About Me

My name is Michael Reinhold and I am a part-time custom knifemaker and knife designer. I have been fascinated with knives for as long as I can remember. I received my first knife, a small pen knife, from my grandfather when I was about seven years old. As an avid collector of knives for many years, I always dreamed about designing and making knives of my own.

My journey with knifemaking began when I was about 15 years old after seeing pictures of custom handmade knives in an old Knives Illustrated magazine. I started by making basic fixed-bladed knives using old circular saw blades for blade steel and scrap pieces of wood for my handles. Since I did not own a grinder or band saw at the time, I used a cold chisel and mini-sledge hammer to “rough cut” my blades into shape. It was a crude system that often lead to bruises and sore knuckles, but I soon fell in love with making knives. As a self-educated knifemaker, I learned (and continue to learn) through trial and error.

My philosophy of designing knives is simple: build a functional, high quality, and innovative knife that will perform for a lifetime. My knife designs are influenced by things found in nature, architecture, industrial art, and even origami. I sketch all of my designs by hand using basic drawing equipment. Regardless of the design, I believe that the end product should always result in a knife that I want to use and am proud to carry every day.

Each one of my knives is handmade solely by me using basic power equipment and the best materials I can obtain. Because of this, each and every knife is unique and no two knives are exactly alike. I strive for perfection in every knife I make--which is why it generally takes me several months to create one folding knife. While I primarily prefer the challenge of making folding knives, I also enjoy making an occasional fixed-bladed knife as well. Although my methods and materials have continued to evolve over the years, my passion for designing and creating high quality handmade knives remains unchanged.

As for my designer's mark, I chose to use a stylized hummingbird for my logo because like the hummingbird itself, I would like to say that my knife designs are mighty for their size.

Reinhold Knives was founded in 2012 in Fremont, Indiana. In 2014, my wife and I relocated to Crooked Lake, Indiana, which is now the present base of operations for Reinhold Knives.

Thank you for the interest in my work.

All the best,

-Michael