Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards

2011 Knife of the Year Award Winners

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June 15, 2011

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The Blade Magazine 2011 Knife Of The Year® Awards recognized the industry’s finest factory knives and are as follows:

•Overall Knife Of The Year®: Zero Tolerance 0777;

•American Made Knife Of The Year®: Spyderco Native 5 Fluted Ti;

•Imported Knife Of The Year®: Spyderco Vallotton Subhilt:

•Most Innovative American Design: Microtech Select Fire;

•Most Innovative Imported Design: Fox Dobolock;

•Best Buy Of The Year®: Columbia River Knife & Tool Shenanigan;

•Investor/Collector Knife Of The Year®: William Henry Studio ST-4010;

•Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives;

•Collaboration Of The Year®: Zero Tolerance and Rick Hinderer for the Model 0560;

•Kitchen Knife Of The Year®: Kershaw Shun Fuji;

•Accessory Of The Year®: Blade-Tech MOLLE Lok;

•Industry Achievement Award: Pete Cohan;

•Publisher’s Award: New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey.

The BLADE Show custom knife awards are as follows:

•Best Knife Collaboration and Best Of Show: Dennis Friedly art knife engraved by Gil Rudolph;

•Best Miniature Knife: Yoshio Sakauchi;

•Best Fixed Blade: Rodrigo Sfreddo;

•Best Bowie: John White;

•Best Fighter: R.J. Martin;

•Most Innovative Design: Joe Caswell;

•Best Utility Hunter: Dan Farr;

•Best Sword: Vince Evans;

•Best Art Knife: Donald Vogt;

•Best Of The Rest: Mardi Meshejian;

•Best New Maker: Rod Watts;

•Best Handle Design: Vince Evans;

•Best Tactical Folder: Brian Fellhoelter;

•Best Damascus Knife: John White.

2015 Knife of the Year® Awards Recognize Best in Blades

BLADE Staff

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June 6, 2015

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2015 Knife of the Year® Awards Recognize Best in Blades

People’s Choice Knife Of The Year®: Taylor Brands Schrade SCHF36 Frontier Knife.

Atlanta, Georgia (June 6, 2015) – Awards recognizing the highest achievement in the custom and factory knife industries were bestowed the evening of Saturday, June 6, 2015, at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) in the Cobb Galleria.

Representatives from BLADE Magazine (www.blademag.com) distributed Knife of the Year® awards in 15 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.

Overall Knife Of The Year®: LionSteel T.R.E. (Three Rapid Exchange)
American-Made Knife Of The Year®: Zero Tolerance 0999
Imported Knife Of The Year®: Spyderco Nirvana
Most Innovative American Design: Koenig Zenaida
Most Innovative Imported Design: Fox Knives Desert Fox
Best Buy Of The Year: Spyderco Byrd Knife Cara Cara 2
Kitchen Knife Of The Year®: KAI USA Shun Limited Edition Chef’s Knife
Investor/Collector Knife Of The Year®: Pro-Tech Warenski Ultimate Godfather
Knife Collaboration Of The Year®: RMJ Tactical/Bawidamann Blades Tomahawk
Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives
Accessory Of The Year: Wicked Edge Generation 3 Pro
People’s Choice Knife Of The Year®: Taylor Brands Schrade SCHF36 Frontier Knife
Industry Achievement Award: Shepherd Hills Cutlery
Publisher’s Award: Elephant Protection Association
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© Inductee: Chris Reeve
Click here to see custom knife award winners

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.

About BLADE Show

The BLADE Show is the world’s largest, most important knife show, and has taken place every year since 1981 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 close to 200. Only BLADE Show booth exhibitors are eligible to enter. The People’s Choice Award is open for voting to all visitors of blademag.com.

The BLADE Show and BLADE Magazine are the properties of F+W of Cincinnati, Ohio.

BLADE Magazine 2012 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards

Steve Shackleford

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June 11, 2012

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Named at this past weekend’s 2012 BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, the Blade Magazine 2012 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards went to the finest production knives the world has to offer.

KAI USA and its knife divisions of Kershaw, Zero Tolerance and Shun dominated the awards, taking home four of the honors: Overall, Best Buy, Knife Collaboration and Kitchen Knife. DPx Gear was a first-time winner, and Chris Reeve Knives and William Henry Studio continued their long-term dominance in the respective categories of Manufacturing Quality and Investor/Collector Knife. Other winners included Microtech, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Spyderco and Wicked Edge. Knife Rights and the American Knife & Tool Institute each won Industry Achievement Awards for their diligence in working to have pro-knife legislation passed in a number of states this year.

