About the Founders
Meet Us
We’re just two regular guys with a lifelong passion—maybe even an obsession—for knives. From childhood fascination to years of real-world use, we’ve tested, collected, and modified more blades than we can count. Click Read More to hear our story, our background, and what led us to create Kindred Edge.
Rick Ralph
Growing up in a house full of brothers, Rick’s first knives were well-worn hand-me-downs—nothing fancy, but more than enough to spark a lifelong passion. He’d spend hours in the backyard whittling sticks, but even then, he was fascinated by the details most kids overlooked. How a handle fit in the hand, how different steels held an edge, how the angle of a bevel changed the way a blade cut—it all mattered.
As he got older, his obsession didn’t fade. Through his years in IT and network installation, he always carried a knife, using it daily and studying every little design choice. From the shape of a thumb ramp to the perfect detent, he analyzed how specs translated to real-world performance. And like many knife guys, he ran into the same frustration—every knife on the market had something missing.
Instead of settling, he decided to design and build the knife that checked every box, teaming up with his longtime friend, Devin, to create Kindred Edge.
Oh, and if you ever want a good story, ask him how he used his knife to baton firewood all night after bringing a sleeping bag that was way too small for a cold-weather backpacking trip.
Devin Dorman
My obsession with knives started as a kid, visiting Smoky Mountain Knife Works on family trips to the Appalachians. I’d drool over the knives I couldn’t afford, slowly upgrading my collection each year with money I earned working on the farm. Before “fidgeting” with knives was a thing, I was already flicking, flipping, and scrutinizing every detail of the ones I could get my hands on.
That passion carried into my later childhood, where I put knives to real use on wilderness trips with the Boy Scouts, camping, and survival training. As I got older, my knives were by my side through construction work, network installation, farming, backpacking, and even night hunting hogs. Every step of the way, I kept searching for the perfect knife—one that checked every box for real-world use and everyday carry.
There are a lot of incredible knives on the market, but they all seem to miss something. So, after years of experience and relentless scrutiny, I decided to design the knife I would want to carry—alongside my longtime friend, Rick.
