There’s something inherently different about the western United States. The folks out here have a much deserved reputation for being both practical and highly self sufficient. Many areas still echo the vast desolate Wild West of the past. There’s good reason for the aforementioned self sufficiency.
A drive across Wyoming, for example, will reveal a lack of big box stores as well as the common smaller franchises that pepper the landscape of more populated regions of the country. Without the ability to simply stop by the store to pick up essential items, many folks instead turn to their workshops for a creative solution.
One such individual is Michael Jones, the proprietor of Fremont Knives, a small knife company based out of Lander, Wyoming. No stranger to knife production, Michael logged over 15 years with Gerber before setting out on his own. This experience undoubtedly fueled his desire to do things a little differently. Made from 1095 carbon steel, a tool steel, both the Farson Blade as well as the Farson Hatchet are built to last. As inexpensive as it is durable, 1095 is a tough material that can hold an edge while enduring any number of abusive tasks from batoning firewood to chopping through the bones of large game.
So, what about the Farson blade and hatchet you ask? Well, like the AK-47 or the carpenter’s hammer, these knives are k.i.s.s. simple yet surprisingly durable (especially considering the obscenely low price point) and will certainly outlast their owner -with little to no care at all. You could bury either blade in your backyard, dig it up six months later, wire wheel some surface rust away, put an edge on it and place it right back into service. Any doubts one may have regarding the usefulness or versatility of a Farson blade can be put to rest by reading any number of customer testaments on the company’s facebook page.
Michael is a part of the growing resurgence of small entrepreneurs that are popping up across America. Small companies such as these tend to have the courage to try things that most larger companies won’t. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they don’t have to answer to shareholders, or maybe they just love doing things their own way. Either way, it’s the consumer who ultimately wins. It’s a hard act reinventing the wheel, with the Farson Blade and Hatchet it appears Fremont Knives has done just that.
