The Bushcrafter by Kris Waddington of KSW Custom Knives is a great example of what bladesmiths can do with recycled carbon steel. Got a worn-out file? No problem. They can convert it into another useful tool—a knife.
With a hot-enough fire, a smith can manipulate the steel into a wide variety of shapes and sizes. High carbon steels are made into cutting instruments, mild steels into ornamental fittings. It’s a great skill to possess and practice. Kris has the skill.
At the end of testing, the author returned to slicing the copy paper to check for edge snags or chips. The Bushcrafter sliced for the win. There was no edge damage. Heat treatment: spot on.
Enough talk about the cool stuff he can make. Let’s get into how well he performed the conversion.
Light-Duty Cutting
I always slice 20-pound bond copy paper at the start to see how fine the knife’s edge is. The Bushcrafter did not disappoint. The upcycled Nicholson file slid through the paper with ease. It made clean, crisp slices again and again. The knife is very sharp indeed.
The Bushcrafter cruised through the 8-ounce leather very quickly with straight cuts.
From there it was on to severing single-walled cardboard. The Bushcrafter sliced through the medium quickly and aggressively. I could hear every slice. It was easy to control the spacing of the cuts with the larger handle.
Cutting 8-ounce leather to represent the skin of a harvested big game animal was next. The Bushcrafter crunched through it very quickly with straight cuts. Skiving the material was even louder as the knife aggressively sliced it into thin layers. The leather was no challenge whatsoever.
Heavy-Duty Cutting
Cutting sisal rope always tells if the edge will hold up. The Bushcrafter crunched through 200 cuts very quickly and wanted more. There was a small hot spot where the handle meets the blade. A quick hit with 220-grit sandpaper removed the spot. The blade held an edge while slicing and cutting. It was time for a tougher medium.
The Bushcrafter turned out some excellent red-cedar curlicues ready for the fire.
For bushcrafting, I chopped a slab of red cedar. The blade buried deeper than expected and cracked the slab. It was comfortable using the knife.
I worked the cedar to make a fire stick. The Bushcrafter turned out some excellent curlicues ready for the fire. Batonning was next in line. The knife averaged 3 1/2 baton hits to split the slab into small kindling. That was some short slab work! To raise the bar, Kris added a ferrocerium rod with a matching handle. The result is a complete outdoor package.
A leather sheath and a ferrocerium rod with a matching handle complete the outdoor package.
I returned to slicing the copy paper to test for edge snags or chips. The Bushcrafter sliced for the win. There was no edge damage. Heat treatment is spot on. Great job, Kris.
Final Cut
I would prefer more of a finger notch and maybe some thumb notches for added control. The Bushcrafter lives up to its name. Made to perform in the woods, it is the total package for your backpack outing.
The author tries out the Lansky Folding Tapered Diamond Rod Sharpener.
Over the years I’ve written a number of articles on sharpening. I have also taught countless sharpening classes covering everything from knives, saws to Forstner bits. Sometimes you need a special tool to get the job done. In the case of serrated edges, you need a dedicated sharpening tool. This time it’s the Folding Tapered Diamond Rod by Lansky. I will cover the basics of sharpening a serrated blade as well.
The two serrated blades I carry most is the one on my Leatherman Wave and my Spyderco Police. I am a property maintenance man and the Wave is like my right arm. The Police sends chills down the spines of people when I open it. Let’s get to sharpening them.
Keep It Simple
First off, there are those who would like to complicate sharpening by making it seem more than it is. At its core, sharpening is simply polishing two surfaces that meet at an edge. In the case of a serrated blade, the edge has a series of gullets (channels) and teeth. The different contours on a serrated edge require a sharpening tool that can accommodate such a surface.
Sometimes when sharpening a serration with a broad diameter, the author follows the secondary bevel across the edge instead of pushing the sharpener into the blade.
Another feature of serrated edges is that a number of them are formed with a chisel-style grind. By chisel-style grind, I mean the secondary bevel to the edge is on one side only. Since serration patterns vary, you need a sharpener that will accommodate different sizes of teeth and gullets. A common form is the use of a cone. A cone-shaped sharpener should match the size of a serration somewhere along the cone.
Sharp Specs
Lansky has taken a tapered diamond impregnated rod and created a foldable handle that acts like a case for the rod. The style is not uncommon except Lansky takes the ergonomics a step further by making the injection-molded handle contoured for a more solid grip.
