Tony Karlsson was born in Älmhult, in the south of Sweden. This town of eight thousand people was a sleepy kingdom for a long time, until the first store of the most famous Swedish brand, IKEA, opened there in 1958. Much later, a museum of the furniture giant was founded in Älmhult. However, the events that became a milestone in the economic life of the municipality had little effect on the life of the Karlsson family. Tony grew up like other provincial boys: he went to school, fished, and played with knives. The knives were utilitarian necessary tools for outdoor activity. Fortunately, there are places to rest: the city is buried in dense forests, and the huge Lake Möckeln is located nearby. Tony Karlsson calls nature his main inspiration, he finds there countless forms, which he embodies in his work.
Immediately after graduation, at 18, Tony started to work in a stair factory. He was quite happy with his life: a stable job, a decent salary, new friends... One of his colleagues went to knife-making courses and in 1997 showed to Karlsson his first fixed knife. In response, Tony remarked that making knives was a piece of cake. But when Karlsson tried to create his first knife, he failed. He tried again, failed again. Even so, Tony Karlsson believed that over time he would become a real master and create very expensive knives.
Karlsson, like all knifemakers, started from fixed knives. He learned from his own mistakes, spoiling one workpiece after another. Tony remembered about the course and signed up for it and a series of workshops. But by and large, Tony is still self-taught. Discoveries in material processing, specific mechanics — Tony Karlsson admires the continuous process of learning that opens up knifemaking. He has been making knives for over twenty years, but he still has a lot to learn.
Karlsson did not have to struggle with the definition of his style, he immediately decided to create in the Scandinavian tradition. The firstborn of the master was a puukko — a short Finnish knife with a fixed blade, which is universally suitable for both hunting and household chores.
Tony Karlsson made both solid puukko and their blades for sale to other knife makers. Now Tony is only engaged in the creation of a knife as a finished product, but the puukko of colleagues still roam the net, one of the main advantages of which is called the “blade from Tony Karlsson”.
Official recognition came in 2001 when his knife won first prize at a small exhibition in Husby. A year later the shelf with awards was replenished with two prizes from the knife show in Gullabo. Tony Karlsson joined the Småland Knife Makers Association and became a member of the Swedish Knife Makers Association.
Gradually folding knives have appeared in Karlsson's assortment. Usually, he makes folders with a thump stud and flippers much less often. However, both are striking in the quality of mechanics and the high cost of finishing. Having reached a certain level of success, Tony began to use elite materials. Most of the master's blades are made from mosaic Damascus by authority blacksmiths such as Vladik Danilyuk, Matthias Styrefors, Conny Person. The knife maker likes to work with ancient materials: the handles of his knives are often decorated with mammoth ivory, and the meteorite is used not only for inlays but also for blade lamination. Precious metals are also loved by the master; the hardware of his folders is often made of gold or sterling silver. Tony himself performs all the steps to create a knife, except for forging and engraving.
Now Tony Karlsson lives with his family in a spacious house in the town of Agunnaryd. There is also a knife maker's workshop there, where he makes knives from expensive materials (traditional puukko and custom folders).
