12 issues per year

First published in 1973 under the title American Blade by Southern House Publishing Co., the magazines title was changed to Blade in 1982 after its purchase by Jim Parker and Bruce Voyles. In the 1980s, the magazine served as the launching point for an annual convention for knife collectors, the Blade Show, established a Cutlery Hall of Fame, and spun off a trade magazine, Blade Trade. In 1994, Voyles, then the sole owner, sold the publication and its properties to Krause Publications, which increased its frequency to monthly. F+W Publications Inc. purchased Krause Publications and Blade in 2002.