The Rose City’s Edge: The Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE)

The Rose City's Edge: The Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE)

My hometown of Portland, Oregon, is a city often imagined as a land filled with coffee shops, craft breweries, a new tech industry, and a free-artist vibe, along with a healthy dose of the outdoor vibe. While that is still somewhat true today, one thing that hasn’t changed here since I was a kid is the hidden knife culture that exists here, and it’s one thing that I think the Rose City deserves a bigger spotlight on: it's the knife-making capital of the United States. Producing over half of the knives sold domestically, Portland is home to some of the biggest names in the industry. In 2024, five of those heavyweights—Benchmade, CRKT, Gerber Gear, Leatherman, and STEELPORT Knife Co.—joined forces to form the Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE), a coalition aimed at celebrating their craft, boosting the local economy, and cementing Portland's reputation as a global hub for blades. I recently had the privilege of touring the factories of these founding partners, and let me tell you, it was a sharp experience—pun fully intended.

Knife Coverage on AllOutdoor

• AllOutdoor Review: The Badass Benchmade Redstone Mini Barrage
• [NRAAM 2025] An Axe-citing New Folder from CRKT – The Provoke X Axe
• AO Review: Gerber Center-Drive Black – Bit Set, Molle-Compatible Sheath
•  Leatherman Introduces Leap Multitool for Kids, Colored Juice Variants

The Rose City’s Edge: The Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE)

As a native to this state and this city, I was actually pretty excited to learn that something like the PKCoE even exists. Each brand brings something unique to the table, and the PKCoE is less about a centralized hub and more about a shared commitment to quality, innovation, and community. Their first big event, the Portland Knifemaker Showcase on National Knife Day (August 24, 2024), drew crowds to STEELPORT's factory for forging demos, local food, and a $5,000 knife giveaway that had everyone buzzing. But to really understand what makes these brands tick, you've got to step inside their facilities, and this is where I got the rare opportunity to tour all four of these facilities over 2 days, and speak with their employees from the CEOs down to the people working in fulfillment and production.  Here’s a brief picture of the takeaways I had from each manufacturer.

Benchmade: Where Precision Meets Passion

Our first stop was Benchmade's facility in Oregon City, a short drive from Portland's core along the Willamette River.  On the factory floor, the hum of CNC machines, laser cutters, and grinders fills the air, but it's the human touch that stands out. Employees, some with decades of experience, assemble and hand-sharpen a lot of the knives with the kind of care you'd expect from a family heirloom. I watched multiple technicians on the floor hand-sharpen several to a razor's edge in just moments, and when pressed, one of these employees stated they had been working for Benchmade for over 20 years doing this – that is a lot of experience. Back to the operation itself, Benchmade takes the raw steel, cuts it, treats it, and turns it into blades all in-house – it’s a wholly Oregonian operation.

The showroom we got to see at the end is a knife nerd's paradise, displaying everything from the iconic Bugout to the premium Gold Class models. I got a peek at their custom knife program, where customers can choose blade steels, handle materials, and engravings to build their dream folder. Each of us during the tour had the opportunity to try and assemble our own Bugout knife, and then have it laser-engraved while we continued with the rest of the tour. Benchmade knives may not be the very tippy top of the price end when it comes to custom-made knives, but they consistently deliver some of the best knives for the price they’re asking for them. When it comes to their core contribution to the PKCoE, I think what they do best is blend a little bit of what all the other PKCoE companies do, but with a heavier focus on the EDC crowd and blade collectors.

STEELPORT Knife Co.: The New Kid with Old-School Soul

The final stop of the first day was STEELPORT Knife Co., a relative newcomer founded in 2021 but already making waves. Their Portland factory is smaller, more intimate, with a focus on handcrafted kitchen knives, and is spread over two locations. Founded by Ron Khormaei and master bladesmith Eytan Zias, STEELPORT’s sole mission was to provide Americans with high-quality kitchen knives and associated accessories – something that really doesn’t exist. Most high-quality kitchen blades are either German or Japanese, so Ron and Eytan thought it was only natural that Americans should have their own high-quality boutique blade set as well to really showcase the excellence of American knifemakers.

Speaking of the knives themselves, STEELPORT's knives are gorgeous—functional art with burlwood handles and a fit and finish that you’d expect from a high-quality knifemaker. Ron showed us their sharpening process, which uses traditional whetstones to achieve a hair-splitting edge, as well as a machine-assisted custom serration sharpener that Ron is quite proud of, as he believes they make the best bread knife in the world.  Hosting the PKCoE's Knifemaker Showcase at their facility was a natural fit, as the facility we were shown largely deals with the final steps of the knifemaking process. The location also serves as a more accessible location for those curious about STEELPORT’s knives, and the company regularly hosts celebrity chefs who demo recipes and techniques. In a word, their community-driven vibe. STEELPORT adds a fresh, handcrafted, and artisan quality perspective to the group, even if a full set of knives will set you back a couple of grand.

Gerber Gear: Rugged Roots, Modern Grit

At the crack of dawn on day two, we went directly to Gerber, just a short 10-minute drive from my house. Gerber's facility in Tigard is a nod to Portland's knife-making heritage and also heavily leans into the outdoorsy culture that Portland and Oregon tend to have. Founded in 1919 by Henry Brands to supply knives for local salmon fishermen, Gerber has some of the deepest roots in the region. Their factory blends old-school pride with modern efficiency. Walking through, I saw workers assembling everything from the lightweight Assert folder to the beefy Center-Drive multi-tools, and even had the opportunity to design a custom multi-tool. Although they have a ton of new and innovative types of multitools, I’m still using my old school Gerber multi-tool that I’ve had since I was just 10. A testament to their build quality.

