Table of contents for Complete Knife Guide 2023 in Blade

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

Dream Teams

As you peruse the pages of the BLADE Complete Knife Guide Spring 2023, in addition to all the new knives and sharpeners (page 12) for the coming year, our exclusive Knife Industry Directory and more, a notable item is the story on the knife designs of the masters (page 28). The featured knives are contemporary ones designed by some of the greatest custom knifemakers of the modern era (1970-2023), in alphaa-betical order, Tony Bose, Kit Carson, Bob Dozier, Ernest Emerson, Jerry Fisk, Bill Moran, Ken Onion and Bob Terzuola. Bose, Carson, Moran and Onion are members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame® and the others probably should be, too. Knives designed by custom makers reproduced by factory companies is, of course, nothing new. Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Blackie Collins is…

3 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

DESIGNS OF THE MASTERS

The names—Bose (page 8), Carson, Dozier, Emerson, Fisk, Moran, Onion and Terzuola*—resonate across the world of custom and factory knives. Their designs are among the best and the brightest in fixed blade and folding knives, produced by manufacturers to exacting specifications and made to last. They come equipped with variety, fashion and flair, ready for use and for admiration as well. Blade and handle materials are as varied as the tastes or preferences that any designer, manufacturer and buyer could want. They work well for everyday carry, a foray into the field, or just generally having around when a job is at hand. And the consumer can take pride in owning a knife that has been conceived and brought to life with the master’s eye for detail. Some of the…

4 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

COMPLETE KNIFE GUIDE 2023 INDUSTRY DIRECTORY

FIND PRODUCTS AND SERVICES EASY AS 1 The Index at right shows you where each major section begins. 2 Turn to the appropriate section where the knife products are identified alphabetically. An alphabetical listing of sources follows each product category. 3 Go to the Names and Addresses section for contact information of your chosen source(s). INDEX OF MAJOR SECTIONS Knives/Cutlery – Factory 53 Special Services and Products 57 Distributors 59 Names and Addresses 60 With a few exceptions, the sources in the Industry Directory are non-custom industry professionals. Knives/Cutlery Factory/Dealers (Importers/Makers) ANTIQUE Adams International Knifeworks-AIK American Edge American Military Edged Weaponry Museum Atlanta Cutlery Corp. Bryan Bros. Cutlery Co. Cutlery Specialties EdgeDealer.com Fort Henry Custom Knives Hickory Hill Cutlery House Of Blades LATAMA Cutlery Marble Arms Northwest Knives & Collectibles…

29 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

EDGE OF THE CAST

Making short work of the day’s catch or preparing other items for a tasty meal comes easily with some of the best fillet knives on the market. Sleek blades built for business and handles with sturdy grips complete packages that bring the art of preparation to swift conclusion. Contemporary fillet knives are equipped with the best in stainless steel blades along with handle materials that shed water, fluids and other materials with ease. Both blade and handle tackle the task at hand, shaking off salt or fresh water and returning with a like-new sheen. Cleanup is a breeze, and that means confidence and peace of mind. Try these fine fixed-blade and folding fillet knives out. Feel the blade flex, test the saturation limits of the handle. Wipe them off and…

5 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

COVER STORY

The three featured cover knives showcase the advanced approach to symmetrical folder design and state-of-the-art materials practiced by Rick Hinderer and Hinderer Knives. The XM-18 3.5-inch automatic offers out-the-side deployment of a spear point blade of premium CPM 20CV stainless steel. The button-lock opener emerges from a textured 6Al-4V titanium handle anodized a gold color. The grip incorporates a ridged finger groove that curves into an integral single guard, and a hole for a lanyard on the spine of the butt. Weight: 5.5 ounces. Closed length: 4.75 inches. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP): $650. The Project X is a flipper folder equipped with a 3.66-inch clip-point blade of premium CPM S45VN stainless steel. The 6Al-4V textured titanium handle has a framelock to secure the blade open, and a pocket clip.…

2 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

HIGH-OCTANE CUTTERS

High-performance blade steels long have been a major selling point in the knife market, and today’s premium cutting materials maintain that tradition. M390 and CPM S30V, S35VN, S45VN, 20CV, 154 and MagnaCut are just some of the steels popular in the supercharged realm. Regardless of your chosen steel or steels, it’s hard to ignore those of the high-octane variety. Using a knife with one of these state-of-the-art materials is akin to driving a sports car with a souped-up engine. There’s a thrill to using and owning both. Typically, high-performance blade steels are pretty much standard equipment on a large number of custom and high-end factory knives. Though the steels come with a healthy price tag, there are some overseas manufacturers who make knives with such blades at a fraction of…

5 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

Names and Addresses

A 5.11 Tactical www.511Tactical.com Tactical apparel, gear, and fixed blades and folders AccuSharp International (see Fortune Products, Inc.) Adams International Knifeworks-AIK Contact: Crystal p 618-656-9868 www.adamsknifeworks.com adamsknifeworks.com@gmail.com A leading source for switchblade/automatic knives for over 35 years! Specialists in all brands of automatic cutlery for law enforcement, first responders, and collectors. AIK’s in-house custom shop creates exclusive knives for the finest collections. We offer hand file work, rehandling, knife embellishments and engraving from our exceptional customizer, Andrew Lee Adams. The finest collections have been built by AIK! Admiral Steel LLC 4152 W. 123rd St. Alsip, IL 60803-1869 p 800-323-7055 f 708-388-9317 www.admiralsteel.com sales@admiralsteel.com Supplies blade steels to production/custom knifemakers Adam Unlimited 5456 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. #119 Atlanta, GA 30341 Contact: Adam Drescher 404-621-4499 adamunlimited.com adam@adamunlimited.com Rayskin and exotic leather; knife…

