The Kind of Guy I Built Grit Knives For

Every once in a while, a customer sends you a photo that stops you in your tracks. This was one of those photos. Gaven is from South Florida, and he recently sent me a picture of himself with an absolutely massive alligator hanging from a crane. It is, without question, one of the craziest customer photos I’ve ever received. But honestly, the alligator isn't even my favorite part of the story.

I reached out to Gavin because I wanted to share the photo, and his response told me pretty much everything I needed to know about the kind of guy he is. He told me he got off social media a couple of years ago because he wanted a little peace of mind.  No trying to turn every adventure into content. Just living life.

That's my kind of guy.

I started Grit Knives because I wanted to make useful gear for people who actually use it. Not stuff that sits in a display case. Not gear that needs a bunch of hype around it. Just good, affordable tools that people can throw in a pack, put in a pocket, take into the woods, and eventually come home with a story.

And Gaven apparently has plenty of those stories.

The crazy part is that I send knives out and  they disappear into the hands of people all over the country. I don't always know where they end up or what kind of adventures they're going to be part of.

Then a photo like this shows up in my inbox. A Grit knife somewhere in Florida. A giant alligator hanging from a crane. And a customer who isn't even on social media telling me he's been taking my knives along on his adventures. That's pretty damn cool.

Gavin also mentioned that he has archery, muzzleloader, and general gun seasons coming up this year, so apparently this alligator story is just one chapter.

Just in case you noticed, that's the Beckworth in the back of his brain

Because honestly, these are the customers I want to have. The guys who don't need the spotlight. The people who actually get outside and put their gear to work. The people who send you a picture every once in a while and say, "Hey Chuck, thought you'd appreciate this."

I absolutely do.

Thanks, Gavin, for letting me share the photo and the story.