Allen Elishewitz

Allen Elishewitz, hailing from New Braunfels, Texas, began forging knives in 1988 and became a full-time professional by the early 1990s. A former Recon Marine with decades of martial arts training, he is widely credited with advancing the tactical folder movement. Elishewitz handcrafts his knives entirely with manual stock-removal machines, achieving extremely tight tolerances and refined finishes using premium steels like RWL‑34, Damasteel, and CPM series. His creations—ranging from flippers and integral folders to fixed blades—feature innovative mechanisms like the Tetra‑Lock and heavily jeweled titanium frames. His work has won multiple awards, including “Best Utility Knife” (1992), “Knifemaker of the Year” (1996), and “Best High‑Tech Knife” (2001), and continues to influence modern custom and production knife lines