The winners by category:

Blade Magazine 2012 Overall Knife Of The Year®: ZT 0888 by Zero Tolerance/KAI USA (pictured at top)

Blade Magazine 2012 American-Made Knife Of The Year®: Socom Delta by Microtech

Blade Magazine 2012 Imported Knife Of The Year®: Onion Foresight by Columbia River Knife & Tool

Blade Magazine 2012 Most Innovative American Design®: Autonomy by Spyderco

Blade Magazine 2012 Most Innovative Imported Design®: DPx HEST T3

Blade Magazine 2012 Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives

Blade Magazine 2012 Best Buy Of The Year®: Cryo by Kershaw/KAI USA

Blade Magazine 2012 Knife Collaboration Of The Year®: ZT 0600, a collaboration between Zero Tolerance/KAI USA and R.J. Martin

Blade Magazine 2012 Investor/Collector Knife Of The Year®: B12 Freedom by William Henry Studio

Blade Magazine 2012 Kitchen Knife Of The Year®: Taiyo by Shun/KAI USA

Blade Magazine 2012 Accessory Of The Year®: Precision Sharpener Pro-Dash II by Wicked Edge

Blade Magazine 2012 Industry Achievement Awards®: Knife Rights and American Knife & Tool Institute

For the complete story on the winners and the knives, see the November BLADE®.

Read About Previous Winners in BLADE Magazine Back Issue Bundle

Read all about previous Knife-Of-The-Year® winners in the History of BLADE Magazine bundle. It contains DVD-ROMs for your computer to read all BLADE issues from 1973 to 2008.

Click to order this digital BLADE back issue bundle for just $60 (normally $100).

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

Steve Shackleford

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November 19, 2013

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Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

If you knew knifemaker Rob Simonich, share your memories of him with us on www.blademag.com.

BLADE® field editor Dexter Ewing has written the story, “Heart and Soul,” in the February BLADE which remembers Rob on the 10th anniversary of the death of one of knifemaking’s favorite sons. Killed tragically in a truck accident, Rob was loved by many, and his award-winning knives were among the best of their time—and they still hold up today.

Ten years is a long time, and a lot of people have come into the knife industry since Rob’s passing that do not know of the kind of person he was. If you knew Rob, you can help them know what kind of person he was by sharing some of your favorite memories of him.

Though Rob was taken away far too soon, he left an indelible mark on the knife industry, and, of course, his wife Christine and daughter Megan. Rob loved to break new ground in terms of knives, especially with blade materials such as Talonite® and CPM S30V. His knives won a number of awards, including his Urban Raven taking home the BLADE Magazine 2003 American-Made Knife Of The Year®.

As good as his knives were—and they were extremely well thought of and accepted by knife enthusiasts—it was Rob’s warm smile and sincere manner that helped him win over many friends. He loved people and he loved the outdoors, and it showed in most everything he did.

He also loved the BLADE Show and made it a point to attend every one he could. It was there that he made many friends in the industry.

How about it? Care to share any memories? We’d love to hear them—as would those who both knew him and those who want to know more about him.

For the latest knives, knife trends, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

BLADE Show Names Top Knives

Steve Shackleford

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June 3, 2013

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The Blade Magazine 2013 Best Buy Of The Year is the CRKT Endorser, named during the 2013 BLADE Show. (CRKT photo) — The CRKT Endorser took home the BLADE Magazine 2013 Best Buy Of The Year Award at the 2013 BLADE Show. (CRKT photo).

The world’s top knives were recognized during the BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com) May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

The leading factory knives were honored with the BLADE Magazine 2013 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, while the world’s pre-eminent custom knives were named in the show’s custom knife judging competition.

All entrants in the Knife-Of-The-Year and custom knife judging competitions were rated on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.

Announced Saturday night at the BLADE Magazine Awards Banquet in the Cobb Galleria, honors in 13 different Knife-Of-The-Year categories included 10 knives and one knife accessory. Two awards also went to individuals for special achievement in the knife industry. The categories and winners:

•Overall Knife Of The Year®: Zero Tolerance 0454;

•American-Made Knife Of The Year®: Hogue Elishewitz EX-04;

•Imported Knife Of The Year®: Fox Knives Modras;

•Most Innovative American Design: Microtech D.O.C. Kill Switch;

•Most Innovative Imported Design: CRKT Ken Onion Swindle;

•Best Buy Of The Year: CRKT Endorser;