The author’s older Lansky folding sharpener (left) does not have a large enough diameter for some bigger serrations. Meanwhile, the new Lansky model (right) has a larger tip diameter than the older one, making it impossible to use on smaller serrations.
The diamond coating is electrostatic-plated to the rod, which is better than using an epoxy as some others do. Lansky uses a 600-grit coating. It is not an aggressive grit, though on the other hand you don’t want a grit that is too aggressive for serrations. If you get too aggressive of a grit, then a mistake can ruin the blade. The one issue I find with the Lansky is the tip of the cone is a bit large for some serrations. Other than that, I plan to get a lot of work out of this sharpener for years to come.
The Method
First, brace the blade you are sharpening against a stable surface. Position the blade’s secondary bevels up. I tend to prefer the dynamic style of sharpening in these cases, so I move the sharpener, not the blade. Match the angle of the secondary bevel when placing the rod in the serration.
There is often more than one way to do something. Here the author uses a ceramic sharpening rod whose diameter closely matches the serration.
Position the rod a bit before the diameter of the cone that matches the serration being worked on. You don’t want to start your sharpening stroke at the beginning of the cone as that will change the shape of the gullet. The intent is to remove as little material as necessary. If you start sharpening close to the beginning of the cone, you will cut into the gullet. Keep close to the diameter of the gullet and take short passes.
When finished, I check all the teeth to make sure they are still pointed. Then I briefly strop the opposite side of the blade with a compound-loaded leather strop. Just a couple of passes will remove the burr. Lansky lays out the static method in the directions, which means you move the blade along the rod. Try both methods and see which one works best for you. Everyone has their own preference. In the end it is more important to get good results.
Parting Cuts
Serrations shine when it comes to cutting fibrous materials such as cord, rope and nylon straps. At my shooting range, when I score a bunch of cardboard for backers, I usually use my serrated knife to cut the cardboard down to size.
A downside to the new Lansky folding sharpener is that it isn’t as compact as the older Lansky design (right).
It is best to maintain serrated edges. With a plain edge you can let it go then sit down with it and bring it back to life easy enough. Serrated edges I find it best to stay on top of and regularly give them some upkeep. Wearing down the tips off the teeth and blowing out the gullets just makes more work and creates more chance you will mess up the serrations.
If you don’t own a good quality serrated knife because you are concerned about sharpening it, then buy a cheap one and practice your technique. Lastly, if you own just one serrated knife outside your kitchen bread knife, make it the rescue knife in your car.
Lansky Folding Tapered Diamond Rod Sharpener Abrasive: Diamond-coated rod Rod length: 3.5” Rod thickness: 1/16” at tip, ¼” at base Grit: 600 Handle: Nylon Sharp stuff: Sharpens serrated blades, fishhooks, gut hooks and more; the rod folds into the handle for protection and ease of carry Weight: .2 oz. Closed length: 5” Open Length: 9” Country of origin: USA MSRP: $19.95
Consider three cool tools to keep your scissors shearing sharp.
I sharpen knives frequently but must admit I’m a loathsome scissors sharpener. It’s not like I’ve never sharpened scissors but only when I had to and never in an organized way.
However, when my editor gave me an assignment on scissors sharpeners, I took it as a personal challenge to mend my ways—and off I went. What follows is a primer on scissors sharpening using three different systems.
Before starting, there are a few obvious things to point out.
The most obvious is the fact that there are two blades to sharpen instead of one. Second, the two blade edges are sharpened to oppose each other. Third, most scissors are made for righthanders and can give lefthanders fits, especially models with asymmetrical handles. Some southpaws have more trouble than others, and if you are among them you might seek out companies that either offer lefthanded models, such as Fiskars, or those that specialize in such products, like Lefty’s Left Hand Store. My brother’s lefthanded and he’s never bought any lefty scissors. Instead, he simply buys and uses symmetrical right-hand-only models.
Simple handheld or desktop scissors sharpeners are the way to go if you want to keep a decent edge with very little hassle and time consumption.
I tested two affordable versions: the AccuSharp ShearSharp Scissors Sharpener and the Smith’s V-Slot Knife & Scissors Sharpener. The pistol-grip-looking units appear similar at first but are actually quite different. The text and graphics on the back side of the cards the sharpeners are mounted on is very helpful, though if you’re like me you will need reading glasses to decipher them.
