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BLADE Show 2023: What To Expect In Atlanta

BLADE Staff

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May 16, 2023

BLADE Show 2023: What To Expect In Atlanta

BLADE Show 2023 is just around the corner. Here’s what to look out for at the “World’s Greatest Knife Show!”

If the third time really is the charm, then BLADE Show 2023 is smack dab in the middle of charm’s way.

Why? Because it’s the third BLADE Show after the one that was cancelled in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, and most all travel restrictions instituted even as late as last year’s BLADE Show have been lifted. That means a full return of international knife exhibitors and fans in addition to all those domestic are expected to make the 42nd annual rendition of the world’s most important knife event the biggest and best ever.

Sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works, the BLADE Show is where more knives—new, old, custom, factory, etc.—are exhibited, bought and sold than at any other knife event. Almost 930 exhibitors* from every continent but Antarctica were scheduled to exhibit at press time, all bringing their latest and greatest knives and other edged tools, accessories, knifemaking supplies and more. Factory and custom knives, sharpeners, knife collections, knife purveyors and other cutlery entities too numerous to mention will showcase their wares as the world knife community makes the yearly pilgrimage to the Cobb Galleria Centre.

BLADE Show Overview

WHAT: BLADE Show
WHERE: Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta
WHEN: June 2-4
DAYS and TIMES:

Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (early bird ticket holders can enter at 10 a.m.)
Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Get Your BLADE Show Tickets

The latest, hottest custom knives, factory knife debuts, the educational knife instruction class schedule of BLADE University and action-packed free demos are among the sharp goodies awaiting hordes of show patrons. The BLADE Magazine 2023 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, the custom knife judging competition and the knife collection display judging competition are others. The ABS Knife Auction, formal inductions of the latest members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame®, and some of the best knives the ABS and the Knifemakers’ Guild and unaffiliated makers in general have to offer are still others.

And don’t forget The Pit, the after-hours meeting place in and around the sunken bar of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, where show patrons and exhibitors will congregate into the wee hours beginning the night before the show through the end of the weekend to compare knives, swap lies and otherwise celebrate the year’s most momentous cutlery weekend.

BLADE University

Avail yourself of the latest knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 10th Annual BLADE University show Friday and Saturday.

Ed Flowler seminar — BLADE® field editor Ed Fowler will present the seminar “Seeking Safety In Knife Design” show Saturday at 1 p.m. in Room 107.

Sponsored by Work Sharp Sharpeners, BLADE University has the most extensive schedule of knife, knifemaking and other instruction held at any knife show. Among the highlight classes for 2023 are “CRKT Presents Q&A with Michael Walker” featuring the industry renowned creator of the linerlock; “Designing Kitchen Knives” and “How To Run A Successful Knifemaking Business” with chef’s knife maestro Bob Kramer; “Exploring the Performance of Pattern-Welded Steel,” with damascus forging legend Devin “Hoss” Thomas and his son, internet steel guru Larrin Thomas; and many more.

BLADE University Schedule

FRIDAY

8-9:30 a.m. Fundamentals of Grinding, The Courtyard. AmeriBrade and guest makers cover grinds, technique and different equipment.
10-11 a.m. Exploring the Performance of Pattern-Welded Steel, Room 103. Devin and Larrin Thomas review their experiments on the strength, toughness and edge retention of damascus steel.
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Designing Kitchen Knives, Room 104. ABS master smith Bob Kramer discusses considerations to ponder when designing kitchen knives.
1-2 p.m. CRKT Presents Q&A with Michael Walker, Room 104. BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker answers questions on the linerlock he developed in 1981, the evolution of the many other locking systems he designed post-linerlock and more.
1:30-2:30 p.m. Dancing with the Devil: Algorithms, SEO and Ecommerce, Room 103. Ben Petersen explains how to sell knives online and build your brand while navigating Google, Amazon and Meta.
2-3 p.m. What’s Hot in Knife Steels, Room 103. Join representatives from Mike Norris Damascus, Nichols Damascus and Vegas Forge as they discuss today’s hottest steels and why those steels are so much in demand.
3-4 p.m. Forging Ancient Materials and Why It’s Important Today, Room 107. Award-winning knifemaker Ilya Alekseyev and friends explore how and why practicing forging methods used by the craftsmen of old translates into modern materials.
3:30-4:30 p.m. Hands-On Knife Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp Sharpeners.
4:30-5:30 p.m. Unlearning Bad Habits: My Unique Path to JS, Room 107. Matt Stagmer focuses on makers that have been in the craft for many years, and how becoming an ABS journeyman smith differs from someone learning those standards from day one.

