I have owned almost all of the knives you have listed here, and have handeled pretty much all of the rest, and honestly there are very few of them I
WOULDN'T recommend. They are almost all GREAT knives, with only one or two exceptions/bad eggs.
But I'll go over that in detail here:
Shirogorov: I have owned...well, honestly too many of these, and I have loved every single one that has come into my hands. That being said, the ones I still have are my 95T M390 and my 95CF S90V (and honestly I might be selling the 95CF because of some complications at home), and they are both insanely good knives.
Worth noting is the fact that the 95T and 95CF are both very, very strong for framelocks, and while some people might be a little worried about their tips, that can easily be solved as easily as buying an inexpensive pry-bar, or a Victorinox Pioneer or something similar with an awl and bottle opener/pry-bar accessory on it. I carry one alongside every other knife I carry regularly because it is just a great secondary knife.
And my Shirogorov 95T M390 has gotten more use out of it than pretty much every other knife that I have in my collection, besides a few rather old ones I had before I started collecting, and it is still one of my favorite knives of all time. In fact, I have it on me today
If you want a Shirogorov that will hold an edge extremely well, then get either the M390 or the S90V versions, though they will be more expensive than most other models.
In particular, then S90V versions of most models will demand a rather high premium, but if you want a truly tough knife that will hold an edge through whatever you cut, then that's the way to go.
My 95T has gone through a lot of use, and after having the edge thinned down just a little and taken to a full polish, it is the single shaprest knife I have ever owned, and easily the best slicer. Holds an edge like you woudln't believe without being impossible to touch up too
Rockstead: I cannot say enough about how amazing these knives are honestly. They are not for someone who is not versed in sharpening or afraid to really use an expensive knife though. If you manage to dull the edge on their knives (which is a very difficutl task frankly), then you will need to know what you are doing if you want to touch it up, or else send it to Japan to be resharpened by Rockstead themselves.
They are exceptionally well-made knives that will put almost any other maufacturer to shame though, and they are some of the best cutters out there, though not really ideal slicers. If you are going to be cutting something that is particularly hard or something abressive like sandpaper, then find another knive with a cheaper blade that is easier to sharpen, but if you want a knife that will hold an edge for unebelievably long while doing normal daily cutting tasks, then Rockstead is the way to go.
I have regretted selling my Rockstead Higo since the day it went out in the mail, and I definitely will have to get another in the future.
Spartan Blades: Honestly have not had a good experience with them, and wouldn't recommend them because of it. Design wise, they seem like they are trying to be a "tactically-minded" competitor to CRK, but they really fall short in the quality and the fit and finish on their products when compared to other companies in the same price category. Not only that, but the design of the Akribis is a little obtuse, and is not very comfortable in my hands with the exposed ti on the bottom of the handle. Of note, I have Large sized hands, and of course that will mean that other people might have a different experience than me on ergonomics on the Akribis.
Also, they take the same idea from CRK in keeping their S35VN qite soft, and while that makes it very easy to sharpen, I have seen it dull much faster than CRK's steel, so they likely run it even softer, or the particular one I was using and experimenting with was a bit softer than their norm.
And another thing I noticed was that I had to play with the pivot to get the knife to flick open at all, though they obviously intend for you to be able to do that. The blade was off-center when I was able to flick it open, but there was no play in it that I could feel.
Definitely wouldn't buy one myself (was testing a friend's), but I will say that if the company improves over time, it could become a very good knife company in the future. I think they still need time though.
Carson tech Labs: Honestly, you should give up on finding one, because they are too far and few between to be reasonable to purchase right now. If you are really interested in something like this, then
Reate is a better option for you, especially their more recent runs of the Horizon D with M390 steel.
Handled one at a meet-up with some friends, and didn't really have a complaint about it, but it wasn't all that impressive either, and there were several other knives there at the moment that were much more interesting, especially for the price. My friend also sold it for sort of the same reasons not that long after getting it. I think it was the Griffin I handled, but I am not entirely sure.
Grimsmo Noresman/Rask: I have owned the Norseman and would not have sold it if not for the opportunity to buy my Bodega, which is one of my all-time grails. It is a fantastic knife, though a little weird to sharpen at first because of the blade shape.
It does however have an extremely utilitarian blade shape, which can get almost any cutting task done once you get used to working with it.
The Noresman is also very lightweigth, and a great little flipper, though I like the more possitive response of many of my other flippers a little more. The Noresman tends to feel a little too light and almost wiry when you flip it, though the action itself it perfect.
The blades on the Noresman are famous for literally falling closed under their own weight, and while I liked the idea of that, actually owning a knife that did it was a little different. It was a little dangerous if your were cutting something and you put your knife away withouut paying attention because the blade could just fall on your fingers. Not something most will worry about, but worth mentioning.
Also, the Rask looks like a great knife, though it IS going to be smaller than the Noresman was (about 3.5"), and while it is extremely light from what I have seen, it really isn't really a knife I would ever want to put through even moderately heavy use. It just doesn't give you the feel of a strong knife, whether or not it actually is one.
I never got the feeling that my Shirogorovs, Sebenza, Higo, Bodega, or pretty much any other knives I owned, needed to be lightly used, but the Noresman just kind of made you feel like you couldn't beat on it without hurting it, regardless of how true or not that was.
Matt Diskin Vulcan: Excellent knife! Loved mine a great deal, and if I hadn't owned my 95T M390 already, I never would have parted with my Vulcan at all!
This is a knife that makes you feel like you can really use it without ever having to worry about it at all, and still looks amazing at the same time.
Very light for the massive and broad blade you get, and the handle is able to contain that blade very nicely without being overly obtrusive in the pocket at all, and still being extremely comfortable in the hand!
Flipping action on mine was okay, but the more recent generation Matt released not that long ago has a double-detent system where the detent to hold the blade in the handle is no longer in the lockbar, but on the non-locking side of the blade, which is much more consistent. There is still a detent ball in the lockbar, but it is simply there to make the blade glide out without experiencing too much friction against the lockbar.
The blade on this one is also M390, and is taken from a thicker blade down to a very nice and lean cutting edge that is an excellent slicer because of the tall blade. Also has probably my favorite stonewash finished ever on the blades. Just love the lightly polished blade witht the heavy stonewash over it
Overall, very refined style and design that still comes across as a truly useable and tough knife that you don't really have to be careful with or worry about.
Freeman 451: Have not owned or handled one of these yet, but this will probably be the next knife that I buy, once I smooth over the issues I am having at home and get everything settled again.
Looks like a great knife, and in my experience fluted blades cut very well without having any issues as long as the fluting is done right, which I have faith it is on the 451.
