RoseCraft blades has made a major splash in the knife market since its inception in 2021. They offer both traditional and modern knives, all with a unique flare. I have had the opportunity to check out many RoseCraft Blades knives and have been thoroughly impressed, particularly by the build quality and cover options of the traditional slipjoint models. Andy Armstrong, General Manager, was kind enough to answer a few questions about RoseCraft Blades. Read on to get an inside look at this exciting new knife brand!
RoseCraft Blades has introduced several traditional patterns with modern touches. When designing your takes on traditional patterns, what sources of inspiration do you pull from most?
You know, slip joints have been around and in production for more than 100 years. Most of the common patterns we know are about that old and that means there’s a history to draw from.
I love to find very old print catalog pages from brands like I-X-L, Schrade, Joseph Allen & Sons, Remington and so many more. These are usually hand-etched illustrations in pattern books that were originally offered to merchants across the country.
You can find many of them in reprint editions and lots of them online. I use those as inspiration to bring back older versions of classic patterns and patterns we haven’t seen in a while.
I like to look at a classic pattern and keep the general idea but add my own touches to it – make it mine. A sowbelly with a square end. A classic full-size swayback with a finger choil. A cigar with a clip point and a lambsfoot, instead of a small spear.
And then there are certain ideas that are inspired by newer knives. For example, years ago I had a Cold Steel Tuff Lite that I loved to carry and use – and for years, I had it in my head that you could make a knife of that style that had all the build qualities of a traditional slip joint, but the same workhorse attitude. That’s how a finger choil ended up partly in the blade and partly in the bolster of the Zambezi – a great little work knife for any job site. And if I didn’t have that inspiration, I never would have designed the Clinch River Swayback that won BLADE Magazine’s Import Knife of the Year in 2023 – as it has a perfected finger choil like the Zambezi.
The new release of the Ocoee River Kayak has resin and wood handles that are relatively uncommon on knives. How do you decide what covers to use on each release?
Aren’t they pretty and very different from anything we’ve done so far? The burlwood and resin go so well together, and it completely changes the look of that knife.
I’ll try to answer your question in two parts. First, we work very closely with our factory on finding handle materials for our knives. Sometimes I’ll ask our Factory Rep if they can get a particular handle material and sometimes the Factory Rep will send me some new materials they’ve been offered. From there, we decide specifically on what colors and styles we want those covers to be in their final iteration – that’s the fun part.
The second part is just as important, but not as fun. You have to look at what you can do with a handle material and then which knives you want it on. As you’re probably aware, we design our slip joints in rounds of five (Round 6 is in production now). I’ll design first and then the very last step is to decide what handle materials go on each pattern.
Beyond that, we’re constantly reintroducing our popular patterns with new handle materials and that means finding a material that compliments the pattern and stands out from the previous iteration. As I write this, we’re checking in the best-selling Beaver Creek Barlow in both Bora Bora Blue Bone and Genuine Stag – major departures from our iterations in Bourbon Bone and Smoky Gray Bone.
As both the GM and lead designer, how do you balance the business and creative aspects of your role at RoseCraft?
Coffee and anxiety medication. I’m kidding, of course, but sometimes I feel like that.
I think people imagine that we’re a big company with lots of employees. Not true at all. We’re a small family-owned business in Maryville, Tennessee. That means on any given day, I might max out at four people doing everything the company needs to do to keep running – most days less.
At this point, I can tell you that if you own a slip joint from us, I’ve opened and closed that knife personally at least once in our Quality Control check. My wife and I are usually pulling and packing your orders, and we’re all doing our best to design for the brand.
It’s been a wild, glorious ride so far, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time. If that means I add more gray to the beard than I would otherwise, so be it. I love what I do, and cross your fingers, we continue on our same trajectory into the future.
RoseCraft has been proactive in engaging with the knife community through Q&A sessions and videos. How has community feedback affected your design process?
It’s the perfect opportunity to hear what knife lovers love and want. And while, I don’t design solely based on what I hear from the knife community, I can tell you that at least one pattern can directly be attributed to that process. The Stinking Creek Sowbelly was brought up and discussed one weekend on the Slippy and Thrifty Live Show.
I had not considered a one-bladed sowbelly pattern before. It wasn’t on the radar, but the more I thought about the idea the more I liked it. There was no going back after I drew it up. It needed to be made, and I think it turned out to be a fabulous knife for us.
With the recent move of several traditional patterns to the RoseCraft Vault, can you share any insights into what collectors might expect to see in 2025 and beyond? Do you expect a focus on new patterns, or variations on existing patterns?
2025 will bring largely the same model of product release you saw through 2024. We’ll continue to release new patterns as they arrive, designing them in groups of five. Round 7 is on the drawing table now and Round 6 is in production.
And like last year, you’re going to see new iterations of popular patterns released throughout the year as well. And I’ll give this tip to RoseCraft Collectors. If you pay attention and buy when you get the chance, you may end up in the long run with a full line of RoseCraft patterns in Genuine Stag.
You’re also going to see new handle materials that we’re using for the very first time and fixed blades this Spring.
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this interview as much as I did! I want to thank Andy for responding with such detail and giving us a unique look into the inner workings of RoseCraft Blades. I’m looking forward to what the rest of 2025 brings for RoseCraft Blades!
If you would like to pick up a RoseCraft Blades knife, I highly recommend looking at Traditional Pocket Knives. Austin (who I also have an interview with which you can read at the link below) offers great service and you can also use my discount code KT10! Check out TraditionalPocketKnives.com at this link.