69 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

SHOW CALENDAR

Note: Events with an asterisk (*) ave knives and knife accessories as the main/sole focus. Events with two asterisks (**) are knifemaking seminars or symposiums, cutting competitions, auctions, or other knife-related events. NOVEMBER NOV. 18-19 NASHVILLE, TN Nashville Custom Knife Show, Sheraton Grand Nashville Downtown. Visit fiftyfiftyproductions.net.* NOV. 19-20 CONROE, TX Texas Custom Knife Show, Southern Star Brewing Co. Contact Mike Thomas, razorsharpmt@yahoo.com, texascustomknifeshow.com.* NOV. 19-20 WHARTON, TX Wharton Gun & Knife Show, Wharton Civic Center. Contact Diamondback Guns Shows 210-391-3447 db-gunshows@gmail.com. DECEMBER DEC. 3-4 HOPKINSVILLE, KY Hopkinsville Gun & Knife Show, Western Kentucky State Fair. For info visit https://rkshows.com/prod-uct/table-reservation-hopkinsville-ky december-3-4-2022/. DEC. 10-17 TEXARKANA, TX Hybrid Intro to Bladesmithing Class, the ABS Moran School of Bladesmithing, Texarkana College. Call 903-823-3270, visit cbe.texarkanacol-lege.edu or contact Don McIntosh mcintosh-knives@gmail.com.** 2023 JANUARY JAN.…

4 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

WHERE TO NET'EM

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.com ag@agrussell.com Adams Intl Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.com adamsknifeworks.com@gmail.com Automatic & Customized Knife Specialists Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.com terry@admiralsteel.com Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.com A Real Store & Working Knife Shop! American Edge www.americanedgeknives.com info@americanedgeknives.com 320-393-2792 We have A Knife For Every Life Artknives.com www.artknives.com fred@fredeisenleather.com Andre de Villiers www.advtactical.co.za Facebook - Andre de Villiers adv44sales@gmail.com Butcher SOB folders. Arizona Custom Knives www.arizonacustomknives.com sharptalk@arizonacustomknives.com Largest selection in the world of new and consigned knives on the internet. Let us help you find the perfect knife. Dozier Knives and Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com Bob Dozier Knives www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.com Make Your Mark Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands CRKT www.crkt.com info@crkt.com Culpepper & Co., Inc. www.knifehandles.com www.oldschoolknifeworks.com www.stingrayproducts.com…

2 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

What’s Sharp FOR ’23

For the contact information for the pictured knives/edged tools and sharpeners, see the Knife Industry Directory beginning on page 52. For the latest knives, knife news, trends, and more, visit blademag.com, BLADE®’s popular Instagram page @blade_magazine, and on Facebook and Twitter. 1. NANO/LIONSTEEL PATTERN: Gent’s knife BLADE LENGTH: 2.56” BLADE MATERIAL: CPM MagnaCut BLADE THICKNESS: .15” BLADE GRIND: Flat BLADE OPENER: Flipper tab & nail nick HANDLE FRAME: 6Al4V titanium HANDLE MATERIAL: A selection of them POCKET CLIP: Single piece of milled titanium LOCK: Framelock WEIGHT: 3.56 ozs. CLOSED LENGTH: 3.79” SPECIAL FEATURES: Removable flipper tab; tungsten-carbide glass breaker in the handle butt COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy MSRP: $275 at press time rate of exchange AVAILABLE: End of ’22 2. MIK-08/HALFBREED BLADES KNIFE TYPE: Medium infantry knife BLADE LENGTH: 6.69” BLADE MATERIAL: K110/D2 tool steel BLADE…

7 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

CURE FOR THE ALLURE

Knives come in all shapes and sizes, and, as far as using and collecting them go, very few of you can resist the allure of those with big blades. Simply put, no self-respecting knife guide would be complete without including this category. Big knives not only have a mystical magnetism, they have special areas of utility as well. In fact, big knives require that you learn a variety of handling techniques for you to be able to work them like smaller blades. Believe it or not, using a range of different knife sizes helps you become more creative in your approach to manipulating your edged tools. Therefore, you can see how big choppers aren’t just for chopping. Overall, a big knife’s lines, features and feel have a certain sex…

4 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

A SCHOOL OF VERSA-TOOLS

Trends come and trends go, but multi-blade folders and tools have never come close to leaving the cutlery scene. First off, the collector and user base for traditional fare has been ingrained in the psyche of knife lovers for many generations. Fathers and grandfathers have gifted or passed their pocketknives and pocket tools down to sons and grandsons for eons. While there aren’t the huge number of manufacturers there used to be in the genre, there are plenty of such tools out there, ranging from high-end, fancy folders to affordable daily workhorses. Secondly, there also are cutlery companies that have taken the multi-blade/tool format and run with it in a modern way. Some have taken cues from the old patterns, adding contemporary design aspects and mechanisms to bring them up…

6 min

Blade|Complete Knife Guide 2023

All Made Their Mark

Some crackerjack contributors to the cutlery industry passed away in 2022, individuals who not only meant a lot to those who knew them in the knife community, but, of course, meant the world to their friends and families as well. In alphabetical order they include (if we have omitted anyone, please forgive us): JOHN COHEA: A knifemaker and leather worker, John was known for knives, tomahawks and sheaths in a frontier-period style. The knives sported bolsters and guards of rawhide-wrapped copper, forged wrought iron and agecorrect period steel such as chain links or wagon-wheel hoops. His elaborate sheaths were as period correct as his knives, including the incorporation of handsome leather with lots of tassels. JOE CORDOVA: An award-winning full-time maker, Joe made his first knife in 1953 and received his…

3 min