This was INSANELY stressful, but we managed to offload a 3,000-lb CNC machine that will unlock a dozen new product lines for us. Instead of hiring a rigging team to offload it, I figured I could just rent a forklift for the day and save $2000... I mean, how hard could it be!? Well, I had exactly 15minutes to learn how to use this thing and hope that I don't drop a $150,000 piece of equipment that's not insured against idiocy. Luckily, this story has a happy ending, and we touched down without issue. But boy was I sweating bullets... This CNC machine is massive! It has a 5' x 8' working area with a 4th axis as well, so we are now limited only by our creativity. What is the first product we should make!?

Whoa… it’s been a while. But we’re back. The Budo Brothers Podcast has been reinvented and rebranded as Underneath the Kimono. This time around, we’re stripping things down, taking ourselves a little less seriously, and giving you more of a behind-the-scenes look at what’s actually going on in our world—what we’re building, what we’re thinking about, what’s challenging us, and what’s inspiring us. This is a place for us to connect and catch up. We’ll talk entrepreneurship, martial arts, creativity, innovation, new ideas, the ups and downs of building Budo Brothers, and, of course, plenty of jiu-jitsu. We don’t know exactly what the cadence of the podcast will be yet—and that’s kind of the point. We want to keep it loose, genuine, and fun. In this first episode back, we catch you up on what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years, where Budo Brothers is headed, some of the new products we’re working on, and the concept of Sutemi—full commitment with no turning back.

Round two of revisions on the Kobō Krusher Trainer, and we think we've finally dialed it in. Guess Erik's favorite number, and we'll send you a sample to product test! ⚠️ Only ONE guess per person.

My wood addiction has worsened over the past couple of months... I can't stop buying exotic wood and it's starting to cause problems in my relationships, hahaha. But, I mean COME ON!!! It's too beautiful NOT to buy! Even if we don't have the budget... actually, especially when we don't have the budget, and I don't have a plan for what to do with it... Sometimes that's the best way I create products though... I fall in love with the material, then start to daydream about what it could become. First things first, most Tigerwood I've come across in the past has been pretty boring and bland with very little character; maybe a few stripes here and there at best. But, I recently stumbled on a batch that BLEW MY MIND! I have never seen Tigerwood with this much TIGER energy in my life! It's wild... The only responsible thing to do was to back up the truck and buy a bunch... Now I need to figure out what to make out of it... I did a test run on some Tanto Trainers just to see what it would look like, and I was blown away! But we just recently dropped a batch of Tanto, and I'm feeling saucy! I am currently in the lab, starting to experiment with a few different innovative design concepts using this stunning Tigerwood.... Stay tuned... I shall emerge soon with something that's never been seen before 🔥

We just got back from an incredible trip to El Salvador, and one of the highlights was visiting a blade manufacturer that absolutely blew our minds. This isn’t a small workshop. We’re talking about a company with over 860 employees! A world-class operation with massive forges, CNC machines, woodworking facilities, and enough equipment to make any gear nerd weak in the knees. Of all things, their specialty is Machetes. They produce over 500,000 machetes every month and ship products all over the world. What impressed us most wasn’t the machinery—it was the people. From the moment we arrived, they treated us like family. They rolled out the red carpet, gave us a full tour of the facility, and welcomed us with incredible hospitality. And, I’ve never seen workers BANGING out product like that before. It was mesmerizing. You could also tell everyone was honored to be there as part of the team as compared to the local market, these are highly sought after, high paying jobs. Then came the dangerous part… They took us into their showroom. Imagine every blade, tool, and weapon concept you can think of, all sitting there waiting to be picked up. We felt like kids in a candy store. Beyond their specialty in Machetes, they can produce Axes, Spears, Yari, Naginata, Fixed Blades, Throwing Knives, Spikes, Swords, Slingshots… Pretty much anything we can dream up! And, they can source any high quality steel we specify. Now comes the hard part: What should we make first? A live Tanto? A Machete? A Katana? An Axe? Something completely different? Drop your ideas below. 👇 This could be the beginning of something very exciting. 🔥⚔️🔥