As the years go on the BLADE Magazine Knife Of The Year® Awards only get sharper. The 2026 chapter, held during the June 5-7 BLADE Show at the Cobb Convention Center, is a case in point. Hosting another massive field in the factory knife competition, the contest drew roughly the same number of entries as last year (350-400), with hundreds of blades vying for the title of “Best” in their respective categories. Add in the fact that production knives are reaching an unimaginable height in both design and manufacturing quality, and the event was as tight as ever. The winners were selected by a panel of four judges, experts drawn from different backgrounds in the knife industry. Below are their selections of knives that are more than worthy of being called Knife Of The Year®
As I say each time, there are two times a year where we will share a post from our primary competitor – the Cutlery Hall of Fame inductees, and the Blade Show (Atlanta) awards. It is there Hall of Fame, and their knife show, they deserve the flowers for it. But the results of both are undeniably industry news, so to give credit where it is due, click below for the entire list of winners.
My personal favorites are the Hawk auto and the 50th Anny Spydie Native. That bone is beautiful.
Read the whole thing at BladeMag.com
https://blademag.com/blade-show/knife-of-the-year-awards/2026-knife-of-the-year-award-winners