George Les

American knifemaker with military experience Les George

Les George was born in Wichita city, the US state of Kansas. He has been gravitating toward knife collecting since his very young age and by the time he reached his teens he had quite a considerable number of budget knives. Concerned about their kid’s passion, George’s parents limited his freedom to buy new items. The young man asked his father if he would allow George to make knives himself then. George’s father laughed and said: “Go ahead!”. His parents had no idea where the enthusiasm would bring him to.

At the age of 12, Les read “Step by Step Knifemaking: You Can Do It” by David Boye. The book impressed the boy strongly and he started working on his first knife. On paper, everything seemed extremely easy, but real work showed all the subtleties of knifemaking. Making his decisions and mistakes, George got to the point when in 1992 he produced and sold his very first knife.

Not having much experience in knifemaking, Les needed to work hard to improve his skills. According to George’s statement, the person most affected by his growth is Stan Fujisaka from Hawaii. Stan dispensed with his acquaintance voluntarily and revealed lots of secrets about making knives. The knowledge that Les got from his teacher, he is now successfully applying. 

1997 marked a turning point in the master’s destiny. He joined the US Marine Corps. During his service, George performed and lived on 3 continents: Asia, South America, Africa. Out of the years of his military experience, Les has gotten a particular understanding of how a knife should be projected and produced. He acquired his work style. 

All the time during his military service George was filled with longing for knifemaking so he got back in business after retirement. To that moment Les was able to accumulate all the experience he’d got and start making quality and reliable items. Some of the American folding knives have a very masculine look. George prefers custom tactical knives and also is interested in making tactical fixed knives and tools for bomb disposal technicians.

Master chooses carefully materials for his products. His favorites are steel powder CTS-XHP, D-2, Damascus, CTS-fiberglass, carbon, and noble wood. 

The knifemaker stands on that he makes knives with a particular character that would fit completely different owners. In other words, each and everyone will find an item with unique features for himself. 

George’s produce has been featured in prestigious American exhibitions, including Blade Show, and has received high rates from Blade Magazine. Custom knives Hydra and Valmara are the most famous master’s works.

George continues making knife-lovers happier people by designing and producing new knives. And he has no intentions to stop. Les confesses he hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet and there’s a lot of hard work to do. He believes his best works are still ahead.

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