Every Kershaw knife starts with American innovation, American design, and American engineering. It comes to life with precision manufacturing and meticulous quality control—either in our Tualatin, Oregon factory, located in one of the USA’s greatest centers of knife manufacturing, or in our overseas manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing depth like this enables us to build products for every budget and to meet demand throughout the US and worldwide.
While a knife may look simple, it’s actually a complex piece of machinery. And, when it comes to production brands like Kershaw—building a million knives each year—the complexity only gets amplified. From CNC machines, precision grinders, lasers, and a factory-full of specialized equipment to hand assembly and sharpening by hundreds of skilled workers, what it takes to get that knife into your hands is nothing short of amazing.
It always starts with function. What kind of knife do the end user, our retailers, and the market want and need? What style of knife should it be and at what price?
Once these questions are answered, our award-winning designers will create dozens of options for each knife. Finally, one is selected.
Next, each individual part of the knife, from blade to screws must be designed in real dimensions on the computer. The designer ensures the parts fit together precisely, function properly and, based on the knife’s ultimate purpose, chooses the materials we’ll use.
Now, the design is prototyped. Skilled machinists build about a dozen knives by hand. Based on their feedback, we refine the design as needed to make it production-ready.
Next, each part must be translated to programs that interact with our production machinery. The machining and engineering teams write and refine these programs for each part in the “assembly,” that is, all the parts that make up the knife. In addition, the fixtures—the devices that locate and hold the individual pieces during the manufacturing process—must be designed, engineered, and programmed.
If the knife is being manufactured in our Oregon facility, this data now goes to our production team. If it is being manufactured in China, it goes to the Chinese production team. Production begins, with parts manufactured, and assembly underway.
All along the way, Kershaw Quality Control (QC) is in place—from parts inspection to final inspection before shipping. Our China-made products receive additional QC before they leave the factory, then again when they arrive in Oregon.
From our warehouse facility, Kershaw knives are shipped to Kershaw Authorized Dealers throughout the US and the world. And every single one is backed by our Limited Lifetime Warranty.
We stand behind every Kershaw knife. From high-end, premium-materials knives to value-priced models, every Kershaw provides plenty of bang for every hard-earned buck. Even our budget knives incorporate high-end technology. Because everyone deserves to own a knife with the style and function they really want. We are proud to be able to bring knife users products that they, in turn, are proud to own, carry, and use.
