The show floor at the Cobb Galleria is closed for the day: makers tables have been picked over, Best in Show has been awarded, the BladeSports National Championship is decided, and many out-of-town exhibitors and attendees are heading home. Thanks for following this year’s coverage of the world’s biggest custom knife show. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

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Congratulations go out to LionSteel and the Pauletta Family for winning the Blade Show Knife of the Year Honors for the third straight year.  The knife that took down the 2016 prize was the new KUR Metamorphosis that features a heat sensitive handle coating that transitions from solid black to a camouflage pattern at around 73° Fahrenheit. The company first announced the new knife coincident with SHOT Show in January.

It’s official: Donavon Phillips and Jessi Elias are the Men’s and Women’s BladeSports National Cutting Champions! Congratulations to each for a job well done against stiff competition. Phillips unseats reigning champion Dan Keffeler, who has held the title for three consecutive years.

BladeSports, which pits contestants against a series of cutting challenges designed to test the limits of both their blades and themselves, has grown from a knife safety advocacy group from Texas into a nationwide organization. In fact, this is the first year that they’ve expanded to include a Women’s Division, making Jessi the first-ever Women’s Champion!

Donavon Phillips 2016 National Champion

Jessi Elias 2016 Women’s National Champion

Raymond Johnson spent the weeks before Blade Show working long hours to bring a total of 52 knives to table #20B. And if you don’t find something among those blades, Johnson’s books are open.

The Ultimate Knife’s entry in the Most Innovative Design category is the unorthodox C.D.H.K., a folding multi-tool karambit designed by Mandiola Defense and Mike Vellekamp outfitted with a hex bit tool attachment.

“That’s not a knife. This is a knife.” Head over to Hammer Down Forge at Table #24P if you need more convincing.