Frequently Asked Questions

You'll receive tracking by email as soon as your order ships.

One thing worth knowing is that your knife doesn't necessarily just sit on a shelf completely finished waiting for an order.

When an order comes in, knives go through QC, sharpening, a cut test, assembly when required and a final QC before they're packaged and shipped.

We'd rather take the time to make sure the knife leaving our shop is right.

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You'll receive an email containing your tracking information as soon as your order has been processed and shipped.

It can take a little time for the carrier to scan the package and begin showing movement.

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Domestic orders ship with USPS as our primary carrier.

Every domestic shipment includes tracking. You'll get an email with your purchase details and tracking information once your order ships.

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Yes, we ship to many international destinations.

There are restrictions depending on the country, and it's ultimately the buyer's responsibility to know their local knife and import laws before ordering.

If you're unsure whether we can ship to your country, email sales@kestrelknives.com before placing your order.

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Yes. At this time we do not ship to: Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, Sudan, Crimea, DPR, LPR, Ireland, Denmark, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh or Turkey.

All other international customers are responsible for knowing their local knife import laws. Email sales@kestrelknives.com for an international shipping quote.

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The customer does.

International shipping charges don't include duties, VAT, import taxes, brokerage charges or other fees your country may assess when the package arrives.

Those charges are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Once an international shipment leaves the United States, the risk of loss transfers to the buyer.

Unfortunately, we can't control foreign postal systems or customs once a package has left the United States, so Kestrel isn't responsible for packages lost outside the U.S.

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No.

We know international duties can get expensive, but we're going to accurately declare what we're shipping and its value.

We're not going to falsify customs paperwork to reduce taxes or import fees.

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Custom knives and Build-A-Knife options may be available depending on what we currently have going through the shop.

Custom orders are built specifically for you and are final sale.

Email sales@kestrelknives.com to see what's currently available and discuss lead times.

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Contact sales@kestrelknives.com within 72 hours of receiving your items to request a return or report damage. If your return is approved, you have 7 days from approval to ship it back. These windows apply to international orders too.

The item must be brand new, unused and in its original packaging. A 15% restocking fee applies to non-defective returns.

Return shipping is the buyer's responsibility unless we made an error with your order.

You must contact sales@kestrelknives.com before returning anything. Unauthorized returns will not be accepted.

We also recommend insuring the shipment. If a return is lost or damaged on its way back to us, we can't issue a refund for an item we didn't receive in its original condition.

See our Refund Policy for full details.

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No.

A standard return needs to come back brand new and unused. Once a knife has been used, sharpened, modified or carried enough to show wear, we can't sell it as new again.

If you're having an actual issue with the knife that you believe is a manufacturing defect, contact us and we'll handle that through the warranty process.

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Custom knives, Build-A-Knife orders, sale or discounted items, gift cards and products sold "as is" are final sale.

Manufacturing defects are handled separately through our warranty process.

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Contact us within 72 hours of receiving your items at sales@kestrelknives.com.

Send us your order information, a quick explanation of what happened and clear photos of the knife and packaging.

We'll take it from there.

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Refunds are processed promptly, but timing depends on shipping and your bank.

Allow about 5–10 business days for return transit, 3–5 business days for us to inspect and process the return, and 5–10 business days for your bank to post the refund. In most cases it's faster than that.

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Our apparel is made to order, so cash refunds aren't available once production begins, except for the problems below.

If there's a manufacturing error, printing issue or damage, email us a quick problem report within 72 hours of receiving your items and we'll make it right with a free replacement or a full refund.

If you ordered the wrong size or changed your mind, you can send it back for store credit or an exchange. The 15% restocking fee applies to these store-credit and exchange returns too, and you're responsible for return shipping unless we made an error.

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Kestrel For Life™ includes our Lifetime Warranty, which covers manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for the functional life of the knife.

If we determine there's a manufacturing defect, we'll repair or replace the knife at no charge at our discretion.

It doesn't cover misuse, abuse, prying, batoning, improper sharpening, unauthorized modifications, neglect, corrosion or using the knife outside its intended purpose.

Normal scratches, sharpening marks and finish wear aren't manufacturing defects.

Contact us before shipping anything in. Photos are helpful, but sometimes we need the knife in our hands to determine exactly what happened.

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There's a good chance we can.

We can often repair a snapped tip at no charge, but we need to inspect the knife first and determine what happened and how much material we're working with.

Contact us before sending it in and don't try to reshape the blade yourself.

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No.

Our knives are built to be used. Scratches, finish wear, sharpening marks and other cosmetic wear are normal parts of owning a field knife.

If you've used your Kestrel hard enough to put a few scratches in it, that's okay with us.

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Email sales@kestrelknives.com before sending anything in.

Tell us what happened and include some clear photos if possible. We'll take a look and let you know if we need the knife sent back for inspection.

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It's your knife, but understand that modifications can affect your warranty.

Damage caused by grinding, reshaping, drilling, improper sharpening or other aftermarket modifications isn't a manufacturing defect.

If you're considering doing something major to the knife and aren't sure how it'll affect the warranty, shoot us an email first.

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Yes.

Free lifetime sharpening is part of Kestrel For Life™.

You ship it to us. We'll sharpen it, clean it up and ship it back to you. Return shipping is free within the U.S.; customers outside the U.S. pay return shipping.

Sharpened knives ship back within 1–3 days of arriving, outside of holidays.

Contact us before sending your knife in so we can give you the current shipping instructions.

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Absolutely.

