Blade-o-philes from far and wide converged to cut in Fort Worth.

Knives and knifemakers with a worldly flair, a strong contingent of domestic cutlers, and makers and knife enthusiasts with a nod toward a promising future helped make BLADE Show Texas another entertaining way to start off the new knife show year.

Sweden’s Anders Hogstrom, South Africa’s Bertie Rietveld and Brazil’s Franco de Souza were among the overseas headliners, and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Bill Ruple, Harvey Dean and Evan Nicolaides led the American charge, while 10-year-old Adam Storts of Duncan, Oklahoma, brought his special kind of fixed blades to the Fort Worth Convention Center March 6-8.

Adding to the youthful mix was knifemaker Tom Overeynder—not because he’s young but because he gave a knife to a happy 10-year-old knife enthusiast. (No word on whether the youngster gave Tom a penny in return; check out this story to learn more about the penny for a knife tradition). Meanwhile, the factory section was a beehive of activity throughout the show, drawing patrons of all ages.

Knife sales, the barometer of any show, were a mixed bag. Most of those who didn’t sell as well as they would have liked attributed much of it to an economy that was still in the throes of a downturn caused by inflation and lingering high prices for standard consumer goods and services. As a result of the economic uncertainty, many folks were understandably cautious about making large purchases. Exhibitors who did sell well, though, were upbeat.

“I had a great show,” noted Jared Oeser. “I brought eight custom knives along with some productions and sold them all.” Business also seemed good for members of the South Texas Slipjoint Cartel, with Phil Jacobs selling 10 of the 14 knives he brought and Toby Hill selling eight of nine.

It was the first BLADE Show Texas for David Lisch and he liked what he saw. “It’s a great location and the size was good.” He brought 13 knives and sold 11, though only two to collectors. “The rest went to purveyors,” he noted, adding with a wink, “I was glad to have them there.” So was Paul DiStefano. “I brought eight knives and sold seven,” he wrote, “all of them to dealers and not individual collectors. I’m definitely not complaining about that.” Overeynder brought seven knives, selling four of his handmades and three out of his collection. “I also sold one a few days after the show to a guy who couldn’t be there,” he stated.

BLADE Show Texas Attendance

Show attendance graded out very well overall. “I think Saturday had more people than Friday. It seems like the local attendance in Texas is good,” Oeser observed. “I did meet new customers and friends, which was really great.” Overeynder indicated there was a “pretty constant flow of people,” agreeing with Oeser that Saturday had the most traffic, though noting it seemed to slow after 2 p.m. Considering the high number of exhibitors, Lisch said attendance was “just OK.” Added Andy Wang of Poikilo Blade, “Friday was moderately busy for us but Saturday we were packed almost the entire day.”

Josh Taylor brought seven pieces and sold two, including his award-winning sword cane and a fluted dagger. “I love BLADE Show Texas,” he wrote. “It was the first show I did in the BLADE Show world and I have been back four years in a row. Attendance seemed pretty solid considering the cold and the rain. My table was covered up with people for both days.”

“The attendance was all right. It seemed to be the same at what most shows are at, which from when I started going to shows seven years ago is slightly less,” DiStefano observed. Nonetheless, he indicated he enjoyed himself. “I thought the show was run extremely well and everyone involved was incredible! I for sure plan on coming back every single year. It was a great time.”

BLADE Show Texas Awards

The custom and factory knife judging competitions recognized an array of outstanding work. The custom knife judges were Michael Vagnino, Lin Rhea and Bill Burke, while the factory judges were Tom Krein, David Carver and Clayton Ensigner.

The custom winners were: Best in Show and Best Fighter: Franco de Souza; Best Folder and Best in Show Contender: Tom Overeynder; Best Art Knife: Paul DiStefano; Best Bowie: David Lisch; Best Damascus: Pedro Fornari; Best EDC: Evan Nicolaides; Best Hunter: Josh Fisher; Best Kitchen Knife: Luke Dellmyer and Richard Patterson; Best Slipjoint: Evan Nicolaides; Best M.A.C.K.: Jared Oeser; and Best of the Rest: Josh Taylor.

The factory winners: Best in Show and Best Imported Knife: Poikilo Blade VK-Zen; Best American Made Knife: Dauntless Manufacturing Clifft; Best EDC: Dauntless Manufacturing Moss; Best Fixed Blade: QSP Viper; Best Folder: Pro-Tech/Vero Engineering Synapse Auto; and Best of the Rest: Vero Engineering Vortex TI Maintenance Kit.

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• 2025 BLADE Show Texas Custom Knife Award Winners
• 2025 BLADE Show Texas Factory Knife Award Winners
• 2024 BLADE Show West: Recap Of Salt Lake City Show