The BLADE Blogs Archives

BLADE Show Updates Exhibitor Layout

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April 28, 2014

The BLADE Show‘s new exhibitor layout is designed to improve the overall show experience for the thousands of patrons who will attend and the close to 750 exhibitors who will display the industry’s finest knives and knife accessories.

The world’s largest knife show is set for June 6-8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

In the past, the rows of exhibitor tables were dissected by lines of factory booths in some areas, making it somewhat difficult to pick up where you left off from the previous table row. It also presented a somewhat choppy look to the overall setup.

When you walk into the show hall this coming June, a new layout will greet you. Instead of being dissected in some areas by lines of factory booths, the exhibitor tables will be in the right-hand portion of the show hall and most of the factory booths will be in the left-hand portion. There will be no lines of factory booths dissecting the rows of tables. As in the past, there also will be factory booths along the walls of the entire hall. According to one exhibitor, the change should make it so show patrons are not so overwhelmed by the visual challenge of negotiating the large number of exhibitor tables and booths.

As a consequence of the changes, the booths have been renumbered from last year.

Looking from right to left, exhibitors’ tables will be divided in the usual fashion: Antique, American Bladesmith Society, the Knifemakers’ Guild and Handmade. The collector displays will continue to be in the right-hand back portion of the show hall. The Stage and Demo Areas will be in the back center of the hall. The Knife-Of-The-Year® Display will be in the middle of the floor starting where the booths are.

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

2017 BLADE Show Knife Makes The Cut

Steve Shackleford

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May 17, 2017

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stationery cut — The 2017 BLADE Show Knife and its 1.4116 stainless steel blade cut stationery with ease after whittling curlicues. It was very sharp out of the box.

push lever up — To begin disassembly of the 2017 BLADE Show Knife, push the lever on the bolster up.

sensation of disassembly — The sensation of holding a knife that’s coming apart in your hand is kind of cool.

three part disassembly — The 2017 BLADE Show Knife separates into three parts: two handle halves and the blade. Keep it super simple, you might say.

wheel and linerlock spring — Partially reassembled you can see the liner lock spring and wheel in the handle butt.

separate the handle — Rotate the wheel in the handle butt clockwise until the handle separates.

It’s the Official 2017 BLADE Show Knife by CRKT and I couldn’t wait to see what makes this puppy go.

curlicue cutting — The EDP coated blade pulled curlicues with no problem.

Designed by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion, the Homefront Tactical features a 3.427-inch blade of 1.4116 stainless steel with an EDP coating and a combo edge. The flipper folder secures via a linerlock and the handle is a textured glass-reinforced nylon with a blade-tip-up pocket clip. Weight: 4.3 ounces. Closed length: 4.684 inches.

The centerpiece of the 2017 BLADE Show Knife, however, is Onion’s “Field Strip” technology, which enables you to easily disassemble the knife for cleaning and reassemble it in a matter of seconds without the need of a takedown tool of any kind.

Sounds easy but what about people with 10 thumbs like me? I pulled out the 2017 BLADE Show Knife and opened and closed it a few times. The flipper opener works well. I tried whittling some curlicues from a board and cutting stationery, both with good success. The blade was very sharp out of the box.

The directions for the “Field Strip” feature are pretty straightforward. With the knife in the closed position, push the lever on the bolster up. No problem. Rotate the wheel on the handle butt clockwise until the handle separates. The wheel is notched with gears. I found it turned well either with one of my 10 thumbs or my “second thumb” that passes for an index finger. The handle separates into three pieces—two handles and the blade—all simple to clean when the time comes.

To reassemble, put the three pieces back together, press down on and hold the pivot, rotate the wheel counter-clockwise until snug, and push the pivot lever down. It’s pretty easy, even for me.

A couple of things: If, after reassembly, the pivot lever balks any when you try and push it down, tweak the screw on the reverse side of the pivot pin until the lever cooperates. Also, be sure the white washers on the pivot pin stay put when you have the knife apart. If they were to come off for any reason during cleaning and/or reassembly, they could be difficult to find. You may even want to remove them during cleaning and apply a small dab of oil to keep them lubricated.

