Question: visit Solvang or Blade??

Marcel54

Marcel54

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Jul 30, 2005
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I have the possibility to visit one US based knife show this year. I narrowed my choice down to two shows. The Solvang Knife Show or Blade. As far as I know Solvang is not the largest but a high quality show and Blade is the non plus ultra in knifeshows but also massive on "non customs".

Besides that Solvang sounds more attractive (surroundings, weather) than Atlanta in almost summer.

What do you guys think? I would value your opinion greatly about to which show to go.

Thanks.

Marcel
 
considering where you live........and how much I like the Blade Show, I would think there is only one choice.

Atlanta has almost every well known knifemaker attending.

Blade is the biggest and best......Its a lot like Christmas for a kid!!!:D
 
If it's just about the knives, then I would and do pick Blade. Solvang is no doubt one of the most beautiful settings of countryside in the US. Many non-knife related things to do and see. There's also a lot to do in Atlanta, but I would not describe it as I did Solvang. The Blade Show takes place in a nice section of Atlanta. The heat is bearable at the time of the show.

Even though Blade is massive in regard "non customs", it still has MUCH more in the way of customs than any other show I have visited.
Then there's ALL the other things to do at Blade Show. The "PIT", Seminars, ABS Auction and more maker's, dealer's and collectors than any other knife show in the world. It's the knife collector's paradise. Hope to see you there Marcell.
 
Blade is the biggest knife show on the planet!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
If you've not done either, Blade is hard to miss. It's definitely something to try once, and you are certain to see a few things to interest you, not to mention buying supplies, etc.

With this said, personally I would choose Solvang, which I haven't experienced yet. I'm more out for the top quality pieces or makers at this point, as opposed to quantity, so I like the idea of a more focused show. If you go to Blade, to fully benefit from the experience, you need to spend many hours at the show itself. Personally I hit the saturation point long before I exhausted the possibilities.

Note that you should also take a look at the makers' list and see who will be where. Some makers will only be at Solvang, a huge number will only be at Blade.
 
I went to Solvang and Blade last year. Solvang is smaller than you think its no where near the blade show. You will find very high quality knives at the solvang. But i would go with the Blade Show.
 
I've been to Blade the last 4 years and in all of them the weather had been nice. Warm, but not too hot. I enjoy being at Blade much more than I do at the two NY shows, NYCKS and ECCKS.
 
Come on Marcel, You already agreed to visit the BLADE Show.... :)

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
if it is purely for knives, blade seems to be the obvious choice

however, if you want to enjoy a beautiful part of the united states i would go to solvang. there is much more to see and do.

atlanta is miserably hot and humid in the summer
 
Go to Blade for your first US knife show. Go to California on vacation later when there is no pressure to "hit a home run" with you first US knife show experience. I haven't been to any show west of the Pecos, but Blade dwarfs even the monster Orlando shows that the Guild held back it the good old days in the early 90's and that's saying something. As for the custom knives, imagine SICAC with at least 5 times as many makers and purveyors, minumum and maybe 10 times as many suppliers of stuff for makers and even more variety. Blade really shines not only because of its size, but also because everyone is there selling EVERYTHING. The Pit is like the cafe scene at SICAC, only infinitely larger and it goes on all night long...lol.
 
Blade is the only way to fly! The best recommendation I can make is to not skimp on your time there. Plan on all three days...you will need it. You will enjoy it. :thumbup:

- Joe
 
Thanks guys you all convinced me...I just booked a room at the Waverly for four nights.:thumbup::cool:.

One more question...is it wise to rent a car or is it better just to take a taxi to the hotel and for the possible other rides??

Marcel
 
Just take a cab to the hotel, Marcel, everything goes on in
and around the hotel........ :)

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
It all depends on what you are looking for. Blade has just about everything you can think of in the knife world. It is the largest knife show anywhere. Solvang is a beautiful quaint show. Setting is everything in Solvang. It is a little Scandavavia. The show room, unless it has moved, is on the smaller size. The makers that go to the Solvang show, Frank Centofonte, Gil Hibben, Yoshindo Yoshiharo, Joe Cordova just to name a few. Though many of the same makers attend blade. Both are great shows but if you are looking for more bang for your Euro then Blade is the only choice.
 
"One more question...is it wise to rent a car or is it better just to take a taxi to the hotel and for the possible other rides??"

I think there are shuttles to the airport from the hotel, so that's easy. From the airport going to the hotel I'm sure there are fixed rate shared minivan shuttles like Super Shuttle or similar services. They generally have a fixed rate that's much lower than a taxi, and the tip amount ends up lower too. They tend to run round the clock pickups every hour, so whenever you land you can go to the area at the airport that they pick up and just wait for the next round. Or you can sometimes call for a pickup/reservation, though those will want to pick you up much earlier so they can also do their unscheduled pickup runs too. Do a search for "airport shuttle Atlanta" and you should get some ideas.
 
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