Wanna clarify my position on this.

The Blade show is still the largest knife show in the world. There remains much to be seen to include people. The intent of this thread is not to discourage people from attending, plenty of folks will have a great experience, I am simply relaying my experience and thoughts on what the show has become.

My take, after having attended for decades prior to the sale of the entity, is that the core of what "our group's" place within the framework of the show has been greatly diminished in numbers and quality. They threw the Randall displays out in the friggin lobby!! The show operators needed space for knife sharpening gadgets, 'tactical' helmets and knee pads, beef jerky, etc.

You have read the arcane rules in this thread that the current owners have initiated, which to me fly in the face of one of two main reasons to attend in the capacity as an exhibitor or a walk-in, the chance to acquire good vintage pieces. The second of course is seeing old friends.

If you are a dealer with 100 Randalls to peddle, it may make sense, but primarily as a vintage collector, attending has lost some smoke. The opportunities to find good stuff is not as fruitful as in past years, partly due to the cloud the current owners of the show have cast.

On that note, who knows who might show up for a day.