Blade – September 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 blademag.com 7

COVER STORY^ |^

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CELEBRATING

OUR 40TH

ANNIVERSARY

A

n inch long closed, the spectac-
ular 40-blade miniature cover
knife by Japan’s Isao Ohbuchi
won the Yvon Vachon Best Miniature
Knife Award in the custom knife judg-
ing competition of BLADE Show 2 019.
Along with all the other knives in
the competition (page 24) except Gabe
Mabry’s winner of the Best Kitchen
Knife Award judged by Ethan Becker,
a select panel of three custom knife
authorities judged Ohbuchi’s award
winner. Including Becker, all three judges
were c ho s en by t he BLADE® staff. Ohbuchi
calls his tiny folder a “sportsman’s knife”
and stated it is inspired by the legendary
Joseph Rodgers & Sons of Sheffi eld,
England, which made fantastic folders
and fi xed blades in the 19th century. Th e
maker also listed the multi-blade mini as
a “horseman’s knife.”
Th e blade lengths are all in the .8-inch
range. Blade steel: 440C stainless. Blade
grinds: fl at. Handle material: mother-of-
pearl. Weight: 1.4 ounces. Th e maker’s list
price for a similar knife: $15,000.
For more information contact Ohbuchi
by e-mail at [email protected], or
see the story on page 24.
Th e image of the cover knife is by
SharpByCoop. Th e inset image of the
BLADE Show is by Justin King.

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