Half Face Full Circle

Andrew arrabito of half face blades tells how his experience as a navy seal has impacted his art.

- Bret Perchaluk

One newcomer, who has brought a high level of art to knife making, is former U.S. Navy SEAL, Andrew Arrabito.Through his company, Half Face Blades, he has taken the lessons learned with the SEAL teams to create some of the most functional and outstanding custom knives on the market.

We caught up with Andrew to get the real deal on the company and his humble beginnings.

KI: Why did you choose the Navy and what made being a SEAL the path you wanted to take?

AA: In sixth grade, my cousin gave me a Navy SEAL workout book. As I got older and closer to an age when I could join up, I ultimately chose the SEAL teams because there are so few of them, which keeps the community elite. Most important, though, I knew the war would spill over here if we didn’t take the fight to them first. I had to be a part of that.

KI: How did Half Face Blades come about?

AA: I grew up in a very outdoor-oriented family; camping, backpacking, etc. My two older brothers were into Native American history, survival and culture, big time. We would make old tools and grind knives from leaf springs—very primitive tools then, but it was a start that led me to now. Since then, I have stayed an outdoorsman, adventurer and have always used knives. When I was seven, my brothers and father were killed in a plane crash in Alaska. Actually, two of the knives they had bought there as gifts to give to me were found in the crash, and I have them to this day. Those will be some special blades to rework one day.