Home / Outdoors / Knives & Multi-Tools

Best Made Co. Is Back. It’s Even Better Than You Remember

Peter Buchanan-Smith plans to rebuild the cult outdoors brand he started in 2009, one hand-forged axe at a time.

axeBest Made Co.

By Jack Seemer

Published

·

Every product is carefully selected by our editors. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

If you lived in New York City in the early 2010s, you might remember an airy, well-lit store in Tribeca called Best Made Co.

Inside were wonderful objects: pocket knives, enamel cookware, blankets, chore coats and, proudly hanging on the wall, a hoard of colorful axes — everything you might need for a dreamy escape upstate, even if you never actually made it past midtown.

But like so many things in New York City, it was there until, one day, it wasn’t.

A brief history of Best Made Co.

Founded in 2009 by a designer named Peter Buchanan-Smith, Best Made was supposed to be the “next great American outfitter-slash-lifestyle brand,” he told Gear Patrol in 2018.

But it was sold off, first to Bolt Threads … then Duluth Trading Company. Finally, the brick and mortar closed. And the artisanal lifestyle brand that once lived up to its name became a shell of its former self.

black and white photo of a man in a workshop
Peter Buchanan-Smith (pictured) founded Best Made Co. in 2009.
Best Made Co.

Technically, Best Made existed under the Duluth umbrella. But somewhere along the way it ceased to be a brand focused on small-scale manufacturing of high-quality goods.

Its founder wants to change that.

Less than a year ago, Buchanan-Smith announced that he had acquired the rights to the brand, promising to relaunch it from his new home and workshop in the Catskills.

Well, we finally have our first glimpse at the new Best Made, now open for business online. But let’s get one thing straight: It’s not the same brand you remember from the 2010s. It’s actually better.

Back to the basics

Naturally, Best Made’s first product back is an axe, something the brand calls its “north star,” not to mention the subject of a book written by Buchanan-Smith in 2021.

axe
The Old Gold No. 1 is based off a 19th century axe pattern called the Rockaway.
Best Made Co.

Forged by hand in Indiana using a 1060 high-carbon steel, the Old Gold No. 1 owes its overall shape to a pattern called the Rockaway made famous by William McKinnon in the 1800s.

“McKinnon died tragically in his shop in 1905,” Best Made details on the product page for the axe. “You’ll find his pattern on the pages of most any axe history book, but despite its iconic status, the pattern nearly vanished from production.”

Straight-grain Appalachian hickory makes up this version’s handle (offered in multiple sizes), while the head bears Best Made’s signature X logo — a first for the company, even going back to the early days.

“Our products are designed to last. They are meant to be used.”

Limited to just 100 pieces, the Old Gold No. 1 headlines something Best Made calls the Short Supply — a series of premium goods sold in smaller batches than the everyday items that belong to the new permanent collection. It goes on sale September 25 at noon Eastern.

“In the disposable age of planned obsolescence, prioritizing quality is a responsible and optimistic path forward,” Best Made’s new About page reads. “Our products are designed to last. They are meant to be used.”

As for the gorgeous new axe, however, it’d be hard to blame you for wanting to proudly hang one on your wall.

Read More