SATURDAY

8:30-9:30 a.m. Decorative Custom Knife Filework, Room 113. Knifemaker Kyle Daily of KHDaily Knives shows you his preferred files and the equipment he uses to make his five most popular filework patterns.
8:45-9:45 a.m. How To Forge a Hunting Knife, The Courtyard. Using his propane forge, ABS master smith Timothy Potier demonstrates how to forge a full-tang drop-point hunter.
9:30-11 a.m. How To Run a Successful Knifemaking Business, Room 104. ABS master smith Bob Kramer shares his 35 years of experience running a successful knifemaking business.
9:45-10:45 a.m. Reproducing Traditional Pocketknives, Room 107. Tim Robertson covers patterning traditional slipjoints from original factory knives in detail, including methods of disassembly, correct scribing techniques and proper hole layout.
11 a.m.-12 p.m. 3D Printing for Canister Patterns, Room 113. ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer and Ron Hardman show you how to use this game-changing advancement to forge patterns on a budget that were previously unthinkable.
2-3 p.m. Let the Pros Critique Your Knife, Room 104. Award-winning knifemakers Lucas Burnley, Luke Swenson and Devin Thomas, and ABS master smiths David Lisch and Mike Quesenberry examine your knife, tell you what’s good about it, what’s not and how to make it better.
2:15-3:15 p.m. Hands-On Knife Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp Sharpeners.
2:30-3:30 p.m. Writing for a Knife Publication, Room 107. Author/ABS apprentice smith Jason Fry and a panel of industry insiders share the tips and tricks it takes to get into the knife writing game.
4-5 p.m. Folder Design, Room 104. David Carver of Carver Knife Co. teaches techniques on making a folding knife that works well, looks good and feels great in the hand/pocket.

Enroll In BLADE University Classe Now!

World Cutting Title

The BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions will be conducted by BladeSports International (BSI) and held in The Courtyard, the parking lot of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

At press time, contestants in both men’s and women’s divisions were scheduled to compete. Last year, James Clifton won the men’s division and Terri Lynn the women’s.

Knives Of The Year

The BLADE Magazine 2023 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards will be announced and presented during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony Saturday night in The Pit.

The entries are limited to BLADE Show factory booth exhibitors, and will be on display show Friday and Saturday under glass in a special locked cabinet in the lobby. The winners will be announced on BLADE’s here after the awards presentation, and a list will be posted outside the show entrance Sunday morning.

The award categories are: Overall; American-Made; Imported; Most Innovative American Design; Most Innovative Imported Design; Best Buy Of the Year; Investor/Collector; Collaboration; Manufacturing Quality; Accessory; Kitchen; Publisher’s; and Industry Achievement.

Custom Knife Judging

Leading industry authorities will pick the best custom knives by BLADE Show exhibitors in the annual knife judging competition, with the winners announced during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony Saturday night in The Pit.

Rhea knife — ABS master smith Lin Rhea will exhibit such forged wonders as his damascus hunter in mammoth ivory. (Jocelyn Frasier image edit)

The categories: Hugh Bartrug Best Of Show; Best Fixed Blade; Best Damascus; Best Kitchen Knife; Yvon Vachon Best Miniature; Best Art Knife; Best Fighter; Best Bowie; Best Handle Design; Best Tactical Folder; Best Utility Hunter; Best Folder; Most Innovative Design; Best Knife Collaboration; Best Sword; Best New Maker; Best Of The Rest; and a new BLADE Show category: Best M.A.C.K. (Machine Assisted Custom Knife).

The competition is open to the show’s custom knife exhibitors only. The winners will be announced on BLADE’s blademag.com website after the awards ceremony, and a list will be posted outside the show entrance Sunday morning.

Seminars & Demos

Seminars and demonstrations will be held in classrooms inside the Cobb Galleria or in The Courtyard, or under The Courtyard’s BLADE University tent. Admission is free to BLADE Show ticket holders.

Among the highlights will be “Knowledge Destroys Fear” presented by Ernest Emerson, CEO of Emerson Knives, Inc. Ernest will share the secrets of how Navy SEALs, Special Forces, Rangers and U.S. Marines conquer fear and thrive and prevail in the face of extreme life-threatening danger. Another highlight will be “Seeking Safety in Knife Design” with BLADE® field editor Ed Fowler. Ed will outline how to use knives efficiently and safely and what to look for in knives that cut effectively, do so without causing hot spots, and otherwise aren’t accidents waiting to happen in and of themselves.

Cutlery Hall Of Fame®

The BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® will formally induct three new members at 8 a.m. show Saturday in the Kennesaw Room of the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel. (At press time, the new members had not been determined.) Tickets are required ahead of time for the ceremony, which includes a breakfast. Seating is limited. For ticket information, email [email protected].

Knife Colletions

Outstanding knife collections will be on display, with the best recognized via a judging competition. Last year’s winners: Larry Oden, Best of Show for “Buck Factory Production Knives of the 1960s.” Judges awards went to Gene Merritt for his “Yellowhorse” display of David Yellowhorse knives and Bruce Cannon for “Paul Bos: Alloys’ Greatest Ally.” Natalie Lindsey won the Youth Award for “Tinkerbell and Friends Put the Magic in BCCI and Buck Knives.”

Bali Championship

Top balisong flippers will vie for the title of “Grand Master” in the 7th Annual Battle for Bali-Champion sponsored and conducted by Blade HQ.

