The company started in Los Angeles with the intention of importing and selling Chris Reeve’s range of one-piece knives as well as developing their own range of knives.
Their first knife, Mamba, was designed and released by Mike Stewart and the logos were chemically etched onto the blade. Mamba is the first non-Chris Reeve knife.
The company faced a major setback in their establishment year when they nearly went bankrupt. As a result,
they moved their operations to Japan to expand their production line.
The knives in Japan were produced by
The Kencrest Corporation in Seki City. But due to
low profit margins in Japanese productions they moved their operations again in 1991.
They moved their operations back to the United States and re-started their productions in Effingham, Illinois.
Although, facing tremendous competition in the marketplace, BlackJack Knives continued to specialize in the manufacture of high-tech belt knives, companion knives, tactical knives, bowie knives and much more.
A testimonial to their razor-sharp convex edges, the term "Blackjack Sharp" has become a catch-phrase among knife enthusiasts.
