Designer, knifemaker, and metal sculptor Sean Alonzo talks about getting into making pointy objects, starting from scrap metal, and finding people who value Balete Blades‘ output.

Tell your friends that you want to make a living creating blades and other metal objects; they’d probably think you’re crazy. After all, it’s not like everyone needs knives—we’re no longer in the medieval ages. Despite the popularity of butterfly knives or balisongs, they’re in danger of dying out as well since the kids of the makers aren’t interested in carrying out what their fathers have been doing.

So it might be surprising to many people that Sean Alonzo, a graduate of the College of Saint Benilde with a degree in Industrial Design, has made knife-making his main line of work—and charging five to six figures in pesos at that!

Going Down The Knife Rabbit Hole

Sean’s love for knives started in college. “I’ve been making knives crudely since I started college,” he shares, “then part-time when I was working professionally around 2018. I got exposed to many of them while learning arnis or Filipino martial arts as a member of CSB’s arnis varsity team.”

Sean as a member of the CSB arnis team

It was in those moments that led him to have a love affair with these cutting implements eventually. “For me, it was crazy interesting how different arnis styles have their roots in how the itak or the bolo knife is designed.” He would later incorporate these influences when he started Balete Blades.

Starting Out As a Knifemaker

The first knife he ever made, he calls it a “crude knife repurposed from an old file. Let’s just say it’s crude… and pretty ugly,” he laughs. “The edge was a bit thick, and the heat treatment was horrible.”

Sean ended up giving it away. The next few knives he made, he sold for cheap prices or traded them as art pieces. That didn’t deter him from making more knives, though.

“I didn’t have any formal training,” Sean laughs. “All the design work I did was me studying and doing a lot of trial and error. I sold plenty of cheap knives in the process, and I used the feedback I got to improve my skills.

“Of course,” he continues, “it did help that the technical know-how to process knife materials, such as data sheets and paid academic journals, is readily available online.”

A glimpse of Sean at his workshop

Sean also apprenticed under Ryan Hao of 13 Lucky Monkey and became competent enough to sell sculpted silver rings for premium rates. “I did it in my free time, and it was fun, but sculpted rings aren’t useful for me,” he admits. “I love that I got some of Ryan’s grunge style, but I find it limited to the niche of 13 Lucky Monkey. Plus, I’m not very fond of art in the traditional sense since I’ve always wanted the things I make to have some utilitarian value. I don’t like spending hours working on something without a purpose.”

The Start Of Balete Blades

After Sean graduated from college, he had a short stint with a product design company in Iligan, then started his own freelance product design practice. The itch to make knives never really went away since he was still making them on the side. Eventually, he got the idea of starting his knifemaking business. But coming from a Filipino-Chinese family meant Sean had to explain many things to his parents.

“They did their best to understand my career choice,” Sean shrugs. “I had to prove to them it was an actual business versus a hobby so they wouldn’t be concerned.” Thankfully, both his parents were generally supportive or at least tolerated his creative side. “Eventually, they stopped commenting on my work when it became profitable,” he laughs.

Sean decided to call his business Balete Blades because his vision was to bring something Filipino to the world stage. “It was important for me to associate my brand with something Filipino,” he says. “And I decided on the word “balete” (a species of tree in the Philippines) because, surprisingly, it’s a word that doesn’t change across dialects. There are plenty of Balete streets in Metro Manila, and there was a Balete street in Iligan where I worked as a product designer.

An example of Sean’s work that he’s proud to call Filipino-made

“Plus,” he laughs wryly, “saying “Sean Alonzo Knives” was cool, but “Balete Blades – Sean Alonzo” has much more relevance, in my opinion.”

Forging The Foundation

Before Sean ultimately decided on chef’s knives (and pizza cutters), he toyed around with the idea of making cultural fighting and utility knives. What he discovered, though, was that people didn’t seem to value those kinds of knives to invest in them.

“The Filipino knife community is big, but most locals don’t like spending more than Php5,000 for a knife,” Sean shares. “Imagine, a paid project I did for a friend in the arnis team was a small ornamental kris (a dagger with curves-Noel) only netted me Php6,000 or a little over $100—and I spent three weeks on that using upcycled junk.

“That’s how I decided to move on to chef knives since chefs invest in high-quality tools,” he says. “For example, I made a 250mm k-tip Gyuto. It’s got a Damasteel® blade, titanium dovetailed bolsters, stabilized wood burl handle scales, and a matching Saya scabbard. Nowadays, I can sell it for around $4500.”

One of Sean’s amazingly designed pizza cutters

And for him to charge a premium rate for his knives, Sean invested in his materials and equipment. “Steel and wood burls can range from $30 to $500, and handle and scabbard material sets can go for $150 to $200,” he shares. “I also have a tilting WKM Tool 2×72 inch belt grinder—it set me back $2000 plus to fully set it up.”

