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Parkers’ Knife Show June 13-15

June 12, 2013

If antique knives are your bag, Parkers’ Greatest Knife Show tomorrow through Saturday, June 13-15, is for you.

Held in the Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont in Sevierville, Tennessee, the 20-plus-year-old event draws antique pocketknife dealers and collectors from around the region—the heart of the old pocketknife network of the mid-South. And it’s not just pocketknives—antique fixed blades will be there, too. From Case to Boker and many well-known and not so well known brands, vintage cutlery will be in abundance at an event started by the late BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Jim Parker and continued by his son, Buzz.

In addition to the great old knives are the dealers, many of whom have been in the business for decades and have forgotten more about antique knives than most knife enthusiasts know. These dealers are fountains of knowledge. Not only will they sell you great vintage knives but they also can answer your questions about your antique knife or knives as well.

Sevierville is also home to Smoky Mountain Knife Works, one of the world’s largest retail knife stores if not the largest, which also contains the National Knife Museum. In the shadow of the storied Smoky Mountains, Sevierville is also within a short ride of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, home to Dollywood and other attractions, and Gatlinburg, one of the South’s most popular mountain getaways.

The show kicks off tomorrow at noon, with the doors closing at 6 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday’s are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $7 per day or $15 for a three-day pass. An early bird pass is $20, which allows for “special entry time” each day and free parking at the event.

For more information call Ed Henley at 423-892-0448 or visit http://www.insidesevierville.com/things-to-do/sevierville-events/parkers-greatest-knife-show/.

For more on the latest knife news, stay on www.blademag.com.

Check out such classic knife names as Case at Parkers' Knife Show. — Case and many other legendary knife names will be featured at Parkers’ Knife Show.

No Knives On Planes After All

Steve Shackleford

June 5, 2013

After much hue and cry from those who equate knives with all that’s evil and wrong with the world, the Transportation Security Administration has backed off from its plan to allow small carry-on knives on commercial flights.

Knives will continue to be allowed in checked luggage.

The goofball wording that also would have allowed bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, pool cues, ski poles and lacrosse sticks probably didn’t help the original ruling that would have allowed knives.

A big reason it failed, though, was due to such anti-knife zealots as Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, as well as 145 House members signing a letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole to keep the current rules in place. Also, flight attendant union protests and airline officials’ opposition played a part, too.

Meanwhile, more anti-knife mania reared its ugly head in the form of a Homeland Security spending bill that would block the TSA from spending money to implement the change. That bill is still in the works and is expected to pass.

While some, such as Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, reversed their opposition to the change after hearing Pistole’s arguments, it wasn’t enough to hold off the anti-knife circus.

For more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com and BLADE® Magazine.

Conversation Overheard @ the BLADE Show

Joe Kertzman

June 4, 2013

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.”

The lady he was with asked, “Why don’t you just subscribe to BLADE®?”

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.

BLADE Show Names Top Knives

Steve Shackleford

June 3, 2013

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The Blade Magazine 2013 Best Buy Of The Year is the CRKT Endorser, named during the 2013 BLADE Show. (CRKT photo) — The CRKT Endorser took home the BLADE Magazine 2013 Best Buy Of The Year Award at the 2013 BLADE Show. (CRKT photo).

The world’s top knives were recognized during the BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com) May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

The leading factory knives were honored with the BLADE Magazine 2013 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards, while the world’s pre-eminent custom knives were named in the show’s custom knife judging competition.

All entrants in the Knife-Of-The-Year and custom knife judging competitions were rated on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.

Announced Saturday night at the BLADE Magazine Awards Banquet in the Cobb Galleria, honors in 13 different Knife-Of-The-Year categories included 10 knives and one knife accessory. Two awards also went to individuals for special achievement in the knife industry. The categories and winners:

•Overall Knife Of The Year®: Zero Tolerance 0454;

•American-Made Knife Of The Year®: Hogue Elishewitz EX-04;

•Imported Knife Of The Year®: Fox Knives Modras;

•Most Innovative American Design: Microtech D.O.C. Kill Switch;

•Most Innovative Imported Design: CRKT Ken Onion Swindle;

