Category: Blade Show (page 1 of 2)

Every year, the finest knifemakers and manufacturers descend on Atlanta to reveal new knife models, talk shop, and receive awards at the Blade Show.

I’ve already delved deep into the past and laid out the “Overall Knife of the Year” winners since Blade Show first started in 1982.

In advance of the latest Blade Show, I thought I’d take a look back at a different category: the Most Innovative American-Made Design of the Year. This category (and its counterpart Most Innovative Imported Design of the Year) didn’t start until 1990, so that’s where we’ll pick up.

It gives a good insight into the thinking of the judges who pick the knives and whether any of these stood to the test of time (hint: many did!).

1990: Becker Knife & Tool Tactul II

The image features early Tactuls or possibly Divtuls — not sure which models or generations.

We’re starting with the very first entry in 1990: the Becker Knife & Tool Tactul II. These earlier knives are hard to nail down because they have evolved or gone the way of the dodo. You might not be familiar with the Tactul II, but you might know the modern day version better known as the KA-BAR Becker Tac Tool.

Before teaming up with KA-BAR, Ethan Becker had his own company who put out knives made by other manufacturers. The original description from Blade Magazine on the win says the knife is a “heavy duty diving/utility knife that is a saw, hammer/nail puller, screwdriver, chisel, pry bar and knife all in one.”

1991: Gerber Gator Serrated

A more recent version of the Gator.

The Gerber Gator feels like old news now but it was once one of the most innovative when first released. The overall design with the gator-like textured handle was superb. In fact, this — like the Tac Tool — remains a very good knife that’s still around.

1992: Equip USA El Diente

Image provided by Blade Magazine

I wasn’t able to find any information about the Equip USA El Diente, so I reached out to Blade Magazine (which sponsors the Blade Show) to find out more.

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With thousands of knives flooding the markets, it might seem like there’s so much overlap out there that all knives start to bleed together. If you actually believe that new knives no longer have much to offer, you have a lot of studying to do.

Every year manufacturers and designers work hard to bring something new and exciting to the table. To better illustrate how new knives are still proving their worth, we thought it’d be interesting to take a look at all the winners of Blade Magazine‘s “Overall Knife of the Year” award since the start.

The winners of this award are voted by attendees of the BLADE Show and a panel of special judges. These knives are typically prototypes at the time, but show real craftsmanship, expert designs, beautiful construction, and much more.

The first BLADE Show took place in 1982. From what I could find, the first Overall Knife of the Year award was given to a Fight’n Rooster knife, though I couldn’t pinpoint the model, so I didn’t add it here.

Also, the show did not have an Overall Knife of the Year winner in 1983. If I am wrong, please let me know. So with that, let’s start with the knife that won the award in 1984 and work our way to the present.

1984: Timberline Survival Hunter

(The image is of a skinner version of the knife made by Timberline’s Vaughn Neely. These old knives are hard to find.)

The Survival Hunter is a design by Vaughn Neely, who founded Timberline, and was a beloved knife. You still see these vintage Survival Hunters for sale but they tend to go very quickly. Like I said, these earlier knives are difficult to find information on, but it also won the American Made Design of the Year in 1985.

1985: Gerber Clip-Lock

The Clip-Lock from Gerber was a Black Collins design that’s now long discontinued. It had an unusual sheath design in that a clip locked it into place. Here is a quick video overview:

1986: Fight’n Rooster 7-blade Congress

I’m honestly not too familiar with Fight’n Rooster Knives, but I was able to find out that the company was started in the ’70s by Frank Buster. Most of them were traditional slip joint designs typically made in Solingen, Germany. This 7-bladed Congress was all I could find of the knife, but if it’s not the correct model, please let me know.

1987: Buck Titanium

The Buck Titanium was an interesting design with a titanium handle and an overall design reminiscent of the Buck 110 Folding Hunter. It had a monstrous pocket clip, which you can kind of see in the image above. It had a back lock and was just a solid knife.

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BLADE Show 2017 is in the books.

There were a ton of new knives to gawk at and custom knives to buy. But one of my favorite parts of BLADE Show is the awards. Awards are highly subjective and often forgotten but it’s always interesting to see which knives take home which prizes. I recently assembled a list of all the Overall Knife of the Year winners since the very beginning of the show if you’re so inclined.

Up next is a look at a handful of the winners along with the full list of winners at the end.

Overall Knife of the Year: Lionsteel SR-11

For the third year in a row, Lionsteel took home the top prize of the Overall Knife of the Year award. In 2015, it was the T.R.E.; in 2016, it was the KUR Metamorphosis; and this year, it’s the SR-11.

The Lionsteel SR-11 is a truly impressive piece of artistry that evolved out of the popular SR-1, which won the Most Innovative Imported Design of the Year award at BLADE Show 2010. This model features a ball-bearing flipper system, a tungsten carbide window breaker, Rotoblock frame-locking system, and a 3.7-inch Sleipner blade.

Here’s another look from SR-11 owner foldersunfolded on Instagram:

American-Made Knife of the Year: Spartan Blades Kranos

Winning the American-Made Knife of the Year is the Kranos from Spartan Blades. It features a modern look with an S35VN blade and a titanium/G10 handle. Kranos is apparently the Greek word for helmet, which is awesome because if you look closely, you can see the profile of a Spartan helmet in the handle design. Subtle but awesome.

Here’s a quick video:

Imported Knife of the Year: CRKT Crossbones

CRKT won Imported Knife of the Year with its Foresight back in 2012 and takes home the prize again this year for its Crossbones. Designed by Jeff Park of Hawaii, the Crossbones is a thin and streamlined flipper that’s lightweight and versatile. It’s based off Park’s first custom release and features IKBS ball bearing pivot system, brushed aluminum handles, and AUS 8 steel blade. That’s all in a  package that’s 2.4 ounces.