Bali awards — The 7th Annual Battle for Bali Champion conducted by Blade HQ will be Saturday in The Courtyard. Last year’s top finishers, from left: James Hill (3rd place), Leighton Gravely (first) and Moiz Khalil (second).

The top three finishers will receive prizes and all participants will get swag bags. The competition will be limited to 48 contestants.

BLADE Show ticket holders are invited to watch the competition in The Courtyard under the BLADE University Tent on show Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. Competitors will start flipping knives at 12:30 p.m.

BLADE Show Seminars And Events

SATURDAY

8 a.m.: BLADE Magazine Cutlery-Hall-Of-Fame inductions, Kennesaw Room, Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel: Buy Cutlery Hall Of Fame Tickets
10-to-11:45 a.m.: ABS Knife Auction, Room 103
Noon-to-1 p.m.: Knowledge Destroys Fear—Ernest Emerson, Room 104
Noon-to-2 p.m.: 7th Annual Battle for Bali-Champion—Blade HQ, The Courtyard (the actual competition starts at 12:30 p.m.)
1-to-2 p.m.: Seeking Safety in Knife Design—BLADE® field editor Ed Fowler, Room 107
12-to-3 p.m.: Buck Collectors Club, Room 103
4:30 p.m.: BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions, conducted by BladeSports International in The Courtyard

Editor’s note: Microtech Knives and Heretic Knives are the presenting sponsors for BLADE Show 2023. RoseCraft Blades is The Pit sponsor. Work Sharp Sharpeners sponsors BLADE University. The other sponsors are Hogue Knives; Reate Knives; Nottingham Tactical; QSP Knife; Zac Brown’s Southern Grind; WE Knife; Glow Rhino; Columbia River Knife & Tool; and Artisan Cutlery.

The Whole World Will Be Cutting

Steve Shackleford

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May 23, 2016

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IMG_0434 copy — The whole world will be cutting at the 35th Annual BLADE Show June 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. Knifemaker Jens Anso (behind the table) waits on customers at last year’s show.

The whole world will be cutting at the 35th Annual BLADE Show. Question is, will you be among them?

June 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show is the event knife enthusiasts point to year round, with many saving their knife “fun” money just for this one show where custom knifemakers, factory knife companies, and knife accessory, material, machine and tool suppliers and more introduce their latest knives and knife-related products.

Whether you’re a veteran of or a newcomer to the “sharp wars,” have your ducks in a row so you will miss as little as possible at the show. (Let’s face it, with almost 1,000 exhibitors spread out over 144,000 square feet and non-stop knife action for most of the three-day event, it’s hard to see it all.) With that in mind, here’s a short list of things to do and see:

•Get a BLADE Show Program: Available for free in the show lobby, the program will have the show’s most-up-to-date exhibitor listings so you will know how to find your favorite knifemaker, knife company, dealer, supplier, purveyor, collection or what have you. Also, check the program for special customer deals, knife giveaways, contests, live demos, silent auctions and other cool offers;

•If you don’t know, ask: Everyone’s knife family at the BLADE Show, so if you don’t know something, ask. And if the person you ask doesn’t know, ask if he knows someone who does. This includes finding out where the hottest knives are. Strike up a conversation with those in the show and ask them what they’ve seen that’s cool. You’ll be surprised at how you can find some really great knives this way;

•Check out the Knife-Of-The-Year Awards display sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works in the show lobby for the entrants in the factory knife awards competition;

•To find out who wins the BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, which are sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works, the BLADE Show Custom Knife Awards and who the inductee to the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© is, see the signs outside the show entrance Sunday morning;

•For the complete BLADE University class schedule—including J. Neilson’s class on how the Forged In Fire TV show selects contestants—and the BLADE Show seminar slate, see the signs in the show lobby;

•Be sure to attend the first-ever BLADE Show Women’s World Championship Cutting Competition and the 14th Annual BLADE Show Men’s World Championship Cutting Competition at 4:15 p.m. Saturday in The Courtyard under a new, sprawling tent sponsored by Burr King;

•Check out The Pit, the sunken lounge in the lobby of the host hotel Renaissance-Waverly each evening after the show, including the spillover from The Pit outside the hotel entrance, the perfect place to have fun and compare show notes with your fellow show patrons;

•Meet BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion at the CRKT booth Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to noon.

There’s much more, of course, much of which will be up to you and your inquisitiveness in finding it at the world’s most important knife event. See you there!

Ernest Emerson Will Offer BLADE Show Seminar

Steve Shackleford

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April 3, 2013

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Ernest Emerson Will Offer BLADE Show Seminar

Ernest Emerson, one of the leading names in both custom and factory knives, will conduct another of his always popular seminars at the 2013 BLADE Show and Living Ready Expo at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta May 31-June 2.

Entitled “Fight Like A Madman,” the seminar will give you the tools to train “your most effective weapon” against violence: your mind. “Train the mind and the body will follow,” Mr. Emerson noted. “Confront evil with the tools to stop it dead in its tracks.”

