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About Us
A lifetime warranty is only as good as those who put their names on the products. You can be sure that your Micron Knife will have support long after your initial purchase.
Our Background
Long before Micron Knives was a thing, we ran our CNC machine shop. Kelley-Tron Machine Co. is a family owned precision machine shop in Harrisburg, PA. What began as a shared venture between us has grown into something we are genuinely proud of with both employee and customer relations.
We make high tolerance parts for a wide variety of industries in our region, including electronics, firearms, nuclear, and the military. Every job that comes through our door gets the same attention, whether it is a one-off prototype or a full production run. We hold ourselves to a simple standard: meet or beat our customers’ expectations and timelines, every time.
To do that, we have built out a shop floor that can handle almost anything. We run CNC mills, lathes, a waterjet, a Blanchard grinder, and several manual machines, giving us the flexibility to take on the kind of work that demands real versatility. We work in metals and plastics across a full range of conventional machining and finishing processes.
More than the equipment, though, it is the people. We are a family business in the truest sense, and that shows in how we treat our customers and the work we send out the door. Kelley-Tron is where Micron Knives was born, and the same standards that built this shop are the ones we are bringing to every knife we make.
About the Founder, Jack
I have always been a maker. Growing up I spent my time building things, working outdoors, and figuring out how the world fit together. Blacksmithing, woodworking, and a firewood empire taught me early how work speaks for itself. Scouts introduced me to my hobbies of hiking and camping which followed me for years.
After I earned a bachelor’s in applied engineering with a focus on advanced manufacturing, metalworking and manufacturing quickly became my life. I went on to work in multiple positions from operating machining and fabricating equipment to my first experiences as a manufacturing engineer. Today I serve as president of Kelley-Tron Machine Co., where I am as hands on as you can get. Lessons here are tough and expensive, but I have no intention of slowing down. I am so proud and thankful for the opportunity to work so closely with my parents, even though they just want to be retired.
Knives are one of the few machined objects people carry with them into everyday life. I see them as an opportunity to bring genuine precision and craft into something tangible and useful, and Micron Knives as a chance to show what a small American manufacturer can do when it holds itself to a high standard.
I believe in transparency, standing behind what you make, and treating customers the way I’d want to be treated. That’s what this brand is built on.
Welcome to Micron Knives.
We Love Small Business
The big brands figured out a long time ago that it’s cheaper to have a knife made in a factory overseas. The U.S. has lost around 7 million factory jobs since 1980, and manufacturing’s share of the American workforce has dropped from over 16% in the mid-1990s to roughly 8.4% today. We believe in creating and retaining small business employment opportunities.
Most of what goes into a Micron Knife is American, and we intend to keep it that way. We’re excited to work with the best steels available and will lean heavily toward domestic producers. Carpenter Technology is right in our backyard in Pennsylvania, and that kind of relationship matters to us. We will offer steels from Böhler, Erasteel, and others that are not US based, and will be very clear about the origins of the materials. Don’t fret, we do all of the processing in house except for our heat treat, which is also done in Pennsylvania.
66% of large businesses outsource work overseas. 29% of small businesses do. Small businesses account for nearly 90% of net new job creation in this country and employ 62.3 million Americans. Between 2021 and 2024, small businesses were responsible for over 52% of total net job growth in the United States. We believe that when you spend a dollar, you are voting for the way that dollar is distributed. That is why we are so passionate about transparency and advocacy.
Who is Survive! Knives?
Micron Knives began when we purchased the manufacturing equipment from Survive! Knives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania as that business was shutting down. The equipment was acquired to expand the capabilities of our existing CNC machine shop, Kelley-Tron Machine Co., in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
What started as an equipment purchase gradually evolved into the idea for Micron Knives. As we explored the opportunity, we acquired additional inventory and assets and began building a new knife company around the manufacturing capabilities we had assembled.
We recognize that Survive! left a lasting impression on the knife community, and not always for the right reasons. While that history is not ours, we understand why many people feel strongly about it.
Initially, we intended to focus exclusively on original Micron designs. However, after hearing from customers and dealers who still appreciated several of the Survive! designs as we do, we decided to reverse engineer and start production of a few select models alongside the development of our own products.
Our goal is simple: build great knives, communicate honestly, and deliver what we promise. As we continue developing original Micron designs while producing a few select legacy models, we’re excited to build a company that customers can count on for years to come.
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