Anyone ever attended The Blade Show in Atlanta, GA?

T

The Motivator

Joined
Dec 12, 2007
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I'm planning on attending The Blade Show this summer in Atlanta. Any comments, criticisms, and concerns from people WHO HAVE ATTENDED are very much welcomed and appreciated. Thanks!
 
I went to the B S Atlanta in '06 and couldn't have loved it more. I have gone to the Sept Chgo knife show, BS West, and the Oregon knife collectors show in Eugene. Atlanta towers over the others. I still enjoy the memory of it almost 2 yrs. later. In fact I still remember crossing from the corridor into the show. My eyes were like dinner plates. It was like stepping through the pearly gates.

BS West is not worth going to unless you are within driving distance like me. It seems like it shrunk after it moved from LA to Portland. The Eugene show is actually better. Chgo is good if you like SUK's (sports utility knives, aka 'tactical' folders). Usually in attendence are Pat Crawford, Bob T, RJ Martin, Darrel Ralph, Steve Ryan, Ernest Emerson, and Rick Hinderer. A few others lesser known but worthy like Les Voorhies were at Chgo in 07.

There are no disappointments in Atlanta.

Make sure you attend some of the seminars. I greatly enjoyed the Crucible seminar, Ernest Emerson (go early if you want a seat) and Strider (even though he talked politics, not knives--false advertising, but he is a dynamic speaker).

My advice is to get there as early as possible. They open I think an hour ahead of the published schedule, and for an extra 10 bucks you get in early, which is a good idea. If you want to buy any customs, look at the table map at (collect.com, I think) and plan out your first few minutes like a assault. Go immediately to the table of the maker you're most interested in, then the next, etc. Take a couple minutes to study the map to ensure max speed. Then relax and enjoy the production people & makers of lesser interest. Check out the MCusta booth. Breathtakingly beautiful female Japanese sales reps dressed in traditional Japanese garb.
 
wutitiz,
Thanks for the suggestions. I live in Tennessee and have friends who live south of Atlanta, so travel is no problem. So there are custom makers as well as reps from the larger companies?
 
It's no longer collect.com, my bad. I just googled it, and its at blademag.com. Cilck on blade show. It appears they do not yet have their list of table-holders up yet but I'm sure they will before too long. Lots of custom makers, semi-custom like say Chris Reeves, and virtually all mfgs. like Benchmade, Kershaw, etc. Also purveyers like Robertson and Arizona knives.

As an example of how well attended it is, William Henry Knives. which is located in a suburb of Portland, didn't even bother to have a booth at Blade Show West, which is held in Portland. But they did have a large display w/ several reps at the Atlanta Show.

BTW I noticed when I googled Blade show atlanta, there is a video tour of last year's Blade Show on youtube.com.
 
Go. You won't regret it.

My first Blade was last year, and I've already made plans to return this year.
 
When and where are there shows on the east coast.... I have been dreaming of going but i dont have the time/money to travel far... Im in CT.. if that helps..
Thanks
Matt B.
 
The Blade Show is toyland for big boys. It is great. I met so many big name knife makers last year. All were fine gentlemen, too. Unfortunately, my daughter's graduation is at the same time as Blade this year. I hate to miss it. If you can, go.
 
I've been to the Blade show every year for the past 20 years! yea, definitly go!

Rick Hinderer
 
Guyon said:
Go. You won't regret it.

My first Blade was last year, and I've already made plans to return this year.
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Same here. Had a blast last year. Only bad thing was that I had to leave Saturday afternoon. :(

Already booked my room this year and I plan to arrive late afternoon Friday and leave Sunday afternoon this time. :thumbup:
 
Blade ROCKS!!!


:thumbup: :thumbup:


I'll be at 25D - see you all there!
 
Thanks a plenty people! This really helps. Hey Rick Hinderer, nice knife you created for Gerber. I read an article about you and the knife in Blade Magazine. I think its cool that knife "celebrities" (Becker, Jeff Randall, Gossman, Hinderer, others) are on bladeforums.com too! Follow up question about the Blade Show........

How much money should I plan to take? Being in college, finances are not the most abundant substance. You all are probably gonna ask me in return: How much do you plan on spending? Well, my response....I've had my eye on the following:

CR "Ubejane"
Cold Steel "Recon Scout"
TOPS "Outpost Command", "Loner", "Sierra Scout", "Dawn Warrior", "Walk-about", and "Black Rhino"
Fallkniven S1
Anything by Scrapyard knives
Ontario RAT-5
Kabar "Warthog"
Ranger knives (the 4 and 6 inch models)

Heck, I should buy 'em all!!
 
Get in touch w/ the scrapyard people just before the show and see if they will have any show specials. When I attended they did.
 
The Motivator said:
I think its cool that knife "celebrities" (Becker, Jeff Randall, Gossman, Hinderer, others) are on bladeforums.com too! Follow up question about the Blade Show........
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Besides other forums, where are they supposed to hang out to be publicly adulated? Home with the wife:confused::D:D:D

The Motivator said:
How much money should I plan to take? Being in college, finances are not the most abundant substance. You all are probably gonna ask me in return: How much do you plan on spending? Well, my response....I've had my eye on the following:
Click to expand...

This is not a joke.....no matter how much you take...it will not be enough....so bust a spleen to scrape together every cent that you can...and purchase very, very wisely, otherwise, you will be in a world of hurt, when come Sunday around noon, you find your personal Excalibur....and you won't be able to buy it.....that said, don't overspend so severly that you have to hold a "fire sale" because it is easier to buy somthing than it is to keep it. At Blade, cash is king, some take credit, and you better be a seriously "known" personage to get a check accepted.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I'll be there for my first Blade Show, should I plan on more than 1 day (I think I know the answer)? Thanks
 
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