A knifemaking trio with little to no ego keeps Suprlativ super.
If you’re going to carry a knife every day, then it should be functional and stylish, a joy to use and look at. Otherwise, what’s the point? That’s Enrique Peña’s design philosophy. In addition to owning Peña Knives, along with Jared Oeser and Javi Garcia he is one of three founding members of Suprlativ Knives. Suprlativ (pronounced like superlative) offers limited-edition folders in eye-catching designs, constructed with modern materials, artistic colorways and a machinist’s attention to mechanics—all at an affordable price.
How do three creatives run a knife company without conflict? Easy—no one’s ego is so tied to an idea that he can’t incorporate suggestions from the others. All three maintain their own companies, their homes for signature work, so when they come together to design for Suprlativ they can push boundaries. The diversification means there’s no stress when they work on collaborative projects.
As Garcia explained it, the mindset shifts to, “What can we make that would nurture the community?”
Enrique Peña
Peña is an associate of the South Texas Slipjoint Cartel. For the uninitiated, the cartel is a group of knifemakers that got together to honor BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bill Ruple, each making a knife in the Ruple style. Bill, in turn, began sharing his knowledge with them, inviting them to his shop and answering questions by phone and email. He has been making knives since 1988 and is a master at multiblade slipjoints.
He sat on the board of the Texas Knifemakers and Collectors Association, the predecessor of the Texas Knifemakers Guild. Other Cartel members—all serious about preserving traditional knifemaking—include Bruce Barnett; Tanner Couch; Tommy “Bubba” Crouch; Burt Flanagan; Jeff Hawkins; Tobin “Toby” Hill; Bobby House; Matt Humphries; Phil Jacob; Tom Ploppert; Tim Robertson; Kendall Schorsch; Tyler Turner; Trae Gaenzel; Roan West; Rusty Preston; and Luke Swenson.
In 2008, Peña was laid off from his job as a diesel mechanic and turned his knifemaking hobby into a full-time endeavor. He simply drove to Ruple’s house, knocked on the door and asked to learn knifemaking. Bill began mentoring Peña and credits him with being a quick learner. Ruple shared more than his craft; he guided Peña with business wisdom as well, which ensured the success of Peña Knives.
Peña’s X-Series offers the design and mechanical excellence of his custom knives in a more affordable production knife. Whether traditional or tactical, Peña’s fit and finish displays a respected exactitude. He maintains that clean, crisp, simple designs are harder to master because you can’t hide mistakes with bells and whistles. For example, to the experienced eye, grinder marks, or the lack of them, reveals something about the maker. Hand rubs take time. Peña, if you couldn’t tell, is a traditionalist.
Jared Oeser
Around three years after Peña took to knifemaking full time, Jared Oeser, owner of Oeser Knives, did the same. A building developer by trade and with little to do during the 2008 recession, he looked to his knifemaking hobby as a potential moneymaker. He said his wife can attest to the fact that his stress level plummeted during this time. Making knives provided an outlet for a creativity he had possessed since boyhood but couldn’t concentrate on as a profession except through designing houses.
He asked his friend, fellow Salt Lake City resident and longtime knifemaker Dave Lang, to help him make knives. Lang swapped knifemaking ideas with the likes of Bob Loveless, Buster and Julie Warenski (now Warenski-Erickson) and Earl Black (Loveless and Buster are Cutlery Hall of Famers). Oeser’s father always carried a knife and brought his son up hunting, fishing and camping, traditions that Oeser passes on to his children.
Oeser’s first knives were bushcrafters. He couldn’t find exactly what he wanted—a bushcrafting knife that was both functional and good looking—so he made one. He and Peña communicated now and again, exchanging ideas and figuring out problems together. Now, though Oeser’s custom knives normally sell for around $1,000, some can go for over $10,000. In other words, he found his creative outlet and realized that the knife-art market still exists.
Prior to Suprlativ, he held a three-year contract with Benchmade, designing its Tengu and Tengu tool, so his design abilities have received praise from both collectors and industry giants.
Though Peña lives in Laredo, Texas, and Oeser in Lehi just outside Salt Lake City, and Peña is a staunch traditionalist and Oeser blurs the lines between traditional mechanisms and modern frames and furniture, the two had a working relationship that grew into a friendship.
Javi Garcia
Enter Javi Garcia. Formerly of South Texas and now living in central Texas, Javi first was a Peña customer, then a potential hire, then a friend and mentee. The two socialized together with their families, compatible in their shared Mexican heritage. Even though Garcia’s design approach is decidedly modern, Peña could appreciate his style.
Javi knew that Enrique was a master of knife mechanics, taking Garcia’s ideas and showing how they could be brought to fruition. Garcia began to share ideas with Oeser, too. He found himself going between the two veteran makers and telling each how the other approached a design idea or challenge. During these exchanges, the idea developed that the three of them start a separate company. Peña credits Garcia with bringing the three together to form Suprlativ.
How Suprlative Operates
The men knew they could bring knives to the market that got the job done expertly and looked really good doing it, knives of high quality, high tech and high precision. Garcia and Oeser are extremely creative, and Peña’s hands-on skillset is, well, superlative. Garcia says Peña is more creative than he thinks he is. And that’s the way it is with these three.
They are endlessly encouraging and positive with each other. In a situation where three chiefs and no Indians could seem problematic, Garcia explained that the collaboration works because they relate to each other with positivity, respect and warmth. They reserve their individual knifemaking styles for their independent work and let loose with ideas for Suprlativ.
Part of the contentedness and success is that Suprlativ designs come from all three knifemakers, including Peña. It’s an equal contribution of creativity. “The designs never start in the same place,” Garcia said. It’s fluid. Once the design is finalized, Peña initiates contact with what’s considered the fourth member of the group: Reate.
Peña already had a relationship with Reate Knives, the high-end Chinese original equipment manufacturing (OEM) operation that makes knives for other companies. Peña said that Reate offers the highest quality production and is also more costly, but not exorbitantly so. Plus, Reate officials never seem to say no, he noted. For its part, Reate considers any deviation from the norm as a way to learn how to incorporate new production procedures. The company reportedly considers Suprlativ’s vision to be unique.
Steel choices depend on what Reate can get in stock, but M390 and CPM 154 stainless and CPM M4 carbon steels all have been used in prior releases. The most recent order will be in CPM MagnaCut. Handle materials include a mixture of titanium, carbon fibers and Micarta® with shield inlays—a nod to tradition—and come in an artistic array of color patterns. Each run is different, never just a colorway change. Peña, Oeser and Garcia determined early not to chase steel or frame material fads since it can take upward of a year to receive an order.
At the last minute during BLADE Show 2024, Garcia decided to enter the Suprlativ Canibl Phantom Lock in the custom knife competition. Once the three determined the design, Oeser cut the parts, did the precision grinding, fit the locks—every type of lock is on the table at Suprlativ—did the surface grinding and ensured the knife was functional.
Garcia did the blade grinding; he’s the youngest and is humble enough to take on the difficult and time-consuming part of the job, which is just one more example of the goodwill dynamic between the three. Then the knife went to Peña for hand-rub finishing, shield inlay and blade edging. It was an equally shared labor of love.
The effort paid off. The Canibl Phantom Lock won Best Knife Collaboration. The men each expressed surprise, excitement and a sense of validation that what they set out to accomplish resonated within the community. Their collaboration, peaceable interactions and professionalism obviously generated increased creativity for them, loyalty from customers and now well-deserved notice and approval from knifemaking standard-bearers.
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