It Matters How You Make It
The vast majority of our products are built in house, by our small team. But for some of our products, we work with external partners to bring the ideas to life. The manufacturing takes on a totally different path for our minimalist knife and belt, but each shares this crucial trademark: the unique process allows us to best possible product that couldn’t exist otherwise.
Cutting it Close
When we set out to design a knife, we were intent on making something unique, something that couldn’t exist anywhere else. Our design team focused on a simple, radical knife - and, it turns out, nobody was willing to manufacture it because it would be too hard. The monobody design of the handle is unique, the tolerances are very high, and the raw machined finish means that you can’t hide any imperfections.
![](https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=200&s=06ed04d457886ced27504f5e0c983366 200w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=300&s=ce97335c0478fcd23646e342dbd9da8d 300w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=500&s=c2b4e870630583db7251637f4d8877f0 500w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=700&s=3b9617d735499805fb4be794c5b86171 700w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=900&s=da524adca108c1c05726645ec2dd5096 900w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=1100&s=0d790b00d2d00248e884d973c1d9385a 1100w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=1300&s=1cbd94e0b27ffa941430601aab01e69d 1300w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=1500&s=5c2a8d80dd3451322378517b63c52253 1500w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=1800&s=a8d2432f6c983cb07a5cc83abeab9aeb 1800w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=2250&s=8892f2daf20e62b7fa99cf551b98ca56 2250w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=2500&s=e80a8139138917c0d4739912104f87e3 2500w,https://grovemade.imgix.net/https%3A%2F%2Fsiteleaf.grovemade.com%2Fuploads%2FGMP0109-LP-belt-knife-A1.jpg?auto=format&ixlib=python-1.1.2&w=3000&s=2ff0245113aef93621aecc5550d5907b 3000w)
In the end, the only way to make it was to work with close, talented vendors willing to work with us to realize our vision - keeping it local allows for precise quality control. The monobody is machined in Oregon City. The blade is ground in Seattle. The blade is hand sharpened in Portland. The whole thing comes together and is assembled at our shop, with quality control between each step. It was the only way we could build the knife we wanted.
Finding the Right Factory
Our minimalist belt is made of two pieces: a leather strap & a stainless steel buckle. With the strap, we focused on high quality, English bridle leather, durable and elegant. The buckle pays homage to the classic conway style buckle, in a modern way. It has a unique form, different than any buckle we’d seen. Because of the unique shape and structure, we had to explore many routes to find the best way to build it. Metal machining was way too expensive, because all the metal inside the form would have been wasted. 3D printing was possible (and really cool), but also way too expensive. The best option was investment casting, but this is a very involved process that would require partnering with a factory.
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We looked locally… then regionally… then nationally… crickets. There were almost no functioning investment casting factories in the USA, and the ones we did find weren’t able to deliver the product at the quality we needed. So, we looked overseas in Shenzhen, China, and found a factory that could cast our buckle at the exacting quality we demanded. In order to create the belt we wanted, we had to go farther to find the right expertise and talent—different place, same intent.
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"Manufacturing is never a simple, linear path, but that’s part of the fun."
KEN TOMITA
Co-Founder
Products Tell Stories
With each product, we ask ourselves: where can we create the best product that stays true to the design, matches our customers’ needs, and hits the quality we demand? It’s not a simple formula, and that’s what makes the challenge and journey of product design so exciting.