Meglio Knives

Meglio [Pronunciation: mel-ee-oh]: (Italian) Better

Brandon and Bobby Hampton are two brothers who grew up in their grandfather’s Italian restaurant. They were given their introduction to the culinary world through the eyes of a loving family dedicated to the highest quality product they could make. This passion for striving for the best was taken and applied to their lives, having a profound impact in their work.

Brandon has had a passion to cook since very young, always trying to learn the old world recipes from their Italian grandfather and Mexican grandmother. Once in college, Brandon began working at Strider Knives to help pay for his studies. While working, Duane Dwyer took him under his wing and would go on to apprentice him in learning the craft of knife making. Materials technology, blade geometry, metallurgy, and more were handed down from the master blade smith to Brandon over the course of over five years. Above all else Brandon learned from Duane that in the end, the knife should be better for the effort put in.

Because of this, in the battle between flash versus measurable scientific advantage, the latter always wins at Meglio Knives. Duane Dwyer continues to be a close pal and we hold him as an authority in his craft. While working with Duane in the tactical field, the newest materials were always seen as an opportunity to improve the tools ability to help its user. Because of this, advanced materials such as CPM 3V, S30V, PD-1, and SM-100 (or as he and Duane prefer to call it, HipTiNite) became standard. To continue to use outdated materials is simply unacceptable.

While Brandon enjoyed equipping our nation’s finest with the best product he could make, he saw an area of opportunity at home. While in the kitchen, it was easy to see that the dedication to using the most advanced technology in knife making wasn’t a vision shared by all. Brandon started this endeavor to bring the same technology enjoyed by our most elite soldiers could be used by the most elite chef’s and culinary enthusiasts worldwide.

Bobby Hampton inherited an almost identical personality to their grandfather. Always the kind of entrepreneur who takes personal responsibility and pride in his work, Bobby began running his own businesses at an early age. Immensely motivated with a nearly incomparable drive, Bobby is a mover and shaker who lets nothing get in the way of achieving the greatest results possible. This dedication to quality and drive would also lead him into the world of machining.

Bobby would go on to work with CNC vertical mills, horizontal mills, lathes, Swiss screw machines, and advanced robotics. He would prototype and manufacture precision parts varying in uses from Titanium spinal inserts to missile components. His experience in precision machining has been crucial in constructing the specific machines required to work with the advanced materials Meglio Knives works with on a daily basis.