AccuSharp ShearSharp Scissors Sharpener
The AccuSharp ShearSharp Scissors Sharpener puts an edge on the blade bevels one side at a time. Here the blades are opened with one side resting on the flat work surface having the blade bevel sharpened. Note the other blade is off the surface. Once the first blade is done, the scissors are flipped and the second blade is sharpened in the same manner. (Covert image)
AccuSharp ShearSharp Scissors Sharpener Size: 5.5 x 2.4 inches Type: Hand-held, single sharpening blade Abrasive: Tungsten carbide Handle length: 5.6 inches Handle material: Plastic Country of origin: USA MSRP: $9.59
The AccuSharp ShearSharp has a grip with a guard for knuckle protection and there’s a slot on the fore-end with a tungsten-carbide-metal sharpener for running down the blade bevel, sharpening it in the process. Open the scissors and lay the blades, one at a time, face-up to the sharpening medium. The rear blade—the one not being sharpened—hangs off the table or you can put it on a raised platform such as a wood block or book.
A hand-held design, the AccuSharp ShearSharp Scissors Sharpener addresses the blade bevels one at a time. You’ll need your reading glasses for these instructions, too!
The ShearSharp metal sharpener is canted to the angle of the bevel and runs down the blade from base to tip, rear to front. Accusharp recommends two to three passes of the sharpener, then flip the scissors over and do the same to the second blade. As with all three test units, keep an eye on your progress as scissors come in all phases of disrepair.
Smith’s V-Slot Knife & Scissors Sharpener
The bevels are sharpened when pushing the scissors blade tips simultaneously into the respective V-slots of the Smith’s unit. The diagonally mounted ceramic rod sharpens both blades at the same time. (Covert image)
Smith’s V-Slot Knife & Scissors Sharpener Size: 6.75 x 2.74 inches Type: Hand-held, two sharpening blades Abrasive: Ceramic Handle length: 6.75 inches Handle material: Plastic Country of origin: USA MSRP: $9.99
Smith’s V-Slot Knife & Scissors Sharpener is a bit more sophisticated with great finger protection, and is easier to use. Inside the handle is a slot that holds a 1,000-grit ceramic rod angled to sharpen the two scissors bevels at the same time. The bevels are sharpened when pushing the scissors blade tips into the respective V-slots simultaneously. (Smith’s recommends not sharpening by pulling the blades out.)
You may need your reading glasses to decipher the instructions for the Smith’s V-Slot Knife & Scissors Sharpener.
Two to three passes is usually enough for blades of average dullness, more if needed. Once again, stopping to gauge your progress is your friend. An added benefit with the Smith’s sharpener is you can sharpen both right- and left-handed scissors depending on which side of the handle slot you use, and it’s conveniently noted on the sides of the unit itself.
Spyderco Golden Stone
Starting at the top, slide the blade’s beveled edge down the length of the Golden Stone, gradually working the edge toward the tip. Once the edge is sharp, give the opposite blade the same treatment.
Spyderco Golden Stone Sharpener Size: 7.2 x 3 inches Type: Desktop sharpener Abrasive: Alumina Handle: None Carry: Suede leather pouch Country of origin: USA MSRP: $210
I have become very familiar with the Spyderco Golden Stone sharpener over the years and have included it in several articles, though not for sharpening scissors. Spyderco knives are well known for their premier out-of-the-box sharpness, and company founder and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Sal Glesser is a long-time guru on the topic, including today on YouTube.
The Golden Stone is a Glesser design that enables you to sharpen knives in many ways and at different angles, and even serrated blades. Spyderco uses alumina (aluminum oxide) for the Golden Stone’s material and other of its sharpeners, and claims the resulting models do not require oil or water for surface sharpening. Check out Spyderco’s YouTube sharpening videos for a myriad of ways to sharpen the company’s knives.
Designed by Spyderco founder Sal Glesser, the Spyderco Golden Stone is an odd triangular ceramic sharpener fit for many uses—one of which is sharpening scissors. For sharpening, position the suede pouch that carries the Golden Stone on a flat base to provide a non-slip surface. (Covert image)
To start with the Golden Stone, use the accompanying suede pouch as a non-slip surface on a flat base. Employ the stone’s rough triangular shape with the long side sideways and vertically. Grip the short side of the triangle with the long vertical side to your right, forming the sharpening platform. Now you’re ready to sharpen the first blade bevel.
Open the scissors wide and position the top of the base of the bevel grind over the high point of the sharpener, and slide it toward the low end as you slowly pull toward you.