These are tools and they're meant to be maintained. Just make sure you're using an appropriate sharpening system and aren't drastically changing the edge geometry.

Damage caused by improper sharpening isn't a manufacturing defect.

And remember, if you don't want to mess with it, free lifetime sharpening is part of Kestrel For Life™.

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It's pretty simple.

Clean it after use, especially after processing game. Get the blood, moisture and debris off the blade and dry everything thoroughly before putting it away.

Don't leave a wet or dirty knife sitting inside its sheath for extended periods.

Scratches and wear are going to happen. These are hunting knives, not safe queens.

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It really comes down to what you want the knife to do.

The Ovis Hunter is our do-it-all hunting knife and the knife I recommend if you want one blade capable of handling most of the work on an animal.

The Mouflon Skinner is more specialized toward skinning and processing.

The Mountain Caper is built for detailed caping and precision work.

The Ovis Scalpel gives you the convenience of replaceable blades and comfort like no other scalpel on the market.

If weight is your biggest concern, The Mountain Scalpel or our Skeleton models give you the performance of a fixed blade without the additional weight of traditional handles.

Still not sure? Email us at sales@kestrelknives.com. Tell us what and how you hunt and we'll point you in the right direction

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The biggest difference is blade geometry and what each knife was designed to do.

The Ovis Hunter is our all-purpose hunting knife. Its slight trailing-point design and upswept tip give you plenty of belly for skinning and long slicing cuts while still maintaining a fine point for detailed work. It's designed to move from one job to the next without needing to switch knives.

The Mouflon Skinner is more specialized. Its geometry is built around skinning and gives you a purpose-built cutting surface for separating hide and working through an animal efficiently.

If you want one knife to do a little bit of everything, go with the Ovis Hunter. If you want a dedicated skinner, that's where the Mouflon shines.

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We specialize in Ultralight hunting and outdoor knives.

That includes all-purpose hunting knives, dedicated skinners, caping knives, ultralight skeletonized knives, EDC knives and replaceable-blade scalpels.

Some guys want one knife that can handle almost everything. Others want a specific tool for every job. We build for both.

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Most of our fixed blades, including the Ovis Hunter, Mouflon Skinner, Mountain Caper and our Skeleton hunting models, use CPM MagnaCut.

The Skeleton EDC uses AEB-L stainless steel.

The Ovis Scalpel and Mountain Scalpel have 6Al-4V titanium handles and take replaceable scalpel blades.

Check the specs on each product page for the exact details of your knife.

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Because hunting knives need more than a steel that just holds an edge.

We need a steel that can stay sharp while processing an animal, resist corrosion from blood and moisture, and still have the toughness required for real field use.

CPM MagnaCut gives us an exceptional balance of edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance. That's why you'll see it across many of our hunting knives.

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CPM MagnaCut is a premium American-made stainless knife steel developed specifically for cutlery.

What makes it impressive isn't one individual property. It's the balance of edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance.

For a hunting knife that can be exposed to blood, moisture, dirt and hard use, that's exactly the kind of balance we're after.

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Nitro-V is a very capable stainless knife steel. It's tough, corrosion resistant and relatively easy to sharpen.

MagnaCut takes things further, particularly when you're looking at the overall combination of edge retention, toughness and corrosion resistance.

There's nothing wrong with Nitro-V. We simply believe MagnaCut's balance of properties makes it a better fit for many of our hunting knives.

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S35VN is a proven premium knife steel and has been used successfully in quality knives for years.

MagnaCut was developed more recently with a major focus on balancing toughness, edge retention and corrosion resistance.

Both are good steels. For the wet, dirty and sometimes rough conditions hunting knives see, we prefer the overall balance MagnaCut gives us.

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MagnaCut is extremely corrosion resistant, but that doesn't mean you should throw a bloody knife into a wet sheath and forget about it.

Clean the blade after processing an animal, dry it thoroughly and don't store it wet or dirty.

Take care of your knife and it'll take care of you.

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Yes. Kestrel Knives are 100% made in the USA.

We work with American manufacturers and suppliers to build purpose-driven knives for hunters and outdoorsmen.

We're a small, veteran-owned American business, and keeping our manufacturing here matters to us.

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It depends on the knife.

We have lightweight sheath systems for our ultralight knives as well as more traditional sheath configurations on models like the Ovis Hunter and Mouflon Skinner.

Depending on the knife and sheath, attachment options can include UltiClip, Short Clip and Tek-Lok-style configurations.

Check the individual product page to see exactly what comes with your knife and what options are available.

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In most cases, yes, depending on current inventory and the knife model.

Email sales@kestrelknives.com and let us know which knife you have. We'll get you pointed in the right direction.

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The Ovis Scalpel accepts #60A and #70A blades.

That gives you two blade profiles depending on what you're doing and what you prefer.

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Yes. We currently include 7 scalpel blades with each scalpel: five #60A and two #70A. Check the Ovis Scalpel and Mountain Scalpel product page for the current blade configuration and exactly what's included with your knife.

Additional replacement blades are available separately in the Shop.

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Yes. :)

If you're unsure what you need, email sales@kestrelknives.com before ordering.

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Apply through our Field Testing Program page. Tell us about yourself, where you spend time outdoors and how you share your experience.

Not all applicants will be selected, testing opportunities vary by product and selection is ongoing throughout the year.

Apply to the Field Testing Program

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Yes. Professional guides and outfitters can apply to join our network through the Guide & Outfitter application. We'll review your application and get back to you by email.

Apply as a Guide or Outfitter

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