We had the opportunity to interview Brous Blades, makers of high quality custom knives.

> A little bit of history: How did Brous Blades start, and why did you get involved in the knife making business?

[box size=”large”]Jason is a third generation machinist and has always loved creative art. He was taking his kids on a little fishing trip and got a cheap pocket knife – it fell apart almost instantly, so he thought he could probably make something much better. He started playing around with ideas and designs and it took off from there. He officially started Brous Blades in May 2010.[/box]

> What does a knife represent to you?

[box size=”large”]A knife is a tool and should be used, but it should also be a work of art. Jason’s goal is to make knives that are high quality, have innovative designs, and are able to be put to everyday use.[/box]

> What distinguishes you from other businesses in the knife making industry?

[box size=”large”]Brous Blades is always releasing completely new knife designs, and each knife model is part of a limited production run. We don’t make the same design repeatedly mainly because Jason is constantly creating new designs, and also because it allows each knife t hold its value due to its exclusivity. Jason’s designs are heavily influenced by biomechanical art, so they have a very “collectible” look to them, yet they are fully functional and meant for everyday use.[/box]

> What’s your business biggest challenge today?

[box size=”large”]The biggest challenge we face is being able to release new designs once they are completed and ready for production. Jason has several knife designs already completed and dozens of designs in the works, but he can’t release them all when he completes them because it would over-saturate the market. We usually release one knife per month, and sometimes two in one month if we can get away with it. He has at least the next two years’ worth of releases planned out already![/box]

> What’s the most popular knife that you sell?

[box size=”large”]The Silent Soldier series has been our best-seller by far. We have the Silent Soldier Flipper in both carbon fiber and G10 variants, and we also have the Silent Soldier neck knives – the SS V1, V2, Ranger V1, Ranger V2, Tanto, and Hawk. We are constantly getting requests to make more of all these models.[/box]

> Are you still improving your products? if yes, how?

[box size=”large”]We are always improving our products! Each design is tested thoroughly prior to being put into production. Jason himself carries the prototype for several months and uses it nonstop to ensure it can withstand heavy use. If we receive negative feedback from customers regarding certain aspects of a knife, we make sure to remedy those issues in the next release of that model. For example, when recreating the Bionic we removed the jimping near the flipper tab and changed the geometry of the flipper to improve the flipping action, and the new design was named the Bionic 2.0. Also, we have upgraded our packaging quite substantially.[/box]

> What is your favorite steel to work with? Why?

[box size=”large”]We were only using D2 tool steel up until about two months ago. Jason has the heat-treat down to a science and it holds its edge for a really long time, and it’s tough. We just made a run of T5 fixed blades with S35VN steel and are thinking of making more models using that steel, but we haven’t made up our minds 100% quite yet.[/box]

> How can people keep Brous Blades sharp? Would you give them some tips and recommendations?

[box size=”large”]We offer a lifetime warranty with each of our knives, and that includes free sharpening. Just send it to us and we take care of it for you, free of charge.[/box]

> Tell us something people will be surprised to learn about Brous Blades.

[box size=”large”]Brous Blades is a family-owned and operated company. Jason handles design and production, and his wife Keena handles customer service, shipping, and accounting. Sometimes the kids even help out by folding shipping boxes, bagging up ball chains for the neck knives, or getting COAs into the plastic sleeve covers![/box]