Identifying the hottest custom knifemakers’ hottest knives for you is something BLADE® takes pride in doing. And one of the best ways we have found of doing it is to tap the knowledge of those who must do it well because it is their livelihood—custom knife purveyors. So, in the April 2013 issue of BLADE (on newsstands as of Jan. 29), we tapped into that knowledge. 

Here’s part of the story from the April 2013 issue:

At Knifeart.com in Little Rock, Arkansas, Larry Connelley has his eye on Maciej Szczerbiak and Crusader Forge. A custom knifemaker since 1996, Szczerbiak is based in St. George, Utah. “His FIFP [Fear Is For Prey] is an overbuilt tactical folder,” Connelley said, “and is stoutly made with a thick titanium handle and Integral lock. The blade is CPM S30V stainless and prices start at around $900.”

The purveyor indicated Brian Tighe is another favorite among Knifeart.com customers, and the Nirk Tighe, designed in collaboration with Glenn Klecker, features Klecker’s Nirk locking mechanism that allows the lockback to function as an integrated component of the handle. “These knives start at $525 with BG-42 steel blades and titanium handles, each of them 3-D machined,” Connelley observed. “Brian has several designs that involve collaborations, and each one of them is innovative. He can deliver them with precision.”

According to Connelley, the knife market is steady and recovering with the slow turnaround of a sluggish overall economy. To read the rest of the story, pick up the April 2013 issue of BLADE off the newsstand, or click here.