175:. Terzuola's first factory collaboration was with Spyderco to produce the C-15 model in 1989. This knife became historic because it was the first liner lock system folder produced by a commercial factory, was the first production knife to use G-10 scales and ATS-34 steel, the first production knife to have parts blanked by laser instead of stamping and the first knife to be produced by a new, start-up company named "Benchmade". In 2016, Bob and his wife Suzi moved his home and shop to San Diego, California where he continues to hand-make high quality folding and fixed blade knives. In June of 2023, Terzuola was inducted into the “Cutlery HALL of FAME” at the Blade knife show in Atlanta Georgia. He had already been named as one of the four living “Mount Rushmore” Legends of modern Knifemaking.
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Terzuola was born in
Brooklyn, New York on 14 September 1944. He attended Stuyvesant High School where his academic achievements earned him a full scholarship to New York University where he studied vocational education. Upon graduation in 1966 he joined the Peace Corps and went to Panama as a
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volunteer for two years, after which he was invited to become a Peace Corps trainer in Puerto Rico. He worked as a field supervisor for several experimental education projects in
Guatemala and in the mid-eighties, directed the War Damage Surveys in El Salvador and Guatemala for AID's
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folding knife. This was his first tactical folding knife, although he makes it with non-tactical materials on occasion with ivory or stag scales and damascus steel blades. He is widely considered to be the first maker and “Godfather” of tactical folding knives.
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and began making folding knives. Seeing a need for a knife that could be carried discreetly he developed a model using black micarta for scales and bead-blasted titanium frames; for this effort he coined the term "Tactical Knife".
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carving and became
General Manager of a Jade Jewelry company in the town of Antigua, Guatemala. By 1980, Terzuola began making knives professionally while managing the Jade business and that same year joined the
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Terzuola has authored a book about the design of tactical knives which was updated and expanded in the 2019 edition. He has authored articles about tactical knives and knifemaking for
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Terzuola's first knives were fixed blade, combat designs, made for soldiers, CIA operatives and security personnel working in
Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua.
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some say that it was in the mid-'80s when the phrase became popular to describe Bob
Terzuola's ATCF (Advanced Technology Combat Folder).
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Feldman, Lawrence H. (1975). "Jade workers in the
Motagua Valley: the late classic Terzuola site".
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The
Tactical Folding Knife: A Study of the Anatomy and Construction of the Liner-Locked Folder
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113:. Terzuola has also enjoyed membership in the German and Italian Knifemakers Guilds.
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Terzuola has collaborated with other knifemakers and production companies including
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Terzuola's most popular model is the ATCF (Advanced
Technology Combat Folder), a
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BLADE's Best
Knifemakers: The Best Knifemakers of BLADE's First 40 Years
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who popularized the type of knife known as the tactical folding knife.
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Burch, Michael (2011). "Tactical
Tuxedos". In Joe Kertzman (ed.).
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Battle Blades: A Professional's Guide to Combat/Fighting Knives
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200:(32 ed.). Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications. p.
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and other publications. In 2008 he relocated his shop to
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330:. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press. p. 42.
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253:. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications.
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1598:W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.
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16:American knife maker (born 1944)
1880:20th-century American inventors
1369:Columbia River Knife & Tool
1467:Korin Japanese Trading Company
709:Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife
278:. Stoeger Publishing Company.
1:
609:Aircrew Survival Egress Knife
1802:American Bladesmith Society
1339:Cattaraugus Cutlery Company
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355:. Colorado: Paladin Press.
351:Delavigne, Kenneth (2004).
100:. Terzuola taught himself
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124:In 1984 he relocated to
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1427:Gerber Legendary Blades
543:Japanese kitchen knives
424:List of blade materials
109:on an endorsement from
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1492:Medford Knife and Tool
1354:Clauss Cutlery Company
1217:Microtech Jagdkommando
1045:Yarara Parachute Knife
1640:Zero Tolerance Knives
1613:Western Knife Company
1522:Ontario Knife Company
1394:Ek Commando Knife Co.
326:Walker, Greg (1993).
274:Dick, Steven (1997).
