I got some good-natured ribbing at the 2014 BLADE Show because of my EDC folder. Being part of the show staff, I’m constantly taking my knife out to open boxes of magazines or books, or to cut tape for the book booth, etc.
When one guy saw me unclip the Gerber Bear Grylls lockback folder and extract it from my front pocket, he said, “Geez, Joe. Here you are, managing editor of BLADE Magazine, at the largest knife show in the world, surrounded by high-end, superbly crafted knives, and you’ve got an inexpensive Gerber in your pocket?!”
Well, yeah, I like the way the rubber handle feels in my hand, it’s slim, I like the black and orange color combination, it’s got a modified drop-point blade, it’s utilitarian, easy to sharpen, I like the wide paddle-style pocket clip, it doesn’t weigh much, and I don’t mind using it to open boxes and cut tape. So what if it’s only $33?
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So I was working behind the table at the book booth during the BLADE Show this past weekend in Atlanta, a great show, by the way, best ever. And this gentleman was interested in buying the “First 25 years of BLADE Collection: 1973-1997” DVD. He said he already owned the DVD that came after it, “BLADE 1997-2007.”
He replied, “I can get 25 years worth of the magazine for $42.99, why would I want to pay $21.98 for one year?”
She said, “The subscription is new magazines, not old magazines, that’s why!”
It got me thinking that neither one of them was wrong. I prefer to get my magazine when it comes out, but to each their own. And I’m just glad they enjoy the magazine well enough to have the conversation.
It’s a sad fact: the BLADE Show comes but once a year. There is, however, a way to enjoy this incredible event long after all the knife makers and collectors have broken camp.
Official BLADE Show knives are your opportunity to own and enjoy a piece of the “World’s Foremost Knife Show,” for years to come. Of course, if you can resist making these gems your everyday carry choice.
That is a conundrum, because the BLADE Show seeks out not only eye-catching designs from some of top makers around. But it also hunts out practical knives that can handle nearly anything its owner can dish out. These knives are the marriage of form and function.
And each one has a unique aspect to them. Not only is the show’s insignia roll marked across the blades or handle, but each is a special edition with limited runs and individually numbered. This makes each one exclusive to its owner, not to mention gives the knife the potential to accrue value as the years pass by.
Here’s a look at this year’s Official BLADE Show knives.
Ken Onion perhaps summed up his latest creation for CRKT the best, defining it as “Somewhere between gentlemanly and tactical.” In short, the knife is a looker and a doer.
On the aesthetic end of the Outrage is its finely textured handle, which includes lateral cuts in the aluminum that mimics corduroy. The handle of the limited run of 300 knives also features ergonomic finger cuts, to give the user a better purchase on the Outrage, thus making it more responsive.
The blade is a modified drop point — Onion describes it as a semi skinner — with a big belly and a fine point for detail work. The 3.19-inch blade is made from 8C12MoV stainless steel, which hardness helps it take a precision edge. The Outrage features a deep-pocket clip and a locking liner. And the flipper has a smooth-as-silk action, facilitated by its IKBS ball bearing pivot system.
The Inkosi can be summed up in one word — overbuilt. Chris Reeve Knives has outdone themselves with this petite folder, outfitting it with a number of features not often found on a knife its size.
To start off, the Inkosi has a large pivot — a first for the company on one of its small knives — which makes the knife as solid as a rock when open. It also features oversized washers, which eliminates nearly all the play in the blade and increases its lateral strength. And finally, the knife has a ceramic ball end lock that virtually ensures the Inkosi stays open once the blade is deployed. The 2.8-inch blade has a hollow grind, a design choice that helps add life to the knife, given it more readily maintains its edge after repeated sharpenings.
Chris Reeve has taken the Inkosi’s resiliency to the next level with the handle and clip material, opting for lightweight and robust titanium. Uniquely, the BLADE Show logo and run number appear on the handle. And Chris Reeve has made the knife easy to manipulate, giving it a pronounced thumb stud. The Inkosi not only has the makings of a fine and functional knife, but it has looks to boot. Truly, this limited run of 25 knives for the BLADE Show is attractively Spartan.
Named for the Greek goddess of horror, the Phrike has everything to send chills down a knife aficionado’s spine — in a good way. It is tactical, yet attractive and as an Official BLADE Show knife, exclusive.
Only available at ShopBlade.com, each one is made upon order at Spartan Blade’s North Carolina manufacturing facility. But there are some special features that come from buying the BLADE Show Phrike. It comes outfitted with a carbon-fiber handle only found on this special edition.
And, of course, it comes with the BLADE Show logo and serial number roll marked on the blade. The 4.25-inch blade itself is a swedged drop point, giving it a robust aft for heavy-duty jobs that winnows down to a fine tip for precision work. The Phrike comes with a nylon sheath and is completely made in America. And while it has the ability to tackle any job put under its edge, it is truly made to be a collector’s knife.
See Who Took Top Honors In Salt Lake City For The 2024 BLADE Show West Custom Knife Awards.
The 2024 BLADE Show West, held October 4-5, once again brought the knife community together at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Now in its third year in Utah, the show attracted custom makers, manufacturers, and collectors from across the U.S. and beyond.
One of the highlights was the Custom Knife Awards, where makers competed in nine categories. A panel of anonymous industry experts carefully judged each entry, evaluating factors like design, creativity, materials, utility, and craftsmanship. The competition was fierce, showcasing a wide range of impressive talent and innovation.
