Terms of service

Last updated: October 20, 2026

Overview

This website, kestrelknives.com, is operated by Kestrel MFG LLC DBA Kestrel Knives. Throughout these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Kestrel Knives. "You" means anyone who visits the site or buys from us.

We offer this website, including all information, tools and services on it, on the condition that you accept these Terms of Service ("Terms"), along with the policies referred to here. By visiting the site or buying something from us, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.

These Terms work together with our Refund Policy, Shipping Policy, Privacy Policy and the Kestrel For Life page (kestrelknives.com/pages/warranty). Those pages give the details; these Terms set out the overall rules. If these Terms and our Privacy Policy conflict on how we handle personal information, the Privacy Policy controls.

Our store is hosted on Shopify, which provides the e-commerce platform we use to sell our products to you.

Section 1 – Online Store Terms

By agreeing to these Terms, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old, unless the law where you live allows otherwise, and that you are legally allowed to buy and own knives where you live.

You may not use our products or this site for any illegal or unauthorized purpose, and you may not break any laws in your jurisdiction (including copyright laws) when using the site.

You must not transmit any worms, viruses or other code of a destructive nature.

If you break any of these Terms, we may end your access to the site and our services immediately.

Section 2 – General Conditions

We may refuse service to anyone, for any lawful reason, at any time.

Your content (not including payment card information) may be sent unencrypted across various networks and adjusted to fit the technical requirements of connected networks or devices. Payment card information is always encrypted when transferred over networks.

You agree not to copy, reproduce, sell, resell or exploit any part of the site, its content or our services without our written permission.

The headings in these Terms are for convenience only and do not limit or affect the Terms.

Section 3 – Accuracy, Completeness and Timeliness of Information

We work to keep the information on this site accurate, but we are not responsible if it is incomplete or out of date. The material on this site is general information only and should not be the only thing you rely on when making decisions. Any reliance on it is at your own risk.

The site may include historical information that is not current and is provided for reference only. We may change the content of the site at any time, but we have no obligation to update it. It is your responsibility to keep an eye on changes.

Section 4 – Changes to the Service and Prices

Prices for our products may change without notice. All prices are listed in U.S. dollars unless shown otherwise at checkout.

We may change or discontinue the site or any part of it, or any product, at any time without notice. We will not be liable to you or anyone else for any price change, suspension or discontinuance of the site or a product.

Section 5 – Products

Some products, including custom knives and Build-A-Knife orders, may be available only in limited quantities or only through our website or by arrangement with us by email.

We try to show product colors, finishes and images as accurately as we can. Because many of our knives are finished by hand and because screens differ, the knife you receive may vary slightly from the photos. Small variations in finish, handle material and color are normal and are not defects.

We may limit sales of any product to any person, region or jurisdiction, and we may limit quantities, on a case-by-case basis. Product descriptions and prices may change at any time without notice. We may discontinue any product at any time.

We do not promise that the products or information on this site will meet every expectation you have, or that every error on the site will be corrected.

Returns and refunds

Returns are governed by our Refund Policy. In short: you must contact us at sales@kestrelknives.com within 72 hours of receiving your items to request a refund or return. If your return is approved, you have 7 days from approval to ship it back. The item must be brand new, unused and in its original packaging, and nothing may be sent back without our approval. Unauthorized returns will not be accepted. A 15% restocking fee applies to non-defective returns. You pay return shipping unless the return is because of our error, such as a defective or incorrect item. These rules apply to international orders too.

Custom knives and custom orders, Build-A-Knife program knives, sale items, gift cards and knives sold "as is" are final sale. Apparel and other print-on-demand items follow their own rules in the Refund Policy: if you change your mind about an apparel item, you can return it for store credit or an exchange, and the 15% restocking fee applies, but cash refunds aren't available because it was made on demand.

If your order arrives damaged, defective or incorrect, contact us at sales@kestrelknives.com within 72 hours of receiving your items.

Please read the full Refund Policy before you buy. If anything in this section differs from the Refund Policy, the Refund Policy controls.

Shipping

Orders, including custom and Build-A-Knife orders, ship within 1–2 business days of receipt. Shipping rates, carriers, the countries we ship to and the countries we do not ship to are set out in our Shipping Policy.

For international orders, risk of loss passes to you once the package leaves the United States, as described in our Shipping Policy.

