As we roll into 2024, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this past year and present the vision for Walker Knife Co. as we move into the new year. They say If you don’t put your goals out into the universe they won’t become reality, right?
Let me begin by expressing immense gratitude for the unwavering support and encouragement I’ve received. The paddling community and my fellow hunters have been instrumental in propelling this business forward. Almost every day, I'm thrilled to see photos of our knives in the wild—it's an incredible feeling. So, a heartfelt thank you for your genuine support.
In 2023, my focus was directed towards refining our products. I fine-tuned the mounting system for River Knives and introduced titanium mounting clips for PFD lash tabs. This innovation positioned the River Knife in a league of its own. Extending the design ethos of the River Knife, I tailored our hunting knives to be packable, lightweight, and weather-resistant, aligning perfectly with my hunting style—tracking. Furthermore, I've been diligently working on mounting solutions for these knives, similar to the ones I developed for the River Knife, and will have these available in 2024.
Additionally, in 2023, a significant change was transitioning to a CNC cutting process for all River Knife handles, thanks to my friend Phil at Amalgam Skis—an exceptional Maine brand. Leveraging Phil’s CNC router significantly enhanced our ability to create consistent handles in a fraction of the usual time, while also minimizing G10 waste. By creating consistency in the handle process the door opened for repetitive sheath production and the ability to provide second sheaths without the need to have the customers knife in hand to mold the sheath to. This is also a result of having the blade profile cut on CNC waterjet, a process we have utilized since day one.
No question, 2023 was a year of refining shop processes and learning the ins and outs of moving to batch production. It was also a year of discovery and improving existing designs. Alongside progress made in the shop I also leaned more heavily into marketing and building a social media presence. Partly, this was due to feeling confident in the product after a lot of testing and improving. But, I also recognize the need to invest in building a brand presence for sustainable growth.
So, what does 2024 have in store?
A lot. Above all, we remain committed to our mission of crafting products that are 100% made in the USA. Behind the scenes, exciting developments are underway-things we can’t yet talk about. I will say, I am thrilled to release new products and provide tools that I know you will love.
My ultimate goal for 2024 is to ramp up production. With just about 100 knives sold in 2023 (we’re a small little operation!), I am aiming to at least double our production in 2024. This expansion is crucial to ensure wider accessibility of our knives to those who can benefit from them.
Continuing on our journey, I'm determined to further streamline inefficiencies in the shop. I will integrate a CNC router into our in-house toolkit this year to establish a standardized and consistent system for crafting sheaths. By embracing a CNC process, I anticipate a significant reduction in waste and micro-plastics, while also producing a more consistent and refined final product. This will allow us to build a more scaleable business model as we move forward as well. Fear not, we will always hand finish our products to the highest degree of perfection we can achieve.
2024 is looking to be an amazing year and above all else I will strive to keep having a blast with this. I love seeing photos of all the amazing places our knives end up - thank you for making Walker Knife Co. your adventure partner.
You are awesome. Maine is awesome. The communities that surround the activities we participate in are awesome. Cheers to another stellar year in 2024 and wishing you all the best!
-Walker
Owner / Knife Maker.