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1532:Randall Made Knives
1384:Dalian Hanwei Metal
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1213:Mark I trench knife
1026:Verlängerungsmesser
629:Ballpoint pen knife
62:New York University
1812:Knifemakers' Guild
1683:John Nelson Cooper
1344:Chris Reeve Knives
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81:Robert G. Terzuola
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1706:Phill Hartsfield
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987:Swiss Army knife
503:Grapefruit knife
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677:
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665:
664:Ceramic knife
662:
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569:
568:Sashimi bōchō
566:
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541:
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463:Butcher knife
461:
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364:
362:1-58160-060-7
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337:0-87364-732-7
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270:
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260:0-87341-858-1
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231:
230:Museum Briefs
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73:
70:
68:Occupation(s)
66:
63:
60:
56:
51:
47:
41:(age 80)
31:
27:
20:
1870:Knife makers
1795:Associations
1770:
1721:Bob Loveless
1550:Shun Cutlery
1434:Füritechnics
1349:Chroma Cnife
1007:Trench knife
997:Taping knife
947:Sheath knife
842:Opinel knife
758:Ivan's Knife
699:Diving knife
674:Combat knife
558:Nakiri bōchō
553:Maguro bōchō
538:Tomato knife
523:Pizza cutter
498:Fillet knife
483:Chef's knife
478:Cheese knife
468:Butter knife
352:
346:
327:
321:
301:
294:
275:
269:
250:
246:
229:
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215:
195:
187:
162:
151:
145:
143:
135:
123:
120:
111:Bob Loveless
94:
80:
79:
1860:1944 births
1756:Jody Samson
1746:Chris Reeve
1668:James Black
1655:Knifemakers
1583:TOPS Knives
1555:Slice, Inc.
1487:Marble Arms
1329:Buck Knives
1281:Yoroi-dōshi
1236:Push dagger
1143:French Nail
992:Switchblade
977:Strider SMF
942:Sharpfinger
892:Putty knife
882:Pocketknife
867:Penny knife
812:Misericorde
583:Usuba bōchō
533:Steak knife
458:Bread knife
158:Albuquerque
117:Knifemaking
85:knife maker
1849:Categories
1766:Mike Snody
1741:Bo Randall
1716:Jimmy Lile
1711:Gil Hibben
1696:Jerry Fisk
1593:Victorinox
1588:Tramontina
1569:STI Knives
1477:Leatherman
1462:KitchenAid
1412:Fällkniven
1364:Cold Steel
1168:Kabutowari
1128:Ear dagger
937:Sgian dubh
917:Sami knife
832:Neck knife
822:Multi-tool
817:Mora knife
754:Husa knife
744:Higonokami
704:Drop point
694:Deba bōchō
669:Clip point
659:Cane knife
649:Boot knife
548:Deba bōchō
179:References
130:New Mexico
91:Early life
72:Knifemaker
35:1944-09-14
1731:Ken Onion
1374:Cuisinart
1319:Benchmade
1113:Cinquedea
1088:Bagh nakh
967:SOG Knife
872:Pesh-kabz
679:Commander
624:Ballistic
588:Yanagi ba
573:Udon kiri
513:Mezzaluna
138:linerlock
74:, jeweler
1565:Spyderco
1545:Sabatier
1314:Aritsugu
1261:Stiletto
1226:Poignard
1188:Khanjali
1098:Baselard
962:Smatchet
912:Sabatier
862:Penknife
767:Karambit
249:(2000).
165:Spyderco
126:Santa Fe
50:New York
46:Brooklyn
1834:Daggers
1623:Wüsthof
1502:Morseth
1472:Kyocera
1422:Fiskars
1407:F. Dick
1193:Khanjar
1158:Jambiya
1103:Bichuwa
1093:Balarao
1068:Anelace
1060:Daggers
1050:Yatagan
927:Scalpel
907:Resolza
902:Rampuri
797:Machete
634:Bayonet
563:Santoku
488:Cleaver
434:Kitchen
408:daggers
1633:Global
1608:Wenger
1527:Opinel
1452:Ka-Bar
1448:Ivan's
1173:Kaiken
1148:Gunong
1133:Emeici
1040:X-Acto
1035:Wedung
897:Puukko
887:Phurba
857:Parang
827:Navaja
802:Mandau
777:Kirpan
639:Boline
614:Athame
601:knives
599:Other
528:Splayd
473:Caidao
448:Boning
441:knives
404:Knives
359:
334:
309:
282:
257:
208:
171:, and
52:, U.S.
1540:Rösle
1507:Muela
1417:FAMAE
1379:Cutco
1324:Böker
1266:Tantō
1251:Shobo
1231:Pugio
1203:Kunai
1183:Katar
1178:Kalis
1138:Facón
1083:BC-41
877:Pirah
787:Kukri
724:Golok
719:Ginsu
689:CQC-6
684:Corvo
654:Bowie
439:table
147:Blade
1517:OLFA
1276:V-42
1256:Sica
1246:Seme
1198:Kris
1163:Jile
1123:Dirk
1012:Tumi
952:Shiv
932:Seax
922:SARK
772:Kard
734:Guna
644:Bolo
508:Lame
453:Boti
406:and
357:ISBN
332:ISBN
307:ISBN
280:ISBN
255:ISBN
206:ISBN
102:jade
29:Born
1398:EKA
1118:Dha
1017:Ulu
436:and
1851::
1832:/
238:^
214:.
204:.
202:52
167:,
150:,
128:,
48:,
37:)
396:e
389:t
382:v
365:.
340:.
315:.
288:.
263:.
33:(
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