Best value in a production knife brand

mjpgolf1

mjpgolf1

Joined
Feb 4, 2016
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So I've been pondering this question lately and also have been quite disgusted with the pricing of mid tech production level folding knives and I'm wondering what you all think is the best bang for your buck in the mid tech folding knife bracket. I'm not talking about a Spyderco Tenacious or an Onterio Rat, I'm talking about your $100+ production blades. I've noticed that every year folding knives made by companies like Benchmade and Zero Tolerance, just to name a couple, have been getting up there in price. I expect for items to increase in price with natural inflation, but it seems to me that things are getting a bit out of hand. I mean is a folding knife made on a production line really worth $200-$400 and sometimes even more? Even with higher end steels and handle materials being used I still don't see the value in most of these new knives.

If I was to name a couple of good value for the money I would probably list the Spyderco Gayle Bradley 2 at $130 with its M4 steel and carbon fiber "laminate" scales, the Spyderco Paramilitary 2 at $130.

I own and have owned all kinds of brands and I'm not at all pimping Spyderco here. I'm just listing a couple that come to mind at this time and they just happen to be made by Spyderco.

There are lots of production knives that are made with the same materials as the "good value" knives I listed that are up around $200 and some even more. So I guess I'm asking if I'm the only one that thinks things are getting crazy or are some of you in the same boat in my thinking?

Even knives like the regular Benchmade Griptilian seems like it's getting up to the point of it being overpriced for entry level steel and plastic handles. While I own many knives that I paid what I feel is way too much for a piece of steel on a handle I just find myself asking why lately. I do love collecting and carrying my EDC items everyday and more than likely I will continue to pay whatever I need to when I find something I like, but I do find myself looking more at like new or lightly used examples of the knives I'm wanting to save 30-50% sometimes.

I would like to hear what you guys consider some of the best values, best bang for your buck, in higher end production knife brands and why you feel they are worth what the manufacturer, or dealer, is selling them for.

Also how do you feel about production folding knife prices now? Are they in line with the product that is being put out, or should these companies take a step back and adjust before they begin to price people right out of their product line?
 
With some knives it is hard to see the value and with others you wonder how it can be made and sold for so cheap. I used to buy higher end stuff like Strider and CRK, but as nice as they are, they aren't worth the money to me. I just don't need to spend that much to find quality. I like to find a happy medium. I think some Spydercos have good value for the price, like the Delica, and other models maybe not so much (especially not since they went to MAP). I just picked up a Kabar Dozier, that was about $18 before shipping, and darn that knife is nice for the money. As much as I think the Delica is good for the money, the Kabar is darn near as good for almost 1/3 of the price. I also think Ontario makes some nice stuff for very cheap prices, by comparison. Lastly, as much as some people hate Cold Steel for one reason or another, I really don't think it can be argued that they make one heck of a nice knife for what they charge.
 
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I agree with cold steel, I've never been a big fan, mainly because of the way they present themselves. But I have recently bought an srk, and the super edge, both made in japan, and they are very nice for what I paid. Ontario, imo is probably in the top 3 for the best bang for buck in the fixed blade category. 50 bucks for a 10 inch, .25 chopper all day long! Really, I think most production knives are a bit high for what they are.
 
Victorinox tinker. It slices and dices, screws and un-screws, opens cans and bottles, punches leather and drills holes in wood, and comes with tweezers that make a decent roach clip. All for the price of lunch at any chain restaurant.
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I think it is really hard to lump an entire brand together and give it a value in which to compare other brands.
 
Spyderco days of great value are over . I love spyderco but most of there new knives are IMOP over price . Beside the GB2 name me a new spyderco that's under $150 not name the PM2 and there older models . I think ZT are a great value specially if you can get the or best offer . Benchmade is over priced to to bad for me because I like them . If you want value go with Kizer I don't own one but I can see the value in them .
 
As mentioned above its hard to lump an entire brand into a "value" category. I am looking more for specific knives. For example, I've seen 2 mentions of ZT being a good "value" which I question because ZT and Benchmade are both in my mind getting carried away with price vs the actual value of the product they are providing. I mean is a production line made mostly by machine folding knife with a basic steel like S30/35v really worth $200+? I know these knife makers are throwing carbon fiber and titanium scales on them but it's not like we're talking about a huge chunk of either material, also they aren't hand making these and buying in huge bulk should allow for much cheaper prices paid for materials. There is no way that these blades should be approaching now the price of quality ccw firearms in some cases.

