Summary
Held for the second consecutive year at the Monarch Hotel and Conference Center in Clackamas, Oregon, BLADE Show West played host to a national and international bevy of custom and factory knives and knifemakers, knife enthusiasts and more this past Sept. 11-13.

Gary Bond won the cutting competition at BLADE Show West 2009.

Despite a slow economy, several makers sold out and others reported bettersales than at last year's show. Attendance seemed up on both Friday and Saturday from the previous year, and a number of big name makers and manufacturers — Greg Lightfoot, Todd Begg, Kirby Lambert, Ed Fowler, Wayne Goddard, Shane Sibert and more among the former and Columbia River Knife & Tool, Microtech, Busse Knives, Kershaw, Chris Reeve Knives and more among the latter — made it a weekend to remember for Portland-area knife enthusiasts.

Gary Bond won the cutting competition conducted by BladeSports International and the custom knife winners were as follows:

BLADE Show West Custom Knife Winners

Best Tactical Folder: Shane Sibert
Best Utility Hunter: A.C. Warren
Best Sword: Bill Burke
Best Damascus: John Davis
Best Bowie: Ray Richard
Best New Maker: Shane Atwood
Best Miniature: Bill Burke
Best Folder: Jon Christensen
Best Art Knife: Tom Ferry
Best Fighter: Dave Lisch
Best Fixed Blade: Shane Sibert
Best Of Show: Jon Christensen

For more information on the show, see the Febuary BLADE.

How about you? What's your report from BLADE Show West?