Blade Show 2023 Awards Recap

You never really know what will come out of Blade Show. Sometimes there are lots of announcements and surprises, sometimes less. But one thing that always comes out of the big Atlanta event are the Blade Show Awards. These awards are given out to specific knives and makers in certain categories: 11 categories for production knives, and 19 categories for custom ones.

Production Awards

As we mentioned in an article yesterday, one of the biggest winners this year was GiantMouse, who took home Overall Knife of the Year in the production category for their GMX folder. We also saw newcomer RoseCraft Blades take home their first Blade Show award, Imported Knife of the Year, for the Clinch River Swayback. Here are the full results for the production-side awards:

Overall Knife of the Year: GiantMouse GMX

American-made Knife of the Year: Benchmade Narrows

Imported Knife of the Year: RoseCraft Blades Clinch River Swayback

Most Innovative American Knife: Buck 590 Paradigm

Most Innovative Imported Knife: Maserin W-Lock

Manufacturing Quality: Spartan Blades Limited Edition Spartan-Harsey Folder

Best Collaboration: We Knife Co. Solid (collab with Gustavo T. Cecchini)

Best Investor Knife: Shirogorov Knives Mini Quantum CD

Best Kitchen Knife: MKM Prima

Best Buy: Kershaw Iridium

Accessory of the Year: Work Sharp Professional Precision Adjust

Custom Awards

Meanwhile, the custom knife awards category highlighted some of the best of the best in the realm of handcrafted blades. There’s a huge diversity in custom knife making, so there are nearly twice as many awards given out in the custom category.

Specific congratulations to Zane Dvorak of ZD Forge, who broke onto the scene with his Keyhole fixed blade [see featured image], a hunter rendered in striking Ghost Fire damascus; the fixie snagged Dvorak the Best New Maker award in Atlanta. Best Tactical Folder went to France’s Grind Tactical, for the Speartak. Lucas Gumbiner snagged Best Kitchen Knife award for his Japanese-inspired knife. But the full diversity of the Custom category is hard to convey without looking at the full spread:

Best in Show and Best Fixed Blade: Vince Evan

Best Fighter: Samuel Lurquin

Best Kitchen Knife: Lucas Gumbiner

Best Folder: Owen Wood

Best Tactical Folder: Grind Tactical Speartak

Best Handle: Fabio Barros

Best Utility Hunter: Oliver Goldschmidt

Best Slipjoint: Luke Swenson

Best Damascus: CAS Knives

Best M.A.C.K.: Shirogorov Knives

Best Collaboration: Raul Sartor Filho and Fabio Barros

Best Art Knife: Mauricio Daletzky

Best Bowie: Dionatam Franco

Best Sword: Vince Evans

Best Miniature: Chuck Gedraitis

Most Innovative: GTC Knives Enigma

Best of the Rest: Will Stelter ” Marshmallow Fork”

Best New Maker: Zane Dvorak

Knife in Featured Image: ZD Knives Keyhole

The information provided by KnifeNews.com (the “Site”) is for general recreational purposes only. The views and opinions expressed on the Site are those of the author or those quoted and do not necessarily reflect the views of any entities they represent. All information on the Site is provided in good faith, however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of the information on the Site. Under no circumstance shall we have any liability to you for any loss or damage as the result of the use of the Site or reliance on any information provided. Your use of the Site and your reliance on any information on the Site is solely at your own risk.