Nadeau Brian SharpByDesign
SharpByDesign
Brian Nadeau, founder of SharpByDesign, was born and raised in New Jersey. A natural with his hands, he spent 15 years working as a mechanic until an accident left him unable to earn a living. His quiet, predictable life came to an abrupt end. Unable to find another job, Nadeau was at home, living on benefits and tinkering with whatever he could make.
One day, Brian's wife got talking to a neighbour who was making folding-knife prototypes by hand. She invited her husband over to see the maker's work. That was Nadeau's first introduction to the world of custom knifemaking. His reaction was simple: «If this guy can make things like that with his hands, let's see what I can do with a machine”. Brian rolled up his sleeves and built his first folders in his garage, then proudly showed them to the neighbour. The neighbour bought the knives — although he mostly used them for digging in the garden. And that was how Brian Nadeau became a knifemaker.
In 2014, Nadeau burst onto the professional knifemaking scene like a typhoon. His debut tactical folder, the Typhoon, immediately won two awards: Best New Maker and Best Tactical Folder. Variations of the same model went on to win the Best Tactical Folder award twice more, in 2015 and 2017.
Nadeau's American-made EDC knives won over enthusiasts by combining aggressive aesthetics with practical functionality. His flipper creates an exceptionally effective lever, launching the blade out of the handle with remarkable force. Drop-Point is his preferred blade profile, although he also works with Clip-Point, Bowie, Trailing-Point and Tanto designs. All of Nadeau's flippers feature frame locks and titanium handles. He likes to give the scales distinctive patterns through machining, then bring them to life with coloured anodizing.
After his success at the debut Blade Show, orders began pouring in. Many customers, however, wanted a more compact version of the 4-inch Typhoon. Nadeau listened and created the Mini Typhoon with a 3.5-inch blade. But he did more than simply shrink the knife: he also substantially reworked the frame lock. The traditional lockbar insert ball was eliminated, with a protrusion on the spring itself taking over the role of the blade stop.
Nadeau also redesigned the pocket clip, concealing its mounting hardware inside the handle.
The American maker continued experimenting with the dimensions of his knives. At the 2018 Blade Show, he presented the Mini Typhoon — a compact 3-inch version with a blade just over 7.5 centimetres long. Alongside further variations of the successful Typhoon, Brian has continued developing entirely new designs. A few years ago, he introduced the Cyclone, where the Typhoon's familiar Drop-Point profile evolves into a more aggressive Bowie shape.
At the same Blade Show, Nadeau also unveiled the Chicane flipper alongside the Mini Typhoon. The idea for the model came from racing. One day, Brian was playing a racing game with his young son when the boy said, “Dad, that chicane on the track is really cool. Make a knife shaped like it.” Brian did — and named the knife after the twisting section of a racetrack. The Chicane's blade rises toward the tip in a classic Trailing-Point profile, while the open knife forms a distinctive “S” shape.
Brian Nadeau's work caught the attention not only of custom flipper enthusiasts but also of major production knife manufacturers. After lengthy negotiations, he began collaborating with the legendary Chinese company Reate Knives. A production version of the Typhoon was developed the following year, and Brian personally presented it at Blade Show 2018.
At Knives by Maria Stalina, we have brought together some of the finest representatives of what has become a legendary Typhoon family. The collection includes the classic Typhoon Blue as well as its more aggressive eastern-inspired counterpart, the Typhoon Tanto. All models feature Nadeau's signature integrated pocket clip, while the triangular flipper bears his “NB” monogram.
