Atlanta, Georgia (June 2, 2018) – Awards recognizing the highest achievement in the custom and factory knife industries were bestowed the evening of Saturday, June 2, 2018, at the BLADE Show in the Cobb Galleria.

2018 BLADE Show Knife of the Year® Award Winners

Representatives from BLADE (www.blademag.com) distributed BLADE Magazine Knife of the Year® awards in 13 categories. Two of the awards—Industry Achievement and Publisher’s—went to a retail knife store and a knife-related organization, respectively, for their contributions to the world of knives.

All entrants in the Knife of the Year® competition were judged on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.

2018 Overall Knife of the Year® – FOX Knives SURU

BLADE editor Steve Shackleford and Cutlery-Hall-of-Fame® member Ron Lake checked out this knife before the official show start. Here is a quick video of that chance encounter.

Not an uncommon sight. BLADE’s Steve Shackleford (yellow shirt) inspects the latest from Fox Knives. #bladeshow2018 #bladeshow18 pic.twitter.com/PhCEvE3eY2

— BLADE Magazine 🔪 (@BladeMagazine) May 31, 2018

2018 American Made Knife of the Year® – Chris Reeve Impinda

2018 Imported Knife of the Year® – Spyderco Paysan

2018 Most Innovative American Design – Rick Hinderer Tri-Way Pivot System

2018 Most Innovative Imported Design – V Nives C.R.A.B.

2018 Best Buy of the Year – CRKT Caligo

Note: the Caligo is also the official knife of BLADE Show 2018, and is available as a commemorative through BLADE‘s online store. That designation is separate from this award. BLADE does not vote in the Knife of the Year awards.

2018 Investor/Collector Knife of the Year® – Protech Newport Diamond Elite Ultimate

2018 Manufacturing Quality Award – Lionsteel

2018 Accessory of the Year – CRKT KMT

2018 Knife Collaboration of the Year – MKM by Bob Terzuola and Lucas Burnley for FOX, Lionsteel and Viper

2018 Kitchen Knife of the Year® – Viper Sakura

Personal/Professional Achievement Awards

The Knife of the Year Awards recognized achievements in knives at the personal and professional levels in the following categories:

• Publisher’s Award – Randy Rousseau
• Industry Achievement Award – Buck Collectors Club
• Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© Inductees – Phil Lobred & Dan Delavan (read article here)

2018 BLADE Show Custom Knife Winners

The 2018 BLADE Show Custom Knife Award Winners were also announced on Saturday, June 2, 2018, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

Best Fixed and Best in Show: Anders Hogstrom

Best Sword: Matthew Parkinson

Best Damascus: Jimmy Chin

Best New Maker: Ed Cope

Best Art Knife: Jean Louis Regent

Best Knife Collaboration: Ben Breda & Ben Seward

Best Folder: Gusatvo Cecchini

Best Utility Hunter: Haley Desrosiers

Most Innovative Design: Corrado Miro

Best Fighter: Josh Fisher

Best Handle Design: Steve Rapp

Best Bowie: Jean Louis Regel

Best of the Rest: Thomas Ward

Best Miniature: Toshiaki Michinaka

Best Tactical Folder: Svarn II by Cultrotech

About BLADE Show

The BLADE Show is the world’s largest, most important knife show, and has taken place every year since 1982 and in Atlanta since 1992. Upwards of 1,000 exhibitors from more than 20 countries display their knives and knife-related items over a three-day cutlery celebration that also features BLADE University knife seminars, knife auctions, custom knife awards, celebrity appearances and much more.

About BLADE

BLADE® Magazine (www.blademag.com) is the world’s No.1 knife publication. It is also the world’s oldest knife magazine, publishing its first issue in 1973. In conjunction with the BLADE Show, it has sponsored the Knife of the Year® Awards annually since 1982. The awards are the most coveted honors in the factory knife industry and are voted on by the booth exhibitors at the BLADE Show, who this year number more than 200. Only BLADE Show booth exhibitors are eligible to enter.

The BLADE Show and BLADE Magazine are the properties of Caribou Media LLC.

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