Aubrey Collins Knifemaker

18/02/2026

Vegetable cleaver dressed in Brazillian Walnut

01/02/2026

I receive requests for custom knives almost daily and although I value your interest in my work, I just cannot do custom work anymore.
I make approximately one knife weekly or about 50 knives a year. All my knives go into the Gavin Collins Gallery in Franshoek and I'm very grateful to say that they sell as fast as I can make them. People say I should up my production or my price, but honestly, my needs are very simple and my knives adequately support my humble lifestyle. I have plenty of free time to walk in the forest or along the Cape's beautiful beaches.
If my knives sell so readily, you may wonder why I post pictures of them on social media. I believe if something is worth doing, it's worth showing anyone who may be interested.
And to the millions of chefs in the world who will never know the pleasure of using one of my knives....SORRY GUYS 😉

28/01/2026

RAZOR SHARP DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY MEAN GOOD CUTTING ABILITY

This is one of the biggest misunderstandings in tools and blades.
An axe can be razor sharp. Sharp enough to shave hair. Sharp enough to slice paper cleanly.
And yet.....try slicing an apple with it.
You'll struggle.
Why? Because sharpness and cutting ability are not the same thing.
Sharpness as measured by the bess test is simply how small and refined the very edge is. It's a measurement at the microscopic level. You can make almost any tool "razor sharp" if you refine the edge enough.
Cutting ability on the other hand is about geometry.
To slice an apple or tomato cleanly, a blade must be:-
*THIN, so it parts the material instead of wedging it apart.
*Rigid and Straight so energy goes forward , not sideways.
*Properly Shaped- a true V from edge to spine or even slightly hollow ground.
Now here's the part that surprises people......
The best slicing edges often do not shave well. They may not sail through thin paper. They may even feel a little grabby on the thumb pad.
That's because a micro toothy edge excels at initiating the cut.
Those tiny teeth bite into the skin of an apple or tomato instantly, instead of skating across it like a polished razor edge can.
A razor edge loves hair, paper and protein.
A slicing edge loves food.
That is why chef's blades and serious kitchen tools are engineered very differently from razors or show blades.
In serious cutting, geometry beats gimmicks
Every. Single. Time
Sharp is easy. Cutting well is engineering. And carbide size may only make a difference in razors.

17/01/2026

This may look like my standard Kiritsuke slicer but this one is hollow ground from spine to edge and sharpened with a gritty micro-tooth edge. The cutting experience really blew me away. The 2.5mm spine keeps the thin blade rigid for precise cuts, the curve from edge to spine helps with food release and the microteeth make it perform like a scalpel.From now on all my blades will be ground this way. Thanks for looking and have a good day.

15/01/2026

Tommorow I turn 79 years, I don't know how it happened it just crept up on me. I know most people won't be interested but I'm going to post this anyway. As you grow older, you realise that this can't go on forever and you begin to feel like you have to squeeze all the fun and good times that life has to offer before it's all gone. I feel 2026 is going to be a crazy wild year. I'm going to ride life, ba****ck and without reins, at a flying gallop this year and let it take me wherever it wants.
I have learned to control my brainwaves so I design and plan my blades in Gamma waves, make my blades in Alpha with absolute passion. I have learned new grinds that help my blades glide through food.I have learned to deep coat my blades with magnolia and ceramic to give the blades a sliding waterproof finish that lasts a long long time I'm learning new things everyday. So roll on 2026, I'm raring to go and if you're doing fun things with your life, invite me , I won't say no!! The good life 😉

09/01/2026

30/12/2025

This week's work in Elmax Super Steel

28/12/2025

Elmax super powder steel. Exceptional hardness, toughness and edge retention

23/12/2025

I made this witches shoe chef knife from Elmax Super Steel. I'm very impressed with this steel, it hardened to 64 without becoming brittle and took a super fine edge. Handle is in wild Olive.

06/12/2025

My Six Inch chef's knife is perfectly balanced, light and agile. And as rare as Dragons Teeth. Only available at Gavin Collins Art Gallery, Main Rd, Franschoek
Cape Town, South Africa.

27/11/2025

Most knives can be sharp enough to shave or cut paper, but cut an apple in half and some knives will glide through and others will bind.this is due to the bevel geometry. An axe can cut wood but will wedge in a butternut. That is why we talk about the cutting ability of a knife. A gyuto or witches shoe type blade is made for slicing, dicing and chopping vegetables. A kiritsuke is more suited to slicing proteins like meat and chicken, or fish. The cutting ability of a knife is related to it's profile and edge geometry. Knifemakers have many secrets regarding edge geometry. This post would not have the space to write about everything I have learned about cutting ability of a good blade🖤