The Hardened Edge

We’ve covered many custom knifemakers in Handgunner over the years and, without question, most were inspired by the first pocketknife gifted to them by their father, granddaddy or uncle at a very young age. Jake Hoback’s story’s a bit different. You see, he was actually making knives at a very young age and the road to where he is today has more twists and turns than a good action novel.

“I started making knives when I was 8 or 9,” Jake informs. “I worked at a blacksmith shop during the summers in Virginia City, Nev., and with a farrier for many years.” Born in Olympia, Wash. but raised in the mountains of Nevada Jake tells Handgunner, “I spent a great deal of time hiking and camping in the Rockies, so I always needed a good knife.”

Hoback’s path to becoming a knifemaker would take a roundabout course over the years, but all his stops added more experience and fuel to the fire leading to fruition. “I had several jobs which influenced how I make and design knives,” Jake relates. “From an engineering perspective, working as an off-road fabricator for rock crawlers, I got a very unique perspective on how to design something to be very strong and lightweight. From a machining perspective, I worked at a turbine engine rebuilding facility. It gave me a great understanding of how to machine parts to exacting tolerances. And lastly, from a usage perspective, I spent the better part of a decade working for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife doing scientific work where I was able to spend a great deal of time working outdoors — often in very harsh environments.”

Objective Achieved

In 2004, Hoback achieved his dream of becoming a knifemaker. His motto is “I can break a steel ball in a rubber room. I make my knives according to that.” His lifetime of tough jobs and rough living in the outdoors set the tone for the knives he makes — and his reputation for making hard-use knives endears his customers to him.

There’s nothing Jake enjoys more than holing up in his machine shop and getting down to the nitty gritty of building his knives. Asked what he likes the most about being a custom knifemaker, the artisan responds, “Machining first!!! Then design.” This is telling of Hoback’s personal demands and dedication because all the design in the world is worth nothing if the end result is not 100 percent dependable and reliable under stringent demands. Quality over quantity is the law in Hoback’s world.

There are many more custom knifemakers than there were 10 years ago, and technology has been both a boon and a bust. Some are more designers than actual knifemakers, jobbing their parts out to manufacturers at both home and abroad and assembling them for knife users’ consumption — and make a good living doing it.

Hoback’s customers like the fact his hands are all over the knives he makes from guts to feathers. Such authenticity has propelled Jake to the upper echelon of custom knifedom and garnered the maker a strong customer base.

Variety In Slice

Over the years Hoback has built up a diverse stable of hard-use working knives and, though he may prefer actually making knives to designing them, there’s no lack of variety and imagination in his line.

“On average we offer three to four new models per year, mostly tactical and hard field-use knives,” notes Jake. In addition to folders the Hoback line-up includes a plethora of fixed-blades, axes and tools — and he’s even dabbled in wearables such as his machined Breaker bracelet.

“The Kwaiback folder is our most popular model,” Hoback explained, but on its heels are the popular MK Ultra, Tradecraft, Backslip and A Series models (A8, A10, and A15). His company probably purchases enough titanium each year to build a couple of NASA lunar landers but, heck, it’s still the benchmark metal for handle frames when it comes to both weight savings and durability. Most of his folders are of frame-lock design, easily the top choice among today’s hard-use professionals and top-shelf collectors.

The manufacturers of proprietary blade steels have flooded the market with new offerings in recent years, and for Hoback this has been an invitation to choose optimum options for peak cutting performance in his knives. “We use many different steels. It depends on the application. I prefer to design a knife based on its application, and with that I choose the steel accordingly. We have used CTS-XHP, 20CV, S35VN, M390, S90V, S110, REX T15, REX 76, CPM154, AEB-L, Nitro-V, 3V, 4V, S7, 80CRv2, and many more,” Jake reveals. “I don’t necessarily have a favorite since it is application-specific. I prefer a good stainless steel over many others for folder work and a good tough steel for axes. I live in very rugged terrain and use my tools very hard, so I want materials that can hold up to what I can dish out. I do a great deal of hiking and some adventure racing, like the Sniper Adventure Challenge.”

Hoback doesn’t stop there. There’s an artistic side to the knifemaker that puts his knives over the top. Using a variety of techniques such as anodizing, etching and Cerakote stenciling, Jake adds graphics and patterns to his knives — everything from simple camo to military, law enforcement, patriotic, religious and scenic themes. These are the crème de la crème of Hoback’s creations.

Jake Hoback is more than a custom knifemaker. He’s testament to the fact hard work, diligence, study and creativity can get you to the rarified air where the industry’s top artisans tread. And at 37 years old, you can bet his best years are yet to come.

For more info: www.jakehobackknives.com

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