Discoveries: Creek Cutler

We caught up with James Freakley this weekend to find out more about his bespoke knife company, Creek Cutler. We love his attention to detail when it comes to making and his appreciation for high quality materials.

From a highly technical background in engineering and a passion for creating beautiful items by hand, James found a perfect fit when he started Creek Cutler in mid 2014.

“A history in design and engineering has given me a fascination for machines and tools - the knife is a simple but fine example. The difference between a good and bad knife is subtle to the untrained eye but very apparent to the user. Materials give objects character, which grows with time and use. Unique patinas and histories will develop on the wood and steel over many years of use.”

He has built his Norfolk workshop from the ground up. Most of the machines he uses are designed and made by James, his collection of traditional and modern knives represent hundreds of hours of designing, testing and refining (Our favourite machine has to be the “Grindmaster Flash” in the top image).

“I like the whole process of making something, from the design to the manufacturing machines and the product… That way I’m always learning... it keeps it interesting”

We ordered a custom 7” Carbon steel Santoku Knife with an elm handle and brass rivets last year and were blown away by the quality and longevity to date. The blade has developed a beautiful patina and the quality of the steel is confirmed by the fact we have only needed to resharpen the blade with our matching sharpening steel a couple of times since we received it.

We were lucky enough to get in early when Creek Cutler started, but if you want to add one of their knives to your collection then get an order in early as the waiting list can sometimes be months long.

Head over to creekcutler.com to see their collection.