About Adriaan

When my father gave me my first pocket knife, I was so excited about the fact that I actually was having my own knife and most important of all, my father trusted me to be responsible enough to own one. I remembered it as it was still the other day! Through the years I collected various knives but always knew that one day I am going to make my own knives. I finished school and did my National Service, after the Army, I started a career in the South African Police Service. Today 28 years later I am still a devoted K9 Search and Rescue handler in SAPS and enjoy part-time knife making very much. In 2016 I officially started to brand my knives as 316Knives by Adriaan de Villiers.

I got saved in 2003 and as a reborn Christian one of my favorite verses is John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life” and therefore branded my knifes “316Knives”.

316Knives is a small business in the heart of Zululand KZN, a one-man operation headed by Adriaan de Villiers who has got a love for Knives from a young age, Spears, Axes, Thoma-hawks, Camp Knives, Drop point hunters, Bowies, Fighting, and Combat Knives, basically any sharp-edged weapons and utility knives. At 316knives we can make you a custom knife to your liking with the assurance that the finest of materials are used. Good quality steel such as N690 is a favorite steel at 316knives and most of the knives that are made are made from this steel. When properly heat treated and tempered it will give excellent edge holding properties making it suitable for applications such as knifemaking

Metal etching is also a technique that is utilized often on knives made by Adriaan, giving 316Knives a head start since this method of customizing knives to the client specifications is not practiced by many other knife makers.