It’s like sharpening a knife where you start at one end and slowly slide the tip toward the opposite end as you go—you’re just putting an edge on the bevel instead. Spyderco recommends eight to 10 passes but, once again, use your judgment depending on the condition of the scissors. Once you’re pleased with the bevel on the first blade, flip the scissors over and repeat the process on the second blade. When done you can remove any burr on the edges of the two blades by opening and closing the scissors a few times.
Conclusion
Both handheld units did a good job of sharpening the bevels, and though I prefer a ceramic sharpening rod just because you can better “feel” it rubbing against the bevel, there was no noticeable difference in the results. These two sharpeners are capable of putting a very decent edge on your scissors.
Fiskars is one of the few major companies that manufactures scissors specifically for lefthanders, and is known for such radically asymmetrical designs as these two. The red pair is for lefties.
The end result of my efforts with the Golden Stone paid off with two razor-sharp beveled edges on the scissors blades. Spyderco doesn’t assign numbers to the grits on its sharpening media, but the best I can tell the white alumina like that used on the Golden Stone is in the fine, 2,000-grit range.
Where To Find Your Edge
Is all the cost, time and increased degree of skill required by the Spyderco Golden Stone worth it? That’s up to you and what your expectations of your scissors are. There are folks whose livelihoods depend on scissors, others that just want to get the mail out the door and scads of people in-between. Choose your sharpener!
Lloyd Hale made the singular knife circa 2000 from the neck of a 1960s Fender Jazzmaster.
A self-described child of the ’60s, Larry Hirsch jumped at the chance to buy the DeFender when a collector offered it for sale.
Made by Lloyd Hale a quarter century ago from the neck of a 1960s-era Fender Jazzmaster guitar, the knife did not have a sheath originally, so Hirsch got with Hale earlier this year and brainstormed one in the shape of the main body of the guitar, complete with strap and volume and tone control knobs.
Larry Hirsch rocks his world with the DeFender. (Hirsch image)
“I told Lloyd the knobs had to turn because everyone that sees it, the first thing they will do is turn the knobs,” Hirsch said. Sure enough, when Larry displayed the knife at the 2025 Solvang Show, the first person that saw it turned the knobs.
Oh, left whole a 1960s-era Fender Jazzmaster—just the neck alone—would be worth obscene amounts today, but we won’t go there.
There are times gloves make all the sense in the world to use when using a knife and times they don’t.
The old saying goes that two things might “fit like a glove” or “go hand in glove.” But just maybe another question involves exactly when the “glove fits.”
Since mankind began working with tools, stone, bronze, steel and even in conditions that might be less than ideal, such as clearing trees and brush, dressing an animal, building a structure, or handling heat and cold temperatures, the idea of protection has been second nature. At first glance, the glove has its place and always will. But there are, in fact, other considerations in using hand protection, especially when it involves using a knife.
The time and place for gloved hands is the choice of the user, and thoughts on the topic vary.
“As you might expect, the answer ‘yes or no’ to gloves is ‘it depends,’” declared Craig Powell, general manager of TOPS Knives. “There are a lot of different reasons to wear gloves or not, depending on the use case. In cold weather, the gloves are more to keep your hands warm than they are necessarily for safety or grip. I wear gloves if I have them on me whenever I’m doing heavy-duty cutting like chopping firewood or other tasks that have a lot of impact involved.
Craig Powell said one of the specific reasons for Micarta® or G-10 handles on TOPS knives is to provide a good grip when you need it. “Micarta is one of the best for grip even when wet and whether you have gloves or not,” he observed. The TOPS Trailhead Kukri has black canvas Micarta scales. (TOPS image)
“I also usually have a few pairs of latex or nitrile gloves handy when hunting just to keep things a little cleaner when gutting or skinning an animal,” Craig added. “If I’m doing tasks that require fine control of cutting, I don’t usually wear gloves. One of the reasons I use Micarta® or G-10 on TOPS knives is specifically to provide a good grip for when you need it. Micarta is one of the best for grip even when wet and whether you have gloves or not.”
Situational awareness, then, drives most decisions to use gloves or go barehanded when using a knife. There are times when working with steel in the shop or making camp in the field that gloves are indispensable, and then there are other tasks that require the most intricate feel and finesse that can only be achieved with the bare hand.
Reuben Bolieu, BLADE® correspondent, outdoor adventurer and designer for ESEE Knives, recognizes when and where the glove provides that necessary advantage.
