The Aviary | Australian Pocket Knives | First 20 Made...

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The Aviary · Everyday Carry

Australian birds, forged into pocket knives. Twenty of them.

Every knife in the Aviary is built around a native Australian bird — its habitat, its character, its colour. Twenty birds. Twenty blades. One pocket at a time.

A pocket knife for every bird.

The Aviary started with three birds — the Magpie, the Crow, the Kookaburra — and grew from there. Each one is a different brief, and each knife is a different answer: the blade shape, the lock, the steel, and the colour of the handle all take their cue from the bird. The result is a collection that's technically serious and unmistakably Australian. Find yours below.

The Collection · 20 Pocket Knives
Max the Magpie EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 01 · Max
The Magpie

CPM MagnaCut. Territorial, sharp, striking — the flagship workhorse of the Aviary.

View the Magpie →
Bella the Blue Wren EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 02 · Bella
The Blue Wren

Small, precise, a flash of electric blue — one of the most accessible knives in the collection.

View the Blue Wren →
Harry the Honeyeater pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 03 · Harry
The Honeyeater

A refined gentleman's folder — light and nimble, like its nectar-loving namesake.

View the Honeyeater →
Willy the Willie Wagtail EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 04 · Willy
The Willie Wagtail

Cheerful, fearless, endlessly energetic — the knife you reach for without thinking.

View the Willie Wagtail →
Garry the Galah EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 05 · Garry
The Galah

The personality of the collection — loud, proud, pink-and-grey, unashamedly Australian.

View the Galah →
Karen the Currawong EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 06 · Karen
The Currawong

Black with bright yellow eyes — a confident everyday carry that earns respect.

View the Currawong →
Kyle the Kookaburra EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 07 · Kyle
The Kookaburra

Sandvik 14C28N, drop-point blade, turquoise resin and maple — the one most reach for first.

View the Kookaburra →
Georgia the Glossy Black Cockatoo EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 08 · Georgia
The Glossy Black Cockatoo

Dark, elegant and quietly rare — a standout in the Aviary.

View the Glossy Black Cockatoo →
Bek the female Bowerbird EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 09 · Bek
The Bowerbird · Female

Earthy, understated, discerning — refined value for those who prefer subtlety over flash.

View the Bowerbird →
Bob the male Bowerbird EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 10 · Bob
The Bowerbird · Male

The showman of the pair — rich blue, all colour and presentation.

View the Bowerbird →
Ray the Raven EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 11 · Ray
The Raven

All-black elegance, clean lines, understated confidence.

View the Raven →
Chris the Crow EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 12 · Chris
The Crow

Outback-tough — built for the long roads and the people who drive them.

View the Crow →
Ford the Peregrine Falcon EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 13 · Ford
The Peregrine Falcon

Fast, precise, aerodynamic — deploys clean and cuts decisively.

View the Falcon →
Evan the Wedge-Tailed Eagle EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 14 · Evan
The Wedge-Tailed Eagle

Australia's largest raptor in steel — commanding, and built for serious use.

View the Wedge-Tailed Eagle →
Mr Percival the Pelican pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 15 · Mr Percival
The Pelican

The prestige centrepiece of the Aviary — the one for the display case and the big moment.

View the Pelican →
Pat the Pacific Gull pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 16 · Pat
The Pacific Gull

A coastal companion built for the water's edge.

View the Pacific Gull →
Colin the Cassowary EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 17 · Colin
The Cassowary

No-nonsense and formidable — a premium piece for the outdoorsperson who means business.

View the Cassowary →
Lily the Rainbow Lorikeet EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 18 · Lily
The Rainbow Lorikeet

A riot of colour — bright, lively, and impossible to ignore.

View the Rainbow Lorikeet →
Robin the Crimson Rosella EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 19 · Robin
The Crimson Rosella

Deep crimson and blue — striking, elegant, unmistakably Australian.

View the Crimson Rosella →
Ian the Ibis EDC pocket knife by Koi Knives
No. 20 · Ian
The Ibis

The bin chicken, reborn with respect — a characterful carry with a cult following.

View the Ibis →
Shop the Story

The whole Aviary, in one place.

Twenty birds, twenty blades — premium steel, hand-finished handles, designed in South Australia. Browse the full collection and find the one that fits your pocket.

Shop the Aviary Collection →

Our store is located at 330 Goodwood Road, Clarence Park, South Australia 5034.

On-street parking is available on George Street.

Our store is open Monday to Friday 9:00am to 4:30pm and 9:30am to 1:30pm on Saturdays.

We are closed on public holidays.

Our store policy is to only sell knives to people over 18 years of age.

Just like the pub if you look under 18 we will ask for ID.

OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.

You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November.

We only sharpen kitchen knives.

But you won't be without a knife! We will give you one of our knives to try out while yours is being sharpened.

We cannot/do not sharpen scissors, swords, ceramic knives, daggers, gardening tools, or lawnmower blades.

Sharpening may be delayed due to public holidays, illness, staff shortages, restorations, staff leave or during busy periods.

OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.

You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will begin to sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November - your knives may be mid November before they are completed.

We always say 2 weeks. It may be quicker, it may take a little longer if the store is busy.

