Begg Todd
Тодд Бегг
In the craft of custom knifemaking, as in any form of applied art, there are leaders — outstanding masters who set the bar high for their peers. One such figure is Todd Begg, who has been forging knives for 25 years and, thanks to his extraordinary talent and genuine, deep passion for his work, is considered one of the finest knifemakers in the world.
Becoming a knifemaker was, in a sense, Todd's destiny long before he was born. His father was an avid knife collector and did his best to pass on his interest to his sons from an early age.
As a result, all of his boys, in one way or another, ended up tying their lives to their father's passion. The romance of the American Northwest — camping, fishing, hunting, nights by the campfire — quickly made the knife a best friend to the future men. While serving in the military, through constant exposure to tactical edged weapons, Todd finally understood what he would dedicate his life to.
It was then that the young Begg became fascinated with the idea of making knives himself, diving headfirst into the relevant literature. He absorbed information greedily from every book that crossed his path — he particularly credits Bob Loveless's book How to Make Knives as a kind of catalyst for his journey in the craft. But the more theory Todd absorbed, the more he felt the lack of hands-on practice. The results of his first attempts at making a knife left the aspiring knifemaker unsatisfied.
At that point, the need for real-world experience in the field became urgent. Todd took a specialized course in “Machine Tool Technology” in Farmington and worked as a machinist in the aerospace industry in Seattle. Armed with the necessary metalworking experience and driven by his innate passion, Todd Begg, together with his brothers, launched their own company — what we know today as the Todd Begg Knives workshop.
As history has shown, the Beggs “backed the right horse” — and universal recognition is the best proof of that: the Oregon Knife Collectors Association Show 2003 — Best New Maker; in 2008, Todd Begg graced the cover of the prestigious Blade Magazine; and in 2010, at the USN Gathering in Vegas, the Begg workshop was named Best in Show.
Todd Begg's guiding principle is simple: for all their beauty and uniqueness, his knives must retain their functionality. The quality of materials must be of the highest order. That's why his primary blade steels include the unique, high-tech Bohler N690 stainless steel from the Austrian company Bohler-Uddeholm, and the premium-grade Carpenter CTS XHP powdered steel (mainly on limited-edition versions). The ever-popular D2 and A2 also perform admirably. Premium series feature damascus blades. The handles are equally noteworthy — delighting customers with various carbon fiber, titanium, and G10 variations. And sometimes — forgive him, Greenpeace — alligator teeth, bone, and other animal parts come into play.
It's also worth noting that Todd's brother Mark has played no small part in the widespread popularity of Todd Begg Knives, handling marketing and sales.
The brothers also took part in a Discovery Channel project called Blade Brothers. The premise of the show was that Todd's brothers were, shall we say, not exactly skilled in metalworking — so Todd taught Mark and John his craft, while simultaneously letting viewers in on the magic behind his masterpieces.
For Begg, his workshop is not just a job — it's something more, something intangible, something deeply personal. His personal perfectionism, combined with the understanding that in knifemaking, every step matters — from first to last, and there are no secondary details or operations — has propelled Todd Begg Knives to the forefront of the knife market and won the hearts of knife enthusiasts worldwide, establishing it as one of the most renowned knifemaking workshops on the planet.