All in all, the Homefront Tactical is a cool knife—and the fact that it’s the Official 2017 BLADE Show Knife makes it even cooler. It features the BLADE Show 2017 logo on the blade and is limited to a run of 300.

blade tip up pocket clip — The pocket clip allows for blade-tip-up carry.

To get yours, visit bladeshop or attend the 36th Annual BLADE Show June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Knives Will Rule 36th Annual BLADE Show

Steve Shackleford

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May 22, 2017

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Sneak a peak at next week’s 36th Annual BLADE Show in all its sharpened glory in the latest issue of BLADE® Magazine, on newsstands now!

June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the world’s largest and most important knife show will feature over 1,000 domestic and international exhibitors of custom and factory knives and the people and companies who make them, thousands of worldwide knife fans and much more—and it’s all in the latest BLADE.

The hottest in factory debut knives, the world’s best knifemakers pitting their knives against one another in the show’s custom knife judging competition, the inductions of Jim Batson and Les de Asis into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame©, the selection of the BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, extensive knife and knifemaking instruction in the 4th Annual BLADE University, the BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions for both men and women conducted by BladeSports International, demos of knife grinding, knife throwing, Japanese sword cutting—all are but the tip of the iceberg of the 36th Annual BLADE Show.

New features include a balisong-flipping competition conducted by Blade HQ, a survival skills demo by one of the stars of the Alone™ TV series on HISTORY®, Larry Roberts, the BLADE Show 2017 Photo Contest in which patrons enter their favorite BLADE Show 2017 photos with a prize going to the one selected the best of the bunch, how to make a Brut de Forge knife—these and more are among the highlights of the 36th Annual BLADE Show outlined in the latest BLADE.

Also this issue: a retrospective of a knife that changed knife history in “Rambo Revisited”; part one of a three-part series on the latest sharpeners in “The Hone Zone”; how to make a Viking camp knife; New Zealander Jared Wihongi’s new Maori-inspired combat knives for Browning; a review of the handforged knives that will be auctioned—including this issue’s cover knife, a stunning damascus D-guard bowie by Veronique Laurent—by the American Bladesmith Society at the BLADE Show in “John White Will Be Watching”; and much more, all in the latest BLADE.

Song Knife Highlights New BLADE®

Steve Shackleford

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October 4, 2016

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Song knife for BLADE. — Song Knife collaboration between Buck and country music star Craig Morgan highlights the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Country music star Craig Morgan’s “Song Knife” for Buck, what’s “next” in custom knives, “Blades of the Bog” and much more sharp stuff highlights the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Morgan, who also stars on the Outdoor Channel’s Craig Morgan All Access Outdoors, recently released his latest album, A Whole Lot More To Me. In collaboration with Buck, two songs from that album including the title track are downloaded on a card and paired with a special collector edition of the legendary Buck 110. Slated to go on sale in most every Walmart in America by the end of this month if not sooner, the “Song Knife” is reportedly the first promotion of its kind. Get the full story on page 28.

Tactical folders have been king of the knife hill for decades now but the question everyone wants answered is “what’s next” in terms of the knife that will replace those of the tactical kind at the top of the heap? Les Robertson has been buying and selling custom knives for over three decades and weighs in on what he thinks will be the next big thing on page 12.

Since knives are man’s oldest tool, the ways in which they have been made over the millennia are many. One was by retrieving iron ore from the bottoms of bogs and lakes and smelting it in furnaces to make blade steel. Daniel Jackson explores how today’s makers have revisited the old methods to make knives. Journey into the past on page 20.

Have you traded or sold a knife or knives you wish you had kept instead? Mike Haskew picks the brains and memories of three veteran collectors for such pieces in “Knives I Traded I Wish I Hadn’t” (page 44).

As with most things in today’s world, the more functions you can get out of an item the better. So it is with edged tools, especially today’s “gizmo knives.” Check out some of the leading examples of the genre that do more than cut on page 78.

There’s much more in the latest BLADE—buy it on newsstands today, get the digital copy or subscribe to the digital or print editions—or both!

