LionSteel

LionSteel combines cutting-edge CNC precision with Italian artisanal finishing in their Maniago workshop, the historic capital of Italian cutlery. Founded in 1969 by Gino Pauletta, the company is now run by his three sons. Premium steels (M390, MagnaCut) and noble materials (titanium, olive wood).

Maniago, province of Pordenone, Friuli. It is the Italian Solingen, the historical capital of cutlery in the peninsula. Blades have been manufactured there since the 15th century. In 1969, Gino Pauletta and his wife Cesarina founded their workshop in this tradition.

For decades, LionSteel remained a small local manufacturer. It was the second generation – Gianni, Daniele, and Massimo, the three sons – who changed the game. They invested heavily in advanced CNC machining while maintaining hand finishing. This is the LionSteel model: the precision of the machine combined with the eye and hand of the Italian craftsman.

In 2010, the SR-1 won the "Most Innovative Imported Design" award at the Blade Show, the global benchmark for cutlery. This was the start of a series of awards that continues to this day. 2015: Overall Knife of the Year for the T.R.E., the interchangeable blade system. 2016 and 2017: another Knife of the Year. 2018: Manufacturing Quality Award for the ROK. 2024: two more awards (Twain and Skinny). No other Italian manufacturer has such an award record.

The T.R.E. is probably the most significant innovation: a folding knife where you can change the blade. Three different steels (M390, MagnaCut, Sleipner), same handle. The idea seems simple, but the execution is formidably complex.

LionSteel also co-founded MKM (Maniago Knife Makers) with Viper and Fox Knives, an alliance of Maniago manufacturers that pools expertise. The Pauletta family still owns it. Everything still comes out of Maniago.