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Ken Onion

b. 1963

United States Marine

Knife makerKnifemaking
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About Ken Onion

Born 1963. Ken Onion is an American knife maker and knifemaking.

Ken Onion (born January 16, 1963) is an American custom knifemaker based in Kaneohe, Hawaii, United States who invented the "SpeedSafe" assisted opening mechanism for Kershaw Knives. Ken Onion was the Premier Knife Designer for Kershaw Knives.

Designs As a US Marine, Onion devised a helicopter mechanism that was adopted for use by the military. In 1989, Ken's wife, Noel, made arrangements through a friend for Onion to meet custom knife maker Stanley Fujisaka. Most notable of these is the Speed-safe mechanism used by Kershaw Knives. For these many designs and his work throughout the cutlery industry promoting the art of knife making, Onion was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 2008 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia as the 45th and youngest living member.

In 2005, Onion collaborated with Spyderco on the Spyker knife design. In 2010 Onion parted ways with Kershaw Knives to start his own production company and to collaborate with Columbia River Knife and Tool on several designs.

Celebrity knives An article in Blade Magazine asserts that celebrities, such as Steven Seagal, Steven Tyler, Nicolas Cage, Kid Rock, Pamela Anderson, Wayne Newton, Emily Ahern, Stephen Lefebvre, Wayne LaPierre, Brett Morss, and Ziggy Marley collect custom knives made by Onion.

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Knife maker, Knifemaking
Nationality
Awards
Blade (magazine)

People in Ken Onion's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ken Onion's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ken Onion?

United States Marine

When was Ken Onion born?

Ken Onion was born on 16 January 1963 in Wellington.

What is Ken Onion's occupation?

Ken Onion is a knife maker and knifemaking.

What nationality is Ken Onion?

Ken Onion is American.

Sources & further reading

Β· Wikipedia: Ken Onion

Β· Wikidata: Q6388263

Β· DBpedia: Ken Onion

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ken Onion. https://biography.guide/ken-onion/

MLA: "Ken Onion." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ken-onion/.

Chicago: "Ken Onion." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ken-onion/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-23 Β· Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons Β· author & licence

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