02 / Company & ownership
Behind the brand.
Ernest Estwing founded the company in Rockford in 1923. Its signature construction forges the head and handle from one piece of American steel before adding leather or vibration-reducing grips.
Sources · previous brand research
- 1923
Estwing begins in Rockford, Illinois.
- One piece
Solid-steel striking tools become the signature.
- 2001
The Shock Reduction Grip is introduced.



