About Nemo@nemoknivesreview

 
Nemo Sandman – Knife Reviewer & Blade Aficionado
 
Born in 1966, Nemo Sandman, also known by his real name Jean-Manuel Moreau, is a French music composer, film producer, writer and journalist with a longstanding passion for edged tools. Being one of the first knife reviewer on the Internet since 1995, he has cultivated a loyal following through his in-depth blog “Nemo Knives Review”, where he shares thoughtful, experience-based critiques of folding knives, fixed blades, and EDC gear.
 
Combining field use with a literary sensibility, Nemo’s reviews are known for going beyond specs and steel types — he explores how a knife feels in the hand, how it ages over time, and how it performs in real-world scenarios, from urban carry to outdoor survival. His writing, often bilingual (French and English), blends technical insight with a poetic voice rarely seen in the knife world.
 
A true connoisseur of blade geometry, locking mechanisms, and cutting ergonomics, Nemo regularly evaluates models from top-tier brands like Spyderco, Benchmade, Victorinox, Cold Steel, and Fallkniven. His field tests are hands-on and honest, often including personal anecdotes, food prep trials, woodwork sessions, and detailed macro photos.
 
He had the opportunity to meet, as a student, Sal Glesser back in 1982 at a gun show in San Berdino, California.
 
 
As a French multimedia artist he’s known for his bold, genre-blending work across film, music, illustration, and journalism. Rising to prominence in the 1990s with provocative music videos on MTV for acts like New Model Army and Lustral, he later composed symphonic remixes for the cult band Rise and Fall of a Decade under the Black Rain label. Sandman also directed the award-winning short Riding The Rafale.
 
 
As an illustrator, he brought new life to the French editions of Richard Blade, while his fiction writing expanded into science fiction and fantasy anthologies. Since the mid-2010s, Sandman has worked as a journalist and video reporter (JRI) for TF1, covering major news events in France. His work is known for its visual intensity, narrative depth, and refusal to conform to a single artistic category.
 
Far from the hype-driven influencer model, Nemo writes for users who want truth born from experience — and beauty born from design. His approach is guided by curiosity, craftsmanship, and a lifelong respect for the knife as both tool and cultural artifact.

Since 2025, he has the honor to be one of Spyderco Brand Ambassadors.

For more knives pictures you can also go there:
Nemoknivesreview on INSTAGRAM

31 thoughts on “About Nemo@nemoknivesreview”

  2. Hello Nemo,

    I remember an old review by Fred Perrin of the Chinese sword, Dadao by Cold Steel. Is that review still floating around some where? I think it was called the “War Sword”. It had the handle from the CS shovel.

    Regards,
    John

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  3. Hi Nemo,

    Great work! I have just been recently turned on to your site by another knife blogger. It’s great to see so many knives not as readily available in North America. Thanks for giving people such an open view of what is being produced today.

    Andrew at The Edge Observer

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  5. Ah je vois que tu es francais! Ton site est excellent, je l’ai découvert par hasard en cherchant des infos sur un couteau. Il part direct dans mes favoris, continue le super boulot ici !

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  6. Nemo, I love the site! I like seeing these knives being put to use. I have never wanted a Gayle Bradley so badly as I do now.

    I hope to see you on Knife Thursday

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  8. Hello, Sir. Well, I love your knife photos. Very, very beautiful. I was wondering if you might also share some of your favorite varieties of cheese? My Wife and I would like to become connoisseurs over the next 20 years or so. Any favorites?

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    1. Hello Sean.

      This is such great news.
      They are legendary.
      I had the chance to test one of your mini Panama Fighter.
      It was a pure wonder.
      I’m so glad to be part of the buzz around them.
      Way to go monsieur.

      Cheers
      Nemo

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      1. Nemo, Thanks for the speedy reply , comments and encouragement. Feel free to pass the news on. Keep some steel sharp! Sean

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  11. Hi Nemo great reviews as always.I do have a question though abot Spyderco C 22f .Recently I bought one and now Iam on the verge of keping it or selling it.First has only one sideliner on carbon fiber the other side is plain CF is that a concern for heavier duty cutting and then cleaning wise assembling the blade that carbon fibre look like is very chipy should I replace it with some other handle material.Just my thoughts,any suggestions cause your c 22 f review was very good.Thanks in advance and cheers.
    Dragan

