The Anza Knives Story

We choose to make our knives from files because a file is an excellent source of high carbon tool steel. Through a process called annealing, we remove the brittleness normally found in a file. The knives are then handground to shape, a handle, commonly known as Dymondwood is then added, and final finishing, polishing and sharpening are then completed. The final result is a beautifully made knife that will both hold an edge and sharpen easily.

Our knives are so sharp and hold an edge so well, they have become a favorite among guides and outfitters, hunters, backpackers, and fishermen. They are also widely used as a utility knife by the "workingman". All Anza Knives are handmade, each one is different in its own way. This is one reason Anza Knives are very popular among collectors.

Each Anza Knife is furnished with it's own leather sheath. In order to maintain the quality that goes into each Anza Knife, we generally make the knives as they are ordered. Please allow two to three weeks for delivery. We do not compromise quality in order to ship the knives in a hurry.

Imagine That ... Every Knife Anza Produces Used To Be A Metal Mill File
Mill files are the ones made to cut steel and other metals. So a tough tool is recycled as raw material to create a tough knife. Part of every knife has some of the diagonal pattern from the original file showing on the thickest part of the blade. He buys used files from local manufacturers and machine shops.

At one time, company founder Charlie Davis polished away the file blade lines, but soon discovered customers liked the pattern that shows around the perimeter of the hollow ground portion of the blade.

Each Anza knife is cut from a single milling file. The industry name for this type of knife is a "full-tang," and all Anza knives are designed this way. Full tang means using the maximum amount of metal possible, from the end of the handle to the tip of the blade. The blade and tang are all one piece and the tang is not a narrow spike, but the exact profile of the handle, which naturally provides amazing strength.

Sometimes a collector wonders that if Files break easily, won't your knives made from files break too? No. It's darn near impossible to break an Anza, because we have changed the metallurgical nature of the knife - it is not a file anymore, it is hard, but not brittle. Crafting each knife takes it through 48 steps, the first of which is template marking. Files of appropriate size are marked with the profile of the model knife being created. The files, marked with their outline of knives, are taken to the cold grinding department where Charlie Davis uses specially designed grinders to create the basic knife shape from the old files. This is where the sparks fly. Extra-long grinder belts and careful work are used to keep from overheating the blades and ruining the temper. No water cooling is used in this process. After the knives' profiles have been created, the hollow-grinding of the blades is next. This work is also done on long belt grinders. The face of the blade is smoothed down enough to remove some of the abrasive teeth pattern of the file. The diagonal tooth pattern of the file face is always left showing on both sides of the blade, as well as on a bit of the portion of where the blade reaches the handle. This is a signature of Anza knives. When a blade is made from a coarse-textured ferrier's rasp, the knife ends up with a startling series of triangle indentations along the blade. An Ancient Tradition Of Smart Recycling Craftsmen have been making exceptional edged weapons from old files since the 16th century. It is a tradition Charlie carries on by buying up used files and using them as the raw material for some 27 different models of knives.

The Anza collection ranges from a relentlessly cute, three inch old Teeny Weenie for $19 to $29, to 10-inch long outdoorsmen's knives for $85 to $95. Custom made collector knives with special treatments in handles and blades can cost from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars each. Charlie Davis has representatives who place Anza knives in cutlery shops, gun stores and other retail sites across the nation. Many are sold overseas. He counts among his company's fans a group of Eskimos in Alaska.

Warranty
If for any reason, within one year of purchasing your Anza knife you are not completely satisfied with its workmanship, utility or durability, you may send it to us and either have the deficiency corrected or replaced with a knife of equal or greater value.