Kritzman Customs goal is to produce high quality handmade knives that are both good looking and rugged. All work from design to finishing is performed by Alan Kritzman who has been making knives in Cedar Rapids Iowa since 2013. All knifes are hand cut from raw materials with no CNC machine work.
My path to knife making was not the same as many young makers, I didn’t start thinking about making my first knife until I had been through several other hobbies including custom cars, electric car, home built airplane and sending enough time in class rooms to get a couple masters degrees. Each of these has taught me about quality, hard work and patience. I have always enjoyed making thing with my hands and focusing on making the best quality I am capable of.
My first knife was cut with a hand hacksaw and bevels were done by hand with a set of files. It was not pretty, but I was hooked. Since then, I have stepped up on the equipment and use a band saw, manual mill and KMG belt grinder for my power tools. Every knife still requires hours of hand work but if it does not meet my standards, it does not leave my shop.
After several years of perfecting my knife making skill and having a dozen knives inspected, in 2020 I was approved as a voting member of the Knifemaker Guild.