•Kitchen Knife Of The Year®: Ken Onion Chef Works;

•Investor/Collector Knife Of The Year®: Pro-Tech Newport;

•Knife Collaboration Of The Year®: Microtech Mick Strider;

•Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives;

•Accessory Of The Year: CRKT Onion Survival Para-saw;

•Industry Achievement Award: American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master smith Joe Keeslar for introducing the ABS and modern bladesmithing to France through annual workshops, as well as teaching bladesmithing in the USA via seminars and his books, for his award-winning knives, and for his leadership via several terms on the ABS Board Of Directors and as chairman of the ABS; and, finally:

•Publisher’s Award: Joyce Laituri, marketing manager of Spyderco, for almost two decades of setting the standard for how to best promote and publicize a knife company’s knives—in this case, those of Spyderco. Her ability to work with the media in terms of providing Spyderco knives, knife imagery, knife information and other materials has been a model for all others in public relations to emulate. No one has done it better.

Blade Magazine 2012 Imported Knife Of The Year®

Steve Shackleford

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September 20, 2012

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Designed by Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion for Columbia River Knife & Tool, the Foresight is the Blade Magazine 2012 Imported Knife Of The Year®. A recurve edge, a magnificently contoured handle for enhanced purchase and the Ikoma Korth Bearing System for ultra-smooth action help make this puppy a pocket keeper. It is also one of the 2012 Knives Of The Year that ShopBlade offered in an exclusive limited edition of 100 with Onion’s signature on the blade. Those exclusives sold out in a hurry.

•Knife: Foresight

Company: Columbia River Knife & Tool

•Pattern: Tactical folder

•Blade steel: AUS 8 stainless

•Heat treat: 58-59 HRC

•Blade length: 3.5”

•Blade pattern: Drop point

•Blade grind: High hollow

•Blade finish: Black titanium nitride

•Handle material: Cold-forged aluminum

•Closed length: 5.17”

•Operating/locking mechanism: Flipper with locking liner

•What to look for: IKBS ball-bearing pivot system provides a smooth, fast opening

•Weight: 6.3 ozs.

•MSRP: $140

•Available: Now

The Blade Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards are voted on each year at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) by the show’s exhibiting booth holders, plus a panel of five special judges, the latter whose votes count double. The 2013 BLADE Show will be held May 31-June 2, once again at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

For the latest knives, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. Click on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us/?lid=blss092012

World’s Most Important Knife Awards

Steve Shackleford

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May 22, 2013

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The world’s most important knife awards—the BLADE Magazine 2013 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards—will be named next week at the BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com).

Set for May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo attracts knife manufacturers and knifemakers from all over the world to display and sell their knives.

Companies that rent booths at the show are eligible to enter knives and/or accessories in the Knife-Of-The-Year Awards competition, which includes categories for 10 factory knives, one accessory and two individuals who have furthered the betterment of the knife industry.

The Knife-Of-The-Year categories are: Overall, American Made, Imported, Most Innovative American Design, Most Innovative Imported Design, Manufacturing Quality, Best Buy, Investor/Collector, Kitchen Knife, Knife Collaboration, Accessory, Publisher’s and Industry Achievement. The winners will be announced the Saturday night of the show during the BLADE Magazine Awards Banquet in the Cobb Galleria Centre (tickets required). The winners will be listed outside the BLADE Show office in the Galleria Centre the morning after.

There is a Knife-Of-The-Year Display Area in the BLADE Show hall for entrants to display their knives. New for this year, the display area will be in the back left of the show hall as opposed to the former location in the center of the hall. There, show patrons can look at all the individually displayed knives, many of which will include accompanying information on blade steel, handle materials and more. Entrants may also display their entered knives at their booths, though that is optional. Representatives of each company may stop by the display to examine and vote on the knives for the awards. Voting begins the Friday of the show and ends Saturday.

For more on the awards, stay tuned to www.blademag.com and/or see the November issue of BLADE®, on newsstands Aug. 13.

2019 Knife of the Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners – BLADE Show (Updated With New Photos)

2018 Knife of the Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners – BLADE Show

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2021 BLADE Show Knife-Of-The-Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners

Winners List: BLADE Show 2016 Knife of the Year® Awards & Custom Knife Awards

2011 Knife of the Year Award Winners

2015 Knife of the Year® Awards Recognize Best in Blades

About BLADE Show

About BLADE

BLADE Magazine 2012 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

BLADE Show Names Top Knives

Blade Magazine 2012 Imported Knife Of The Year®

World’s Most Important Knife Awards

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