Miguel Hetzel

I am a 21-year-old professional knifemaker from South Africa, and my journey into knife making started when I was just 15 years old.

What began as a passion for collecting knives with my grandfather soon grew into something much bigger. My grandfather encouraged me to try making a knife of my own, and that first knife sparked a passion that has stayed with me ever since.

I taught myself the fundamentals of knife making through countless hours of practice, experimentation, research, and learning from fellow knifemakers, books, Google and YouTube. Over the years, I have developed my own skills, techniques and style, with the help of Andre Erasmus, constantly striving to improve with every knife I make.

What started as a hobby has grown into my full-time profession. Since 2015, I have had the privilege of creating knives for collectors, hunters and enthusiasts both locally and internationally, exhibiting at knife shows and building relationships with fellow makers and collectors around the world.

I discovered as a teenager into my career. Every knife I make is still approached with the same enthusiasm that started it all — taking raw materials and turning them into something functional, beautiful and built to last.