Blade Show 2014: Awards & New Knives

You might not be aware that Blade Show happened last week.
Just kidding. I know you’re aware that Blade Show happened.
I’ve compiled a bunch of stuff for this post from 2014 Blade Show. You’ll notice it’s not exhaustive as far as brands or products go, but I did include awesome stuff from Spyderco, Microtech, Benchmade, Zero Tolerance & Kershaw, and CRKT. You may have already seen most of the products, but I’ve got lots of it here in one place so you can browse through it at your leisure and also get a good look at some stuff you might not have seen yet, like Spyderco’s new stuff for 2014.
Enjoy!
 

Awards

Overall Knife of the Year: CRKT/Ken Onion HI JINX
People’s Choice Award: RAT Worx MRX
American Made Knife of the Year: Zero Tolerance 0562CF
Imported Knife of the Year: Spyderco Rubicon
Most Innovative American Design: Spartan Blades Integral Frame
Most Innovated Imported Design: Klecker Knives Ti-Klax
Accessory of the Year: SOG Bladelight Sheath
Kitchen Knife of the Year: KAI USA Shun Dual Core
Investor/Collector Knife of the Year: Protech Ultimate Godson 2014
Collaboration of the Year: Spartan Blades/Les George
Best Buy of the Year: Kershaw Emerson
Manufacturing Quality Award: Lion Steel

Spyderco

Spyderco Manix 2 Lightweight CPM S110V

You already know the Manix. It’s got a strong lock, and when you pair that with Spyderco’s quality and functionality, you’ve got a winner. This new version has a ball bearing lock, a lightweight handle, and a CPM S110V steel blade. The knife only weighs 3 ounces, so it’s hardly noticeable when in pocket. The overall length is 8.03 inches with the blade being 3.37 inches long. This knife is made in the USA.
 
Spyderco Roadie

You might remember back in March 2013 when TSA announced that small knives would be allowed on planes. That policy was withdrawn before it was ever put into practice, but Spyderco was already on the ball with the Spyderco Roadie, which is compliant with the proposed TSA policy. So, if TSA’s knife policy ever does become activated, Spyderco’s got you covered.
The Roadie is 5.07 inches long overall, has a 2.10-inch Sheepsfoot blade made with N690Co steel, and is 2.97 inches long when closed. The Roadie is a slip joint, and it has an indiex-finger choil to provide more control with precision cutting and also prevent accidental closure. The Roadie is made in Italy.
 
Spyderco Schempp Bowie

The Schempp Bowie is the newest addition to Spyderco’s Ethnic Series. This knife takes the spirit and style of the classic American Bowie and expresses it in the form of a folding knife like you’ve never seen it before. The Schempp Bowie is well designed for everyday carry, and it has top-notch cutting ability.
The Schempp Bowie is 8.45 inches long overall and it has a 3.72-inch long CPM S30V steel blade. The handle has skeletonized stainless steel liners, textured carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scales, a solid steel backspacer, and a liner lock.
 
Spyderco Burch Chubby

The Burch Chubby was inspired by one of Michael Burch’s most popular custom knives, and there’s no denying the fact that it looks awesome. This compact frame lock folder has a titanium handle with carbon fiber inserts. Overall, the length on this knife is 5.96 inches and it weighs 4.10 ounces. The blade is 2.30 inches long, and it’s made of S30V steel.
 
Spyderco PITS Folder

PITS stands for Pie In the Sky. This knife is based on a popular non-locking folder that was designed by Mike Read, a British knife maker. Intended for hard use while still complying to British knife laws, the PITS has a unique, yet functional build. The titanium handle has been skeletonized to cut down on the knife’s weight and also provide ample grip texturing.
The 4.19-inch handle also has integral split spring arms, which Spyderco says power the knife’s unique slipjoint mechanism. The mechanism and a lower blade guard both contribute to prevent the blade from accidentally closing during use. The blade is made of N690Co steel and is 2.97 inches long, making the knife 7.16 inches long total. It weighs just 3.40 ounces, and it is made in Italy.
 
Spyderco Dice

Does this knife look familiar to you? It should. The Dice is a smaller version of the Spyderco Domino by about 15 percent. The Dice is designed by Eric Glesser, and it has a Kit Carson–inspired flipper. The CTS-XHP blade is 2.50 inches long and has a full-flat grind.  The knife features a solid titanium scale on one side, and on the other a titanium liner and Cubic Check carbon fiber/G-10 laminate scale. The handle also features a frame lock and a four-way reversible pocket clip.
 