I see CRK also mentioned above and there is will actually agree that these knives are a nice value for what you get. Lower production numbers and careful craftsmanship make a basic CRK a decent value at their entry level prices. I figure this by also looking at resale and used market values which CRK seems to hold up well. Obviously this is just an opinion.

This thread isn't about what brand of knife you buy, being a fanboy of said brand, or self justification of ones purchases. This is about actual materials used in a certain knife that make it a good value in comparison to other "production folders" on the market and about the overall direction that the prices of these knives are heading.
 
In no particular order, Buck, Spyderco, Cold Street and Ontario stand out as value knives that seem to deliver performance and hold up.

In fixed blades, it is truly hard to beat a Becker in performance and value but KaBar overall, Ontario and even Schrade deserve honorable mention when it comes to value for the dollar spent.

That said, I am typically carrying a SAK and an Emerson in folders and a Becker or a CRK One Piece Range in fixed blades - except for those times (not nearly enough for my tastes) when i am toting a Spyderco H1 knife in one iteration or another.
 
miltmaldo said:
Spyderco days of great value are over . I love spyderco but most of there new knives are IMOP over price . Beside the GB2 name me a new spyderco that's under $150 not name the PM2 and there older models . I think ZT are a great value specially if you can get the or best offer . Benchmade is over priced to to bad for me because I like them . If you want value go with Kizer I don't own one but I can see the value in them .
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I would absolutely say that Kizer has some nice value right now. I see them as a company that puts out knives using the same materials as Zero Tolerances higher end titanium folders but at half the price, which is why I say that Zero Tolerance along with a few others are one of the manufacturers that are getting out of hand. $200-$300 for production line folder, cmon!

As for The Spyderco comment I will say that I'm not necessarily talking about knives out this year. I'm talking about knives on the market available for purchase new, which for under $150 there are still some great knives from Spyderco. The Sage series knives just to name a couple.
 
When you want value you have to consider what you are getting. How much it cost to make . So for instance you take the zero tolerance 0450 CF for $170 or the Spyderco Mantra for $170 . Outsource vs inhouse What's a better value considering materials and labor .
 
miltmaldo said:
When you want value you have to consider what you are getting. How much it cost to make . So for instance you take the zero tolerance 0450 CF for $170 or the Spyderco Mantra for $170 . Outsource vs inhouse What's a better value considering materials and labor .
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The cheapest I've ever seen the 450 is $180 and the mantra $160. As far as outsourced vs inhouse that doesn't come into play anymore. Some of the highest quality Spyderco product comes out of Tiawan and there are lots of other knives coming from overseas that are extremely high quality, so country of manufacturer doesn't mean squat when it comes to quality anymore. As for the 450cf, if I was to pick one ZT that was close to a good value that would be the one.
 
miltmaldo said:
I can give you a lot of sample of this like the slys $270 vs ZT 0456 240
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They are both overpriced as far as I'm concerned. This isn't about ZT vs Spyderco. It's about knives that are available on the market that are good value. Assembly line production folding knives are way too expensive in my eyes. They have crept up especially over the last few years and are getting crazy expensive. some brands more than others. As I said it isn't abou ZT vs Spyderco but Spyderco at least has some really great knives around $100 with good steels. That in my eyes is good value. Is the ZT0456 a nice knife with better materials then say a Gayle Bradley 2? Sure, but is it worth double the price? I think not.
 
That's true but they don't cost as much to make so I take that into consideration when I look for value .
 
If you want value stick to older models and th GB2 ZT Spyderco and benchmade are not going to give a knife for under $150 .
 
miltmaldo said:
That's true but they don't cost as much to make so I take that into consideration when I look for value .
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How much more do you think it really costs to make any given knife? Go check out some of these knife makers sites that sell materials and you will see just how cheap knife materials are. Especially when buying in bulk. Knife brands are now just nothing more than hype and marketing. There isn't a production knife on the planet made on an assembly line that costs $150 more in materials than any other given folding knife. The process to assemble is basically the same no matter what materials are used when we're talking about quality construction. These companies all use the same basic equipment and source their materials from probably one or two of the same places. So it basically all comes down to how much can a company hype their product up to justify how much they sell it for.
 
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