Phill Hartsfield

Phill Hartsfield (August 16, 1931 – May 20, 2010) was a Southern California sword and knifemaker based in Garden Grove who is noted for popularizing the chisel ground blade in the western world.

Knife making

Hartsfield's blades are Japanese-influenced, each one was hand ground from various kinds of tool steel, including 01 and A2. They are differentially edge hardened to RC 60-61 on the Rockwell scale with the remainder of the blade hardened to 58-59 on the scale to allow for flex during the cut. Hartsfield's blades were zero-ground, meaning there is no secondary bevel edge on the knife, which allows the knife to cut without parasitic drag.

Hartsfield died on May 20, 2010, at his home in Newport Beach, California, after a lengthy battle with brain cancer.