Kershaw Knives
| Kershaw Knives | |
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| Slogan | Independent Reseller of Kershaw Knives and Gear |
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| Type | [[Company_Type:=Private|Private]] |
| Founded | |
| Headquarters | Template:Country data USA Haughton, [[State_Name:=Louisiana|Louisiana]] [[Country_Name:=United States|US]] |
| Industry | Electronic Shopping NAICS: 454111 453998 |
| Contact | Two Point Exterprises Haughton, US 800.458.1606 [mailto:sales@kershaw-knives.net Email] |
| Reference | Kershaw Knives is Independent Reseller of Kershaw Knives and Gear and client of Page Creations |
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Kershaw Knives offers information about Kershaw Knives and Gear through its large scale resale website kershaw-knives.net
Kershaw Knives
History
Kershaw Knives was started in Portland, Oregon in 1974 when Knife salesman Pete Kershaw left Gerber Legendary Blades to form his own cutlery company based on his own designs.[1][2][3] Early manufacturing was primarily done in Japan; in 1977, Kershaw became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese KAI Group.[1][3][4] In 1998 the main production facility was opened in Wilsonville, Oregon; due to growth, the facilities were moved to a larger production site in 2003. Current manufacturing facilities are located in Tualatin (main factory) and some goods come from their Japan and China factories.[3]
The current company is named KAI USA Ltd, and has three lines of products; the original Kershaw Knives name, Shun Cutlery, which sells kitchen cutlery,[3] and Zero Tolerance, a new line of combat knives.[5] The Zero Tolerance line represents joint designs between custom knife makers Ken Onion, Tim Galyean, and Strider Knives; a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each knife is donated to the Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund for the Paralyzed Veterans of America.[5]
Ken Onion
Ken Onion is Kershaw's best-known designer, who has won numerous awards for his designs with the company since 1998, such as his Speed-Safe opening models.[8][9] Shun Cutlery offers knives designed by both Ken Onion and Food Network personality Alton Brown.[10] Kershaw has also collaborated with custom knife makers Grant and Gavin Hawk, Frank Centofante, and Ernest Emerson.
Onion holds 36 design patents on different items including locks, mechanisms, and knife designs.[7][11] Most notable of these is the Speed-safe mechanism used by Kershaw Knives. For these many designs and his work throughout the cutlery industry promoting the art of knife making, Onion was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 2008 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia as the 45th and youngest living member.[7] A recent article in Blade Magazine asserts that some celebrities, such as Steven Seagal, Steven Tyler, Nicolas Cage, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson, Wayne Newton, Stephen Lefebvre, Wayne LaPierre and Ziggy Marley own custom knives made by Onion. [12][13]
Notes and References
- ^ a b Pacella, Gerard (2002), 100 Legendary Knives, Iola, USA, Krause Publications, 145. ISBN 0873494172
- ^ Inman, Naomi (2002)"Birds and Bees: How Businesses Are Really Born, Business is blooming—Oregon’s outdoor retail industry leads the world.", Brainstorm NorthWest Magazine, October 2002
- ^ a b c d "Kershaw Knives", American Handgunner Magazine, May-June, 2005
- ^ "KAI acquires the balance of Universal" Chain Drug Review, January, 2007
- ^ a b "Sharp Partnership". Paraplegia News. January 2006.
- ^ a b Template:Cite news
- ^ a b c d <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Mr. SpeedSafe Joins the Club". Blade Magazine. 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2008-07-24.
- ^ Cascio, Pat(2007). 'Kershaw's Latest Tactical Folders', Knives Illustrated, February 2007
- ^ Gardner, Jim(2004)"Sweet Onions", Guns Magazine, June 2004
- ^ Devin Alexander "Look sharp: a point-and-click guide to kitchen blades". Men's Fitness. Nov 2004. FindArticles.com. 15 Jul. 2008. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1608/is_10_20/ai_n6330873
- ^ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Onion, Kenneth L (2002-01-15). "Locking knife blade with moving locking mechanism on blade". US Patent and Trade Office. google patents. Retrieved 2007-01-18.
- ^ Ewing,Dexter. (2007). "Rock-Star Knifemakers Conclusion", Blade Magazine, February 2007
- ^ Cascio,Pat. (2003). "Steven Seagal's Knife", Tactical Knives Magazine, November 2003