Best Fixed Blade And Best In Show: Pearce Richardson
A new pro-knife law expands the blade-length limit for knife carry in Georgia, home of the BLADE Show, to 12 inches. Jerry Fisk’s bowie features a damascus blade and stag handle. (Chuck Ward image)
A new pro-knife law signed into law this week in Georgia comes just in time for the 36th Annual BLADE Show.
Signed May 8 by Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, the new pro-knife law (HB 292) increases the legal carry length of a knife blade in the state from 5 to 12 inches.
“With the BLADE Show coming up June 2-4, attendees and exhibitors will have more freedom to carry their larger knives without fear of legal entanglements,” Knife Rights reported. It is language from Knife Rights’ Georgia Knife Law Reform bill, SB 49, that is included in the new pro-knife law.
The new 12-inch length limit became effective as soon as Deal signed the bill. Since Georgia passed Knife Rights’ Knife Law Preemption in 2012, any lesser length restrictions in cities and towns are now voided by HB 292. Moreover, neither can local jurisdictions enact prohibitions more restrictive than those in the new pro-knife law.
The BLADE Show and blademag.com express their gratitude to such organizations as Knife Rights, the American Knife & Tool Institute and others that fight for common-sense knife legislation. Both organizations will be among the exhibitors at the BLADE Show and blademag.com encourages you to stop by the booths of each for more information on how to protect your right to own and carry knives.
ABS master smith Wally Hayes will show you how to use simple tools to make a throwing knife at the 4th Annual BLADE University. Here he teaches flipper folders at last year’s BLADE U.
The 4th Annual BLADE University will feature such classes as how to checker knife handles taught by ABS master smith Timothy Potier.
The 4th Annual BLADE University will offer knife enthusiasts an almost completely overhauled curriculum of classes on the subject of knives and knifemaking June 1-3 in conjunction with the BLADE Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.
Beginning the day before the BLADE Show and ending BLADE Show Saturday, this year’s BLADE University offers a wide-ranging selection of courses on how to make knives—including blade grinding, handle checkering, embellishment, color-case-hardening knife parts, chatoyance and others—all about blade steels, how to use knives, how to price them and much more.
ABS master smith (MS) Timothy Potier will kick off the instruction in Thursday’s “Knives The ABS Way” with his class on how to checker knife handles, followed by fellow MS Jim Rodebaugh‘s “How To Design A Purpose-Built Knife” and “How To Etch and Polish a Damascus Blade.”
In his fourth appearance for BLADE U., MS Joe Keeslar will show you how to make a brut de forge knife, and ABS journeyman smith (JS) Butch Sheely will end the day’s classes with his tutorial on how to make a pipe tomahawk.
Friday’s instruction will begin with MS Joe Szilaski‘s class on how to filework knives and Tom Krein‘s three-part class entitled “How To Grind a Blade.
ABS master smith Joe Keeslar will teach you how to make a brut de forge knife at the 4th Annual BLADE University.
In the last two parts of his class Tom will demonstrate how it’s done on a Burr King grinder under the Burr-King-sponsored tent in “The Courtyard”—the adjoining parking lot of the BLADE Show host hotel, the Renaissance-Waverly.
Other classes will include two by knifemaker/BLADE® field editor Abe Elias: one on how blade steel is made and blade geometry and how it affects edge retention, and the second on which blade edge and grind is best for which cutting job.
MS/BLADE contributor Wally Hayes will show you how to use simple tools to make a throwing knife, and MS Steve Culver will demonstrate how to design a slip joint with a half stop. Niagara Specialty Metals will wind up the day’s instruction with a class designed for the veteran knifemaker and novice knife enthusiast alike that will include a discussion on the properties of various elements in the steel, proper heat treating, tempering and what it does to the steel, CPM vs. air-melt steels and more.
Saturday’s final sessions will commence with “Knifemaking for Kids” taught by Jason Brous. (Youngsters need not be accompanied by a parent/guardian, though if the youths are so accompanied the parent/guardian will be admitted free of charge.)
Knifemaker Grace Horne of Sheffield, England, will conduct a class on how to make one of her specialties: custom scissors. Knife and sword maker Wally Hostetter will present a two-part class on how to do the Japanese handle wrap, or tsuka maki, and knifemaker/U.S. Marine veteran Les George will show you how to color-case-harden knife parts—that is, the process of adding a multi-colored hard surface to mild steel for use in various knife fittings.
Learn to make a pipe tomahawk in the style of ABS journeyman smith Butch Sheely at the 4th Annual BLADE University.
JS Brian Thie‘s class will cover how to give damascus blades chatoyance—an effect that exhibits an almost mirror-polished look within the damascus pattern itself. MS David Lisch will present a class on how to make the best stag handle, including sharing his “tricks” in working with the material. Knifemaker Johnny Stout‘s class will be on how to price custom knives, including actual costs in building knives, how to price the knives to make a profit (or at least break even) and more. And, finally, knifemaker L.T. Wright of L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives will present “Draw It, Grind It, Sharpen It: The Beginner’s Guide to Knifemaking,” which will feature knives in various stages of completion to show you how your knife should look all along the way to a finished product, with L.T.’s helpful insights and educational visuals.
Visit BLADE U. for enrollment information, dates, times, classroom locations and more.
I got some good-natured ribbing at the 2014 BLADE Show because of my EDC folder. Being part of the show staff, I’m constantly taking my knife out to open boxes of magazines or books, or to cut tape for the book booth, etc.
CRKT Outrage (Run of 300 for the BLADE SHOW)
Spartan Blades Phrike (Made upon order)
