Glenn Waters Titan Custom, Made in Japan in 2021
This Glenn Waters Titan is a custom flipper that Glenn Waters made in Japan in 2021, working alone from design to finish. He trained as a jeweler before he ever ground a blade, and it shows. A multi-color tungsten carbide finish covers the Titanium frames, and a Mitsudomoe pivot anchors the M390 Wharncliffe recurve.
Then come the details you only find later. Inside the backspacer, Waters engraved TITAN, his name and Japan 2021, hidden until you go looking. We also carry his Glenn Waters Viper 2 in tungsten carbide Stardust, which carries a hidden marking of its own, dated 2019.
Glenn Waters: Jeweler, Martial Artist and Knifemaker
Glenn Waters was born in Australia and trained as a professional jeweler. That training taught him to work at a microscopic level of detail long before he made knives. In 1986, he moved to Japan and immersed himself in its culture, history and mythology. Those themes now run through almost everything he makes.
His understanding of the blade also comes from the dojo. Waters has practiced JuJutsu since the age of six, and in 1990 he developed a martial arts style of his own. He holds a 7th Dan black belt. In addition, he holds a 3rd Dan in Batto, the traditional art of cutting with a live sword.
He has made custom knives since 1993, as a sole-authorship maker. Waters does the design, machining, grinding and finishing himself, so there is no production line behind his work. His knives have won Best in Show and Best Art Knife awards at exhibitions in America, Australia and Japan.
Among the shows where his knives have won are Blade Show West, the East Coast Custom Knife Show, the Florida Art Knife Show, the Tokyo Japan Guild Show and the Seki City Knife Show. Publications in France, Italy, Russia, Japan and the United States have featured his work. See how he compares in our guide to master custom knifemakers.
Waters sees each knife as a work of love meant to pass through generations, so he chooses materials that resist rust and wear. He does not forge his own steel. Instead, he works with M390, ZDP-189, VG-10, ZDP-189 and VG-10 San Mai, and Damasteel. From his jewelry bench he adds 18k and 24k Gold, pure Silver and Mammoth tusk.
Japan’s custom scene runs deep, and Waters has worked in it since 1993. For another maker working there, see the Koji Hara Take Flipper, made in Seki.
The Multi-Color Tungsten Carbide Finish on the Glenn Waters Titan
The frames of this Glenn Waters Titan are 6Al4V Titanium, as the certificate states. Over them, Waters applied his multi-color tungsten carbide coating. As a result, the surface is hard and textured, and it shifts between blue, purple and bronze as the light moves. The finish comes from his jewelry background, and it marks his work at a glance.
The detail continues at the edges of the frame. Every border steps down in tiers, and an engraved scale pattern fills the butt on the clip side. Beside the clip, a blue engraved section shows through a window in the frame. The screws carry custom heads, and the milled Titanium clip rides tip-up.
The M390 Wharncliffe Recurve Blade
The blade is M390, a powder metallurgy Stainless Steel, and it runs 3.375 inches. Its spine drops toward the tip in the Wharncliffe manner. Meanwhile, the edge carries a recurve, curving in near the handle and back out toward the point. Waters polished the edge and the bevels to a high finish.
By contrast, the flats and the spine carry a heavy metallic carbide texture. The cutting edge also received a carbide treatment, which adds wear resistance and edge retention. Along the polished bevel, the carbide rises from the edge in cloud-like shapes. Waters’ round maker’s mark sits on the flat, and an engraved pattern runs along the spine.
Other custom makers in Japan use M390 too. Dew Hara gave it a high polish on our Dew Hara Kabuki M390.
Mitsudomoe Pivot, Frame Lock and Hidden Engraving
The pivot carries a Mitsudomoe, the traditional Japanese symbol of three comma shapes turning in a circle. It is a Shinto symbol, closely associated with samurai heritage and the martial arts. Here, Waters milled it in relief into a custom pivot, and he includes his own tool to adjust it.
The flipper tab opens the blade, and a Titanium frame lock holds it open. Waters sculpted and engraved the backspacer. Then, on its inside face, Waters engraved TITAN, Glenn Waters and Japan 2021. He is known for hiding details like this inside his frames and backspacers, so the owner keeps finding new ones.
