Your favourite custom knife show, and why?

No one has mentioned the one in Kansas City in Sept.
Is it a good one?
I was planning to go to what would be my first.
 
Solvang

nice drive for me up there,
Dave Harvey does a nice job with the show,
Get to visit Nordic knives
get to play golf at the River Course
It's where I met Jim Cooper.

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I only asked because the Fisk show is usually 3 makers and is limited to approx 20 collectors.

John, I have been attending the NCCA show for more than 25yrs and know all the makers/ dealer you mentioned.
 
All the shows are great from my perspective. The Little Rock show when it was located on site with the Double Tree was one of my very favorites, small enough to be almost intimate but large enough to attract some of the very best makers showing incredible works. Also the opportunity to visit with some of my very best friends.

Blade Show, for the obvious reasons, the sheer size and even more of my good friends in attendance. It was/is more of a social event for me although there are always a "few" nice knives on display as well.;)

I'm slowing down a bit so I think Blade will be the only one for me this year......we'll see.

Paul
 
Richard338 said:
No one has mentioned the one in Kansas City in Sept.
Is it a good one?
I was planning to go to what would be my first.
Click to expand...

It was mentioned by Dawkind, it is the ICCE International Custom Cutlery Exposition. It is a good show, combination of the ABS and Knifemakers Guild but only for custom makers. If you want production knives, historical knives, etc. you won't find it at the ICCE. There are a couple of dealers who sell vintage customs. A smaller show is in St. Louis that has more diversity and includes custom and production, plus more dealers of both. The Little Rock show is just custom knives as well.

I used to like the NAKCA shows with their mix of customs, production, vintage, etc.. Bought my first through third customs and learned a lot about vintage pocket knives at them. Learned about fakes as well. Was schooled by Paul Baasch at one. They are long gone now :(
 
Thanks!

brownshoe said:
It was mentioned by Dawkind, it is the ICCE International Custom Cutlery Exposition. It is a good show, combination of the ABS and Knifemakers Guild but only for custom makers. If you want production knives, historical knives, etc. you won't find it at the ICCE. There are a couple of dealers who sell vintage customs. A smaller show is in St. Louis that has more diversity and includes custom and production, plus more dealers of both. The Little Rock show is just custom knives as well.

I used to like the NAKCA shows with their mix of customs, production, vintage, etc.. Bought my first through third customs and learned a lot about vintage pocket knives at them. Learned about fakes as well. Was schooled by Paul Baasch at one. They are long gone now :(
Click to expand...
 
One that I'll have on my calendar this year is the new "Central States Hammer-In & Knife Show". It is a new venture where the custom knife organizations from MO, KS, OK & AR are combining efforts for a one-day event which will travel to each state every four years starting in MO. If you like small & intimate shows then this may be to your liking as well as it will be limited to forty tables with many of these manned by top master smiths as well as having demonstrations by those same master smiths. (This show is for custom knives only.)

The date this year is Saturday, Sept. 9 (9am-4pm) at The Finley River Park in Ozark, MO.

The only other shows for me this year are ICCE & Little Rock.
 
Blade is like Mecca for knife people. You have to go at least once in your lifetime you are able. I have not been to nearly as many different shows as others, but the only show I saw that came remotely close to Blade were the couple of huge 400 table Guild shows at the mega-Marriott in Orlando the early 90's.
 
Good thread. However, the answers vary as much as asking "What's your favorite restaurant?"

For cheap food, for ambience, for convenience, for the best service, for a date, for overalls....? Etcetera. :D

The Art Knife Invitational (AKI) and it's now defunct east coast counterpart (Boston Art Knife Invitational) are wonderfully exclusive venues. The 'creme de la creme' in makers and collectors attendance, and it's quite the experience in rich tastes. I'm so glad the AKI survives. Phil's legacy kept this difficult business model thriving.

Same format: My experience is the Solvang Show has OUTSTANDING makers in attendance, more of them than the AKI, and the lunch and dinner spreads are VERY rich. The location is dreamy. Both are limited in attendees and are costly to join, but hardly costly compared to the experience, and for the knives being offered. (My personal favorite if I had to choose ONE. Dave Harvey and crew are unsurpassed.)

Milan & Sicac Paris, I am told, are outstanding! Someday....

The ECCKS in it's sheer variety of TOP quality makers AND dealers in attendance covers even more ground. International appeal and attendance of an extremely high magnitude. Just show up and pay at the door. This year an hor d'oeuvres and evening open bar bash was included for many. (Fifty Fifty Productions does it RIGHT!)

