A life-long knife enthusiast, Jack Levin made his first folding knife at age fifteen in Riga, and in the ensuing 40 odd years has remained fascinated by metal. One reflection of this passion is the name he chose for his most recent series of knives, a name he often uses to describe his own feelings about edged art - Knifemania!

Always involved in creating unusual mechanisms, Jack has a degree in Cold Metal work and spent several years as a military gunsmith. He also has a number of patents, in Europe and America, for different inventions and mechanisms. And although he has no formal art training he has always been interested in art history, and has spent countless hours researching old metal work, arms and technologies, and he is a widely regarded as a restoration expert in both areas.

Jack’s knife making philosophy is simple and straight forward, he is inspired by the harmony of knives and arms exemplified in the Middle Ages, and he believes each detail of a knife should have a purpose, and that the knife should be capable of use.  He spends considerable time before beginning construction designing new mechanisms and making certain he has a plan for all phases of the work – especially if it involves a brand new mechanism.

Jack has also received numerous awards and honors despite being unable to work on knives for almost three years due to recurring tendon and ligament problems in one of his hands. He is also the only knife maker we know of to have won at least one or two Awards at the Blade Show in Atlanta 4 consecutive years.