About Us

Lee is the maker behind Inner Wild. He made his first knife and axe in his early teens and has been crafting dependable blades for hunters, outdoorsmen and chefs around the world ever since.  With 40 years of selling knives via word of mouth, Lee has created a discreet reputation as solid as his knives.  When he started, it was purely to make a knife he could use, but over the years knifemaking has been a valuable therapeutic outlet for him.

Lee served with the British army for 16 years, during which time he travelled the world, giving him the opportunity to learn and teach primitive skills and survival.  After the army Lee continued teaching and sharing his bushcraft knowledge in a variety of locations.  This lifelong obsession with the outdoors has resulted in Lee spending thousands of hours using just a knife, axe and saw as tools for almost every conceivable task, in every environment on the planet, from The Arctic Circle, through deserts to remote jungles.  His in-depth understanding of how cutting tools work, their characteristics and ergonomics influences the knives he makes today.

Based in Taupo, Inner Wild strives to create effective and purpose-driven knives.  Lee’s designs leverage the 4,000 year relationship we have with metal knives, and melds them with his own experience to create blades that make you feel connected to the ancients every time you use them.
As a bladesmith, Lee’s work is sublimely direct and purposeful: crafting dependable and functional knives to serve you a lifetime, be it outdoors or in the kitchen.

Lee’s motivation is simple: that his knives connect you to your Inner Wild.