A pioneer of tactical folders with such pieces as his world-famous CQC-6, Mr. Emerson has been conducting seminars at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) for many years now. He always delivers in terms of information any and all can use in their daily lives. An accomplished martial artist in addition to being a world-class knifemaker, Mr. Emerson has developed a self-defense regimen called Emerson Combat Systems that has been taught to police officers, military units and civilians. His knives and systems have been celebrated in magazines, books, television, on the Internet and just about every media form known.

Mr. Emerson’s BLADE Show seminars focus more on the mental approach to dealing with outside threats to you, your family, your friends and those around you. As the saying goes, before you do anything well you’ve got to get your mind right, and Mr. Emerson stresses the importance of that in his BLADE Show seminars.

Mr. Emerson will conduct his BLADE Show seminar in the usual place and time: Saturday, June 1, at 1 p.m. in Room 104 of the Cobb Galleria Centre. All BLADE Show ticket holders are admitted free of charge. However, seating is limited, so first come, first served.

For more on the BLADE Show, stay tuned to www.blademag.com and or subscribe to BLADE® Magazine at www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?lid=ssfbbl040313

BLADE University 2022: College Of Cut Schedule

BLADE Staff

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May 18, 2022

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BLADE University 2022: College Of Cut Schedule

Learn the latest about knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 9th Annual BLADE University 2022 Friday and Saturday of the BLADE Show.

Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE University has the most extensive schedule of knife, knifemaking and other instruction held at any knife show. New classes for 2022 include How To Forge a Sub-Hilt Knife with ABS master smith Steve Randall; Post-heat-Treat Grinding with custom knifemaker RJ Martin; How To Start a Knife Company with Diane Carver and Kimi Jensen of Brighten Blades; Keys to Outstanding Hamons with ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin; and more.

For the full list of classes, see the accompanying schedule. For enrollment and other information visit show.com/show-info/classes, or the Registration Counter in the show lobby.

Buy Your BLADE Show Tickets

BLADE University 2022 Class Schedule

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Fundamentals of Grinding, The Courtyard. Award-winning knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley take you through the process.
10 a.m.-11 a.m.: Exploring the History of Synthetics, Room 107. The Hawks Nest Customs team explores some of the types of synthetic materials used on knives.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Cryo-Quenching Steel: What It Does and Is It For Your Blades? Room 104. Steel authority and author Larrin Thomas explains the subject in detail.
1 p.m.-2 p.m.: How To Forge a Sub-Hilt Knife, Room 107. Steve Randall outlines his process for forging and building his hidden-tang sub-hilt model.
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Bladesmithing: A Teacher’s Angle, Room 103. ABS master smith Murray Carter delineates how he operated the Muteki bladesmith apprenticeship program for 10 years and provides advice on starting a larger knife manufacturing business.
3 p.m.-4 p.m.: Keys to Outstanding Hamons, Room 107. ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin will school you on most everything you need to know on the subject.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Hands-On Knife Sharpening Workshop, Room 113. Bring your own knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp.
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Knives With History, Room 107. Knifemaker Jason Fry discusses different ways to incorporate historical material into knives.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Decorative Filework, Room 113. Knifemaker Kyle Daily of KHDaily Knives shows you his preferred files and step-by-step how he creates his five most popular patterns.
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Post-Heat-Treat Grinding, The Courtyard. RJ Martin demonstrates techniques for grinding premium stainless steels after they have been heat treated.
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: How to Make A Coffin Knife Handle, Room 104. ABS journeyman smith Mace Vitale explains how he constructs the handles and shows you as well.
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.: How To Start a Knife Company, Room 107. Diane Carver and Kimi Jensen of Brighten Blades recently started their new knife concern and share how you can start one, too.
11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Women’s Bladesmith/Knifemaker Panel, Room 113. Join ABS master smith Veronique Laurent of Belgium, Grace Horne of Sheffield, England, ABS journeyman smith Lora Schwarzer and Abie Lyons as they outline how to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
2 p.m.-3 p.m.: How to Texture Titanium Knife Handles, Room 104. Shane Magnussen of Scorpion 6 explains the grinder, appropriate machine setup, varieties of abrasive belts and more for the texturing method.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Hands-On Knife Sharpening Workshop, Room 113. For a redo of the class by the same name (see the description under Friday at 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.), here’s your chance in Work Sharp’s encore presentation.
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Exotic and Advanced Knife Techniques Used in Bushcraft, Room 107. Joe Flowers, knife designer and jungle guide, demonstrates and gives a presentation on outdoor-based knife skills from around the world.
4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Linerlock/Framelock Design & Construction Geometry, Room 104. David Carver of Carver Knife Co. teaches basic design, steps to build and the processes needed in detail, as well as flow, lock geometry and completion.

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

BLADE Staff

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June 8, 2019

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

Atlanta, Georgia (June 8, 2019) – Awards recognizing the highest achievement in the production and custom knife industries were bestowed the evening of Saturday, June 8, 2019, at the BLADE Show in the Cobb Galleria.

