For his journeyman smith applicant knives, Levi Miller used the carbon steels 52100 and 80CrV2 for blade material. (SharpByCoop image)
The annual BLADE Show hosts the awarding of both master and journeyman smith stamps by the American Bladesmith Society (ABS), and the 35th rendition of the world’s largest knife show will, too.
Set for Jan. 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show hosts knifemaker and knife company exhibitors from every continent but Antarctica—and who knows, there may even be an Antarctic exhibitor this year, too.
Five master smiths and 12 journeyman smiths earned their stamps at last year’s show. The masters were Veronique Laurent, Jean-Louis Regel, Andrew Meers, Haley DesRosiers and David Lisch. The journeyman smiths were Wess Barnhill, Sandro Boeck, Dionatam Franco de Souza, Stephan Fowler, Kyle Gahagan, Micah Kamer, Levi Miller, Facundo Montenegro, Nick Rossi, Bobby Wetten, Russell White and Robert Wright. Adding to the international flavor is that of the masters, Laurent is from Brussels, Belgium, and Regel is from France. Meanwhile, of the journeyman smiths, Boeck and de Souza are from Brazil, and Montenegro is from Argentina.
Though the requirements differ for both the master and journeyman smiths’ knives, all must submit five models that are judged by a panel of ABS officials on a number of traits. (For more on those traits, visit americanbladesmith.com.) Herein is a selection of some of the knife quintets submitted by the successful applicants last year. If you attend the 2016 BLADE Show, you can view the knives that are submitted for master and journeyman smith status this year. For more information at/during the show, visit the ABS at table 1P.
Do you have what it takes to appear on Forged In Fire? Learn if you do from ABS master smith J. Neilson, one of the judges on History™ channel’s hit TV show, in his BLADE University class on what the program’s officials look for in bladesmithing contestants.
Held in conjunction with the 35th annual BLADE Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the third annual BLADE University begins the day before the BLADE Show, June 2, and runs through show Saturday, June 4. The BLADE Show will be June 3-5.
ABS master smith J. Neilson—here testing a blade on History™ channel’s Forged In Fire—will give tips on how to be chosen to appear on the hit TV show in his special class at BLADE University. (Miller Mobley/HISTORY)
Having begun its second season Feb. 9, Forged In Fire (page 84, December BLADE) pits bladesmiths against each other to see who can make the best knife in a limitedamount of time, with the winner of each episode earning a $10,000 first prize. Last year’s FIF included such well-known forgers as ABS master smiths Murray Carter, Ray Kirk and J.D. Smith, David Goldberg, Peter Martin, ABS journeyman smith Mace Vitale and others, as well as many relatively unknown bladesmiths.
See page 10 of the May 2016 issue of BLADE to find out more.
We’ve added some great features this year, including a filter option for our exhibitor list, a sponsor profile page for maximum exposure, a “featured exhibitors” home page rotator and a “Show Updates” page for detailed releases throughout the campaign.
The BLADE Show celebrates 35 years in 2016! We are just as excited as you are! As we kick off 35 years, we are set to bring you the largest BLADE Show event yet! Our show floor will be jam-packed with all of your favorite knife vendors. There’s so many more exciting things happening at this year’s show, we can’t wait to see you all in June!
The world’s finest knives descended on Atlanta for the 34th Annual BLADE Show, and the best of the best blades were on display for record crowds to drool over in the Cobb Galleria. Among the knives were the winners of the Knife-Of-The-Year Awards for the factory knife industry. See which knives won—one of the winners is this issue’s cover knife, the Desert Fox by Fox Knives—and also the best in the show’s custom knives and much more in respective stories on pages 12 and 46.
Few modern knives have had the impact of the Sebenza by Chris Reeve Knives, and the man who serves as the company’s namesake took his place among the industry’s elite when he was inducted into the Cutlery Hall Of Fame the Saturday night of the BLADE Show. Chris’s good friend, custom knifemaker/designer Bill Harsey, gave the speech inducting Chris, and it was one of the more popular inductions in recent memory. Get the details on page 22.
Rick Hinderer has been one of the knife industry’s great success stories. He has worked hard over the years and catapulted from a relatively unknown maker of art knives to being one of the industry’s leading makers of tactical folders—and one of the lottery movement’s biggest successes in the process. He has opened a new 14,000-square foot facility to bring more of his knives to his many fans. Learn more on page 28.
Also this issue: what’s hot in custom tactical fixed blades of the stock removal variety; a test of the Johnson Adventure Blades SEEK 3.5 and Battle Horse Knives Large Workhorse; a field test of four of the latest hunters by Timberline (a Russ Kommer design), White River Knife & Tool (a Jerry Fisk design), Steel Will and Boker Arbolito; a plethora of factory knives that debuted at the BLADE Show; a test of four new bushcraft models—the Condor Tool & Knife Final Frontier, CRKT Saker, ESEE Camp Lore RB3 and TOPS Scandi Woodsman; and much more.
