World Class Cutters! GiantMouse Knives Dares to be Different
GMF
Sonoma
So many success stories have started over dinner and drinks it’s almost become ubiquitous, but we’ve got a good one. This is the story of the mouse that roared. “The inspiration for starting GiantMouse came over dinner and drinks one night when we started discussing the knife industry, and how knife designers license their designs to the large knife brands,” the company’s CEO Jim Wirth tells Handgunner. This was a big deal because his two soon-to-be partners in GiantMouse were two of Europe’s hottest knifemakers and designers. Danish artisans Jens Ansø and Jesper Voxnaes had already taken the U.S. cutlery world by storm by way of a rabid social media presence and a multitude of collaborations with noted knife manufacturers Böker, Kershaw and Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT).
“Jens and Jesper had talked about starting a business together several times over the years prior to our deciding to create GiantMouse,” Wirth notes. “They always came to the conclusion they were both too busy with their own design work and custom knife making to run a new company. When they explained this to me, I said I had time on my hands and experience starting and running a business, having retired early in 2006 after a successful exit from a company I co-founded in 1995. So, it just all fell into place I’d launch and run the business in the U.S.A. with all of our designs coming from the two of them in Denmark. Hence our slogan, “Danish Design, American Spirit!”
“GiantMouse was a name Jens and Jesper had tossed around themselves during their prior discussions about launching a company,” Jim adds. “Their reasoning for the name was, besides being catchy and fun, Denmark is a tiny country but is a giant in the world for their legendary Scandinavian and Danish design. We all agreed the name also played well for our new company in the knife industry, as we would be a small boutique brand in a giant industry. We agreed we could start a brand that turns the standard model on its head and provides high-quality innovative designs at fair prices as a boutique knife brand while having fun working together as friends and partners.”
Grand
Nimbus
Unique Business Model
To compete in a packed cutlery market laden with heavy hitters, the GiantMouse guys knew they had to stand out in the crowd — so they chose a unique business plan. “We have two lines of knives, our GM line and our ACE line,” Wirth states. “The GM line consists of limited-edition models in small batches which are discontinued once sold out. We have introduced seven of these unique models in the GM line over the past five years. Each model in the GM line has two versions. The GMx version is produced as 300 numbered units in a particular finish, and the GMPx version is produced as 100 numbered units in a special finish stamped with our ‘pirate mouse’ logo. The ACE line includes our unlimited models, which are continually restocked once sold out. Each model in the ACE line may appear in several versions with different handle materials, colors and blade finishes.” Covering both the high-end and affordable markets gave GiantMouse a broader base than had they chosen to pursue only one group of knife users.
Unique Business Model
To compete in a packed cutlery market laden with heavy hitters, the GiantMouse guys knew they had to stand out in the crowd — so they chose a unique business plan. “We have two lines of knives, our GM line and our ACE line,” Wirth states. “The GM line consists of limited-edition models in small batches which are discontinued once sold out. We have introduced seven of these unique models in the GM line over the past five years. Each model in the GM line has two versions. The GMx version is produced as 300 numbered units in a particular finish, and the GMPx version is produced as 100 numbered units in a special finish stamped with our ‘pirate mouse’ logo. The ACE line includes our unlimited models, which are continually restocked once sold out. Each model in the ACE line may appear in several versions with different handle materials, colors and blade finishes.” Covering both the high-end and affordable markets gave GiantMouse a broader base than had they chosen to pursue only one group of knife users.
Top: Biblio Bottom: Riv Ti
Eye-Popping Lineup
The GiantMouse line is loaded with the same worldly, eye-pleasing “Euro” design characteristics Jens and Jesper have delighted their followers in the past. “It seems as though all the models we have produced have been extremely popular with our customers and we have a hard time keeping knives in stock,” Jim opines. “The ACE Biblio has been available since 2018 and is still in demand, selling out regularly. The ACE Grand and ACE Clyde have both been praised by customers and regularly appear in photos across social media. Customers love the designs of our knives — the lines, the ergonomics and the fact they are designed in collaboration between two world renowned knife makers/designers. Customers also love the quality of our knives — which we work diligently with our manufacturers to achieve. We insist on exceptional fit and finish on our knives and work closely with our manufacturers to ensure the knives we sell are knives we are proud of and want to carry ourselves.”
All the company’s offerings, even the lower priced ACE models, have quality materials built in. “We mostly use high-end steels such as M390 and Elmax in the production of our knives. We have also used N690 in some of our fixed blade knives and some of our lower-priced folders,” Wirth points out. “For handle materials, we are partial to Canvas Micarta, Titanium, Brass and Bronze. In some cases, we mix materials such as in the Biblio with bronze scales having natural canvas Micarta inlaid into the presentation side scale.”
Sonoma
Future Mice
All it takes is a quick gawk at our ace photographer Rob Jones’ photos here of Ansø’s and Voxnaes’ diverse GiantMouse designs to get an idea of just how talented this team is. From a neo-historical fixed blade, to a sleek tactical fighter, or a handsome EDC runt, the gang’s all here. The hard part about buying a GiantMouse knife is choosing which one.
We asked CEO Wirth what the future holds for the mouse that roared. “We have just hit the 5-year anniversary of selling our first knife. Our plans are to continue to grow the brand, by releasing new and innovative designs by our dynamic duo Jens and Jesper. One of those will be our first slipjoint, which we’re particularly excited about.” Prices average around $185 for the company’s ACE models to several hundred for their upscale GM fare, which, due to their limited numbers, sell out quickly. We are looking forward to giant things in the days and years ahead!
For more info: GiantMouse.com