What impressed me most was Gerber's versatility and just how broad their product lineup has expanded since I last seriously looked at buying a new multi-tool. Their products cater to hunters, hikers, first responders, and even home cooks. In addition to the factory tour, Gerber showed us some of their latest products that aren’t necessarily blades, but still cater to those who live for the outdoors. Gerber has everything now, from off-road recovery tools to a new line of camping cookware and utensils that are cleverly designed to make those off-grid meals just that much easier. For the PKCoE, Gerber brings a legacy of durability and a commitment to serving diverse users rather than being a strictly blade-oriented company. You guys should be seeing a nice review of a couple of their camping and overlanding tools here on AOD soon.

CRKT: American Innovation on a Budget

Photo: CRKT

Next up was CRKT's headquarters in Tualatin. Columbia River Knife & Tool is the scrappy underdog of the group, known for delivering high-end features at prices that don't break the bank. They accomplish this a bit differently than most might expect, but they’re truly capitalizing on the fact that the city of Portland is a major port on the West Coast. While the team dreams up knives like the M16 and Hirin in Portland, most of their production happens overseas, with Taiwan being a key hub for their operations. President Mark Schreiber didn't mince words during our tour, saying that their manufacturers in Taiwan and beyond aren't just vendors—they're partners they trust like family. This deep relationship lets CRKT hold their facilities to sky-high standards, with engineers making regular trips to ensure every blade meets the same rigorous specs as a pricier competitor.

CRKT President Rod Bremer

By working closely with Taiwan's top-tier factories, CRKT delivers features like buttery-smooth IKBS pivots and premium steels without the premium price tag. For the PKCoE, CRKT's approach shows how global partnerships can keep costs low and quality high, making their knives a go-to for anyone who wants performance without breaking the bank. Their facility is generally a lot quieter, with engineers tweaking mechanisms and employees fulfilling orders. While we were there, we got a close look at their room full of what had to be every type of blade CRKT has ever produced, which also included some upcoming releases, like the extremely addictive Provoke X Axe.

Photo: CRKT

Leatherman: The Multi-Tool Maestros

Photo: Leathermen

Our last stop, nestled right next to the Columbia River near the Portland International Airport, is Leatherman, which probably has some of the most interesting history as a company, at least to me. Tim Leatherman, frustrated by flimsy pocketknives during a 1970s European road trip, sketched the first multi-tool in a very temperamental Fiat 500, birthing an American tool icon and the only true multi-tool to gain as much popularity, if not more, than the Swiss Army Knife. The facility's museum display, showcasing early prototypes and vintage PSTs (Pocket Survival Tools), drove home Leatherman's role in revolutionizing how we carry tools. Every employee I met seemed proud to carry on that tradition, making the culture at Leatherman a model of the Portland Knife Center of Excellence's mission to celebrate craftsmanship.

Photo: Leatherman

Walking through their factory, I saw workers assembling the iconic Wave+ and the sleek Arc, each tool a Swiss Army knife on steroids, although Leatherman has also expanded into other types of blades, including their Raptor Rescue trauma shears, and their newer line of fixed blades and EDC folders. The precision and scale of the Leatherman operation is staggering—every plier jaw, screwdriver bit, and blade is fitted with tolerances tighter than a drum and while many of the operations at Leatherman are carried out by automated machines, this allows the humans to focus on quality control, and also passes on some savings to the customer when it comes to a lot of the stamped tools. I think out of all the companies, Leatherman brings in engineering and production expertise that rivals some of the aerospace companies in the Pacific Northwest.

Photo: Leatherman

The Bigger Picture of PKCoE

Touring these five facilities over two days was a reminder of why Portland's knife industry is unmatched and also why I think it deserves more attention. Each brand—Benchmade's precision, CRKT's innovation, Gerber's rugged legacy, Leatherman's utility, and STEELPORT's artist-tier craftsmanship—brings something unique to the PKCoE. Together, they're not just making knives; they're building a community, supporting local jobs, and showcasing American manufacturing at its best, which is something I think that this rainy city desperately needs more of. Best of all, they’re supporting one another with this new coalition of knifemakers and even some new local businesses like Olympia Provisions, and the eco-friendly CASCADA wellness sanctuary & hotel. The Knifemaker Showcase was just the start—plans for future events, educational programs, and maybe even a dedicated knife museum are in the works, and each CEO has expressed not only a desire, but a passion to get people to associate the city of Portland with high-quality knifemaking and a strong local community of business owners who support one another and their city.

As a lifelong shooter, camper, knife collector, and general outdoorsman, I appreciate gear that's built to last, and Portland's knife makers deliver. I guess it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, as blades (specifically axes and saws) are core to one of the biggest industries in the Pacific Northwest. In a word, I think the city of Portland can take a lot of pride in one of its strongest and least showcased industries, and the PKCoE is doing a great job of turning it into the most showcased. Whether you're a collector, a chef, or just someone who needs a reliable blade for the trail, these brands have you covered. The PKCoE is proof that competition and collaboration can coexist, and Portland's sharper for it – pun once again fully intended.

The post The Rose City’s Edge: The Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE) appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.

Source: The Rose City's Edge: The Portland Knife Center of Excellence (PKCoE)