FORGING FRIENDSHIPS AND BLADES

Back in April, I headed to the Los Angeles area with my wife.

- COREY DECKER

Meeting Brandon Condé

She works in international shipping and needed to check on a facility in California. I figured I would tag along and enjoy the trip and see what kind of connections I could make in the knife world while I was there. It ended up being more than just a business trip for her. It turned into a chance for me to meet a couple of people I am glad to now call friends.

The first was Dom Baca, a photographer who goes by @pixel.the.ghost on Instagram. He has serious skills behind the lens and a creative eye that makes his work stand out. He is working on some cool projects that are worth keeping an eye on. If you have not seen his stuff, it's worth a follow.

The second was Brandon Condé (@condearmory on Instagram). Meeting Brandon was like running into someone who speaks your same language. We started talking about the military, about knives, about life after service. I am medically retired from the military, so we had plenty of common ground right from the start. What hooked me was when he started showing me the knives he makes and the story behind them.

Brandon's Path to the Grind

Brandon is a one-man shop. Every knife he sells is made from start to finish by his own hands. No big factory. No assembly line. Just him, his tools, and the skill he has built over years of trial, error, and persistence.

His story starts like a lot of ours in the knife community: with a first knife that left a mark—literally. As a kid, he learned the hard way that when a lock fails, your hands pay the price. His pinky still does not fully straighten due to that early mistake.