Krein can be reached by telephone at 233-0508 or by email at [email protected].

News, Pages 1 on 03/28/2012