Spyderco Bradley Bowie

This Spyderco Bowie was designed by Gayle Bradley, knife maker and former BladeSports champion. This knife is versatile and very tough. The blade is made of PSF27 steel, and the Bowie blade features a full-flat grind and a swedge. The overall length is 9.93 inches with a 5.13-inch blade and a 4.80-inch handle. The Bradley Bowie has a full tang, so this is one solid blade. Comes with a custom-molded Bolatron sheath with G-Clip attachment.
 
Spyderco Rubicon

The Rubicon is based on a custom design from Peter Carey. The 4.34-inch handle is contoured and made of carbon fiber with skeletonized titanium liners. The knife features an orange G-10 backspacer and pivot accent; it’s the perfect amount of orange to catch the eye without being overwhelming. The 3.03-inch blade is made of CPM S30V steel with a hollow grind. The blade opens smoothly thanks to special ball bearing washers that elevate the Rubicon to an even greater status in the knife world.
 
 

Microtech

Microtech Anax

The Microtech Anax is a frame lock folder with a 6AL-4Vbeta titanium handle and an ELMAX steel blade. The handle features a 3D-machined lock bar, and the knife is able to open and close very smoothly due to a silicon nitride bearing race plate. A couple of other unique features in this knife include a threaded integral lanyard mount and a silicon nitride ball bearing retaining jib in the pocket clip. The hollow-ground blade is 3.71 inches long, the overall length is 8.59 inches, and the weight is 5.3 ounces.
 
 

Benchmade

Benchmade 757 Vicar

The 757 is a top-notch creation from Shane Sibert. The knife has a 3.90-inch CPM-S30V steel blade that features a tanto blade with a modified recurve, and the knife comes to 8.95 inches in length overall. The liner lock on this knife is solid and features a 0.90-inch-thick titanium liner lock. The handle has green and black stacked G-10 handle scales, and it also has a tip-up carry pocket clip.
 
Benchmade 5400 Serum

The new 5400 is a dual action knife, which means it can be operated both as a manual and as an automatic knife. It utilizes an AXIS dual-action mechanism which is pulled down like normal for manual action, and you pull the AXIS bar down slightly further for automatic action. The knife features a blade that totals 3.45 inches in length and is made of Elmax premium steel. The handles are made of machined G-10, and the weight on the 5400 is 4.63 ounces.
 
Benchmade 15008/15009 Steep Country

The HUNT series is new this year, and Benchmade just released a couple more hunting knives for 2014. These are the Steep Country knives. It’s available in black and orange, and it’s also available with a gut hook (15009 version) or a drop-point blade (15008). These knives feature CPM-S30V steel  and Santoprene handles.  The overall length on these is 7.65 inches and the blade length comes to 3.50 inches. The gut hook version weighs 4.70 ounces, and the drop point version weighs 4.40 ounces.
 
Benchmade 15003 Saddle Mountain Skinner

The 15003-1 and 15003-2 Saddle Mountain Skinner has a gut hook that is made of CPM-S30V steel, which offers a great balance of edge retention, durability, and corrosion resistance in addition to excellent stability, grindability, and toughness. The overall length is 8.73 inches with a 4.17-inch blade. The 15003-1 features G-10 scales and the 15003-2 features Dymondwood scales.
 

Zero Tolerance

Zero Tolerance 0392

The ZT 0392 is a Rick-Hinderer collaboration that will rock your world. It’s got titanium framelock handles and 3.5-inch blade made with M390 steel. This knife is based on Rick’s new Eclipse model.
ZT is calling the 0392 a “factory custom” which basically means ZT is taking Rick’s hardware and using it from the start, and then building the knife so that it fits with the hardware. So the titanium screws, titanium spacers, pocket clip, Hinderer-style pivot, and pivot screw in the knife are all from Rick Hinerer. All the parts are interchangeable with the parts Rick sells, which means that you have some flexibility to customize the knife to your liking. It also has the KVT washer-bearing technology for super smooth opening.
 
Zero Tolerance Rexfored 0801BW Flipper

This 0801 has a blackwash finish with an Elmax steel blade, titanium handle scales, and the KVT ball-bearing system. The overall length on the 0801BW is 8.20 inches, the blade is 3.50 inches long, and the weight is 5.85 ounces. If you love the BlackWash look, get this blade, designed by Todd Rexford.
 
Zero Tolerance 0350SWCF

This is the popular 0350 with a stonewashed S30V steel blade and carbon fiber handles. The knife has a 3.25-inch blade and is 7.75 inches long overall, and it weighs 5.8 ounces.
 