Kestrel For Life (warranty and sharpening)

Kestrel knives are covered by Kestrel For Life, which includes our lifetime warranty and free lifetime sharpening. What is covered, what is not covered and how to send a knife in are explained on the Kestrel For Life page at kestrelknives.com/pages/warranty. Please email sales@kestrelknives.com before sending any knife in. The Kestrel For Life page controls the terms of that program.

Section 6 – Knife Safety and Assumption of Risk

Knives are sharp tools that can cause serious injury. By buying from us, you agree that:

  • You will handle, use, carry, sharpen, clean and store your knife safely and with care.
  • You will keep knives out of the reach of children and away from anyone who should not have access to them.
  • You will use each knife only for its intended purpose. Prying, batoning, throwing, or using a knife as a screwdriver, chisel or similar tool is unsafe and is not covered by Kestrel For Life.
  • You will inspect your knife before each use and stop using it if it is damaged.

You accept the risks that come with owning and using a knife. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not responsible for any injury, loss or damage caused by misuse, careless handling, modification, improper sharpening or use outside the knife's intended purpose.

Section 7 – Lawful Use, Knife Laws and International Orders

You agree to use our products only for lawful purposes.

Knife laws differ from place to place. You are solely responsible for knowing and following all laws that apply to you, including laws on buying, owning, carrying, transporting and using knives, and any age limits.

If you order from outside the United States, you are responsible for knowing and following your country's import laws before you order. You are also responsible for any customs duties, VAT, import taxes, brokerage charges and other fees charged when your package arrives. These are not included in our prices or shipping charges, and we cannot estimate them in advance.

We declare the contents and value of every international shipment accurately. We will not lower the declared value or change customs paperwork for any reason.

We may refuse or cancel any order that we believe cannot be lawfully shipped to, or lawfully owned at, its destination.

Section 8 – Accuracy of Billing and Account Information

We may refuse any order you place with us. We may, at our discretion, limit or cancel quantities bought per person, per household or per order. This includes orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same payment card, and/or orders that use the same billing and/or shipping address. If we change or cancel an order, we will try to let you know by contacting the email and/or billing address or phone number given when the order was made. We may limit or prohibit orders that appear, in our judgment, to be placed by dealers, resellers or distributors.

You agree to give current, complete and accurate purchase and account information for all purchases made in our store. You agree to promptly update your account and other information, including your email address, payment card numbers and expiration dates, so we can complete your transactions and contact you as needed.

For more details, please review our Refund Policy.

Section 9 – Optional Tools

We may give you access to third-party tools that we do not monitor and have no control over.

You agree that we provide these tools "as is" and "as available", without warranties, representations or conditions of any kind and without any endorsement. We have no liability arising from or relating to your use of optional third-party tools.

Any use of optional tools offered through the site is entirely at your own risk and discretion. You should make sure you are familiar with and approve of the terms on which the relevant third-party provider offers those tools.

We may also offer new services or features through the site in the future. Those new features and services are also subject to these Terms.

Section 10 – Third-Party Links

Some content, products and services available through our site may include material from third parties.

Third-party links on this site may take you to websites that are not affiliated with us. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating their content or accuracy, and we do not warrant and will not have any liability for any third-party materials or websites, or for any other materials, products or services of third parties.

We are not liable for any harm or damages related to buying or using goods, services, resources, content or any other transactions made in connection with any third-party website. Please review the third party's policies and practices carefully and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns or questions about third-party products should be directed to the third party.

Section 11 – User Comments, Feedback and Other Submissions

If you send us product reviews, comments, photos, suggestions, ideas or other material, whether online, by email or otherwise (together, "comments"), you agree that we may, at any time and without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate and otherwise use those comments in any medium. We are under no obligation to keep any comments confidential, to pay for any comments, or to respond to any comments.

We may, but have no obligation to, monitor, edit or remove content that we decide in our sole discretion is unlawful, offensive, threatening, defamatory, pornographic, obscene or otherwise objectionable, or that violates any party's intellectual property or these Terms.

You agree that your comments will not violate any right of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other personal or proprietary rights. You agree that your comments will not contain unlawful, abusive or obscene material, or any computer virus or other malware. You may not use a false email address, pretend to be someone else, or otherwise mislead us or others about the origin of any comments. You are solely responsible for any comments you make and their accuracy. We take no responsibility and assume no liability for any comments posted by you or any third party.