Reuben Bolieu wears cowhide gloves—nothing fancy—while chopping with his ESEE Gibson Carving Axe. As he noted, “These gloves are excellent general-purpose gloves when handling wood, bamboo, hot cookware and dirty work.” (Bolieu image)
“Gloves are the unsung hero of my camping trips,” he remarked. “They provide a momentary boost of superpower when handling hot pots or skillets taken directly from the campfire. Gloves also give you a second chance if you accidentally nick yourself while retrieving a big blade or axe from its sheath.”
Joe Flowers, designer for TOPS Knives and Condor Knife & Tool, answers emphatically regarding whether he uses gloves.
“Most of the time I do not, unless I am doing a highly repetitive motion or am working a particularly scaly or dangerous animal or material. This is general, as I can feel the blade and manipulate the tool more for the tasks at hand. The pro of wearing gloves, especially if you are not used to working tools, is the absence of concentrated friction that can lead to blisters. Even if you work a farm all day, you can get blisters doing a repetitive motion.
Feeling the handle of a knife against bare skin in the user or maker’s hand is considered the acid test for utility. Ed Fowler cradles one of his trademark sheep-horn handle knives at his shop bench.
“After hanging out with Anders Haglund, formerly of Helle Knives, I appreciated the idea of a larger handle for mitten manipulation,” Joe added. “The legacy of Sami reindeer herders who use large gloves helped him convince me. I don’t always design large handles, but if it is a design that could work with a Nordic culture I pay attention and put a larger handle on the blade. Sami culture sometimes calls their survival kit ‘a big knife, a small knife, and a reindeer.’ That’s all they need to survive.”
Gloves, Knives And Safety
Safety is always a factor in wearing gloves to use knives. Removing a knife from a sheath or deploying a folder blade always has a bit of hazardous duty involved. The same is true in the shop or the field, though the gloves themselves can sometimes present a hazard.
“Gloves get wet. This is wasteful,” explained longtime BLADE field editor and High Endurance Performance Knife master smith Ed Fowler. “They may be too loose and can get you caught up in machinery. The skin on our hands is very sensitive, and this sensitivity can help improve the quality of our knives, as well as our health. When buffing or grinding a hardened blade, our hand can communicate the temperature, where your heat treat might not remain just as you planned it to be. Friction is the enemy of our heat treats.”
“After hanging out with Anders Haglund, formerly of Helle Knives, I appreciated the idea of a larger handle for mitten manipulation,” Joe Flowers stated. “The legacy of Sami reindeer herders who use large gloves helped him convince me.” The Nordic-style fixed blade is a Marttiini Arctic Carving Knife. (Bolieu image)
At the risk of stating something readily apparent, the positive aspects of wearing gloves when using knives include minimizing a cut or slice that could require stitches or worse, managing heat and cold, reducing the build-up of friction that can create painful blisters, and possibly even improving grip and purchase in the hand.
“The obvious pros of gloves are safety from materials and the tools you use,” Bolieu related. “However, gloves are fumbly! This brings us to the cons: clumsy dexterity. Fiddling in the dark or cold is the worst when working with sharp tools or lacking time. Gloves can slow you down big time! Sometimes you need to take a stand and say, ‘The gloves are coming off!’”
When Powell is at work, he takes stock of the task at hand, and gloves may or may not be part of the equation.
“Fiddling in the dark or cold is the worst when working with sharp tools or lacking time. Gloves can slow you down big time,” Reuben Bolieu opined. “Sometimes you need to take a stand and say, ‘The gloves are coming off!’” (Bolieu image)
“Gloves can keep your hands from getting torn up when you’re doing a lot of heavy-duty cutting. They can also keep your hands clean when they need to be. Then, of course, there are gloves that will help prevent or at least lessen the cut you might receive if there is an accident. The cons are mainly the loss of dexterity and fine control. Depending on the type of glove, your ‘feel’ of the knife just won’t be as good as with a bare hand.”
Feeling the handle of a knife against bare skin in the user or maker’s hand is considered the acid test for utility. The glove is sometimes a barrier to truly getting the feel of the knife and developing an intuitive awareness of its capabilities.
“A good way to see if a handle is going to be comfortable for you to use is to give it a good, hard squeeze and hold it for a few seconds,” Powell commented. “Once you release it, if you feel some uncomfortable spots on your hand, that is a good sign that it will have some hot spots. Everyone’s hand is different, so while some knives might feel great for some, that same handle might feel terrible to others. A knife that looks great aesthetically doesn’t always do the job when it comes time to start cutting. So, a bare hand on the handle is a must whenever you can.”