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Knife Of The Day IX

Steve Shackleford

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December 19, 2011

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Our Knife Of The Day for Dec. 19 is the Boker Plus Rold, a VoxKnives design. The 11-inch camp knife sports a 6 1/8-inch blade of D2 tool steel and a G-10 handle. Boker’s MSRP: $169.95.

For more information contact Boker USA, attn: D. Weidner, 1550 Balsam St., Lakewood, CO 80215 303.462.0662 fax 303.462.0668 www.bokerusa.com.

For more on the latest knives, knife trends, knifemakers and more subscribe to BLADE® Magazine. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us/?r+ssfb191211#BL1SU

New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey Joins Knife Showcase

The BLADE Blogs

BLADE Staff

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March 17, 2011

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New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey has a history of promoting some of the most progressive knife legislation in the country – maybe even the world. And now you can interact with her on Knife Showcase.

Last year, legislation introduced by Coffey decriminalizing the possession of switchblades, dirks, daggers and stilettos became New Hampshire law. As BLADE magazine and other knife advocates have argued for decades, it is the intent of the person that determines whether possessing these items is illegal – not their mere possession. Coffey‘s legislation spelled that out almost word-for-word, and now New Hampshire is one of the most sensible places on the planet for knife enthusiasts.

Now she’s back at it again, this time sponsoring a knife preemption bill for New Hampshire. If passed, the bill would allow for uniform knife regulations across the state. If knife possession is legal in one area, it will be legal in all areas. Right now, different jurisdictions have different rules.

Those are only a couple reasons in Coffey‘s long resume that she is one of BLADE‘s favorite legislators. Coffey is a friend of all who appreciate knives, or anyone who understands that government should focus crime laws on actual criminals and not peaceful people.

Say “hi” on her Knife Showcase profile page here. Coffey‘s mission is to spread sensible knife laws across the country, so get in touch about what you can do in your area.

Top Lady Smiths Highlight New BLADE®

Steve Shackleford

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February 24, 2015

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Five top lady bladesmiths and their International Ladysmith Collaboration Knife, the “Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers,” rock-solid integral knives and much more highlight the new BLADE®, debuting on many newsstands TODAY!

A quintet of the world’s top lady smiths—Dellana, Haley DesRosiers, Audra Draper, Grace Horne and Julie Warenski-Erickson—collaborated on this issue’s cover knife. Forged by Draper, the 7.25-inch blade is a damascus ground, heat treated and etched by DesRosiers, who also did the final assembly. Dellana embellished the handle with five gold dots—one for each “blade sister”—and a bezel-set ruby, and Warenski-Erickson engraved the bolster in gold. Horne built the display box lined with red glove leather and used black glove suede for the cushion. Find out how the knife came about and what the “Sisters of the Blade” have planned for it in our special cover story feature.

In “The Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers,” some of the custom knife industry’s leading professionals weigh in on the four makers they consider the greatest in the history of modern custom knifemaking. We would tell you who the four are, but then that would spoil the surprise. You’ll just have to buy the new issue and find out for yourself.

Popularized by the late, great knifemaker, Ted Dowell, integral knives are one solid piece of steel—including both the handle and blade—that are reduced via grinding to an equally solid one-piece knife. Pat Covert visits with two talented practitioners of integral knifemaking, Edmund Davidson and Marcus Lin, for their take on how they make knives made in a style that arguably is the world’s strongest.

There’s much more—including part one of RJ Martin’s story on how he makes his award-winning precision flipper folders, some of today’s hottest factory tactical fixed blades, the conclusion of Jim Hammond’s story on the past, present and future of ivory’s use on knives, two tests of top factory folders, the mystery of the ancient Viking Ulfberht sword, custom knives in “crossover” styles and other of today’s sharpest knives and knife news—all in the latest issue of BLADE.

Recommended:

Stay abreast of the latest developments on this and many more knife rights issues with a subscription to BLADE.

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D2 Tool Steel Just Keeps Cutting

BLADE Show Updates Exhibitor Layout

2017 BLADE Show Knife Makes The Cut

Knives Will Rule 36th Annual BLADE Show

Song Knife Highlights New BLADE®

Knife Of The Day IX

New Hampshire Rep. Jenn Coffey Joins Knife Showcase

Top Lady Smiths Highlight New BLADE®

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