The BLADE Show witnessed a record number of patrons and knives—including knife debuts that were off the charts. Here are eight among the many factory knife introductions.
A 6061 aluminum handle in Class III anodization and self-lubricating roller bearings in the opening mechanism are among the cool features of the MRX-LW from Rat Worx. MSRP: $299.
The ASH 2—”ASH” stands for “Anniversary Steel Heart”—from Busse Combat Knife Co. boasts a bountiful 9-inch blade of the company’s quarter-inch-thick INFI carbon steel.
The Spectrum from Emerson Knives, Inc., has a 3.8-inch blade of 154CM stainless and a NASA-certified black G-10 composite handle. MSRP: $263.95.
Pohl Force adds to its “Mike” line with the Mike Four Tanto in a hard-coat anodized aluminum handle with a glass-breaker screwed into the butt, and a stylish lanyard sporting a skull bead.
A new Integral Lock folder from Chris Reeve Knives, the Inkosi is a cool gent’s folder with a 2.75-inch blade of CPM S35VN stainless steel. Closed length: 3.875 inches. MSRP: $375.
Brous Blades gives the bird’s-beak handle butt a fresh look with the Enforcer flipper folder in the karambit style. MSRP: $319-$359.
Buck’s Inertia assisted opener sports a 3 1/8-inch blade of stonewashed 420HC stainless and an anodized aluminum handle. MSRP: $90.
The first-ever collaboration between Spyderco and Canadian custom knifemaker Brian Tighe, the Tighe Stick is highlighted by a titanium handle 3D machined with Tighe’s trademark swirling-groove look and texturing.
Recommended:
Stay abreast of the latest developments in the world of knives with a subscription to BLADE magazine!
Larry Oden won Best of Show for his collection display, “Buck Factory Production Knives of the 1960s.”Ed Fowler kept BLADE University students entertained with his class, “How To Get The Most Out Of Your Knife.”
It seems like almost every BLADE Show is better than the one before, and the 34th annual rendition June 5-7 in Atlanta was no exception. With record crowds pouring through the doors and down the aisles Friday, an outstanding batch of BLADE Magazine 2015 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards announced Saturday and everybody leaving Sunday already pointing toward next year’s show, it must go down as one of the best BLADE Shows if not the best BLADE Show ever.
Knife exhibitors from every continent provided an endless array of knives and knife accessories to an equally endless stream of knife enthusiasts starved for their annual BLADE Show fix, and the jampacked aisles of enthusiasts stood as testimony that all is sharp in the world of knives when it comes to the BLADE Show.
The show got off to an instructional start Thursday with BLADE University, a comprehensive slate of classes on all things knife, including how to forge, how to make handles and guards, how to grind a knife blade, how to sharpen any blade, knife collecting, Japanese sword collecting and maintenance, CAD/CAM knife design and much more. Friday enjoyed a walloping beginning, with enthusiasts in massive winding lines waiting to get into the show. Some aisles were so full that the only way to get through was to weave in and out of bodies in a sea of humanity.
Murray Carter shows how it’s done during his BLADE U. class on how to sharpen any blade.Purveyor Neil Ostroff of True North Knives waits on customers during the BLADE Show.
The custom knife judging Friday resulted in a fantastic array of knives. For the complete list of maker awardees, visit custom knife winners.
Saturday was another busy day. Though the crowds weren’t as large as Friday, they were still quite ample, with a number of makers reporting brisk, non-stop sales. A few makers did not do so well but most seemed more than happy with the traffic. Demos included how to forge by Timothy Potier, how to throw knives by Bobby Branton, the Japanese sword demo by James Williams, and the 13th Annual BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition conducted by BladeSports International, won for the third year in a row by Dan Keffeler. The competition also featured the first-ever female contestant, Jessica Elias.
Knifemaker Jens Anso (behind table at right) enjoys packed aisles of customers the Friday of the BLADE Show.Tom Krein demonstrates how to grind a knife blade during his BLADE University class with Lucas Burnley and Chris Williams of Wilmont Grinders.
On Sunday the show came to a fitting conclusion with Collection Display Awards. Judges awards went to: young Owen Dady for his collection of Buck whittlers, Dale Eichberg for his “How The Buck Legend Began: The Very First Buck Knives,” and Jim Holbrook for his Buck Duke 500 collection. Best of Show went to Larry Oden for his “Buck Factory Production Knives of the 1960s.”
What will next year’s show bring? If it’s anything like this year’s, it will be another one for the ages.
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
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.
