Fixed to Folding: Our Evolution Continues
From the very beginning, we have been working towards this day and we are finally able to proudly announce we’ve produced a FULL LINE of folding knives! This concept seemed impossible to us over most of the last seven years, but we put our heads down and worked our asses off to bring a product line to market that’s not only SEXY, but something that’s truly worthy of sitting amongst the best folding knives in the game.
The entire team here at Toor Knives proudly presents to you the 2021 lineup; the Merchant FL35S, the Merchant FL35T, The Suitor, and the Chasm – all of which are entirely made here in San Diego, CA, ‘Under the Flag’!
Since starting out in 2014, we have been dedicated to manufacturing top quality fixed blade knives for adventure seekers all around the world. During this time, we have continuously been asked “When are you guys going to make folding knives?’ We had tinkered with folding knife designs in the past but never truly dedicated any real bandwidth to actually producing them completely.
Not until now, that is… And to be honest, it was definitely daunting!
As we’re sure you can imagine, stepping into the folding knife game as a small brand presented many challenges. First, we somehow had to find a way to compete with the quality from the large knife manufacturers, with a lot less infrastructure and experience. It would have been much easier to just have them made by someone else and finish them at Toor, but we knew our talented manufacturing team is far better than that!
So, we decided to say ‘No’ to something that could easily be bought off the shelf and decided to do it the hard way! We then started to slowly bring in the machinery and had to sit on large investments while we figured out the kinks of an entirely new process. It was truly a testament to our dedication to American manufacturing and we even decided to machine our own titanium screws, for f**k’s sake!! But the reward was great and not too many companies out there can say they are manufacturing every part of their blade in-house.
Not only did we completely produce this line of folding knives in-house, but we also designed the entire blade here, as well. Believe it or not, the trickiest part of creating folding knives is getting all the geometry of the locking mechanism and the moving parts to align perfectly for a strong lockup and I need to take a moment and thank everyone who helped us get to this point. One of the mentors who helped us immensely is the legendary bladesmith Mick Strider from Strider knives. Without his guidance and input I am not sure we would have completed these first 4 models on time.
So, a XXL THANK YOU to Mick Strider and the entire Strider Knives team, from all of us here at Toor!
Finally, the most important part...the actual blades.
When we first hit the drawing board, we wanted to create a line of folding blades that would tackle many tasks and cover many demographics. We started with a full-size EDC folding knife design which evolved into a true workhorse, our Merchant FL35S. This was the first true design we had come up with and as the premium offering it set the baseline for the remainder of the line. It is a traditional shaped blade with all titanium handle scales and hardware and we think it doesn’t get much better than that!
Our next goal was to offer something a little bit more tactical, so we decided to modify a variant of the Merchant S and add a Tanto Blade and a tactical KG coating in two colorways (Spanish Moss and Shadow Black). For those looking for a tactical folder, the Merchant FL35T is your blade.
Next, we wanted to create something a little more stylish for every day carry out on the weekends and something to show off to friends. I have always wanted to produce a recurve blade but never quite had the right opportunity. Well, I decided to get it out of my system and design the Chasm as a beautiful recurve blade in two colorways (Ruby and Teal) that could be appreciate by both men and women.
The final blade to our folding line was designed as the ultimate gentlemen’s knife. Something you could take to the cigar lounge on the weekends and show it off next to an expensive glass of whisky and premium tobacco. The Suitor is a real easy carry as it has a minimal footprint but is also fitted with the best materials and highest-grade titanium scales and hardware. It was the last design for the product line and turned out to be a timeless piece that can be passed down for generations.
If you’re still reading, I’m sure you’ve figured out that the entire line of folding knives is something that we are EXTREMELY proud of! While it may seem like a small feat, it’s a monumental step in the journey of our company and something that will live in Toor history books forever!
Thanks for the continued support, we couldn’t do it without all of you.
Connor