•Best Buy Of The Year: CRKT Endorser;

•Kitchen Knife Of The Year®: Ken Onion Chef Works;

•Investor/Collector Knife Of The Year®: Pro-Tech Newport;

•Knife Collaboration Of The Year®: Microtech Mick Strider;

•Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives;

•Accessory Of The Year: CRKT Onion Survival Para-saw;

•Industry Achievement Award: American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master smith Joe Keeslar for introducing the ABS and modern bladesmithing to France through annual workshops, as well as teaching bladesmithing in the USA via seminars and his books, for his award-winning knives, and for his leadership via several terms on the ABS Board Of Directors and as chairman of the ABS; and, finally:

•Publisher’s Award: Joyce Laituri, marketing manager of Spyderco, for almost two decades of setting the standard for how to best promote and publicize a knife company’s knives—in this case, those of Spyderco. Her ability to work with the media in terms of providing Spyderco knives, knife imagery, knife information and other materials has been a model for all others in public relations to emulate. No one has done it better.

Why Get Knives Photographed?

Joe Kertzman

May 29, 2013

Knifemakers have a hard enough time making a living doing what they love without added expenses. So what are the benefits of paying a professional photographer to photograph their knives for them?

The reasons to have knives photographed are many. As managing editor of BLADE Magazine, I can tell you that often when knifemakers send me images of their newest models for possible publication, the self- or friend-taken digital images are low resolution, fuzzy, with busy backgrounds or too low quality for a high-gloss, color magazine. The images might look good on a website, computer screen or printed, but once reproduced on quality magazine paper, in four color, they lose their crispness and look fuzzy.

Here are some other reasons to have your knives photographed by a pro from photographer Jim Cooper of SharpByCoop.com.

The benefit of a professional image will promote you in a number of ways:

Large clear print for your portfolio
Crisp website image for email or display
Large digital file for printing
Posted and viewed by thousands on Bladeforums, CKCA forum, and our SBC Facebook page
All files are sent to USA and International editors of knife magazines
Guaranteed: Your knives are always available to view and search on our extensive website
A professional image shows you take pride in your work

Tips To Enhance Your BLADE Show Experience

Steve Shackleford

May 29, 2013

Tips To Enhance Your BLADE Show Experience

With folks already arriving at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta for the BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com), here are some tips to enhance your overall show experience:

•Get there early. The show opens to the public at 2 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The best knives always go first–which means early. Get there then to get the best;

•Stay hydrated. There are water fountains at the show entrances and concession stands in the back of the show hall. Also, apples are a great source of both nourishment and water. Eat one mid-morning and/or mid-afternoon, whichever works best for you.

•Wear comfy shoes. There are almost 1,000 exhibitors to see, and walking and standing can take a toll on your feet. Wear the most comfortable shoes you’ve got. It doesn’t matter what they look like, just be sure they’re comfy. In fact, if you’ve got two such pairs of shoes, bring both. Wear one pair in the morning and the other pair in the afternoon. Also, whenever you get the chance, sit down and rest.

•Wear a small backpack. Carrying stuff gets old in a hurry. A small backpack is a great way to carry knives, knife literature, that extra pair of shoes, etc.

•Dress for warm temperatures. With scores of people jamming the hall in late spring in Atlanta, chances are it will be warm inside, too. Shorts, T-shirts and sandals or tennis shoes are the uniform of the day.

•Study the seminar schedule and attend the ones that interest you most. Not only are there some most entertaining and educational seminars to enjoy, but you can find a seat at all of them (if you get there early enough) and rest for a spell, killing two birds with one stone.

•Follow the pack. The BLADE Show is one of those happenings that has many surprise/spontaneous events within the event. If you hear/see a commotion going on, go to it. You never can tell what kind of cool knives/accessories are being sold or, in some cases, even given away.

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BLADE Magazine

Parkers’ Knife Show June 13-15

No Knives On Planes After All

Conversation Overheard @ the BLADE Show

BLADE Show Names Top Knives

Photos: Highlights from Day 1, 2013 BLADE Show

BLADE Show 2013 Day 1

Why Get Knives Photographed?

Tips To Enhance Your BLADE Show Experience

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