Condition and What Is Included With This Glenn Waters Titan
This Glenn Waters Titan is in excellent condition, with no signs of wear or blemishes. We bought it recently from a collector, and it comes complete with its original kit. See how we grade every knife before listing it.
- Glenn Waters Titan, made in Japan in 2021
- Glenn Waters Knives box, with the maker’s logo and a red hanko seal on the lid
- Zippered knife pouch, embroidered GLENN WATERS KNIVES
- Certificate of Authenticity (COA), reading Model Titan, Blade M390, Handle Titanium 6Al4V, Year 2021 Japan, Maker Glenn E Waters, signed by the maker and stamped with two red hanko seals
- Proprietary pivot tool
Glenn Waters Titan Specifications
The model, blade steel, handle alloy and year come from the Certificate of Authenticity. See our other folding knives.
- Maker: Glenn E. Waters, Glenn Waters Custom Knives, Japan
- Model: Titan
- Authorship: Custom, sole authorship by Glenn Waters
- Year made: 2021
- Country of origin: Japan
- Markings: Inside of the backspacer engraved TITAN, Glenn Waters, Japan 2021; maker’s mark on the blade
- Overall length: 7.625 in
- Blade length: 3.375 in
- Closed length: 4.5 in
- Weight: 4.4 oz
- Blade steel: M390 Stainless Steel
- Blade profile: Wharncliffe recurve
- Blade finish: High-polish edge and bevels, heavy metallic carbide texturing on the flats and spine, carbide-treated edge
- Edge: Plain
- Deployment: Flipper
- Lock: Titanium frame lock
- Handle: 6Al4V Titanium with a multi-color tungsten carbide coating in blue, purple and bronze tones
- Pivot: Custom Mitsudomoe pivot
- Backspacer: Sculpted and engraved
- Pocket clip: Milled Titanium, tip-up carry
- Condition: Excellent, no signs of wear or blemishes
- SKU: 00235-GW-TITAN-M390-TUNGCARB-20210101
- Included: Glenn Waters Knives box, zippered pouch, signed Certificate of Authenticity, proprietary pivot tool
Video Description: Sole-Authorship Perfection
This is the Glenn Waters Titan, a sole-authorship custom flipper made in Japan in 2021 and in excellent condition. The 3.375 inch Wharncliffe recurve is M390, with a high-polish edge and bevels. Heavy carbide texturing covers the flats and spine. The 6Al4V Titanium frames wear Waters’ multi-color tungsten carbide coating in blue, purple and bronze tones.
A custom Mitsudomoe pivot anchors the blade, and a Titanium frame lock holds it open. The milled Titanium clip carries tip-up, and Waters sculpted and engraved the backspacer. Overall length is 7.625 inches, closed length is 4.5 inches, and it weighs 4.4 ounces. It comes with the Glenn Waters Knives box, zippered pouch, signed certificate and pivot tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Mitsudomoe?
A Mitsudomoe is a traditional Japanese symbol of three comma shapes, or tomoe, turning in a circle. It is a Shinto symbol with close ties to samurai heritage and the martial arts. On this knife, Waters milled it into the pivot.
What is a tungsten carbide coating on a knife?
Tungsten carbide is a very hard material. Waters applies it as a textured, multi-color coating, and here it covers the Titanium frames in shifting blue, purple and bronze tones. On the blade, carbide texturing covers the flats and spine, and a carbide treatment on the edge adds wear resistance.
What makes a Glenn Waters knife a true custom?
A true custom is made by one maker, by hand, from design to finish. Waters works that way, as a sole-authorship maker since 1993. He designs, machines, grinds and finishes every knife himself, and he finishes each one individually.
Where is the hidden engraving on the Glenn Waters Titan?
It is on the inside face of the backspacer. There, Waters engraved TITAN, Glenn Waters and Japan 2021. He often hides details like this in his frames and backspacers, so the owner keeps discovering the knife after buying it.
Is this Glenn Waters Titan complete?
Yes. It comes with the Glenn Waters Knives box, the embroidered zippered pouch and the Certificate of Authenticity. The maker signed the certificate and stamped it with two red hanko seals. The proprietary pivot tool comes with it as well.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Glenn Waters Titan
We inspected this Glenn Waters Titan and described it as it is: excellent, complete and made in Japan in 2021. See more of his work on our Glenn Waters Custom Knives page. If you are refining a collection of your own, we also buy knife collections.
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