He has also spent $1800 on an electric kiln, $3000 on a hydraulic forge press, and $1000 each on a bandsaw and a 3-axis mill, not to mention the consumables for his tools.

“But,” Sean says, “ultimately, the price my customers pay isn’t just for the materials or equipment I use. The skills I honed to design and make these knives and the premium treatments I do to make them last bring the most value.”

A Different Approach To Knife Making

What makes Sean’s knife-making different isn’t that he uses expensive materials and equipment. “For each customer, I try to find out what they want to use the knife for,” he explains. “For example, I ask a chef if he’s going to be using the knife on meat only or vegetables as well.”

Sean also makes sure to make each knife as unique as possible. “I don’t like doing the same thing again and again!” he laughs. “Every knife I make has to be different in its own way, whether it’s in the shape, the design, the materials… the craziest knives out of the craziest materials!”

An example of the material Sean uses.

And, of course, it has to be useful. “Sure, I can make a pretty knife, but if it’s not well-balanced or hard to grip, my customer isn’t going to like it,” Sean says. “I make sure to have a balance of art and utility always.”

This process leads to Sean producing only around six to eight knives every two months. “That makes it hard for me to scale,” he admits. “I do have a full-time studio aid to help me with some of the grunt labor and workshop maintenance, but I still want to streamline my process to help me come out with knives faster.

“Of course, I can rush the job,” he says, “but I don’t want to. My standards for quality are non-negotiable. I want to be proud of the knives I present to my customers.”

Defining The Value Of Balete Blades

Make no mistake: Sean was initially a bit apprehensive about pricing his knives high. “My price point, $400 minimum when I was starting out, was unprecedented. My dad even laughed at me and called me insane when I told him I wanted to sell a knife for that much.”

Sean also encountered a lot of naysayers in the Philippines. “Sadly, most of the product bashing I got was from fellow Pinoys,” he says, shaking his head. “I get hate mail about how unrealistic my price point is and how I should stop “scamming” people. It’s like watching someone throw a tantrum because they can’t or don’t want to afford my work.

“But they fail to realize that my knives aren’t a requirement to purchase. My work is an option only for those who are willing to invest. And like with watches, there are specific things to look for regarding what makes an heirloom knife. These things take time and skill to do well. It costs what it costs because I took the time to learn what makes them valuable and invested time and resources to learn how to make them well.”

Closeup of an intricately-made handle

To really define that Balete Blades were a premium, he pulled out of the local market. “If most Pinoys don’t get the value, then that’s not my problem,” he shrugs. “I don’t like fighting prospects, and I’m busy. I don’t run local ads or respond in Filipino, and my website currency is in US Dollars.”

While he appreciates his local customers who value his work—“And there are plenty”, Sean interjects—he also had to understand that his work wasn’t for everyone. “There are just specific demographics that I actively avoid to make customer service easier on my end.”

Honing His Edge

Sticking to his price point and target market paid off for Sean. For one thing, back in 2021, his price point jumped to start at $1000. His current waitlist is also at 12 months, with plenty of returning customers willing to wait for them to get to their projects.

“Actually, at the start of 2022, I started pricing my knives starting from $2500 to $3500,” Sean shares. “The fact that customers still get spots on my waitlist for these means that the knives are this valuable to them!”

Setting a high price point has also helped Sean attract the right customers. “I honestly thought the hardest part would be to find people willing to buy,” he says. “Thankfully, I know about Bladeforums. I had to pay over $200 to be a member, but the value is crazy. Being a member opens your work up to people who’ve been collecting knives since before I was born. They know what they’re looking for and have the collection to validate whether or not you’re worth the price point.”

Examples of Balete Blade’s products. No knife is the same-just the way Sean likes it.

Word about Balete Blades got around on social media, and Sean’s clientele grew further, especially with happy customers more than enthusiastic about sharing where they got their latest pieces—and how beautiful and effective they were.

Sean also won “Best Chef Knife” from Damasteel Chef Invitational 2021 and has even been featured on FEATR and Asia Featured—a testament to how much attention his fantastic work has gotten.

What’s next for Balete Blades?

The future is bright for Sean and Balete Blades

Before, Sean was agonizing about charging what seemed to be an exorbitant amount for chef knives and having to explain what he does for work to his relatives. Now, he has many options for the future. “I honestly don’t know what’s next for me,” Sean admits. “I want to do integral chef knives, folding knives, one-off art pieces, and join another blade show, and so much more.”

Ultimately, though, Sean feels that the future of his business is where his customers will find value next. “I feel that knives are an offshoot of what I love doing,” Sean says, “and that’s making something crazy valuable for someone to value. If things didn’t click with the chef knives, I’d likely move on until I find the next thing people would love enough to invest in me to make.”

Want to get your own Balete Blades piece? Contact Sean on his website, or reach out to him on Instagram or Facebook.

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