Tour of Toor, A Look Inside Our New Facility

What's up people! It has been a while since our last blog post but I can only hope that this article will explain why.... We have finally settled down into our new warehouse!! After months of moving, building, and adjusting, we are finally up to full operating speed and we could not be more stoked. Operating in a facility like this has made us look back on where this company has come from, to where it is now, and we felt it only appropriate to share it with you. 

Late 2013 was where it all started, the backyard. An idea between me and Cameron to build blades for deploying buddies led to a few trips to the local Home Depot for some brick and mortar, and the half ass building of a fully functional forge. It was actually pretty impressive if I do say so myself (concrete molded fire pot, brick and mortar base, some galvanized pipe, and a blow dryer to push air). Fortunately we also had a small shed in the backyard that I was able to use as a shop. I had two small workbenches salvaged from some old IKEA desks, and a bedroom dresser to hold my very few tools (files, angle grinder, sharpening stones, etc.) The very first knife shop was up and running! As I began to crank out blade after blade using my hair dryer forge, we saw a demand for these knives and decided to put a name on this hobby, and hence Toor Knives was born. 

As time went on, and more and more blades were sent out, we decided it was time to expand the shop. I reached out to a buddy of mine who conveniently owned a Uhaul storage facility and he was gracious enough to set us up in one of the garages there. I was now able to expand the shop to 3 work benches and a fridge! This gave me enough room to operate at the level of demand we were receiving, as well as gave Cameron room to work in between deployments. As demand grew, we felt it necessary to design a series of blades, a culmination of shapes that could handle nearly any job a SOF operator would be faced with. This led to our first official launch of blades, the SOF Series, and conveniently right as we began to run out of room at our 5 star Uhaul manufacturing facility. So in 2015 we made the decision to move again, but this time to a real commercial location.

After a few days of building benches, craigslist shopping for desks, and moving machines, we were up and running at our new shop in Miramar, San Diego. It seemed HUGE coming from a Uhaul garage, and before that, a backyard shed. Not only did we have a garage bigger than our last spot, but we had 3 offices and our very own restroom! Little did we know that the SOF Series blades would only grow in demand and force us to move after only one year of being there. It was time to really make a decision on where we wanted the company, and that is when we pulled the trigger on our new blade manufacturing facility in East County San Diego.

After a few weeks of warehouse shopping, we were able to lock down the perfect spot, large enough to grow into, close to home, and multiple offices to work in. It was time to go to work. We had close to 3,000 square feet to build in and we were not about to waste a single inch. We started by framing out two separate rooms in the warehouse, one for cerakoting and engraving, and one designated for the grinders. We built a belt grinder specific bench that could facilitate a dust vac system and dust hood under every grinder. We then moved on to the nearly 160 feet of work benches we had to build. With the amount of room we had, we were able to designate areas for each step of the process (grinding, heat treating, cerakoting, engraving, handles, and sheaths) building work specific benches in each section so we are able to push more blades out in less time, all while staying organized and knowing where each blade is at in the process. We were then able to lay out the offices and designate working areas for customer service, supply management, and reception to improve our efficiency on the back end. After adding some color to the walls, and a hand painted 40 foot long American Flag by Cameron, the shop was finished! So for everyone who has been asking to see the new shop, here it is!

About a month has gone by and this facility has been nothing short of amazing. Not only has it improved our production process and allowed us to create even more unique and badass blades, but it is the culmination of all the hard work we have all put in. It is everything we have to show for in this small company and we are damn proud of it. This journey has been amazing, from the backyard shed, to almost 3,000 square feet of operating space, and we owe it all to you, our loyal following. So let it be known that this is by no means a "we made it article" because we are only just beginning. Just as our shop space grew, so did our goals, but our priorities remain the same, to build the most badass and functional blades for our active duty and deploying military. 

Thank you all so much for the support,

-Connor