Learn what makes a knife sexy, why select makers of custom folders are crossing over to making different styles, whether James Bowie was an orator, rowdy or some of each—and more—in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!

You hear it all the time: “Man, what a sexy knife!” or “That knife has sex appeal!” So what makes a knife “sexy”? Part of it is what our special story identifies as the “feminine factor”—which includes knives that look and feel good and perform well. But there’s more to it than just that. Get the details in the story on page 74.

While tactical folders have been king in the knife industry for many years, some top custom makers have resisted making them—until now. Some award-winning makers of custom slip joints are trying their hand at tacticals or even hybrid tacticals, as are some makers of high-end custom folders. Les Robertson takes you on a tour of those who are doing it and why, and what it means for the present and future of custom knives in “4 Unintended Consequences of Tactical Folders.”

BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member James Bowie has been portrayed in any number of ways in recent years, including as a brawler, a drunkard and other unflattering descriptions. However, what did those who served with him before and during the Alamo siege think of him? In part five of “James Bowie Legend: Fact or Fable?” Jeffrey Dane shares what some of those who served with Bowie wrote about the famed frontiersman. See what they had to say in the story on page 30.

Also: Learn how you can enroll in J. Neilson’s special class at BLADE University on how to qualify for the hit TV show, Forged In Fire (BLADE University will be held in conjunction with the 35th Annual BLADE Show); see how four new Asian-style blades perform, as well as two of the latest skinning knives; immerse yourself in the latest of quick blades in “Golden Age of Autos?”; discover how bone remains at or near the top of handle materials in terms of popularity in “Bone in the USA!”; join in BLADE‘s salute to the late Warren Osborne in “‘Good Enough’ Wasn’t Good Enough For Him”; and much more in the latest BLADE.