Section 12 – Personal Information

Your submission of personal information through the store is governed by our Privacy Policy.

Section 13 – Errors, Inaccuracies and Omissions

Occasionally there may be information on our site that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions relating to product descriptions, pricing, availability, shipping charges and transit times. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information on the site is inaccurate at any time without prior notice, including after you have submitted your order. If we cancel an order that you have already paid for, we will refund the amount you paid for the cancelled items.

We have no obligation to update, amend or clarify information on the site, except as required by law.

Section 14 – Prohibited Uses

In addition to the other rules in these Terms, you may not use the site or its content:

  • for any unlawful purpose;
  • to ask others to perform or take part in any unlawful acts;
  • to violate any international, federal, state or local regulations, rules or laws;
  • to infringe on or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others;
  • to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate or discriminate against anyone;
  • to submit false or misleading information;
  • to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that may affect the site, other websites or the internet;
  • to collect or track the personal information of others;
  • to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl or scrape;
  • for any obscene or immoral purpose; or
  • to interfere with or get around the security features of the site, other websites or the internet.

We may end your use of the site for violating any of these prohibited uses.

Section 15 – Disclaimer of Warranties; Limitation of Liability

We do not guarantee that your use of the site will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error-free, or that results obtained from using the site will be accurate or reliable. We may remove the site for periods of time or cancel it at any time without notice.

Except for Kestrel For Life and any rights you have under law that cannot be waived, the site and all products and services delivered to you through it are provided "as is" and "as available", without any representation, warranty or condition of any kind, express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by law, this includes implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, durability, title and non-infringement.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, in no case will Kestrel Knives, our owners, employees, contractors, suppliers, service providers or licensors be liable for any injury, loss, claim, or any direct, indirect, incidental, punitive, special or consequential damages of any kind, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost savings, loss of data, replacement costs or similar damages, whether based in contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability or otherwise, arising from your use of the site or any product bought through it. In any case, our total liability for any claim relating to a product will not be more than the amount you paid for that product. This does not reduce our obligations under Kestrel For Life.

Some states and countries do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain warranties or damages. In those places, our liability is limited to the smallest amount the law allows. Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable law.

Section 16 – Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Kestrel Knives and our owners, employees, contractors, suppliers and service providers from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys' fees, made by any third party because of or arising from your breach of these Terms or the documents they refer to, your misuse of any product, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

Section 17 – Severability

If any part of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, that part will still be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law, and the unenforceable portion will be treated as removed from these Terms. This will not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions.

Section 18 – Termination

Obligations and liabilities that arose before the termination date will survive the termination of this agreement for all purposes.

These Terms remain in effect unless and until terminated by you or us. You may end these Terms at any time by telling us you no longer wish to use our services or by stopping your use of the site.

If we believe you have failed to comply with any term or provision of these Terms, we may end this agreement at any time without notice. You will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination, and we may deny you access to our services or any part of them.

Section 19 – Entire Agreement

If we fail to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms, that does not waive that right or provision.

These Terms, together with any policies or operating rules posted by us on this site or relating to our services (including our Refund Policy, Shipping Policy, Privacy Policy and the Kestrel For Life page), make up the entire agreement between you and us. They replace any prior or contemporaneous agreements, communications and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and us.

Any ambiguities in the interpretation of these Terms will not be construed against the drafting party.

Section 20 – Governing Law

These Terms, and any separate agreements through which we provide you products or services, are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. You agree that any dispute arising from these Terms or your purchase will be brought in the state or federal courts serving Erie County, Pennsylvania, and you consent to the jurisdiction of those courts.

Section 21 – Changes to These Terms

You can review the most current version of these Terms at any time on this page.

We may update, change or replace any part of these Terms by posting updates to our website. It is your responsibility to check this page from time to time. Your continued use of the site or purchase of products after changes are posted means you accept those changes. Orders are governed by the version of these Terms in effect when the order was placed.

Section 22 – Contact Information

Questions about these Terms should be sent to us at:

  • Email: sales@kestrelknives.com
  • Mail: Kestrel MFG LLC DBA Kestrel Knives, 3527 Sterrettania Rd, Erie, PA 16506, United States