Handcrafted in Ellicottville
Handcrafted in Ellicottville
Top Flight Early American Cutlery Launches Historical Family Line of Knives
Known by most as the mayor of Ellicottville, John Burrell is the last living knife maker of the Case family, whose members started, owned, or ran 32 different cutlery companies in the greater Ellicottville area over the decades. Last year, Burrell founded his own company, Top Flight Early American Cutlery, through which he has sold knives and razors from his extensive collection and for other knife collectors and enthusiasts. Now, Burrell is excited to share the newest phase of his business: the launch of his own custom knives, which he has been making in his shop over the past two months.
Burrell’s plan is to make a total of eight different patterns honoring the members of his family that were involved in the management of Burrell Cutlery Company. Each of these knives have serial numbers, and Burrell plans to make 40 of each pattern. Beginning next week, the first knife pattern, Addy Case Burrell, will be available!
“Addy Case Burrell, my grandmother, was Jean Case’s daughter,” Burrell explained. “Jean and his two brothers started the first Case brothers-owned company. As a teenager, Addy worked in and eventually ran the office in Little Valley. In 1926, she joined her brother, husband and father at Kinfolks Cutlery in Little Valley.” In 1940, Addy and her husband, Harold Burrell, started Burrell Cutlery Company in Ellicottville, where John Burrell began working in 1967 upon his return home from the army, until international competition forced the company to close in 2006.
“My grandmother was active in those three companies for a total of 67 years,” said Burrell. “I’ve just finished making the 40 knives in her pattern, and now they are going to the engraver. Each will be sold in a cherry wood presentation box with a glass top.” Burrell expects to be able to ship these knives by mid-March. While most of the 40 knives have already been preordered by members of the Top Flight Early American Cutlery Facebook group, the ones that are left will be taken to a knife show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, where Burrell is looking forward to sharing them with collectors March 17-19th.
By the end of 2023, Burrell hopes to manufacture knives for three more patterns. “The next one will honor my grandfather, Harold Burrell; then my father, Dean Burrell; then my uncle, John Kearn. He was the vice president of Burrell Cutlery and was a captain in World War II. The inspiration for his knife will be a World War II fighting knife.”
Using one honing machine from Burrell Cutlery, as well as more recent acquisitions including a multi-purpose grinder and buffer, Burrell crafts each knife entirely by hand. Many of his materials come from Burrell Cutlery, and he also sources raw materials from other places in the United States. The handle of the Addy Case Burrell knife is made from leather, brass, and Rocky Mountain elk antler, one of Burrell’s favorite materials. “Many knives use stag in the handle, which usually comes from India,” he explained. “All of the materials in Top Flight knives are sourced in the U.S. I bought the antler from a company in Montana that buys all of the antlers the Boy Scouts have collected out there - antlers that have been shed by the elk.”
Burrell has enjoyed the process - and the learning curve - of making his own knives by hand. “There’s a difference between overseeing many people that are doing 30 different operations on a knife and then actually building that knife myself,” he said. “I’m used to doing 40 knives at a time, and now I’m making one knife at a time by hand!”
Some collectors have already spoken for all eight of Top Flight’s forthcoming patterns. The primary marketplace is Top Flight Early American Cutlery by John Burrell of the Case family, a private Facebook group he created in June of 2022. Now 800 members strong, the group includes knife enthusiasts, authors, and some of the most well-known knife collectors in the industry. Not only does the Facebook group provide a platform through which to buy and sell knives, but it’s also a place where Burrell can share his knowledge and family history with members. “So many of these members know much more about knives, their collectability and their rarity, but they don’t know about the people who made them,” he pointed out. “Not only do I have that background with the Case family members, but the fact that I was in the industry for 40 years and made knives for a lot of different companies is something I can offer.”
Speaking of history, each of the knives in Top Flight’s eight patterns will include a historical note about the person for whom the knife was designed, as well as a personalized letter of authenticity from Burrell. Those who are interested can request to join the Facebook group and send a private message to Burrell to order.