Born and raised in Lloydminster, Greg Lightfoot has spent 10 years perfecting the craft of custom knifemaking. He creates about 200 knives per year and each knife takes an average of two 10-hour days to make. They can sell for between $250 and $800 U.S. to collectors, members of police, SWAT teams, other special law enforcement units, as well as members of the military.
Each year Greg takes
his knives to shows in Toronto and in the United States to Atlanta and Denver.
He then leaves the rest up to his dealers in Atlanta, Arizona and Boston. In his
craft Greg is more concerned with quality than quantity and because of this
limits his connection with dealers. Recognition of Greg's work is growing,
particularly in the U.S. where he has won awards for tactical knives as well as
folder design. His knives have been featured in knife publications and on three
different websites.
Being "our own
boss means you can take your craft in any direction and for Greg that will be
underwater. His next area of expertise will be building sea kayaks. Constructed
of mahogany plywood from Africa, the 17-foot model will weigh 40 pounds once
completed. Being an active outdoorsman, Greg feels this new interest is a
natural extension of his artistic talents. He sums up his new venture in this
way:
"Kayaks are for people who want something more to do at the lake and who
want a work of art they are proud to paddle.