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From 8,000 feet above sea level in Westcliffe, Colorado, Bob Ohlemann crafts knives that bridge custom artistry and accessible performance. After retiring from the U.S. Army in 2008 with twenty years of service, Ohlemann found his second calling in knifemaking, starting his journey in 2013. What began with high-end custom pieces featuring pattern-welded steels, hand engraving, and exotic materials like mammoth ivory and meteorite has evolved into something equally impressive but more accessible. After a decade of sole-authorship customs and teaching linerlock folder classes, Ohlemann embraced CNC automation and batch processing, and as a contributing author to Jason Fry's "Next Level Knifemaking," he brings proven expertise and an uncompromising standard to every piece.
Ohlemann's definition of mid-tech is specific: the strategic combination of automation and traditional handwork. Every Rangermade knife features CNC-machined components designed in-house using Autodesk Fusion and produced on his Haas MiniMill, while the soul of each knife comes from extensive handwork Ohlemann performs himself. Blade bevels are hand-ground using techniques refined over years of custom work, locks and detents are hand-fitted, and each component is hand-matched, deburred, and finished. This approach yields 10 to 15 knives per month, with plans to scale to 25, and the only outsourced processes are waterjet cutting of rough blanks and specialized heat treating, keeping every critical aspect of fit and finish under his direct control.
The FRAGO fixed blade served as the proving ground, an EDC knife in heat-treated 80CrV2 that established Rangermade's reputation for punching above its price. With that foundation proven, Ohlemann developed the OBJ series, military shorthand for Objective, and each folder represents one. The OBJ-1 aimed to create an accessible mid-tech folder with personality and hand-fitted quality; the OBJ-2 pushed further with more complex machining. Both run titanium framelock construction with individually numbered, hand-ground CPM MagnaCut blades in drop point and sheepsfoot profiles, a steel our knife steel guide ranks among the best all-around choices made today, with the action and fit that typically comes from knives at much higher price points.
Rangermade occupies the sweet spot where accessible pricing meets genuine hand-fitted quality. For enthusiasts who appreciate hand-fitted locks, precision machining, and design instincts earned through years of custom work, these deliver, and every knife that leaves Westcliffe carries Ohlemann's personal standard of excellence.
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