Frequently asked

Items held in stock are dispatched within one to two working days.

Made-to-order and bespoke knives are made after you order. The lead time is shown on the product page before you buy and currently runs between one and four weeks, depending on the piece and the workload in the workshop at the time.

Because each knife is forged, ground, fitted and finished by hand, in small numbers. Making to order is what keeps the range small enough to be made properly rather than assembled at volume.

Yes, potentially. UK orders are sent using a 24-hour tracked service with age verification. The law requires bladed items to be handed to someone aged 18 or over, so a parcel cannot be left unattended and a valid form of ID may be asked for on delivery.

Ordering somewhere the recipient can answer the door saves a redelivery.

Yes, using a tracked service with age verification where it is available. Delivery times are longer and vary with the destination and customs.

Knife law differs from country to country, and in some places from state to state. You are responsible for checking that buying, importing and owning the knife is legal where you are. Customs duties and taxes are yours too, and we cannot refund an item that customs seizes.

The same blade profiles, built two ways. Both series are 80CrV2 carbon steel and both are made to order in Scotland.

The difference is the handle. Classic uses a traditional wa-style handle in ebony and rosewood. Signature uses stabilised Turkish walnut, worked to a faceted top edge over a rounded belly. Choose by material and finish rather than by shape.

Carbon 80CrV2 takes a keener edge and is easy to bring back, but it reacts with food and moisture, so it wants drying after use and will darken with age.

Stainless 14C28N is the low-maintenance option. It resists corrosion, forgives a wet drainer, and needs no oiling.

If you enjoy looking after a tool, carbon. If you want to pick it up and not think about it, stainless. Where a knife is offered in both, the choice is on the product page. If you are unsure, ask.

Almost certainly not. A smooth grey, blue or black tone is patina, and it forms with use on any carbon steel. It is a protective layer and it actually guards the blade against rust. Leave it.

Rust is different: rough, orange or reddish-brown, and flaky. That one needs dealing with promptly. Our Knife Care page explains how to tell them apart and how to remove light rust.

A branded saya, wrapped in linen and presented in a branded box. It arrives ready to give as a gift if that is what it is for.

Close, but not identical. Handles are natural timber, so grain and tone vary from one knife to the next, and hand finishing means small differences in the blade too. That variation is the point rather than a fault, and it is why no two are quite the same.

Yes. Steel, handle timber, size, profile, balance and finish are all open. Send an enquiry with whatever you have, even if it is only how you cook and what you tend to cut, and Brad will help you shape the rest.

Sending an enquiry commits you to nothing. Price and timing are agreed before any work starts. Start a commission

Up to 14 characters are laser-etched onto the spine: initials, a name or a date. Add it on the product page before you order.

Engraved knives are made to order, so it adds a little to the lead time, and engraving is final once cut. It cannot be undone or returned, so check the spelling twice.

Hand wash, dry straight away, and never put it in the dishwasher. Carbon steel also wants a light coat of food-safe oil now and then. Use a wood or plastic board, never glass or stone.

The full routine, including what to do about rust, is on the Knife Care page.

Yes. Send the knife back to the workshop and Brad re-grinds and hones it by hand on the same stones it was finished on, so it returns as sharp as the day it left.

The service is currently £15 per knife, plus return delivery. Restore your edge

Stock items can be returned within 14 days of receiving them, unused and in their original condition. Bespoke commissions and engraved knives are made to your specification, so they are treated differently.

If anything arrives damaged, faulty or not what you ordered, email us with photographs and we will put it right. That is separate from changing your mind and it does not affect your statutory rights.

The full detail is on the Refund & Returns page.

No. Under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 and the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 we do not sell knives or bladed products to anyone under 18. Placing an order confirms you are 18 or over, and we can refuse or cancel an order where age cannot be verified.