Born and raised in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains in eastern Ohio, Mike Emler learned the value of quality tools at a very young age. During a 18year Navy career, he had the honor to learn multiple forms of self-defence, including Japanese swordsmanship while stationed in Japan. Part of his journey was learning the time honored tradition of Japanese wet stone sharpening.
His love of high quality edged tools eventually led him to starting his own sharpening business and develop a relationship with Ferrum Forge Knife Works. He couldn’t help but get the knifemaking bug and that has led to his first production design: The Stonefish.