Asked and Answered: Andy Armstrong answers popular questions about RoseCraft Blades

Like most businesses, RoseCraft gets lots of questions every day – some more than others. We’re going to dive in with RoseCraft General Manager and Lead Designer, Andy Armstrong and try to answer as many as we can.

The way RoseCraft showed up on the scene in 2021, I think there was a lot of talk and some confusion about the company. Is RoseCraft Blades an off-shoot or division of an existing knife brand?   

No, RoseCraft blades is not an off shoot of any other knife brand, and we’re not associated with any other brand. RoseCraft Blades is an American knife company based in Maryville, Tennessee that was established in 2021. We are a designer-driven business with four in-house knife designers. At present, our modern and traditional pocketknife designs are produced to our specifications by several different factories in China.

Our long term goal is to build a manufacturing plant in Maryville, Tennessee, and manufacture some of our own knives. Every bit of success we have right now is put back into the company to further the goal of American manufacturing.

By the way, you can find the country of origin for every knife in our online store, simply by clicking the ‘Additional Information’ tab on each and every product page (just scroll down).

So, Artisan doesn’t own RoseCraft? Then how do you get RPM9 steel?

Artisan doesn’t own any part of RoseCraft, but they are one of our OEM manufacturers for modern folders. They do great work, and they offered RPM9 steel to us. We gladly took that offer because it’s a great steel. But I think it’s important to remember that Artisan is just one of the manufacturers we work with. When we launched the brand at BLADE Show in 2022, five factories were represented in our debut lineup.

Can you clear something up for us? Are you an online knife show host or a knife designer?

[Laughing] I’ve seen this one a lot out there, because there are a lot of people who knew me from a knife show I hosted for a major retailer for several years – and that’s all they know of me.

Don’t get me wrong. I loved doing that job. It was great to be connected to the knife community the way we were with me and Swaggs going live a couple of days a week – I learned a ton about the industry that way. But that was probably the least of what I did there.

I have over 25 years of experience in this industry. I’ve produced designs for well-known brands like Colt, Remington, Case, Zippo, Winchester, and many more. I just wasn’t allowed to put my name on them.

As a ghost designer, I produced initial conceptual knife designs on behalf of others for brands like TOPS, Esee, CRKT, and Kershaw. I’ve had a hand in everything from branding to packaging, and in the last 15 years, I’ve designed several original slip joint patterns including the Bow Trapper, the Upswept Bow Trapper, the Kayak, the Zambezi, the Pipe Doctor, and the Clinch River Swayback just to name a few. I was the lead designer for Rough Ryder for more than 10 years and helped conceptualize and launch the Rough Ryder Reserve line.

Let me just put it this way, because I laugh a little when people say I’m just a knife show host. I’m a mediocre host at best – that’s for sure. I never really wanted to be on the air in the first place – we just had no one else that could do it at the time. I ended up loving it, but it’s not my true forte. I’ve been a designer in the industry four times longer than I was ever a show host – and design is my true love.

Are your traditional slip joint knives produced by the same factory that produces the Rough Ryder Reserve line?

When it comes to dealing with Chinese manufacturing, I can tell you that it’s very hard to be certain about anything. That’s just the nature of the beast. However, I can say that to the very best of my knowledge they aren’t produced by the same factory. There are some small but tell-tale signs in the production and build quality that I won’t get into in this interview that tell me that statement is true.

Can I just say that I absolutely love what we’re getting from our traditional slip joint knife manufacturing partner? The level of quality they’re producing to our specs is simply unbeatable. The fit and finish is just outstanding. And more than that, we go through every single knife by hand when they come in, and our partner listens when issues arise. Production quality has steadily increased with each new knife’s arrival – and that means we’re just going to get better and better at this.

Do you have a retail storefront?

At present, we do not, but there are two fairly local places you can purchase RoseCraft Blades in person: Harper Bros. General Merchandise Store in Wears Valley, TN and Green Olde Deal Antique Mall in Sevierville. If you need directions for that go to the “See knives in person” page on the site.

And don’t forget, we currently have Qualified RoseCraft Blades Dealers across the US and two in the UK. I’m working on getting a page up on the site, so you can visit those dealers in person too.

There seems to be a love/hate relationship with the China sticker on the back of the main blade. Why’d RoseCraft go with a sticker?

By law, we must label the country of import on the product. We had a choice between a laser etch and a clear sticker. Having seen how many people don’t like the placement of the sticker, I can only imagine how people might react if we didn’t get the placement of a laser etch just right [laughing]. If you don’t like the sticker, peel it off. Hit it with a little rubbing alcohol or some Flitz, give it a rub down with a clean cloth, and no more sticker to worry about. It’s really that simple.

You currently have four in-house designers at RoseCraft including you and Swaggs. Are there plans to expand that group?

We just finished up round 3 designs and our team really did some great work in that process. You’ll see some very cool stuff from Chase Snyder, Hawkins Rose, and Swaggs on the modern side. I personally think our design team will continue to grow in their talent for knife designing. Where they once simply had desire, they’re all developing skill at this point. I can’t wait to see what they do down the road.

But to answer your question, no – we don’t plan to expand the design team any time soon. We’re going to invest in the current team.

And while not everyone is asking this question, we’d be remiss if we didn’t. What does the future hold for RoseCraft Blades?

It’s been a great ride so far. We couldn’t be happier with the reception of our knives in the market. Who would’ve thought that in only our second year, we’d win Imported Knife of the Year at BLADE Show? Not me. That’s for sure.

We’re just going to keep working hard and producing the highest quality knives at the best price we can. We’re going to work toward our goals and grow the in-house talent we have on the team. And we’re going to do everything we can to continue to travel the trajectory we’re traveling right now. And maybe one day – if we continue to work hard and are very lucky, we’ll be a household brand name in the knife world. Wouldn’t that be amazing?