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The LoRay Success History Being an avid bow hunter for years, Ray L ongbrake had the same aggravating problem as countless others! How to sharpen a Broadhead arrow's tip, this seamed an impossible feat. Never being able to maintain a proper angle the Broadheads never did get very sharp. The edges after many hours of struggling with a file, the somewhat sharp edge was the worse looking edge imaginable. With determination Ray Longbrake set out to a task of creating a device which would hold the proper angle for sharpening any Broadhead. The first design for a Broadhead sharpener was finished in the mid 1960's. This Broad Head sharpener led to the next evolution in 1968, of a three stone sharpener which held the exact angle for sharpening a knife.
In 1968, with a new clamping device, keeping the stones at perfect angles with every stroke, a new company was formed, “The LoRay Company.”  First using classified ad’s started the LoRay Company on a climb to becoming one of the leaders in the knife sharpening field.
 After working with the United States Patent Office, the first Patent was granted in 1974 for the combination broadhead/knife sharpener. This first patent in 1974 led to new improvements including the “2-B1,” a three stone kit. This knife sharpener holding an exact angle with every stroke of a stone was the ideal sharpener for anyone to get a perfect angle sharpening their knives. Soon LoRay’s knife sharpener gained popularity as demonstrated in the book “The Custom Knife…II, by John Davis Bates Jr., and James Henry Schippers, Jr.,” published in 1974, and the book “Knifecraft, by Sid Latham,” published in 1978.
In 1978 Jim Woods wrote a full page article in the December issue of “Petersen’s Hunting Magazine.” Mr. Woods leads his articles out by saying, “The LoRay knife sharpener is the slickest thing that’s come down the pike in a long time for putting and keeping an edge on your … knives.” With inspirations the many articles being written and the multitudes of customer writing letters to Mr. Longbrake, expressing their excitement of how easy the 2-B1 and 2-B2 knife sharpener were to use, encouraged the LoRay Company to start to improve the design of the knife sharpener with better quality materials and easier usability.
The 1980’s brought in a new era of new designs with quality materials as a high priority in the manufacturing of all products designed by LoRay Inc. With the new 2-B2 kit in with the new improve clamp and wider guide plates allowed for use on longer knives. The new LoRay Sharpener logo was  introduced in 1979 and registered in 1982. Then the new folding knife sharpener was introduced and patented in 1984, making this kit easier for the consumer to take with them in the field or just for storing. The new belt sharpener was a great success and made sharpening a knife easier and much faster, while maintaining the same precise angle to achieve a razor sharp edge.
Then the dreaded copy cats started coming out of the walls trying to work around the existing patents. The different companies making these imitations were using inferior materials; clamps were of poor designs and softer metals or even plastic. The stones and holders they were introducing had cheap plastic backs that had a tendency to break, making the unit very unsafe to use. The stones used were softer in many cases and did not last as long and over priced. LoRay Inc. maintains the highest quality materials possible in each and every product manufactured. Safety of the consumer is still one of the utmost importances in any design. With the years experience, LoRay Inc. is still the leader of sharpening jigs.
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