EKS 2024
The seventh edition of the European Knife Shows (EKS) in Strasbourg, on 3 and 4 February this year, had a few surprises. Not in the venue (the same as last year), not in the high quality of the knives on display, nor in the impeccable organization – the biggest surprise was the large number of first-time participants. Comparison of the exhibitor lists of 2023 and 2024 showed almost thirty new names.
Text and pictures: Bas Martens
Text and pictures: Bas Martens
The major room of the Strasbourg Hilton shortly after the opening of the EKS 2024.
With around 100 tables and 1,000 visitors, the two-day European Knife Show in Strasbourg is one of the larger European Shows, and one of the best organised – we have said that before, and we will repeat it again.
This year’s edition has a surprisingly large number of “first timers” – at the EKS that is, because quite a few of the new names on the exhibitor list have been long-time knife makers. Apparently, the Strasbourg reputation made them curious, which is a good thing. Every knife show needs its “hardcore” exhibitors – those that attract their regular customers and are often sold out in a few hours. But apart from them, the public also wants something new.
On of these “first timers” made my day, with the following story: Being a long time knife maker, one of his knives had been pictured in a previous edition of European Blades Mag. A fan of his work had seen that photograph, and had noticed that the knife maker would be attending the EKS show – with that particular knife on his table! Needless to say, it was sold immediately. Isn’t that great?
Just as last year, 100 exhibitors is far more than we can show here. We have made a selection, with some emphasis on the first time participants. The photographs on the following pages will show the great diversity in models, styles and materials, and the generally high quality of the workmanship.
The organisation awarded a number of prizes, in five different categories. The winners are:
Best folder: Bruno Cappuccio
Best fixed blade: Hans Luiken
Best kitchen knife: Joel Matter (Forge Elidor) He also won the prize for best fixed blade in 2023.
Best Innovation: Olivier Lamy (Skua Coutellerie)
Special Jury Award: Joël Alexanian (Le Foyer Ardent)
The next edition of the EKS will be announced in time on their website: www.euroknifeshow.com, available in English, French and German.
With around 100 tables and 1,000 visitors, the two-day European Knife Show in Strasbourg is one of the larger European Shows, and one of the best organised – we have said that before, and we will repeat it again.
This year’s edition has a surprisingly large number of “first timers” – at the EKS that is, because quite a few of the new names on the exhibitor list have been long-time knife makers. Apparently, the Strasbourg reputation made them curious, which is a good thing. Every knife show needs its “hardcore” exhibitors – those that attract their regular customers and are often sold out in a few hours. But apart from them, the public also wants something new.
On of these “first timers” made my day, with the following story: Being a long time knife maker, one of his knives had been pictured in a previous edition of European Blades Mag. A fan of his work had seen that photograph, and had noticed that the knife maker would be attending the EKS show – with that particular knife on his table! Needless to say, it was sold immediately. Isn’t that great?
Just as last year, 100 exhibitors is far more than we can show here. We have made a selection, with some emphasis on the first time participants. The photographs on the following pages will show the great diversity in models, styles and materials, and the generally high quality of the workmanship.
The organisation awarded a number of prizes, in five different categories. The winners are:
Best folder: Bruno Cappuccio
Best fixed blade: Hans Luiken
Best kitchen knife: Joel Matter (Forge Elidor) He also won the prize for best fixed blade in 2023.
Best Innovation: Olivier Lamy (Skua Coutellerie)
Special Jury Award: Joël Alexanian (Le Foyer Ardent)
The next edition of the EKS will be announced in time on their website: www.euroknifeshow.com, available in English, French and German.
The winners of the EKS jury awards. From left to right: Joël Alexanian, Olivier Lamy, Joël Matter and Hans
Luiken. Bruno Capuccio was not present at the award ceremony.
The “Tedesco” by French maker Adrien Giovaninetti. The blade is Damasteel, the handle is coloured and
stabilized Plane.
“Hypnotic Cells” by Andrea Paini. The blade and bolster are Damask by Ettore Giaferrari, the handle is
Aluminium honeycomb with black Resin. Overall length is 174 mm.
“Le Phileas” by French maker Pierre Thomas (Atelier Ôdae). The blade is N690 with a “starry night”
finish. The handle material is stabilized and coloured Maple burr, with a mother of pearl insert.
Bastien Toubhans (Atelier Beau Merle) presented this “Issoire moderne”. The blade is Inox, the handle
is Nickel Silver with Carbon Fiber inlays.
The “Turtle Dagger” by Italian maker Carlo Cavedon. The blade is Damascus by Emiliano Fetel, the
handle material is ancient turtle. The bolsters are hand engraved with gold inlays.
Tanguy Coillot (Couteaux Coillot) showed the “Jack”. The blade is selectively hardened C130, the
bolsters are Joël Matter Damask and the handle scales are stabilized Indonesian Acacia.
The “Cerberus”, a collaboration between Custom Knife Factory and engraver Anna Sebestova.
The blade is M398 steel, the handle it hand engrave Titanium with gold inlays. Overall length is
223 mm.
The “Sierra”, a framelock folder by Denis Uldanov. The 85 mm blade is M398 steel, the handle is
Titanium with Carbon Fiber inlays.
Denis Lagarde presented this “12A”, a folder with an XC100 blade and Z20C13 handle, with brass
decoration.
The “Dolfin” folder by Eloi Galipaud. The sculpted blade is 12C26 steel, the handle is Cherry wood
with resin. Overall length is 26 cm.
The “Serenity Dagger” by Emiliano Fetel. The blade is Böhler K720 and 15N20 Damask, the handle is
Mammoth Ivory and gold, with Twist Damask bolsters. Overall length is 210 mm.