And then there is BLADE the giant mega-mall of knives which is like going to an amusement park: You are worn out thoroughly by the end, and didn't see half of it. As Paul suggested it's a social gathering. (Harrumphh. :rolleyes: :mad:)

Who can beat convenience? If it is close and doesn't take a plane ride or ten hours driving, that's a GREAT show! Chuck's mention of the NCCA shows are making me guilty for missing them in the past few years.

The MOST fun would always be those smaller gatherings: Hammer-ins and overall 'invitationals' which are low-key. Very intimate. The Fisk weekend and Josh Smith's (past) weekends are a hoot to those who made it.

Each of them has their benefits and detriments.

Funnily, I have spent the MOST time at a show at the NYCKS in NJ, because it's the least busy of my popular set-ups. I actually go in and spend an hour browsing and talking, but invariably someone gives me a knife and I'm back to work.
 
Hi guys, the AKI it was an unique experience. I was there just two times but it is the place where a collector feel himself in touch; Solvang intrigue me but, also close to my home, Milano possess his own character
regards guys
 
I went to SICAC in 2007 when it was being held at the Mutualite hall on the Left Bank and have been told that even by that time, it had slipped, allegedly because of the"cheapness"of the promoter. But you sure couldn't beat the location and neighborhood amenities!! IIRC, by like 2011, the BKS show at Gembloux had surpassed SICAC in number of participants, but it still had that friendly small show flavor. I was told back then that the Thiers show was the one in the Francophone world where you had go to see and be seen.
SharpByCoop said:
Good thread. However, the answers vary as much as asking "What's your favorite restaurant?"

For cheap food, for ambience, for convenience, for the best service, for a date, for overalls....? Etcetera. :D

The Art Knife Invitational (AKI) and it's now defunct east coast counterpart (Boston Art Knife Invitational) are wonderfully exclusive venues. The 'creme de la creme' in makers and collectors attendance, and it's quite the experience in rich tastes. I'm so glad the AKI survives. Phil's legacy kept this difficult business model thriving.

Same format: My experience is the Solvang Show has OUTSTANDING makers in attendance, more of them than the AKI, and the lunch and dinner spreads are VERY rich. The location is dreamy. Both are limited in attendees and are costly to join, but hardly costly compared to the experience, and for the knives being offered. (My personal favorite if I had to choose ONE. Dave Harvey and crew are unsurpassed.)

Milan & Sicac Paris, I am told, are outstanding! Someday....

The ECCKS in it's sheer variety of TOP quality makers AND dealers in attendance covers even more ground. International appeal and attendance of an extremely high magnitude. Just show up and pay at the door. This year an hor d'oeuvres and evening open bar bash was included for many. (Fifty Fifty Productions does it RIGHT!)

And then there is BLADE the giant mega-mall of knives which is like going to an amusement park: You are worn out thoroughly by the end, and didn't see half of it. As Paul suggested it's a social gathering. (Harrumphh. :rolleyes: :mad:)

Who can beat convenience? If it is close and doesn't take a plane ride or ten hours driving, that's a GREAT show! Chuck's mention of the NCCA shows are making me guilty for missing them in the past few years.

The MOST fun would always be those smaller gatherings: Hammer-ins and overall 'invitationals' which are low-key. Very intimate. The Fisk weekend and Josh Smith's (past) weekends are a hoot to those who made it.

Each of them has their benefits and detriments.

Funnily, I have spent the MOST time at a show at the NYCKS in NJ, because it's the least busy of my popular set-ups. I actually go in and spend an hour browsing and talking, but invariably someone gives me a knife and I'm back to work.
Click to expand...
 
I would say my favorite show has been the Fisk Micro Show, even though I haven't been able to attend for some years now. It's just a bad time of the year for me.
It's of course focused on forged knives with a very limited number of knifemakers and attendees, however so much fun, camaraderie, great food and activities.
It's interesting that Jerry created this "small show" concept and with the show's success others started popping up around the country, but to my knowledge his is the only one still remaining.

I also used to thoroughly enjoy the ABS Reno NV show which I attended almost every year. It was a great venue with lots to enjoy being at the same time/venue as the Safari Club and Firearm Engravers shows.
The best forgers in the world were always in attendance. I never have been able to figure out why the ABS relocated this show and it has not been the same since.

And then there's the BLADE Show, which has always and I expect always will be the Granddaddy of all knife shows. It has something for all knife enthusiasts and probably the best place for newer collectors and makers to educate themselves if they take advantage of the opportunity. I've attended the Blade Show (even if only for hours during a period a few years ago) every year since I started collecting custom knives.
 
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