2019 BLADE Show Knife of the Year® Award Winners

Representatives from BLADE (www.blademag.com) distributed BLADE Magazine Knife of the Year® awards in 11 categories, plus awards for individuals’ career achievements. All entrants in the Knife of the Year® competition were evaluated by a super panel of undisclosed judges on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits. This was different from years past, when booth holders at the show voted by ballot.

Overall Knife of the Year®: FOX Knives Radius

Judges commented on the innovative opening mechanism and quality workmanship. The patent-pending mechanism requires the user to slightly depress and move the button along the U-shaped track for opening and closing.

The Radius also brings home the Imported Knife of the Year® award.

American-Made Knife of the Year®: Microtech Socom Elite

This exemplary automatic is a hallmark of the American knife industry.

Most Innovative American Design: Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight

Spyderco knocked out about a third of the weight (and the price point) of the standard Para 3 for this lightweight version.

Most Innovative Imported Design: WE Knife .037

WE’s takedown design makes simplicity look easy. The company describes the .037 as sporting “self-locating interlocking tab frame construction.”

Best Buy of the Year: CRKT CEO

The CEO brings gents’ knives to the masses with its $49.99 price point.

Investor/Collector Knife of the Year®: ProTech Warenski/Brend Masterpiece Custom

ProTech continues to dominate this category with another attractive entry for investors. This one must be seen to be believed, but you’ll need to shell out $12,000.

Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives

It’s not enough to perform at a high level once or twice. Chris Reeve Knives’s consistency in craftsmanship is key to this win.

Accessory of the Year: Outdoor Edge Para Spark

This survival bracelet is handy and just plain cool. Using the latch as a sheath is a nice touch.

Collaboration of the Year: Casstrom/Lars Falt/CAS Iberia Lars Falt Lockback

Simplicity equals versatility, as this lockback demonstrates, and yet the distinct touches of the collaboration still shine through.

Kitchen Knife of the Year®: Apogee Dragon Storm (set of 4)

This set demonstrates the intersection of art and utility at a high level for a production kitchen knives.

Individual Achievement

Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® Inductees: Mel Pardue and Tony Bose (read the article here)

Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® Inductee (by proclamation): BLADE Editor Steve Shackleford – This came as a surprise to Shackleford, who was emceeing the ceremony. Inductees typically know they will be honored before the event. However, with the blessing of the others in the Hall of Fame, Shackleford was inducted by Bruce Voyles, former publisher of BLADE.

Adam Drescher movies — Adam Drescher (middle) during a break between scenes of the upcoming movie, The Mule.
At right is Clint Eastwood and at left is character actor Richard Herd. Adam owns Adam
Unlimited, which specializes in exotic skins for the knife and motorcycle industries, especially
rayskin. (Photos by Images courtesy of Adam Drescher)

Publisher’s Award: Adam Drescher (read the article here)

Industry Achievement Award: Lucas Burnley, for his charitable work with Toys for Tots

Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Award: Bill Ruple (this award comes with a $1,000 cash prize from the Lorenzi family to support the custom knife industry)

2019 BLADE Show Custom Knife Winners

The 2019 BLADE Show Custom Knife Award Winners were also announced on Saturday, June 8, 2019, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.

Best in Show: Harvey Dean

Best Art Knife: Veronique Laurent

Best Folder: Javier Vogt

Best Bowie: Jerry Fisk

Best Kitchen Knife: Doberman Forge

Best Fixed Blade: Harvey Dean

Best Damascus: Franco Custom Knives

Best New Maker: Esnyx Knives

Best Collaboration: David Lisch & Andrew Meers

Best Handle Design: Ben Breda

Best Fighter: Brian Sellers

Best of the Rest: Ron Newton

Most Innovative Design: RJ Martin

Best Utility Hunter: Ben Breda

Best Sword: Vince Evans

Best Mini: Ohbuchi Isao

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.

You Have Until Tomorrow To Support Pro-BLADE Show Knife Law

Steve Shackleford

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March 6, 2012

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You still have time to support Georgia’s SB432, a Knife Law Preemption bill that would protect law-abiding citizens traveling through the state from a patchwork of conflicting knife laws that make citizens in accordance with the law in one jurisdiction and lawbreakers in the next.

As Atlanta is home to the BLADE Show, successful passage of SB432 would not only ensure Georgia residents carrying a knife are treated fairly wherever they travel in Georgia, but all those traveling to the BLADE Show though towns and cities with knife laws more restrictive than Georgia’s otherwise decent knife laws would be safe from violation. (Author’s note: An Atlanta city ordinance makes it illegal to carry any automatic or any knife with a blade longer than 3 inches “readily available for use.”)

According to Knife Rights, the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee has passed SB432 but your help is needed urgently to get the bill through the state’s Senate Rules Committee and a Senate floor vote. Knife enthusiasts have only until close of business tomorrow, Wednesday, to get the bill through the Senate Rules Committee and a Senate floor vote.

