AT THE SHARP END
Global recognition
Brent Sandow has an international reputation for his knives, most of which are sold overseas. He’s a fixture at a couple of the world’s best knife shows and has been invited, all expenses paid, to exhibit at the new Shanghai knife show. He was one of the people behind the well-attended 2018 and 2019 Auckland Blade shows but, thanks to Covid-19, there won’t be a show this year.
Brent also visits other knife makers, such as American Jerry McClure, with whom he spends a week each year.
He reckons knife-making, and esteem for it, is taking off big time in New Zealand.
In a world of cheap tat, there’s a growing appreciation for something made with skill by hand — something that delights the eye, that is also a joy to hold and handle.
Workshop full of tools
Brent’s workshop occupies the double garage under his house. Jerry’s workshop is about four times the size of Brent’s, but Brent’s is just about big enough for an impressive array of machines, to which he is still adding. There’s no room and not enough stud height for a CNC mill, though. Brent’s goal is to set up a machine for each step of the process — or perhaps two jobs, if changing tools can be done quickly and easily.
Brent’s problem is that he can’t make enough knives to satisfy demand, so we’re pretty lucky that he’s agreed to make one for us. When he retires from his nine to five job he can really set about catching up on those back orders and go large.
Popular knives
Knife makers will tell you that there’s almost an insatiable demand for large hunting or preppers/survivalist knives; big knives, with vicious-looking curves — “Now that’s a knife”–style of knives — often with added serrations, for ripping through dragon scales, perhaps.
