The 2011 Blade Show was held June 10-12 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, GA. It is the largest of its kind trade show in the world; pulling exhibitors from all over the world.

This year’s show was larger than ever, and it showed on opening day, with attendees lined around the floor waiting to enter the exhibit.

If your passion is edged weapons, you’ll find no better exhibit than Blade Show. The hobbyist and aficionado will love the plethora of artisans, knife designers and tool makers. Retailer or distributor, your buyers will have an opportunity to meet with industry representatives to get a first hand look at new or improved product offerings, and don’t forget the dickering. It’s that country fair look and feel of Blade that I love most and you will too. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.  Blade is one of those few events where you can be standing around taking in the sights and have Ken Onion or Kit Carson walk up and start talking shop. Blade is also a great family event where kids can see how knives are made and look at everything from a pocket knife to a battle-ax.

Blade 2011 and SOG was host to celebrity spokesman R. Lee Ermy, affectionately known as The Gunny. In typical Gunny fashion, Lee had them lining up for a chance to chat and an autograph. Gunny Ermy is a stalwart spokesman on Second Amendment and Knife Right issues. SOG couldn’t find a better partner.

Chris Cashbaugh From SOG Knives Insists on Line Discipline.

This year’s show had a few more gear exhibits than prior years, and with hunting season right around the corner, Blade 2011 was a great  opportunity for hunters to pick up a new pack or high performance light offered by Fenix.

The highlight of the show for me was meeting with the great folks from Randall’s Adventure & Training®. Randall’s is clearly the go to source for survival training and they’ve been doing a great job for the military and intelligence community since 1997. One of the areas of contention that I’ve had with knife manufacturers and designers, is the design concept that encourages personnel to attach their survival knives to a wood pole in order to construct a spear. Readers, the last thing you want to do is attach your survival knife to a pole and throw it at a fish or animal. It may be the last time you see it. Instead, I suggest that you invest in Randall’s survival kit as shown below.

Randall’s Adventure & Training Survival Kit

The kit includes a variety of must have items like fish hooks, purpose-built spearhead, fire starter, signaling mirror, paracord and a series of handy cards that will help you in a survival situation. According to Randall’s representative the design concept was derived from current kidnapping scenarios encountered in a number of South American countries.

Additional arrow heads are also available at a $40 to $50 price point and I strongly recommend that you consider adding Randall’s Survival Kit to your gear. It easily fits in a flight jacket or flight suit as well as in a Bug Out bag or Blow Out kit.

Arrow Heads Shown in Wallet Style Holder