If you live, work or travel in Georgia, and this includes every BLADE Show exhibitor and attendee, please POLITELY contact the Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and simply ask them to bring SB432 to a vote on the floor:

Chairman: Senator Don Balfour [email protected] (404) 656-0095
Co-Chairman: Senator Bill Hamrick [email protected] (404) 656-0036

SB432 is sponsored by Senator Bill Heath, who has worked hard getting it through to this point. Now it is important for ALL of US to help him get it through the Senate (and then on through the House).

E-MAIL Senators Balfour and Hamrick TODAY and/or call them.

For more information click on www.KnifeRights.org

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb030612#BL1SU

BLADE Show 2024 Preview: What To Expect In Atlanta

BLADE Show

BLADE Staff

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April 27, 2024

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BLADE Show 2024 Preview: What To Expect In Atlanta

See what’s on tap for the 43rd annual BLADE Show.

WHAT: BLADE Show
WHERE: Cobb Galleria Centre, Atlanta
WHEN: June 7-9
DAYS and TIMES:
Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (early bird ticket holders can enter at 10 a.m.)
Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sunday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Thirty-five countries—including an increase in international exhibitors from 118 to 152—will be among the almost 950 exhibitors total for the 43rd Annual BLADE Show June 7-9 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works, the BLADE Show is where more knives—custom, factory, antique, classic collectibles, etc.—are exhibited, bought and sold than at any other knife event. Exhibitors will bring their latest and greatest knives and examples of most every edged tool extant, accessories, knifemaking supplies and more. Sharpeners, knife collections, knife purveyors and other cutlery entities too numerous to mention will showcase their wares as the world knife community makes the yearly pilgrimage to Georgia.

Knives debuted by factory companies for the first time anywhere, the educational knife instruction of BLADE University (see sidebar), and a selection of informative, entertaining and action-packed free demos (see sidebar) are among the sharp goodies awaiting show patrons. The BLADE Magazine 2024 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, the custom knife judging competition and the knife collection display judging competition are others. The American Bladesmith Society (ABS) Knife Auction, formal inductions of the latest members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame®, and some of the best knives the ABS and the Knifemakers’ Guild and unaffiliated makers in general have to offer are still others.

Italy’s Manuele Messori knife — Italy’s Manuele Messori will be among the record-setting number of international exhibitors at BLADE Show ’24. An example of his edged wizardry is his folder in a blade of Damasteel Grossrosen damascus, an interframe handle of zirconium with Gibeon meteorite inlay, and 24k-gold engraving. (Francesco Pachi image)

And don’t forget The Pit, the after-hours meeting place in and around the sunken bar of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, where show patrons and exhibitors will party into the wee hours beginning the night before the show through the end of the weekend to compare knives, swap lies and otherwise celebrate the year’s most momentous cutlery weekend.

International Boom

As the world continues to recover from the travel, business and other bans spawned by the pandemic, the BLADE Show reflects that recovery in the boom in international exhibitors. In fact, that boom might even provide proof that the recovery is complete—at least as far as the BLADE Show is concerned. France leads the way among exhibitors from other countries with 21. South Africa is second with 18, Italy is third with 15 and Brazil is fourth with 13.

Some of the top names by country among the internationals are Bertie Rietveld, Theuns Prinsloo, Henning Wilkinson and Neels van den Berg (South Africa); Franco de Souza, Rodrigo Sfreddo, Fabio Barros and Gus Cecchini (Brazil); CAS Knives and Mauricio Daletzky (Argentina); Halfbreed Blades (Australia); WE Knife, Reate and Ketuo (China); Kiku Matsuda and Koji Hara (Japan); Lionsteel, Manuele Messori, Fox Cutlery and Maniago Knife Makers (Italy); Anders Hogstrom (Sweden); Helle Knives (Norway); Jean Louis Regel, Veronique Laurent and Samuel Lurquin (Belgium); and Grace Horne (United Kingdom).

Michael Walker Platinum Zipper — BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker will exhibit his world-renowned knives at a BLADE Show for the first time in quite a spell. His Platinum Zipper features Michael’s fourth-generation BLADElock system. (Francesco Pachi knife image)

Among some of the more recognizable American makers will be BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker, who will be exhibiting knives at a BLADE Show for the first time in recent memory. Others include Cutlery Hall-Of-Famers Bill Ruple and Steve Schwarzer; ABS master smiths Harvey Dean, Mike Quesenberry, Shane Taylor, David Lisch, Jordan LaMothe and Andrew Meers; slipjoint makers Tom Ploppert, Luke Swenson and Tim Robertson; Vladimir Kolenko; and Owen Wood (a native of South Africa, Owen now calls Texas home).

Blade University: Added Day

Avail yourself of the latest knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 11th Annual BLADE University on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. New for this year is a special Thursday class taught by award-winning knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley the day before the show begins. See the sidebar for more on it.

Sponsored by Work Sharp Sharpeners, BLADE University has the most extensive schedule of knife, knifemaking and other instruction held at any knife show. For the full list of classes, see sidebar.

THURSDAY, JUNE 6
4 to 5 p.m. The Art of Selling at a BLADE Show, Room 104. Knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley outline what makers who are serious about selling knives should do and how they should behave behind an exhibitor table during the BLADE Show.