Habit And Repetition
For those who wear gloves regularly when using knives, personal preference weighs in. The influence of habit and repetition contributes, too.
“Here’s a good analogy for this,” said Craig. “Most people wear shoes every day to keep their feet from getting cut or injured in some way. People that spend lots of time barefoot, especially outside, tend to have tougher feet. Basically, the same rocks that would cause some people a lot of pain don’t do anything to those who walk barefoot often. The same will be true for gloves. If you wear gloves every time you use knives or other hand tools, your hands don’t build up some of the toughness to be able to handle using knives often. A good handle will absolutely make a difference, but so will using tools often in general.”
As Ed Fowler noted, when buffing or grinding a hardened blade, the hand can communicate the temperature. Chris Amos buffs a blade in Ed’s shop in this file photo. (Fowler image)
Choosing whether to wear gloves or not shouldn’t be a difficult decision. The best advice available involves balancing risk versus return, hazards in relation to control and manageability.
“If gloves are the remedy, crack on!” Reuben offered. “Gear is terrain and weather-specific. I use leather gloves made of cowhide, the type you would see a ranch hand or cowboy use—nothing fancy. These gloves are excellent general-purpose gloves when handling wood, bamboo, hot cookware and dirty work.
“In winter, I add a thin fleece glove under them,” he noted. “This adds warmth but makes things extra fumbly. If I need more dexterity for making feather sticks or carving, I remove the leather glove and work the best I can with the fleece glove. It’s always a tradeoff. Safety first! More than anything, try with and without, see what works for you and have a blast!”
Flowers is strong in his opinion on the gloves themselves, but acknowledges there is a time and place for them when working with knives.
Pulling a knife from a sheath or deploying a folder blade always has a bit of hazardous duty involved. (TOPS image)
“Gloves do not determine how hardcore you are,” he advised. “I hate gloves but I wear them sometimes when the environment dictates it. I like to work beehives without gloves and I applaud anyone who does. Dexterity is very important when you manipulate and use a tool with a fine edge. Find gloves that you can move in … Gloves can help, but ultimately it is your time with a knife that is important, and, honestly, part of our human story.”
Experience is a great teacher, and familiarity with knives, their utility and hazards should drive the decision whether to use gloves.
“To each his own,” Powell concluded. “If you prefer to wear gloves when using knives, do it. If you don’t like wearing gloves don’t unless you’re doing something where there is a really good reason to have gloves on. For just regular daily use, I feel gloves are totally unnecessary, but I’ve also been in the knife world for over 25 years now.”
The use of gloves while working with knives does, then, involve the nature of the task, its brawn and repetition versus its intricacy and detail, control versus power. Having a pair of gloves handy is probably a best practice. Using them when and where appropriate enhances the knife experience.
Craftsmanship Crowned: Winners of the 2025 Custom Knife Awards at BLADE Show
The 2025 Custom Knife Of The Year® Awards once again took center stage at BLADE Show, held June 7–9 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. As always, the event drew some of the finest custom makers in the world—and this year’s field was especially fierce.
A panel of expert judges had the unenviable task of selecting standouts across a range of categories, recognizing the blades that best embodied design, innovation, and craftsmanship. From elegant folders to bold fighters, here are this year’s winners—including the coveted Hugh Bartrug Best in Show.
The 2025 BLADE Magazine Knife of the Year® Awards proved tougher—and tighter—than ever before.
As the years go on the BLADE Magazine Knife Of The Year® Awards only get sharper. The 2025 chapter, held during the June 7-9 BLADE Show at the Cobb County Galleria, is a case in point.
Hosting among the largest fields to date in the factory knife competition, the contents had roughly 350-400 entries vying for the title of “Best” in their respective categories. Add-in production knives are reaching an unimaginable height in both design and manufacturing quality, the event was as tight as ever. Speaking to the stiffness of the competition, two categories produced contender finishers—an honor meant to recognize a creation that is nearly on par with the category winner.
The winners were selected by a panel of four judges, experts drawn from different backgrounds in the knife industry. Below are their selections of knives that are more than worthy of calling themselves Knife Of The Year®.
BLADE Magazine Overall Knife Of The Year® & Imported Fixed Blade Of The Year®
