Knives are often taken for granted in our daily lives. We cut food, open packaging, and field-dress big game with this unique outdoor tool. As an industry, knife making is one of the most innovative. All knives consist of a handle and a blade, so how many variations can companies and individuals create each year? The answer is thousands and thousands, with many on display at the Blade Show, where the following awards were presented by Blade magazine.

Representatives from Blade distributed Knife of the Year awards in 15 categories. Two of the awards—Industry Achievement and Publisher’s—went to a retail knife store and a knife-related organization, respectively, for their contributions to the world of knives.

Overall Knife Of The Year: LionSteel T.R.E. (Three Rapid Exchange)

American-Made Knife Of The Year: Zero Tolerance 0999
mported Knife Of The Year: Spyderco Nirvana
Most Innovative American Design: Koenig Zenaida
Most Innovative Imported Design: Fox Knives Desert Fox
Best Buy Of The Year: Spyderco Byrd Knife Cara Cara 2
Kitchen Knife Of The Year: KAI USA Shun Limited Edition Chef’s Knife
Investor/Collector Knife Of The YearUltimate Godfather
Knife Collaboration Of The Year: RMJ Tactical/Bawidamann Blades
Manufacturing Quality Award: Chris Reeve Knives
Accessory Of The Year: Wicked Edge Generation 3 Pro
People’s Choice Knife Of The Year: Taylor Brands Schrade SCHF36 Frontier Knife
Industry Achievement Award: Shepherd Hills Cutlery
Publisher’s Award: Elephant Protection Association
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© Inductee: Chris Reeve

All entrants in the Knife of the Year competition were judged on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.