Most Innovative American Design: Tighe Breaker Integral Automatic

(The image is of the flipper button lock version of the knife but you can see the auto version in the video.)

One of my personal favorite awards surrounds innovation because these are some of the most interesting designs. Brian Tighe gets the nod this year with his Tighe Breaker Integral Automatic (I swear he’ll never run out of knife names based around his surname). This  version is the first integral automatic knife and features handles made from a  single piece of titanium. They’ll make even the manliest man swoon.

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With the 2016 BLADE Show in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look at all those awesome knives that won the “Knife of the Year” awards. It’s fantastic that knives and knifemakers are honored for excellence at one of the biggest events in the knife world.

Like last year, we’ll take a look at some of the big winners from the 2016 BLADE Show, but you can find the full list at the very end of the post.

Overall Knife of the Year: Lionsteel Metamorphosis

For a consecutive year, Lionsteel took home the top prize of the Overall Knife of the Year with the Metamorphosis. Lionsteel is a family-owned operation founded in Italy in 1969. Its goal, which all other companies should strive for, is to produce knives using only the best materials with unparalleled quality control.

The Metamorphosis is a flipper with a textured aluminum handle featuring a special heat-sensitive coating. When the handle is held in the hand for a few minutes, it changes from black to camouflage. Check out the video:

The premium Sleipner steel blade is 3.43 inches and locks with a liner lock. Sure, the handles are just a luxury, but the knife itself is a real performer.

American-Made Knife of the Year: Spartan Blades SHF

The Spartan Harsey Folder, which goes by SHF, is an anticipated design from Bill Harsey Jr. Harsey has won a few American-Made Knife of the Year awards in the past and this folder is definitely worthy.

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It was yet another great BLADE Show down in Atlanta this year. We saw the arrival of a few new and exciting prototypes, drooled over all the custom knives, and watched the cutting competitions with captivation.

However, one of our favorite segments of the BLADE Show is finding out the winners of the Blade Magazine Knife of the Year Awards. Fifteen awards are handed out, but we’re only going in depth with a few. You can see the full list without all the commentary at the bottom.

Accessory Of The Year: Wicked Edge Generation 3 Pro

First up is the Accessory Of The Year Award. The recipient is the Generation 3 Pro from Wicked Edge. This $700 contraption is an astounding knife sharpener. With micro-adjustable ball jointed guide arms and precise angle adjustments, you can’t find a more accurate sharpener than the Generation 3 Pro.

Best Buy of the Year: Spyderco Byrd Knife Cara Cara 2

Spyderco won two awards this year, including the Best Buy. This is a knife that offers the best design and performance for the money. The Byrd Cara Cara 2 is a lightweight folder with a 3.75-inch blade made of 8Cr13MoV steel. The least expensive iteration has a handle made of Black FRN with a midlock to keep the knife open. Since Byrd Knives are a sub-brand of Spyderco, they have a modified Spydie hole that’s just as easy and quick to deploy.

This is definitely a well-deserved recipient.

Most Innovative Imported Design: Fox Knives Desert Fox

Nice to see one of our customers taking home an award for “Most Innovative Imported Design” with our Damasteel Björkmans Twist???? #damasteelab #damasteel #damascus #BjörkmansTwist #award #FOX #FoxKnives #DesertFox #Atlanta #BladeShow2015 #mostinnovativeimporteddesign

A photo posted by Damasteel AB (@damasteelab) on Jun 7, 2015 at 10:20pm PDT

As I’ve said previously, the award for most innovative is my favorite because it showcases the ingenuity still present in a field that’s been around for thousands of years. The innovative imported design goes to the Desert Fox from Fox Knives. For those unfamiliar with the brand, Fox Knives is known for making knives of the highest quality.

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Yet another fantastic BLADE Show came and went. There were a ton of things to take away and we’ll continue to cover those in the coming weeks, but first on to one of our favorite parts: awards.

There were 15 awards handed out overall, but we’re only going to show you a few. You can find the full list of winners, including more pictures, at the BLADE Magazine blog.

Accessory of the Year – SOG Blade Light Sheath

The accessory of the year went to the unique sheath for the SOG BladeLight. If you want one of these award-winning sheaths, the SOG BladeLight Camp, SOG BladeLight Fillets and SOG BladeLight Tactical each come with one.

Best Buy Knife of the Year – Kershaw/Emerson CQC

The knife that’s considered the best buy this year is the Kershaw-Emerson CQC. The CQC is designed by famed knifemaker Ernest Emerson and built by Kershaw. The Emerson Knives Inc. version of the CQC is a high-end knife that goes for more than $100 and is a highly respected knife. (You can find some of the Emerson Knives Inc. CQC knives here.) With Kershaw producing the knives, the price has come down quite a bit, giving knife enthusiasts a way to buy.

Most Innovative Imported Knife of the Year – Klecker Knives TI-KLAX

I don’t mean to be bias, but I love innovative knives, so this award always gets me excited, and the innovative imported knife from Klecker Knives is drool-inducing. The TI-KLAX is a brilliant creation that features a ton of things. Let’s just let the Klecker Knives site lay down what it has: “Titanium Ax Blade, Hammer Head, Hex Wrench Set, 1/4” Bit Drive Socket, Bottle Opener, Lanyard Hole, Caribiner [sic], Ruler and KLAX Clamping System.”

Most Innovative American Knife Of The Year – Spartan Blades Integral Frame Slipjoint Continue reading