The Legacy of Al Mar and His Knives
Al Mar was a remarkable man, whose background as a Green Beret and passion for design led him to create a renowned brand of knives. In this article, we will explore the history of Al Mar Knives and the influence of Al Mar's personal experiences on his creations. Additionally, we will incorporate insights from a interview with Al Mar in Soldier of Fortune magazine and personal anecdotes from a close friend who knew him well, offering a rare glimpse into his thoughts on the specialty cutlery market and the factors that contributed to the success of Al Mar Knives.
Early Life and Education
Al Mar, the son of Chinese immigrants, was born in the United States. He had an impressive military background, serving in a Special Forces Reserve Unit and volunteering for a Green Beret special operations group during the Vietnam War. After his time in Vietnam, Al completed his education by earning a master's degree in industrial design from the prestigious Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.
Career at Gerber Legendary Blades
Upon graduating, Al Mar joined Gerber® Legendary Blades, working under Pete Gerber. He eventually rose through the ranks
Al Mar Knives
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Brand Summary
- Parent Company: Edge Technologies Engineering LLC
- Headquarters: South Carolina, USA
- Product Focus: EDC, Tactical
- Target Markets: Mid-Range ($$)
- Production Facilities: Japan
- Website:
Al Mar was born in the U.S.A., the son of Chinese immigrants. He served in a Special Forces Reserve Unit and volunteered to serve in a Green Beret special operations group in Vietnam. After serving in Vietnam, Al completed his college education by earning a master’s degree in industrial design from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.
He went on to work at Gerber® Legendary Blades under Pete Gerber, concluding his tenure there as “Head of Knife Design.”
In , Al founded AL MAR® Knives. His mission was to blend mass production methods with custom knife quality. At first, the majority of his knives were designed for police and military, because of his vast experiences as a practitioner of Judo and Kendo and his history as a Green Beret. In f
History
Over 40 Years of Quality & Innovation
Al Mar was born in the U.S.A., the son of Chinese immigrants. He served in a Special Forces Reserve Unit and volunteered to serve in a Green Beret special operations group in Vietnam. After serving in Vietnam, Al completed his college education by earning a master’s degree in industrial design from the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles.
He went on to work at Gerber® Legendary Blades under Pete Gerber, concluding his tenure there as “Head of Knife Design.”
In , Al founded AL MAR® Knives. His mission was to blend mass production methods with custom knife quality. At first, most of his knives were designed for police and military because of his vast experiences as a practitioner of Judo and Kendo and his history as a Green Beret. Al’s SERE® (Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape) knife was the very first knife accepted for use by Special Forces Colonel Nick Rowe for the SERE Instructor School at Camp Mackall North Carolina. The same Nick Rowe is well known for his bravery in Vietnam, and as the author of the book “Five Years To Freedom: The True Story of a Vietnam POW” and the namesake for the “Nasty Ni
Al Mar
Al Mar was a knife designer who passed away in Having started out as a knifedesigner at Gerber, he left there in to start making knives on his own[1]. He made the Al Mar line of knives which is still beeing produced today, although by people with no connection to Al.[2]
He is amongst other things known as the Mar in the Mar/McBurnette frontlock. He was also known for quite a hot temper and is reported to have physically chased another knife industry person around, at the Blade show, after a dispute. Al Mar is credited for having helped Sal In the beginning of Spyderco.
This quote is an Al Mar quote and this author believes it sums up nicely a lot of the things he stood for:
“Combat Knife is actually 10% weapon and 90% tool.”Links
Al Mar Knives on Wikipedia
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