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    1. Hi Dragan,
      thank you for the very nice words.
      Steel is not the best handle component. Carbon fiber is used in Formula One, fighter planes… It’s really really solid !
      SO plain CF should not be a concern. It can ship during manufacturing but this is just cosmetic. I remember one reviewer unfortunatly drop his Sage 1 on concret and shot in it with his foot. The CF handle was not affected by the tumbles on concret. CF is great for EDC when you knife get in contact with keys in your pocket. This material was so rare back in the 90’s that the first C22 was made in Switzerland were CF was easier to get from the Formula One teams. CF is more shock resistant than G10 ! If you are able to ruin a CF handle, you will ruin titanium too. 😉

      Now hard duty with that little knife is possible if you know how to use it. This is a gentleman folder but it’s so well made and so high in perf that it can be used like a little big knife.
      Another one in the same league is the Gayle Bradley Air. So tiny and so solid. It hides well its game ! Another wolf disguise as a sheep.
      But you need to know how to use them. For example: twisting that C22 blade in hard wood during a cut could damage the blade. ZDP189 is a very hard steel and the blade is very thin. SO you get a great cutter but do not twist it. Its use aske for some finess. Walter, my Italian friend, will not use it for cutting hard wood and will keep it razor for meat processing. 🙂
      The lock is good and the choil protect your finger in case of failure. The open construction makes it easy to rinse if you do dirty cutting jobs. SO yes it has all of an heavy duty tool but do not forget the C22 is like a sport car. Only a good driver will be able to go off track with that Lotus.

      Cheers
      Nemo

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      1. Thanks Nemo for a great reply and input about using zdp-189 will help me a lot, will keep my c22 will pair up nicely with my Spyderco Gayle Bradley(killer combo ).Looking forward for your new and upcoming reviews they are the the best.Thanks again and cheers.
        Dragan

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  12. Nemo,

    Would it be possible for you to post your sharpening procedure? I’ve always enjoyed seeing your edges, and I was curious what materials and methods you use for sharpening.

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  13. Hello,

    mainly ceramic which is a game of patience on new steels. The Sharpmaker is the most used.
    And leather stropping on an old leather belt.
    Nothing fancy. I do not like diamonds or toothy edges.

    Lately I have used some sand paper on the leather belt to convex the edge of my Stretch.
    The result was so messy (scratches) that I will not do it again.
    Ceramic, patience and a lot of leather stropping ! This is my secret. 🙂

    My friend JD is an excellent sharpener. Perhaps he will give you some of his tips. His edges are amazing !

    Cheers
    Nemo

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    1. Thanks for the information Nemo. I used to have a Sharpmaker as well, but the stones got broken over the years. Perhaps it’s time to invest in one again, along with some of Spyderco’s benchstones.

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  14. Hello,

    Can you recommend a patient knifemaker that can do anything and will help me design a knife?

    Thanks,

    Emanuel

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  15. Hello Nemo how do you get such a clean edge on your knives and also how doo u keep the edge!
    Cheers 😀

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  16. Bonjour Nemo,

    Super blog ! On voit le connaisseur qui s’exprime en anglais. C’est impressionnant de voir la passion des américains pour les couteaux.

    Je me permets de vous embêter pour partager avec vous un court docu sur la fabrication d’une lame Laguiole avec la technique de forge Damas : https://vimeo.com/128262966.

    On suit ainsi le travail d’Arnaud Grafteaux, un jeune forgeron à la coutellerie Honoré-Durand, une des dernières à faire encore entièrement des couteaux Laguiole en France.

    J’espère que tu apprécieras et si c’est le cas, n’hésites pas à partager dans tes réseaux.

    Bonne continuation,

    Germain

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  17. Hi Nemo, thanks again so much for your help during the Spyderco Amsterdam Meet this year! To both acknowledge your help with the videos and to ‘wink’ at the old Geocities review site with Fred Perrin I added ‘Directed by Nemo’ in the credits of my videos from the meet.

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  18. Pingback: Folding Sharpfinger’s Bite. – NemoKnivesReview

  19. Nemo! I got a 7 day ban from Facebook last night so if anyone in the FB group thinks I am being rude by not replying, I am not. I am in Facebook jail. For opposing Nazism.

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      1. FB is in the throws of death by shooting itself in the foot, this is just another shot to the dorsalis pedis. There’s lots of hacks to stay under the radar of the FB bots. I post frequently about knives, but my page is about iron and metal work. Try a Tweeter (sic) account for the more controversial stuff. Lots more knife followers there, posts have to be short and videos about 45 sec. My TW is @Bladesmith111

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From The Edge To The Point Since 1995