Steve Shackleford

Overflow crowds, the latest knives, award winners, Cutlery Hall Of Famers and scads of sharp stuff in general made the 2014 BLADE Show a smash success.

Held June 6-8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, the BLADE Show is the world’s largest and most important knife event, and the 33rd annual rendition this past weekend surpassed all expectations.

Knife enthusiasts stampeded through the show on Friday, with many on hand remarking on how it was the biggest Friday crowd in show history. ABS master smith Daniel Winkler and his Winkler II Knives booth experienced record sales. “Last year was my best BLADE Show ever in terms of sales, and I sold more on Friday of this year’s show than all of last year’s show,” he noted.

Many makers reported heavy sales, including Jon Graham of Graham Knives, who said he sold 97 of his mid-techs and was sold out Friday. In fact, many exhibitors sold out Friday.

However, that did not slow things down any on Saturday, as the knife feeding frenzy continued.

Meanwhile, the BLADE Magazine 2014 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards were named the Saturday night of the show during the BLADE Magazine Awards Reception, with the CRKT/Ken Onion Hijinx taking Overall Knife-Of-The-Year® honors and the Rat Worx MRX winning the first-ever People’s Choice Knife-Of-The-Year® Award. For more on the winners, visit bladeshow.com.

The custom knife judging named the top handmade knives, headed by the Tembo Bowie, winner of Best Collaboration and Best Of Show. The knife was auctioned by the Custom Knife Collectors Association to raise money to save the African elephant.

One of the most popular selections of the show was the naming of Goldie Russell of A.G. Russell Knives to the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame©. Goldie is the first woman to be inducted and joins her husband, A.G., as the only married couple in the Hall.

Thousands of knife enthusiasts from all corners of the globe will descend on the world’s largest and most important annual knife event—the BLADE Show—Friday through Sunday, June 6-8, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

The latest in custom, factory, tactical, survival, kitchen, military, utility and collector knives, and anything and everything that cuts—as well as those who make, sell, buy and collect them—will engulf the mammoth Cobb Galleria Centre show hall for the 33rd rendition of the ultimate knife event.

The BLADE Magazine 2014 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards—including new for this year, the People’s Choice Award—will be named during the show. For more on how you can vote for the People’s Choice Award, visit http://blademag.com/vote. Also new for this year is BLADE University, a new concept in show seminars in which knife subjects are taught in groups of classes. It will begin the day before the BLADE Show and will run through show Saturday. For information on how to enroll in BLADE U., along with a complete list of classes, visit BLADE University.

In addition to the world’s leading knifemakers and knife companies, the BLADE Show will host a number of personalities and celebrities to meet and greet show patrons. Among those making special appearances this year will be Jeff Axelson, brother of Matthew Axelson, one of the Navy SEALs who bravely gave his life in Afghanistan and is among those portrayed in the hit movie Lone Survivor, and Dom Raso, Navy SEAL veteran, founder of DynAmis Alliance and National Rifle Association news commentator. Jeff Axelson will make guest appearances at the Busse Combat Knife Co. booth (728) and Raso will do so at the Winkler Knives booth (836). There will also be a number of silent knife auctions with proceeds going to the Wounded Warrior Project and others.

The show also provides the largest array of free seminars, including a special one on the current state of ivory presented by knifemaker Jim Hammond and scrimshander Sandra Brady, the 12th Annual BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition, a Japanese sword demo by James Williams, how to collect tactical and handforged knives, how to use bushcraft/survival knives and much more.

Few seats remain for BLADE University, the BLADE Show‘s classroom approach to teaching you all about your favorite subject—knives—from every angle. Held on the BLADE Show site at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, BLADE University will begin the day before the BLADE Show next week, June 5, and end June 7.

•TACTICAL KNIVES: In Knife Designs of The Masters, learn from such world-renowned tactical makers as Chris Reeve, Bill Harsey and Jerry Busse as they explain how they approach making their tactical and other knives, from the design process all the way to the completed knife;

•FORGING: Let ABS master smith Joe Keeslar and other members of the ABS take you through how the ABS tests applicants for journeyman and master smith status, how and why ABS smiths incorporate the concept of line and flow into their knives, and how to inlay wire in handles and sheaths. Also, ABS master smith Jerry Fisk will explain how he forges such knives as his award-winning Sendero model and others in his Knife Designs of The Masters class;

•COLLECTING: The knives of such legends as Bob Loveless, Bill Moran, Bo Randall and Jim Schmidt are among the world’s most collectible custom knives. Major Louis Chow, Dave Ellis and Gary Clinton will school you on which of the legends’ knives are most collectible, their values, what to look for and much more;

•EMBELLISHMENT: Glendo Corp. has a state-of-the-art engraving school in Emporia, Kansas, where it teaches some of the world’s finest engravers and also knifemakers the art of engraving. Learn from the experts via the latest in engraving equipment and hands-on instruction and much more in this comprehensive series of classes;

•TRADITIONAL POCKETKNIVES: Tony Bose has been making award-winning slip joints for decades and also designs special collaborations for W.R. Case & Sons. Allow him to share his extensive experience and knowledge on how he makes his famous saddlehorn trapper and other traditional pocketknife patterns;

•JAPANESE SWORDS: ABS master smith Wally Hayes forges both Japanese swords and knives and also specializes in their handles and fittings. Let him show you hands-on how to wrap Japanese handles and his approach to fittings and the wavy temper line known as the hamon.

For information on how to enroll, visit BLADE University.

You will have the chance to vote online for the first-ever BLADE Magazine People’s Choice Award during the BLADE Show June 6-8.

Held at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show is the world’s biggest and most important knife event, showcasing the latest in factory, custom, antique, military, tactical and other knives—as  well as all things that cut and the people and companies who make them.

The BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards sponsored by New Graham Knives also will be presented at the show, and the People’s Choice Award is the latest addition to the Knife-Of-The-Year lineup.

Unlike the other 13 Knife-Of-The-Year honors—11 of which are voted on by BLADE Show booth exhibitors and the other two selected by the BLADE® Magazine staff—the People’s Choice Award will be voted on by knife enthusiasts online here at blademag.com.

Here’s how it will work. Prior to the Friday night (June 6) of the show, the BLADE Magazine staff will busy itself photographing the entries in the Knife-Of-The-Year competition, all of which will be displayed in the Knife-Of-The-Year Display area in the hall of the BLADE Show. Those photographs will be posted on this site as soon as possible after that time so you may view them and vote on your favorite. Only one vote per person, please. To vote, visit http://blademag.com/vote.

The winner will be announced at the BLADE Magazine Awards Reception the Saturday night of the show (tickets required) and posted here, along with the rest of the winners. The winner’s name also will be posted with the balance of the award winners outside the BLADE Show office in the Cobb Galleria Centre the Sunday morning of the show.

For more details, stay tuned to blademag.com.