2024 BLADE Show Texas Preview

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2024 BLADE Show Texas Preview
BLADE Show Texas ’23 was hopping.

Everything at BLADE Show Texas just keeps getting bigger

More exhibitors—a whopping 100 more, north of 400 in all, plus an additional 28,000 square feet of space over last year—displaying the finest knives, knife accessories and all that cuts promise to make the burgeoning BLADE Show Texas the best rendition yet.

Mike Quesenberry takedown dogbone bowie
Mike Quesenberry takedown dogbone bowie features a 10-inch blade of a Turkish twist damascus and an ancient walrus ivory handle with 18k-gold buttons and escutcheon plates. (SharpByCoop knife image)

Set for Feb. 23-24 at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas, the show will host exhibitors from around the world, including those from Australia, Brazil, China, Italy, Russia, Sweden and elsewhere. Exhibitors will include top American custom knifemakers, ABS master smiths, returning winners of BLADE Show Texas ’23 custom knife judging awards and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® members, and some of the world’s leading factory knife companies, including many current and past winners of BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards and returning winners of BLADE Show Texas ’23 factory knife judging honors.

BLADE Show Texas will be the first of three BLADE Show sponsored events for 2024, the other two being the grandaddy of them all, the 43rd Annual BLADE Show June 7-9 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, and BLADE Show West 2024 at the Salt Palace Convention Center Oct. 4-5 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

bLADE SHOW TEXAS

But first things first in Fort Worth, where knife enthusiasts will enjoy the complete gamut of custom and factory knives and accessories, including art, utility, bowies, EDC, slip joints, automatics, balisongs, kukris, daggers, tactical, tomahawks, swords, sharpeners and more, from low end to high end, stock removal to forged, fixed blade to folder. And if the exhibiting makers don’t have what you’re looking for, the exhibiting custom knife purveyors and factory retailers probably will—and if they don’t, they can put you in touch with someone who does.

For knife hobbyists and novice and veteran makers alike, the show’s diverse selection of knifemaking supplies and suppliers will have the materials, tools and equipment you need to make the knife of your dreams. From the latest steels, handle materials, hardware, sheath materials to most every knife part extant, the show’s suppliers should have it.

BLADE SHOW TEXAS AWARDS

TOPS Camp Creek Fire Edition
TOPS Knives will display its extensive array of outdoor knives, including the Camp Creek Fire Edition in CPM S35VN stainless steel and a comfortably contoured handle of red/black G-10. Country of origin: USA. MSRP: $280.

There will be some changes in both the show’s custom and factory knife judging.

The change in the custom segment is small with the simple addition of a Best of the Rest category to provide an avenue for tomahawks, swords, innovative designs and other “specialty pieces” to win an award. Best of the Rest joins the existing stable of custom awards that also includes Best Art, Best Bowie, Best Damascus, Best EDC, Best Fighter, Best Folding Knife, Best Hunting Knife, Best Kitchen Knife, Best Slip Joint, Best M.A.C.K. (Machine Assisted Custom Knife) and Best in Show.

Josh Fisher, Karis Fisher, and John Horrigan.
Returning to defend their custom knife award winning titles from last year’s show will be ABS master smiths (from left, with awards in parentheses): Josh Fisher (Best Bowie), Karis Fisher (Best Hunting Knife and Best Fighter), and John Horrigan (Best Damascus).

The shakeup in the factory categories includes eliminating Best Tactical and adding Best American Made, Best Imported and Best of the Rest. The addition of the former two addresses the top knives made both domestically and offshore, while the latter does the same for the factory segment that it does for the custom one.

The custom and factory knife judging is reserved exclusively for show exhibitors, all of whom received packets with complete details on category descriptions, judging rules and more prior to checking into the show.

Final Cut

BLADE Show Texas seems to be growing exponentially, as are the show’s exhibitors and fans. Go exponential your own self and join the party in February!

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