About Us
Learn how we've grown to be the world leader in edged weaponry, self defense supplies and martial arts equipment.
Started in 1997 and still family owned by two brothers, their mission is to provide you the highest quality gear for your outdoor activities, collection, skilled use, everyday work activities and self defense. Extremely-Sharp Swords & Knives is a friend operated business with locations (fulfillment, sales, operations, etc.) around the United States with tens of thousands of satisfied customers.
The brothers grew up camping and spending time outdoors. Their mother and father made a commitment with each other, that at twenty-five years of marriage they would move from their home in a Chicago suburb (with weekends at cabins in Colon, Michigan - the former magic capital of the world) back to Alabama to be closer to their mother’s family. Their father’s family soon followed to ensure all the kids grew up close to their extended family other. With six strong male role models (a dad and five uncles) to show them the way of survival, it began their strong interest in the great outdoors.
National News from Coast to Coast
The family was so dedicated to having fun outdoors, the boys’ father took the younger brother plus four friends on a 25 year old pontoon boat complete with an original wooden deck on an incredible journey. They went from the Chicago waterways down the Mississippi river to the Tombigbee river to the Tennessee river, finally landing all the way at the back of their home in Guntersville, Alabama. The journey took over a week with a breakneck top speed of 8.5 miles per hour. The expedition was covered across the country from the Today Show in New York to newspapers in San Francisco.
Starting what became Extremely-Sharp
With this kind of close family environment it was no surprise that the brothers scrambled to find a way to work together as adults. The brothers had previously worked together on a variety of ventures, but knew they wanted to establish a company that combined their hobbies, opened opportunities for their friends, and allowed them to interact with the community.
In 1996, these two brothers realized that although their hobbies were different, they both were still crazy about the outdoors and their hobbies actually required many of the same types of equipment: pocket knives, survival knives, multi-purpose tools, batons, staffs and others. Both brothers also happened to have a strong interest in medieval swords and weapons featured in movies. Taking all of this into account they came up with the perfect company.
The work to launch Extremely-Sharp began immediately. Extremely Sharp opened its doors in January 1997 after several months of planning and countless pots of coffee. Gradually they expanded from their online presence to six brick and mortar stores across the southeast. Always wanting to involve family, they even had their father working as a general manager for three separate stores. Although in the years to come, their father finally called it quits retiring for his sixth and final time.
One Arm Don's Story
Don, or as he is affectionately referred to “One Arm Don”, has taken the reigns of the company. He often writes the blog posts for the website and continues to accentuate Extremely Sharp’s key strength of staying connected to the community. Don stays in touch with Extremely Sharp’s customers by spending several hours each day directly responding to customer inquiries. His constant effort to reach out to the consumers ensures that he understands exactly what the customers are thinking, what they like, and what they couldn't live without. “As we continue to grow. I feel it is more and more important that I stay connected to our customers,” stated One Arm Don.
Professional Stuntman on the Team
Although it is and always has been a family owned and operated establishment, his younger brother prefers to provide support as an adviser and technical whiz. Never one to stay still, Don’s younger brother took his love for the outdoors and applied it to life in an unconventional way. He is a former stuntman who has trained stunt performers, with Asylum Stunts, for some of the biggest movies in Hollywood (although filmed in Chicago) including Batman, Transformers, and Divergent. He has done training for everything from blockbusters to indie films, TV to McDonald’s commercials. Eventually leaving it behind to pursue other riskier adventures.
The unique experiences each brother has brought to the table has only fueled the success of their endeavors. Extremely Sharp’s enduring prosperity can be attributed to these two hard working men that had an idea and followed through while always keeping family, friends, and quality customer service first in their mind.
They will continue to triumph due in great part to the efficiency of their skilled and knowledgeable staff, who strive to provide superior products and services to every customer. They know what they sell because everyone on their team uses their products. While they do have a few highly skilled weaponry experts (extensive training in Goju Ryu Karate, Kenpo, Tae Kwon Do and various military disciplines), most of the team simply uses Extremely Sharp’s products in their normal activities: camping, hiking, fishing, carrying for self defense, displaying in their home or office, etc. It is with this dedication and experience that will make it no surprise to continually find references to ES all over the internet and in print publications for many years to come.
Your Story
Our goal is to help get you and your family outdoors and make sure you're prepared to thrive when others are barely able to survive. Check out or blog for some tips and how to guides. Then, gear up!