k n i v e s i l l u s t r a t e d . c o m50 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED • APRIL 2011

Aaron Frederick brings his Navy Special Ops backgroundinto the design of his tactical knives. He was a top makerbefore he joined the U.S. Navy.

If the Manti mark and the overall appear-ance donʼt tip you off with this BestTactical award-winning Mitch Jenkins knife,it is obvious that he has spent a lot of timein the Steve Johnson shop.

Steve Rapp demonstrates withthis Bowie why he is one ofAmericaʼs top knifemakers.

Gray Taylor carved thisblack pearl three-bladewith gold fitting. It sold atSOS.

Gray Taylorʼs award-win-ning folder features carvedpearl, gold pins and bol-ster, along with inlaid piquepins in the pearl.

Knife shows have their ups anddowns, and the Knives IllustratedSpirit of Steel Knife Show is notimmune, but this year's move to

Knoxville, Tennessee, from the Dallas Metroarea heralded a repositioning of the show.

ORIGINAL CONCEPTThe show was originally designed to be

a large, general-interest knife show, cen-trally located near an airline hub with anadjoining hotel, in a geographic areaknown for knife interest. The reason Iknow this is that in addition to being youreditor, I am also the founder and managerof this show—which we note here in theinterest of full disclosure.

The first location that fit the criteria ofthat time was the Mesquite ConventionCenter, in Mesquite, Texas, a Dallas suburb that would allow show visitors totake advantage of the Dallas-Fort Worthairlines hub.

The secon show was pre-9-11, and thattragedy occurred a few weeks prior to the2001 SOS show. Regulations that followedmade flying with knives even more difficult,and the complexion of the knife showchanged. A new venue was selected at theHilton, in Grapevine, Texas, a site chosen forits immediate proximity to the DFW airport. Itwas also within a short drive of Fort Worth.

With the economic crash of 2008-2009

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HANDMADE JUDGESJack AlsopMark StraussLes Robertson

MANUFACTURER AWARDJUDGESEthan BeckerDavid MullinsDavid Beckler

Diana Casteel is married to knifemaker Doug Casteel, but withwork such as this, she demonstrates that she is a top knifemak-er in her own right.

The knives taking home Best Knife of2010-2011: Kershaw multi-tool,Winchester stag-handled whittler,Emerson Roadhouse model and anelegant Cas Hanwei folder.

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and the due date of a grandchild both con-flicting with the show date, the 2009 showwas postponed, along with a proposed thirdvenue change in the Dallas area. However,the facilities available for knife shows hadchanged, as well, and no venue could be lo-cated in the Dallas area that offered the

amenities, price range and available datesrequired to produce the show.

NEW LOCATIONWhen considering new locations and

venues for the SOS show, the changingstate of knife shows was a major consider-

ation. The new show model today is a loca-tion that is convenient to car travel, haseasy access to interstates, is a half-day’sdrive or less from major population centersand, most importantly, is a venue thatwould encourage socializing and interac-tion between show guests and exhibitors.

Ken, Courtney and Ryan Daniels together comprise the driving forcebehind Great Eastern Cutlery, producing classic patterns of high quality.

Jessica Hall, of Hallmark Cutlery, handles the importation ofKissing Crane and Uzi brand knives.

Bear & Sons, of Jacksonville,Alabama, is one of the largestremaining American-based cutlerymanufacturers.

Rick Joswick and Mike Mathews,of Utica/Kutmaster, represent whatis probably the oldest remainingU.S. manufacturer. Survivingmeans theyʼve done somethingright, such as changing with thetimes, as evidenced by the innova-tive patterns displayed at SOS.

Columbia River Knife and Tool presented a wide array of quality cut-lery, with its booth manned by Jennifer and Trey Lloyd.

Morgan Taylor, of Taylor Brands, LLC, dis-played both the Schrade and Smith &Wesson knives produced by the company.

The judging for Best Knife awards at the Emerson booth. Judges were David Beckler, ofKnives Illustrated, David Mullins, vice president of the National Knife Collectors Association,and Ethan Becker, of Becker Knife & Tool (Beckerʼs and Kabarʼs knives, for whom hedesigns, were not entered in the competition).

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HANDMADE AWARD-WINNERSBest Tactical Knife: Sean KendrickBest Art Knife: Diana CasteelBest Handmade Knife: Steven RappBest Fixed Blade: Steven RappBest Folder: Gray TaylorRising Star Award: Mitch JenkinsOpen Category: Ed Van Hoy

COLLECTOR AWARDJudges Award:Brian Hugh, Buck Tactical Knives First Place Award: Jerry Skelton, Large Antique ItalianDisplay KnifeFirst Place Award: Gene Merrit, Yellowhorse KnivesFirst Place Award: Larry Oden, Buck Factory ProductionKnivesBest of Show: David Clark, Schatt & Morgan vintageknives and catalogsBest of Show: John Fullen, Marbles

BEST KNIFE OF 2010-2011 AWARDSAmerican-made Knife:Emerson Knives, for the RoadhouseModelBest Overall Knife: Bluegrass Cutlery, for a Stag WhittlerBest Imported Knife: Cas HanweiBest Design: Kershew Select Fini

Cory Crowell, of W. R. Case & Sons, didnʼthave far to travel. The companyʼs salesoffice is in Knoxville.

Mark Strauss, of Knifeology.com, deals inquality handmade knives in the aftermarket.

A mainstay at countless shows across thecountry and an exhibitor who has nevermissed an SOS show, R.W. Wilson is both aknifemaker and supplier.

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54 KNIVES ILLUSTRATED • APRIL 2011 k n i v e s i l l u s t r a t e d . c o m

The size of the show was not the primaryobjective.

One venue that was on every criteria listwas the Marriott, in Knoxville. In the past,this hotel had been a Hyatt Regency andhad hosted some of the best National KnifeCollectors Association shows in the late1970s and early ’80s.

The hotel boasted a large ballroom and ahuge, open atrium that could host the en-tire show in the lobby in a host of conver-sation areas. Unfortunately, the show leftDallas and moved to the Knoxville Marriott.

Few knifemakers can equal the quality of aWalter Brend knife. Walter is shown herewith an exquisite fighter.

Collectors who displayed their collections were award-winners, too. Left to right: JerrySkelton, Larry Oden, Brian Hugh, David Clark, John Fullen and Gene Merrit.

Representing the four winning Best Knife of2010-2011 awards: Ernest Emerson, ofEmerson Knives; Tim Scott, of BluegrassCutlery (Winchester); Missy Hillian, of CasHanwei; and Carlton Schumacher, ofKershaw knives.

Steven Rapp, winner of two handmadeawards––which was no surprise to anyonewho knows his work.

Lisa Sebenick, of the NKCA, and knifemakers John W. Smith and AaronFredrick.

The Ernest Emerson drawing is always anaisle-crowding event.