Zero Tolerance Hinderer 0566CF

The 0566 has a carbon fiber front handle, Elmax blade, frame lock, and a stainless steel back handle. It has a 3.25-inch blade and is 7.70 inches long overall. This Hinderer design weighs 5.30 ounces.
ZT is also releasing the 0566BW:

It’s got a nice BlackWash finish.
 

Kershaw

Kershaw Funxion

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Kershaw Funxion is a spring assisted knife that utilizes Kershaw’s SpeedSafe technology which can be activated using the flipper or thumb studs. It has a steel liner lock frame, charcoal anodized aluminum scales, and a rubber grip insert on the front. On the front of the handle near its end, you can see what is actually a locking carabiner clip and belt/cord cutter with a hex wrench and bottle opener. The knife has a 3-inch blade and totals 7.25 inches in length, and it weighs 4.8 ounces.
 
Kershaw Leek BlackWash Composite Knife

The Leek is probably one of Kershaw’s most well-known knives, and now it’s out in new look. This new leek has a BlackWashed composite blade made from Sandvik 14C28N & D2 steels. This Leek has a 7-inch build overall, and its blade measures 3 inches long and it weighs 3 ounces. This is a classic from Ken Onion with a fresh twist.
 

CRKT

CRKT Hi Jinx 

The CRKT Hi Jinx  is a pretty big deal; it won “Overall Knife of the Year” this year at Blade Show. The Hi Jinx is based off of Ken Onion’s custom design, the Old Scallyway. It has a 6A14V titanium frame lock handle and totals 8.10 inches in length. Other features include an IKBS ball-bearing pivot and a 3.32-inch Sleipner steel blade. The Hi Jinx is designed by Ken onion and manufactured in Italy by LionSteel.
 
CRKT Cobia

The CRKT Cobia is a Matthew Lerch design. This spring assisted knife is 6.56 inches long overall and has a 2.94-inch blade that is deployed using CRKT’s OutBurst spring assisted mechanism. The handle is made of stainless steel, and the cross-hatch texturing provides good gripping and a nice look.
 
CRKT Argus 

The CRKT Argus is another Matthew Lerch design. It’s another spring assist, and it also features OutBurst opening and the Fire Safe mechanism. It has a 3.55-inch blade and it’s 8.13 inches long overall, weighing a total of 4.20 ounces. The handle is made of aluminum and it has a stainless steel frame.
 
CRKT Graphite

The CRKT Graphite is a Glen Klecker design. It uses a Klecker Lock mechanism that is integrated into the open-build stainless steel handle. The handle also features G-10 for a comfortable grip. You can open the blade using the thumb studs or flipper. The overall length comes to 7.50 inches, the blade is 3.06 inches long overall, and the weight is 4.40 ounces.
 
CRKT HoodWork

The CRKT HoodWork is designed by Karen Hood, and it’s made in the USA. It’s got 1095 high carbon steel which gives you excellent durability and cutting ability, especially when paired with Veff serrations. The HoodWork has a full tang, so it’s a great option for taking camping. The high carbon blade is bead blasted and Cerakote finished and is 6.13 inches in length. The overall length is 11.31 inches, and it weighs 9.20 ounces. The handle sports a G-10 handle and an orange paracord lanyard.
 
CRKT KCK1

The CRKT KCK1 is another USA-made knife that’s designed by Karen Hood. It also has 1095 high carbon steel that’s been Cerakote finished and beat blasted, and it’s great for camping and survival use. The handle sports Micarta scales, the knife totals 11.31 inches in length. The high carbon steel blade is 6.13 inches in length and it weighs 8.20 ounces.
 
 CRKT Clark Fork Fillet Knife 

The Clark Fork Fillet Knife is pretty unique because unlike many fillet knives, it’s a folder. This knife is designed by Ken Steigerwalt, and it has a tail that folds up into the handle to lock the blade securely in place for use, and it folds out to cover the blade tip. The knife is 10.94 inches long when open, and the blade is 5.94 inches long. It weighs 1.80 ounces, so it’s a great option to bring on your fishing trips because it won’t weigh you down.
 
 

ESEE

The ESEE Izula is coming out in two new colors: purple and dark earth! Here’s a picture of them from ESEE’s Facebook page:

 
They also are making the Candiru in dark earth too, but we don’t have that on the site yet so stay tuned! Here is another picture from ESEE’s facebook page.

That’s everything I’ve got from Blade Show for you from Blade HQ! What knife are you most stoked about?