BLADE magazine

lmbhami

lmbhami

Joined
Aug 20, 2008
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351
I have been a avid subscriber to BLADE magazine for quite a few years. I recently received a renwal form and it got me thinking....


I noticed that over the past few years It really hasn't been as good as it used to be.

I have noticed that almost half is advertisements
I have also noticed that it seems that it is the same old makers, same old stories just rehashed.

Not to take anything away from the makers.

Also it seems like the makers they profile generally are out of the working mans grasp.



Or maybe its just that I get my fix from Blade forums now.


Whats your thoughts
 
I agree 100%. I quit my subscription a long time ago.
It seems to have gone downhill sometime ago.
 
I have been an on and off subscriber for a few years.

It's nice to see what's new or on the way, and some of the art knives featured are amazing, but pretty frequently the articles do seem to be just "industry fluff". There's not much said, it's all complementary and reads like a condensed press release, knives mentioned in the text are not pictured, or the pictures are of knives that are not mentioned. I think the magazine is worth the $20/year introductory rate, but beyond that...
 
The longer I was on Bladeforums, the less the magazines mattered. I got more information and pictures, with the ability to ask about and discuss the knives and knifemakers.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
The longer I was on Bladeforums, the less the magazines mattered. I got more information and pictures, with the ability to ask about and discuss the knives and knifemakers.
Click to expand...

I agree still I’ve got to have something to read in the bathroom and I learned the hard way not to bring my computer in there.
 
I have been enjoying the magazine less and less over the years. Part of the reason for it is similar to what Esav just stated but I also feel that the magazine's content is of a lower quality than it once was.
 
I think I concur with all the sentiments expressed so far. I really don't want to use "In bed with" analogy, but it sometimes has that flavor.

That being said, there's a certain "magic" to havin' a rag of knife info in your hands and totally portable to boot. Still makes me feel like a kid all over again - and here lately, seems llike I need that some.

I think the tide will always ebb & flow. All we can do is be a "voice" and hope they listen.

Gibby

PS - Hey CarpScot, how ya been?
 
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I like knifeworld and tactical knives but blade and knives illustrated do very little for me these days. I still have a subscription for Blade but it will run its course here shortly. I don't plan to renew but then again I always let them expire and wait until the inevitable "we want you back" better offer comes in the mail before I consider renewing. ;)

Blade does seem to focus more on art knives and high end than they do anything actually carried and used at least by the working man so in that regard I like others better although they get out of touch also. Personally none of them are as good for informational content than KnifeWorld's publication in my opinion.
STR
 
There is a parallel to gun mags here, in that they tend to have similar articles year after year. At least once a year someone writes an article on autos vs revolvers or the best pocket pistol. I glance at Blade-Guns & Ammo & watch mags when I'm in the book store, but never feel inclined to buy one.
 
It's one reason I stopped reading gun magazines. I've never read one article that ripped a gun, and said it was inaccurate and constantly jammed. All the guns were specially supplied by the company and reviewers were given a special price in the event they wanted to keep the gun. It was a total conflict of interest that computer magazines have managed to avoid. I also got tired of all the glossy photos of guns the reviewers then painstakingly described as though we couldn't see the bloody thing. All the articles had the same style and there were never any articles about classic or out of production guns -- it was strictly geared to generate sales. Blade gave me the same impression, and I just don't need that.

Knife and gun books are much better, I think.
 
I subscribe to Blade and enjoy it very much. Oddly, I have to agree with all the negative things that have been said as well. But at this point in my life, my interests lean far more heavily towards "collecting," rather than simply "accumulating" knives, and I find that Blade addresses my interests quite well.

When the day comes that I get a copy in the mail and, after reading it, I can honestly say I didn't get anything out of it, I'll probably let my subscription lapse. That day hasn't come yet. And come on, it's only $20 a year. I blow that much nearly every day without thinking twice about it.
 
I like Blade, it's a decent knife mag, but it's also a poor magazine, if you know what I mean. There just isn't alot of competition in the knife world, so Blade gets away with it. Much like Car & Driver, it just heaps praise and generalities on the knives it reviews, and much of the mag is taken up giving spots to companies who also advertise, a common magazine industry practice, but transparent and cheap as well. For $20 a year, be glad there is a decent knife magazine out there that sends an issue every month. I can't imagine subscription rates being very high, so they try to keep the cost down by sucking up to advertisers and manufacturers. The alternative is a much more expensive and better magazine. Which, actually, I think, more knife nuts would buy. I would pay an extra $10-$20 for honesty, critical analysis, and in-depth articles.
 
lmbhami said:
I have been a avid subscriber to BLADE magazine for quite a few years. I recently received a renwal form and it got me thinking....


I noticed that over the past few years It really hasn't been as good as it used to be.

I have noticed that almost half is advertisements
I have also noticed that it seems that it is the same old makers, same old stories just rehashed.

Not to take anything away from the makers.

Also it seems like the makers they profile generally are out of the working mans grasp.



Or maybe its just that I get my fix from Blade forums now.


Whats your thoughts
Click to expand...


I got a deal on a three year subscription. I currently subscribe to Blade, Tactical Knives and Knife World.

Blade is all over the place. Just as soon as you come to grips with it being just eye candy, it throws in a great article. Ed Fowler, Roger Pinnock, Kim Breed sometimes, the What I Carry section, the new collector profile section, knifemakers profiles. Other than that, a lot of pretty pics. I just got the new issue today, with the digicam Millie on the cover, and the info for next months issue are topics that have been done in the magazine already. I am interested in the "multi use knives before SAKs" article next month. It is geared more to collectors, but they do profile many different areas of the collecting/using community.

Since I mentioned them, I am letting my TK subscription run out because they have dropped Dan Schectman from some past issues, a big reason of why I buy the magazine (first read Dan's work in Backwoodsman and moved on to TK). I sincerely hope that the last issue I got, which has one of Dans articles, is standard fare. Knife World is more geared to collectors, but they provide a lot of history of companies and makers. Of the three mentioned, that is the only one I will be re upping when it comes due.

Knives Illustrated has never been a magazine that "excited" me like the three mentioned above, but I did like the recent article about Jerry Fisk shooting his Fiskmuk folder into the marsh, because it didn't come out right.
 
I'm with STR, I like Tactical & Knifeworld better. I find Knives Illustrated better than Blade Mag even though I subscribe to all of them, I like reading, but Blade is all advertisement & high class knives, I still get it cause I like read about some knives, But don't care too much about the high end knives. Like knives to use. Gary
 
I have started purchasing Blade again after a couple of year hiatus. I find that there are lots of great articles, but every once in awhile they put out a real dog of an issue. Still one of my two favorite knife publications. The other one being Knife World.
 
I'm near of the end of my first subscription to Blade. I will not be renewing it. I don't have any other experience with another knife mag, so I can't compare it to anything, but, generally, I haven't been all that impressed with it.
 
I'm switching to Knife World in the next couple of months. I dropped the two gun mags I had for a while too; the 'sameness' became tedious. BLADE has become the same way. It's cheaper for me to look through the rack at the bookstore, and if there's something good this month, I buy it. If not, I ignore it.

With the forums here, I don't need (as much) a hard copy magazine any more. I research anything I buy here on the forums. Member's opinions matter more to me than 'press release' copy in a magazine.

thx - cpr
 
I decided a while back to dump the knife mags and invest fifty buck in a Blade Forums platinum. Current information, direct user feedback, tips, tricks and humor. What more could I want? :)
 
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