We will contact you when your knife is ready.

We sharpen based on the order in which they come in to us.

For example: There might be 2 knives ahead of yours, there may be 40.

Sharpening may be delayed due to public holidays, illness, staff shortages, restorations, staff leave or during busy periods.

Sharpening begins at $20 per knife.

Prices increase depending on the work that needs to be done.

For example: if a blade needs to be thinned and the core exposed, it takes longer and is charged accordingly.

OCTOBER 2024 - PLEASE NOTE: Our sharpener Joao is taking some well deserved holidays during October and will not be sharpening knives during this time.

You are welcome to leave your knives with us and he will begin to sharpen them in the order they are received when he's back in early November - your knives may be mid November before they are completed.

It depends on the knife but we do offer repair and restoration services.

Prices for restoration work starts at $50 per knife and can take 2 - 4 weeks depending on the condition of the knife.

Bring the knife in Tuesday to Saturday and speak to our master sharpener Joao and we'll show you what we can do.

We can try!
Bring the knife into the shop Tues-Sat and our sharpener and restorer Joao will assess the knife and show you what he can do.

New handles start at $75 and can take 2 - 4 weeks to complete.

Joao has successfully put new G10, wood, and wood and resin handles on various brands of kitchen knives.

Damascus/Rainbow/Ninja Ranges: We use high carbon AUS10 67 layer Damascus Japanese steel from Aichi, Japan.

Bamboo Range: VG10 Japanese core Steel.

Big Red Range: The core of the blade is made using VG10 steel and its double-layer cladding starts at the spine with a sandblast finish.

Sabres/Steak Knives:14c28n Swedish steel.

Unfortunately we do not have a forge.

We design all our knives and import the steel blanks from various sources, predominantly Aichi in Japan.

The wood for our handles are sourced locally here in Australia.

What we can't find around our properties (Shannon has used some fallen redgum for a few handles), we like to support other Adelaide businesses and purchase from them.

If you're near our store in Adelaide pop in on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon and the team will no doubt be working on something new out the back (it can be a very noisy place).

Each product will come in a couple of different colours.

If you're after a particular colour/set of colours, send us a email or put a note in with the order and we will contact you with what colours are available.

We can never guarantee we have all colours in stock - some are more popular than others.

Please note: We do our resin and handle work in colour batches rather than one at a time. If we don't have the colour you are after it may be a couple of months before we do another batch.

We do not make custom knives.

If you're based in Adelaide, pop into the shop and you can see some of the unique, one off creations Joao has made in his very little spare time.

We sure do!
We usually run classes Thursday and Saturday mornings 11 - 12:30.

Classes cover all the basics to get you comfortable with sharpening knives using whetstones.

Disclaimers:

We have the right to refuse admission to the sharpening class if we believe you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
The safety of other participants and our staff is paramount.

Participants under the age of 18 may attend if supervised by a parent or legal guardian.
Due to the technical nature of the class, current South Australian Government legislature regarding knife sales to minors, and safety concerns, we will not accept bookings for people under 16 years of age. Participants under 18 will need to be supervised by a parent or guardian. 
Supervision is not participation. If wanting to participate in class, please book an additional place. 
Conditions apply - e.g. TAFE students and apprentices.

Abusive and unsafe behaviour during classes will not be tolerated.
If this occurs, the class will finish and the offending participant will be asked to leave the premises and the police will be called if necessary. Offending participant will not be entitled to a refund or welcome back to the store - class will be rescheduled for other participants.

We require payment before attending class to confirm your place.
If we do not receive payment before the class date we cannot guarantee there will be a place for you. We reserve the right to prioritise paying customers. Conditions apply - e.g. rescheduled classes, illnesses, etc.

Classes will begin at the scheduled time.
If you cannot attend the class on time, please contact the store as soon as possible. We have the right to refuse participation to those who are more than 10 minutes late and who have not contacted us. This will be deemed as a no-show and will not be entitled to a refund. Conditions apply.

If you are unwell please do not attend and contact us to reschedule. 
We are a small team and if one of us gets sick, we all nearly always all get sick.

We offer $9 flat-rate Shipping Australia-wide.

For all domestic orders, we ship on Tuesdays and Thursdays and use Australia Post where current delivery times are 2 to 5 days.

Express shipping: If you are wanting your order in a hurry please add a note in with your order and we can upgrade you to express shipping for free.

*Only for Australian orders

International orders can take between 1-4 weeks to arrive.

Tracking information will be sent to you when your order has been sent.

Please note there may be additional taxes and duties applied by customs in your country.

Unfortunately we can't tell you how much this would be as each country is different.

A handy guide to use is https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/

Local customs authorities will contact you if additional charges are due.

We sure do!

We use our own wrapping paper, so each gift is unique!

We sure can!

We do all our engraving at the shop, while you wait (it may take a little longer during busy times).

We usually only like to engrave a small amount of text on the blade on the opposite side of the Koi/Animal logo.

E.g. Initials, Names, Birthdates, short messages like Happy 50th Birthday.

We do not engrave long messages or quotes on blades (it can look odd with the curvature of the blade).

Organisations we've supported