Thys Meades is a lover of design and engineering. Born in 1973, in South Africa and now living in Port Elizabeth, a coastal town in the Eastern Cape province. I am married with three children. 

I started making fixed blade knives under the mentorship of Rob Brown, a well known South African maker, in 2014. About two years later I started making traditional slipjoints and became established in the USA market. After some time I started making front flippers in slipjoint designs using a mix of modern and traditional materials. 

In 2018 my first design was released called the Guardian, a back flipper, which set the stage for me in the flipper market. In 2021 I designed my second knife called the Flow in both a slipjoint and front flipper variant. In 2023, my third design, the Swordfish was born. This model continues to do very well although it is only built in limited numbers. 

I travel every year to the Blade show in Atlanta and enjoy meeting customers, new and old, connecting with my dealers and buying materials for the year ahead. My knife highlight was my Guardian design knife winning the Best Art knife in USN show in 2022.

I have an Instagram page (@meadesknives) where I post all my latest knives, a Facebook group (meades knives) for my knife enthusiasts, and also a YouTube channel (meades knives) where I post educational videos on how to make knives. 

I continue to design and make high end custom knives and look forward to many more years of living my dream.

Specifications:

Front Flipper & Thumb Stud Knife Flamed Titanium Handle Gray Titanium Liner (3.28" Silver Bead Blasted CPM 20CV Blade)

Model Number: WE23067-1
Model Name: Swordfin
 
Overall Length: 7.7" / 195.7mm
Width: 1.11" / 28.2mm
Overall Height (Include Clip): 0.69" / 17.5mm
Blade Length: 3.28" / 83.4mm
Closed Length: 4.42" / 112.3mm
Blade Thickness: 0.13" / 3.2mm
Handle Thickness: 0.54" / 13.8mm
Knife Weight: 4.48oz / 127g
 
Blade Material: CPM 20CV
Blade Hardness: 59-61HRC
Blade Grind: Flat
Blade Finish: Silver Bead Blasted
Blade Type: Tanto
 
Handle Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Handle Color/Finish: Flamed
Liner Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Liner Color/Finish: Gray
Back Spacer Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Back Spacer Finish: Gray
 
Pocket Clip: Tip-Up, Right Carry
Clip Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Clip Color/Finish: Gray
Screws Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Thumb Stud Material:  6AL4V Titanium
Thumb Stud Color/Finish: Plain
Pivot Cap Material: 6AL4V Titanium
Pivot Cap Color/Finish: Gray
Pivot Assembly: Caged Ceramic Ball Bearing
Locking Mechanism: Liner Lock
 
Designer: Thys Meades from Meadesknives