I’m a big believer in voting with your dollars and actions, and I like to support exceptional people and businesses. That’s what this is about.
I have the good fortune of living in Oregon. I grew up in Tualatin, OR, home of KAI/Zero Tolerance/Kershaw/Shun, CRKT, and Al Mar, and close neighbor of Benchmade and Gerber. For a few years, I had the distinct privilege of doing my in-store buying at the Northwoods Knives storefront in Hillsboro, OR, and stuck with Derrick when they moved to a new KSF storefront, until they jumped to MI. Derrick won me over with his enthusiasm the first day I set foot in his shop, and I bought exclusively from him after that. His business gave me opportunities to handle all kinds of blades, from entry level stuff to Sebenzas. I never stopped being grateful for that. With Derrick’s recent passing, and with the KSF storefront many states away, I felt a little adrift.
A couple days after news of Derrick passing hit, I met and chatted up a guest in my workplace. He made a knife reference, and it turned into one of those funny, “AAAAHHHHH!!! I MET A BROTHER IN THE WILD!” moments. He told me about a new shop in the area and invited me to check them out.
Early last week, I dropped in to check out Oregon City Knife & Tool for the first time. I was amused that they’re immediately across the street from Benchmade. The shop lobby is small, with modest cases at the moment. Initially, I was underwhelmed by the selection. Buck, CRKT, and Kershaw are fine, but they’re not going to hook me. Hogue? Cool. Still, nooootttt my particular flavor. No Benchmade (too physically close to the BM store, of course). No Spyderco.
But, then I saw a full selection of ZT, and...
Hinderer knives, right there in the case!
The manager, Stephen Tomlinson, introduced himself right away. I was *very* impressed at how genuinely enthusiastic the guy is. He was 100% interactive and having *fun* while I checked out some of the goodies. When I asked about the CRKT Pilar, he said he’s waiting on a delivery, and ran out to his car to grab his personal one for me to check out.
At one point, he floated the question of my preference between CPM 20CV and S35VN, and grinned ear to ear when I explained my choice. He was very cool about his own take, as well.
I have a heavy bias in favor of people who are unafraid to give their real opinions, and Stephen does it in a very casual, neighborly way.
He takes a bit about the direction the shop is going, much of which has to do with customization and shop work services. They have full set ups for coating, and are very enthusiastic about all of the cool stuff like backspacers and bling.
Here’s the bit that really locked me in.
I asked Stephen if he was familiar with the Microtech DOC and the infamous F-You pocket clip. He nodded. I said I had one, but *do not have the takedown tool*, and asked if he thought he could do anything with it. He said to bring it by.
I dropped it off on Wednesday. Stephen made calls to people for their input, and did all of his work on it with belt tools while the clip was still mounted on the knife. He had it ready for pick up the next day.
When I got it, I was stunned at how perfectly it came out. He left enough lip on the clip to easily drop it over my pocket with one hand, yet took enough down to allow me to squeeze the thing white-knuckle hard in every grip and be completely comfortable. He even polished the end, so there are no catch points. All of this was done with such care that the tools never touched anything other than the clip.
From behind, showing the remaining ramp:
https://i.imgur.com/5yM2frDh.jpg
From above:
https://i.imgur.com/SRq35AOh.jpg
The visible marks around the handle were all present before I took it in. Where he was working, it’s immaculate.
I strongly recommend these guys as a place to do business with. It feels very much like a family place, and Stephen is a ****ing great guy.
[sidebar: Stephen, if you ever see this... get Spyderco in there. I’m a ZT guy. I understand the BM thing with them being *right there*. Still, it’s a damn shame to not have PM2s and such in the shop.]
OK... ladies and gentlemen, if *you* have a local shop to call out, do not hesitate. That’s what this is about. Tell us who impressed you. Call out the Derrick Bohns and Stephen Tomlinsons of the world. Give them some love.
I have the good fortune of living in Oregon. I grew up in Tualatin, OR, home of KAI/Zero Tolerance/Kershaw/Shun, CRKT, and Al Mar, and close neighbor of Benchmade and Gerber. For a few years, I had the distinct privilege of doing my in-store buying at the Northwoods Knives storefront in Hillsboro, OR, and stuck with Derrick when they moved to a new KSF storefront, until they jumped to MI. Derrick won me over with his enthusiasm the first day I set foot in his shop, and I bought exclusively from him after that. His business gave me opportunities to handle all kinds of blades, from entry level stuff to Sebenzas. I never stopped being grateful for that. With Derrick’s recent passing, and with the KSF storefront many states away, I felt a little adrift.
A couple days after news of Derrick passing hit, I met and chatted up a guest in my workplace. He made a knife reference, and it turned into one of those funny, “AAAAHHHHH!!! I MET A BROTHER IN THE WILD!” moments. He told me about a new shop in the area and invited me to check them out.
Early last week, I dropped in to check out Oregon City Knife & Tool for the first time. I was amused that they’re immediately across the street from Benchmade. The shop lobby is small, with modest cases at the moment. Initially, I was underwhelmed by the selection. Buck, CRKT, and Kershaw are fine, but they’re not going to hook me. Hogue? Cool. Still, nooootttt my particular flavor. No Benchmade (too physically close to the BM store, of course). No Spyderco.
But, then I saw a full selection of ZT, and...
Hinderer knives, right there in the case!
The manager, Stephen Tomlinson, introduced himself right away. I was *very* impressed at how genuinely enthusiastic the guy is. He was 100% interactive and having *fun* while I checked out some of the goodies. When I asked about the CRKT Pilar, he said he’s waiting on a delivery, and ran out to his car to grab his personal one for me to check out.
At one point, he floated the question of my preference between CPM 20CV and S35VN, and grinned ear to ear when I explained my choice. He was very cool about his own take, as well.
I have a heavy bias in favor of people who are unafraid to give their real opinions, and Stephen does it in a very casual, neighborly way.
He takes a bit about the direction the shop is going, much of which has to do with customization and shop work services. They have full set ups for coating, and are very enthusiastic about all of the cool stuff like backspacers and bling.
Here’s the bit that really locked me in.
I asked Stephen if he was familiar with the Microtech DOC and the infamous F-You pocket clip. He nodded. I said I had one, but *do not have the takedown tool*, and asked if he thought he could do anything with it. He said to bring it by.
I dropped it off on Wednesday. Stephen made calls to people for their input, and did all of his work on it with belt tools while the clip was still mounted on the knife. He had it ready for pick up the next day.
When I got it, I was stunned at how perfectly it came out. He left enough lip on the clip to easily drop it over my pocket with one hand, yet took enough down to allow me to squeeze the thing white-knuckle hard in every grip and be completely comfortable. He even polished the end, so there are no catch points. All of this was done with such care that the tools never touched anything other than the clip.
From behind, showing the remaining ramp:
https://i.imgur.com/5yM2frDh.jpg
From above:
https://i.imgur.com/SRq35AOh.jpg
The visible marks around the handle were all present before I took it in. Where he was working, it’s immaculate.
I strongly recommend these guys as a place to do business with. It feels very much like a family place, and Stephen is a ****ing great guy.
[sidebar: Stephen, if you ever see this... get Spyderco in there. I’m a ZT guy. I understand the BM thing with them being *right there*. Still, it’s a damn shame to not have PM2s and such in the shop.]
OK... ladies and gentlemen, if *you* have a local shop to call out, do not hesitate. That’s what this is about. Tell us who impressed you. Call out the Derrick Bohns and Stephen Tomlinsons of the world. Give them some love.
