"When I was a kid, my parents loved to take me and my siblings on these epic road trips to national parks all over America. I have this memory of feeling so small standing on the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean with the tall trees of the Acadia forest at my back. It was such a stunning contrast to the urban shambles of Detroit, close to where I grew up. Who would've thought that the pollution we once only associated with cities would ever end up in the sea or on a trail somewhere in the Badlands.”
Ben Laws, WESN’s Marketing Director
The world looks a lot different today than it looked in the back in the 80’s/ 90’s, and we’re sure everyone can agree there’s been some amazing innovations and tech breakthroughs. Somewhere along the way, though, in pursuit of innovations, building bigger things, and more convenient systems, the world has neglected to take care of the basic fundamentals... like our planet.
We’re not trying to be preachy. It’s actually pretty obvious if you spend any time outdoors that pollution is a real problem.
When we started WESN, we wanted to take an entirely different approach. While other knife companies cut corners to make cheap products for the sake of a quick dollar. We had a clear vision of creating the highest quality products that wouldn’t fall apart and end up in landfills. We opted for replaceable screws instead of rivets that get worn out and chose high quality metals like D2 and Titanium, which hold their integrity longer.
While our knives are built to last, our packaging is not. Made from all natural materials, we’re proud to say our packaging is 100% plastic free. Early on in the manufacturing process we learned that this wasn’t the cheaper route. Leather pull tabs on our boxes happen to cost more than rubber, but if natural was cheaper then everyone would be doing it.
We realize that by encouraging our customers to maintain their knives, they won’t buy another one for a very long time, and that’s okay by us. We deeply enjoy creating products that are meaningful and lasting. Looking after your knife and sharpening it when needed means lots of patina down the road, and that’s what makes it so personal.
We know that not everyone thinks the way that we do, but those who do, we want to be there to equip them to buy responsibly. The way we see it is, when our customers buy a WESN, they’re not buying another knife. They’re investing in future generations.