Michael May Knives
Traditional Sheffield pocket knives and kitchen knives
- Where
- Portland Works, Sheffield
- Lead time
- 4-6 weeks (made to order)
Michael May calls himself a modern-day "Little Mester". He works from Portland Works, Sheffield's first purpose-built cutlery factory, dating from 1879, where Harry Brearley developed stainless steel for cutlery. He came to the trade through family, working in a cutlery factory's pen and pocket workshop, then trained under Keith Moorby before going it alone.
When the expert cutler Trevor Ablett retired, May bought his equipment, and he still uses Trevor's patterns alongside traditional Sheffield ones such as the Barlow and lambfoot. One craftsman makes each knife by hand from start to finish, using as many locally sourced materials as possible. Pocket knives can be specced down to handle, blade, steel and filework. Everything is made to order, with a four-to-six-week lead time.
"I feel a responsibility to maintain the skills and artistry that made Sheffield famous." (Michael May, about page)