FRIDAY, JUNE 7
8 to 9:30 a.m. Fundamentals of Grinding, The Courtyard. AmeriBrade and guest makers cover grinds, technique and different equipment.
10 to 11:30 a.m. How To Run a Small Successful Knifemaking Business, Room 103. ABS master smith Bob Kramer shares his 30 years of experience running a productive knifemaking operation.
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thermal Cycle Steel for High Performance, Room 104. Larrin Thomas examines how to heat treat steel after forging, normalizing and grain-refining cycles, thermal cycling stainless steels after forging and more.
1 to 2 p.m. Symmetrical Quillon Dagger 101, Room 107. ABS master smith Neels van den Berg discusses making a symmetrical quillon dagger, covering design, proportions, aesthetics, materials, fluting and finally the entire manufacturing process.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Intro to Power Forging, Room 103. Bring your forging questions to our group of expert panelists including Logan Gillihan, Will Stelter, Salem Straub and Charlie Ellis.
2 to 3 p.m. Metal and Wood Fitting Techniques for Keyhole Handles, Room 113. ABS journeyman smith Henning Wilkinson outlines the correct techniques for fitting metal and wood in the construction of the keyhole integral knife handle.
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Hands on Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp Sharpeners.
4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Originality: Experimentation, Innovation and Ingenuity, Room 107. Can creativity be learned? Lucas Cao, founder of Squid Industries, explores tools and techniques that anyone can apply to become more original.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8
8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Elevating Your Handle Appearance: Spine Filework, Handle Shapes and Pin Placement, Room 113. Knifemaker Kyle Daily shares how to enhance your knife with distinctive features that go far beyond standard production models.
9:30 to 11 a.m. Insert Welding, Room 104. ABS master smith Bob Kramer covers how to forge weld inserts with high precision and control to create realistic depictions of animals and patterns.
9:45 to 10:45 a.m. How to Make the Most Difficult Pocketknife, Room 107. Knifemaker Tim Robertson delineates what makes lockback whittlers so hard to make, with a major focus on backspring design and function.
11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Process Is the Product, Room 113. Knifemaker/designer TJ Schwarz shares his insights on how to create a successful knife business, including the key point of understanding actually what it is that you’re selling.
2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Let the Pros Critique Your Knife, Room 114. ABS master smiths Bob Kramer and James Rodebaugh and leading makers David Carver, Enrique Pena and Luke Swenson examine your knife and tell you what’s good about it, what’s not and how to make it better.
2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Hands on Sharpening, Room 113. Bring your knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp Sharpeners.
2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Making Scissors in a Knife Workshop, Room 107. Grace Horne examines the early history of scissors, methods of producing the blanks, inside information on the twist and the curve, and her method of scissors making that requires no specialist tools or equipment.
4 to 5 p.m. Pattern Welding Panel, Room 104. Salem Straub, Mareko Maumasi, Charlie Ellis, Josh Prince and Will Stelter explain the steps that went into creating their wild mosaic damascus billet collaboration, Consortium.

Knives Of The Year

The BLADE Magazine 2024 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards will be announced and presented during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony Saturday at 8 p.m. by The Pit of the Atlanta Renaissance Waverly Hotel lobby.

The entries are limited to BLADE Show factory booth exhibitors, and will be on display show Friday and Saturday under glass in a special locked cabinet in the lobby. The winners will be announced on BLADE’s blademag.com website after the awards presentation, and a list will be posted outside the show entrance Sunday morning.

Custom Knife Awards

Leading industry authorities will pick the best custom knives by BLADE Show exhibitors in the annual knife judging competition, with the winners announced during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony Saturday at 8 p.m. in The Pit.

Neels van den Berg dagger — Neels van den Berg won the 2022 B. R. Hughes Award for the best knife submitted by a master smith applicant for his European quillon dagger. Join him for his BLADE University class, Symmetrical Quillon Dagger 101. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

The categories are: Hugh Bartrug Best Of Show; Best Fixed Blade; Best Damascus; Best Kitchen Knife; Yvon Vachon Best Miniature; Best Art Knife; Best Fighter; Best Bowie; Best Handle Design; Best Tactical Folder; Best M.A.C.K. (Machine Assisted Custom Knife); Best Utility Hunter; Best Folder; Most Innovative Design; Best Knife Collaboration; Best Sword; Best New Maker; and Best Of The Rest.

The competition is open to the show’s custom knife exhibitors only. The winners will be announced on BLADE’s blademag.com website after the awards ceremony, and a list will be posted outside the show entrance Sunday morning.

World Cutting Titles

The BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions will be conducted by BladeSports International (BSI) and held in The Courtyard, the parking lot of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

At press time, contestants in both men’s and women’s divisions were scheduled to compete. Last year, Ben Propst won the men’s division and Michael Clifton the women’s. Second through fourth place in the latter went to Sara Maly, Sue Ann Propst and Jo Carothers, respectively. The same respective place finishers in the men’s division were Gary Bond, Dan Keffeler and Donavon Phillips.