Erik Chateau is not only a photographer (for Passion des Couteaux in Strasbourg) but also a knife maker.
This is a charming slipjoint folder, blade with a 26C3 blade and Micarta handle.
A fixed blade by Fabrice Delbart (Forge Celtique). The 175 mm blade is Carbon Damask, the guard is
parkerised steel with G10 spacers and the handle is stabilized Amboyna.
A Balisong by Belgian maker Filip de Leeuw. The blade is Achim Wirtz Damask, the handles are
Titanium with Mammoth Ivory.
The “Genèse” (Genesis) by French maker Frédéric Collin. The blade is RWL 34 Damask, the handle is
Mammoth ivory.
A folder with a proprietary locking mechanism by François Chapuis. The blade is Inox RWL34, the
bolsters are Zirconium and the handle scales are stabilized and coloured Ash burl.
A linerlock folder by Gabriel Berthelemy (La Forge Agab). The blade is 90MCV8 / 15N20 Damask,
the bolsters are Titanium, the bolsters Paperstone and the handle scales are Mammoth.
The “Fat folder” by Gary Headrick. The blade is Balbach stainless, the bolsters Damask and the handle
scales white Mammoth. Overall length is 180 mm.
A folder by Gilles Damour.
“Le Plus Grand” (the Biggest One) by Guillaume Antoniucci. The blade is selectively hardened C75, the
bolsters iron and brass and the handle scales are Mammoth.
A linerlock folder by Guy Poggetti. The 8 cm blade is C130, the liners are Titanium and the handle scales
are made from Mozambique Ebony.
This “Heliotrope dagger” by Dutch knife maker Hans Luiken won the prize for best fixed blade. The
dagger has a C105 blade, a handle made from Heliotrope, also known as Bloodstone, and an elaborate
sheath made from Bronze.
French master Jean Pierre Martin presented this Grand “Basic”. The blade is RWL 34, the handle
Carbon Fiber. The knife unlocks through a push button in the handle, and proprietary ball bearings.
A linerlock folder by Joël Grandjean. The 8 cm blade is Inox Feather Damask, the handle scales are
Warthog tooth.
This bread knife by Joël Matter (Forge Elidor) won the jury prize for best kitchen knife.
An amazing piece of work by Swedish knife maker Lars Feddersen (Sharp Craft). The blade is Paul
Strande carbon steel Damask, the handle material is Masur Birch with decorated Reindeer antler.
The “Violon”(violin) by Laurent Gaillard. The blade is 14C28N, the handle is Micarta Ivory.
Swedish knife maker and engraver Maihkel Eklund showed this axe “Bear”. The head is carbon steel, the
stem is Hickory.
A linerlock folder by Marc Forgeois. The blade is 90MCV8 / 15N20 Damask, the handle is wood.
The “Companero” by Marcello Moruzzi. The blade is 90MCV8 / 75Ni8 Explosion Damask, the handle is
Resin and Brass, with file work on the spine and liners.
A dagger by Metin Anan. The 12 cm blade is San Mai and Elmax, the handle is Berlin silver and Desert Ironwood.
The “Kalisse SV”, a linerlock folder by Michel Grini. The blade is 26C3 steel, the bolsters are Titanium and
the handle scales are stabilized Curly Birch.
The “Nicker” by Michel Philippe-Desneufbourgs (MPHD). The blade is 90MCV8, the handle is Bronze
and Warthog Ivory. The sheath is Ostrich leather.
“Crocus” by Moreno Feltresi. The blade is w 1.2842 / UDH 15N20 / W 1.6565 / C55 Damask with a
progressive patterning. The handle is stabilized Giraffe bone.
“2 Clous” (two nails) by Nicolas Bertet (La Forge de la Rivière). The blade is 130WCrV5 and Inox 304L,
the handle is Albizia.
The “Coffin Bowie” by Nicolas Dartus. The blade is 90MCV8 / 15N20 Mosaic Damask, the handle
Flamed Oak Burl.
The “Chevêche” (little owl) by Nicolas Kowal (La Forge K). The linerlock folder has a Damasteel
hakkapella blade, Titanium liners and Warthog Ivory handle scales.
“Diony” by Noel Laïos (Atelier Altaïr). The blade is Inox Damask, the bolsters are Carbon Fiber and
the handle scales are Mammoth Ivory. A hand-made corkscrew is incorporated in the spine.
Olivier Lamy (Skua Coutellerie) won the jury prize for best innovation with his S-lock, shown here on his
“Merops” folder with Suminagashi blade and Cypress Burl handle scales. Merops is a bee-eating bird;
Lamy names all his knives to birds as he used to be an ornithologist.
Paolo Gidoni presented this Tanto, a linerlock folder with a Carbon Damask blade and Carbon Fiber
handle. Overall length is 210 mm.
A linerlock folder by Richard Soler. The handle is old military Micarta with a Titanium pocket clip.
The “Yssingeaux” by Romain Alvarez. The blade is RWL34, the handle is Mammoth Ivory.
The “Cuttle” by Romain Lopez. The blade is RWL34, the handle is Zirconium and Butterscotch Micarta.
Overall length is 20 cm.
Model “3C”, a folder by Sébastien Kaps. The blade is Inox Feather Damask, the handle scales are
combined Birch and resin.
The “Bull” by Sébastien Werquin. The blade is Suminagashi VG10, the bolsters are Zirconium and the
handle scales are Warthog Ivory.
An elegant neck knife by Tim Bernard (Atelier Névé). The blade is Mosaic Damask, the handle is Ebony,
with a sculpted flower by Marion Auger. The engraving is by Alex Dubois.