It was a case of déjà vu all over again as ABS master smith Vince Evans was the big winner followed closely by ABS journeyman smith Fabio Barros in the custom knife judging competition at BLADE Show 2023.
The list of winners included craftsmen from all over the world, including Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, France, Italy, Russia, South Africa and the USA.
Vince won three awards—Best Sword, Best Fixed Blade and Hugh Bartrug Best in Show—while Fabio (Brazil) took two: Best Handle Design and shared Best Knife Collaboration with Raul Sartorial Filho.
Vince also won Best Sword and Best Fixed Blade at BLADE Show ’22, but the Best in Show this year gave him the coveted custom hat trick. Fabio repeated his Best Handle Design win from ’22, with his other award from last year being Best New Maker.
ABS master smith Dionatam Franco