Seminars & Events

Seminars and demonstrations are held in classrooms inside the Cobb Galleria or under the BLADE University tent in The Courtyard—the latter in the parking lot of the host Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel. Admission is free to BLADE Show ticketholders. Two of the highlights include:

In what he termed will be the most important seminar he has ever given, Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc., will deliver a no-holds-barred analysis of what it takes to be “made in America.” He will present a true insider’s, behind-the-scenes look at how difficult and yet how important it is to recognize the vital importance of American-made knife companies for the future of the knife industry.
High-Endurance Performance Knife master smith/BLADE® field editor Ed Fowler will ask just how confident you are that your EDC can handle everything from light office duty to saving a life. Key questions will include what is the knife made for? The design is what you see but the quality is up to the maker. The title of Ed’s seminar says it all: Can Your EDC Cut It?

SATURDAY
8 a.m.: BLADE Magazine Cutlery-Hall-Of-Fame Inductions, Kennesaw Room, Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel
10-to-11:45 a.m.: ABS Knife Auction (page 30), Room 103
Noon-to-1 p.m.: Can Your EDC Cut It? High-Performance Endurance Knife master smith/BLADE® field editor Ed Fowler, Room 107
Noon-to-2 p.m.: NEW LOCATION 8th Annual Battle for Bali-Champion, conducted by Blade HQ, Garden Court area inside the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel (flipping starts at 12:30)
1-to-2 p.m.: What It Means to be Made in America, Ernest Emerson, Emerson Knives, Inc., Room 104
12-to-3 p.m.: Buck Collectors Club, Room 103
4:30 p.m.: BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions, conducted by BladeSports International in The Courtyard

Cutlery Hall of Fame

The BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® will formally induct three new members at 8 a.m. show Saturday in the Kennesaw Room of the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel. (At press time, the new members had not been determined.) Tickets are required ahead of time for the ceremony, which includes a breakfast. Seating is limited.

Knife Collections

Outstanding knife collections will be on display, with the best recognized via a judging competition. Last year’s winners included Gene Merritt, who took Best In Show for his Buck Yellowhorse display. Judges Awards went to Tim Lindsey for his display entitled “Vern Taylor Buck Collectors Club Founder” and Ed Cooper for “Yellowhorse Knives.” Sarah Lindsey won the Youth Award for her display, “One of a Kind Buck Custom Character Knives Incredible!”

Bali Title: New Location

Top balisong flippers will vie for the title of “Grand Master” in the 8th Annual Battle for Bali Champion sponsored and conducted by Blade HQ.

Bali Competition — Balisong Competition placers

BLADE Show ticket holders are invited to watch the competition in the Garden Court area located inside the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel on show Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. This is a venue change from last year’s Courtyard location, so please make a note. Competitors will start flipping knives at 12:30 p.m.

The top three finishers will receive prizes and all participants will get swag bags. The competition will be limited to 48 contestants. Landon C. Morrison was crowned Bali-Champion last year, with Corbin Lovins finishing second and Gene Keli Castillejo third.

More To Come

The final BLADE Show-sponsored event for 2024 will be BLADE Show West, Oct. 4-5 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. For details, visit bladeshowwest.com. BLADE Show Texas 2025 will be March 7-8 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. Visit bladeshowtexas.com for more on it. And, of course, it’s never too late to start thinking BLADE Show 2025 June 6-8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. For details, visit bladeshow.com.

BLADE Show

BLADE Show 2023 is just around the corner. Here’s what to look out for at the “World’s Greatest Knife Show!”

BLADE Show Overview

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BLADE University

BLADE University Schedule

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World Cutting Title

Knives Of The Year

Custom Knife Judging

Seminars & Demos

Cutlery Hall Of Fame®

Knife Colletions

Bali Championship

BLADE Show Seminars And Events

Read More About The Blade Show:

Learn the latest about knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 9th Annual BLADE University 2022 Friday and Saturday of the BLADE Show.

BLADE University 2022 Class Schedule

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

2019 BLADE Show Knife of the Year® Award Winners

Overall Knife of the Year®: FOX Knives Radius

American-Made Knife of the Year®: Microtech Socom Elite

Most Innovative American Design: Spyderco Para 3 Lightweight

Most Innovative Imported Design: WE Knife .037

Best Buy of the Year: CRKT CEO

Investor/Collector Knife of the Year®: ProTech Warenski/Brend Masterpiece Custom

Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives

Accessory of the Year: Outdoor Edge Para Spark

Collaboration of the Year: Casstrom/Lars Falt/CAS Iberia Lars Falt Lockback

Kitchen Knife of the Year®: Apogee Dragon Storm (set of 4)

Individual Achievement

2019 BLADE Show Custom Knife Winners

See what’s on tap for the 43rd annual BLADE Show.

International Boom

Blade University: Added Day

Knives Of The Year

Custom Knife Awards

World Cutting Titles

Seminars & Events

Cutlery Hall of Fame

Knife Collections

Bali Title: New Location

More To Come

Check Out BLADE Custom Award Winners:

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