Thursday, September 23, 2010




I thought I would announce that there are big changes (out of necessity for continuation) coming to JDR Knife and Tool. I started doing this as a hobby a couple of years ago, and never set it up/planned for it to be self sustaining. All of my tools are completely made by me from scratch, and have hours invested into each one. Old pricing may cover my time, but not the materials, electricity, equipment,etc., all of which are very expensive. I've actually gone into some real debt pursuing this dream, and have to make an adjustment to survive. To my knowledge, this is the only line of entirely custom tools, consistently available for order. They cannot be priced alongside similar offerings that were machined or made in any kind of quantity. I'm going to keep doing my old customs, but want to announce that I'm fortunate enough to be able to collaborate with my favorite jeweler and artist, Derrick Obatake of Steel Flame. Coming soon will be a line of tools a little larger than my keychain sized offerings, one of which is pictured above. Based on the Mini Makemake design, these debuted at the USN Gathering recently. The one above is made from CPM 3V toolsteel, and features a clip designed by Derrick with his trademark accents:) These pieces will still be handmade but will feature some design elements, such as the hex hole driver, that can only be achieved with the use of a waterjet. More of these, as well as a couple other designs, are in the works and should be available soon. We will try to get them done in a variety of materials including titanium and stainless steel, and there will be options for clips etc. as well.

8 comments:

Wes said...

Great to see an update Joshua! I was starting to worry about ya ;)

I am happy to hear you and Derrick will be coming up with a few more designs because the first one is really cool. That clip doubles a money clip from what I hear :)

Machine cut or made by hand, your tools will always rock brother! keep up the hard work.

CMac said...

Fantastic! I can't wait to see other designs in the works!

Anonymous said...

Hey Joshua:

Great to see you stretching into new areas while keeping true to your roots. The last tool you made for me has been my EDC for several months now and it's one of my favorite pieces in my kit. Best of fortune in this new line, the sample looks great!

wishbone said...

Awesome, what a GREAT combination. I really look forward to seeing what you guys come up with and putting in an order when available!

The Lynx's Lair said...

Thank you all for your continued support and well-wishes. I'm very fortunate and blessed to have such supportive and encouraging friends and customers.

Ike said...

Great idea Joshua, and I look forward to seeing the new concepts!
Best wishes,
Ike

beardy said...

Looks great, Joshua!

You and Derrick are a killer combination!

Anonymous said...

Glad to see that you're growing and expanding! You have great talent, and a loyal following. It doesn't matter to me if they are rough cut with a water-jet then hand finished by you, they will still be superb tools.

I'm still waiting for my friction folder (lefty style of course)!

Rich C. (conejo)