Jonathan McNees
62 episodes listed below
Knife making, straight from the shop floor.
The Knife Freak Show follows Jonathan McNeese and Miss Amy McNeese through the practical churn of knife making, selling, and showing up for collectors. Shop floods, titanium dust, hollow grinds, dealer relationships, and Blade Show planning all sit in the same loose but knowledgeable conversation.
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The Knife Freak Show is knife talk from inside the workday. Jonathan McNeese and Miss Amy McNeese use each episode as a running shop update, then let the conversation widen into design choices, production pressure, dealer relationships, and the event calendar that keeps the business moving. It is loose, but not vague. When a new Mach 2 appears with a high-performance hollow grind, the conversation turns toward how it performs, why the grind matters, and what had to change to bring it back. Details carry the show. Rock texture is not treated as a marketing phrase; it becomes a practical problem of machining something that still looks organic and connected to earlier custom work. The business side gets the same plain treatment. Episodes talk through Blade Show Texas, Atlanta plans, booth location, sales patterns, Whatnot livestreams, dealer fit, customer feedback, and the awkward reality of trying new sales channels while still keeping production on track. Nothing feels sealed off. A flooded shop, a hectic staffing week, a filming day, and a titanium dust incident can all become part of the same broader picture of how a knife company actually operates. The hosts are comfortable correcting themselves. That helps. Instead of smooth announcement copy, the show offers a working maker's explanation of why certain knives are thick, why trends move from big chunky folders to smaller designs, and why old custom models might or might not return. The collector culture is present, but the show is not just collector chatter. It is also about logistics, friendships, trust, and the way good dealers become part of the shop's extended circle. Tyler Davis from Cajun Gun and Gear adds a retail angle in one episode, connecting the maker's bench to physical stores, online sales, and knife customers. Blade Show episodes give the series another rhythm, with pre-show nerves followed by after-action reports on traffic, offerings, and customer response. The humor stays casual. The useful information stays close to the metal. For listeners who care about knives as objects, businesses, and relationships, The Knife Freak Show offers a candid look at the whole messy process.
Made for: For knife collectors, hobbyists, and maker-curious listeners who like practical talk about builds, drops, dealers, and shows. It especially fits people who want process details instead of polished product announcements.
What sets it apart: The show stands out by treating the knife business as a living workflow, not a catalog. Technical design talk, shop mishaps, sales logistics, and customer relationships all stay connected in the same conversation.
The owners of McNees Knives discuss life as knife makers and small business owners.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Shop-floor candor makes knife design, production pressures and dealer relationships unusually legible to collectors.
The Knife Freak Show turns life inside a working knife shop into candid conversation. Jonathan McNeese talks with Amy McNeese or Chase Boatwright about design, production and the decisions behind making knives for a living, with enough technical detail to satisfy enthusiasts and…
Titanium dust explodes, and you get shop-floor story time before the knife talk resumes.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A flooded shop and a three-week gap set up a candid look at Whatnot live-selling, shop logistics, and two-hour hangs.
Knife Freak Show spends this installment catching up after about three weeks away from the mic, with Jonathan and Amy talking through the last couple of weeks around a flooded shop and the time they have put into Whatnot livestreams.
A shop-week update that ends with titanium dust, a lawnmower, and a fast water hose.
Jonathan McNeese and Miss Amy McNeese carry the episode through a busy shop week, with employee turnover, two new hires, filming for upcoming marketing, and a special visitor who dropped by.
A candid shop-floor conversation about staying productive while pushing out new knife ideas and stronger dealer ties.
This knife-focused episode reads like a grounded shop-floor check-in, with production, new ideas, and the working relationships that keep the operation moving.
A grounded look at older customs, changing knife trends, and the design choices behind them.
Jonathan and Amy McNeese keep the discussion close to the maker's bench. They bring in older customs, explain the reasons behind them, and trace how knife taste has moved from chunky builds to slimmer folders.
A grounded look at the tradeoffs between staying part time and going all in.
The Knife Freak Show starts with an easy holiday check-in before settling into a practical look at what nudges a maker from a hobby or side job into a full-time knife business.
Jonathan and Amy open by apologizing for the gap between episodes.
The week at the shop is hectic.
The hosts discuss their positive experience at Blade Show Texas, highlighting increased sales, busy traffic, and new product offerings, while hinting at an industry scandal.
The hosts discuss the upcoming Blade Show Texas in Dallas-Fort Worth, share booth details, and plan to talk about the event from different perspectives.
The hosts discuss their upcoming trip to the Texas Blade Show and highlight new knife releases, including the return of three-and-a-half-inch Mach 2s with a high-performance hollow grind and a new rock texture design.
Jonathan McNeese interviews Tyler Davis about his Cajun Gun and Gear business, including its locations and background.
Jonathan and Amy record from the shop while they keep testing the setup and lighting.
Jonathan and Amy open with an apology.
Jonathan McNeese and Chase Boatwright open with a Christmas catch-up and a listener gift before getting to the main topic.
The co-hosts discuss personal weather preferences and recent recording gaps before introducing the topic of influencers and reviewers.
The hosts celebrate their 30th episode, discuss their longevity in knife making, and encourage listener feedback to shape future content.
The hosts discuss recent maintenance tasks, including a ceramic tile job and repairing a grinder, while mentioning a live stream and interactions with a tool company.
The hosts discuss their work routines, running a business, and upcoming topics including SHOT Show news for knife enthusiasts.