brand name blades

A

atlas

Joined
Sep 15, 2007
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1
hey guys.

i am a noob to this place so bare with me.

i am an amature knife maker and i have so far made about 9 differnet blades for family and friends purely as a hobbie.

i am interesed to know about the quility of the many knife brand names out there (LAGUIOLE, OPINEL, Leatherman, Frost, etc...)

i am more then greatfull for any advice and would love to learn more about any other blades out there.

thanks.
 
not an easy question to answer.

ill try:

in the low price range, the frost moras are an excellent value.

in the mid range, id say spyderco and benchmade make some the the best available.

in the upper price range, emerson, strider, chris reeve, and of course busse combat, imo make the best around.


then there are the custom makers. i own or have owned knives by lightfoot, fujisaka, denning, dozier, irie, ingram, and marzitelli. their prices vary by type, but all make an excellent product.
 
quality is subjective, from my understanding laguiole isnt so much a brand as a place in france and the style of knife, many manufacturers from excellent quality down to garbage.
My experience is with mostly older knives, traditional folders
I own one or more of the following:
Buck: knives excellent i have a buck alpha dorado folder, beautiful fit and finish, sharp as hell right out of the box.
Camillus: Made many fine knives for a really long time and are overlooked alot. I have alot of Camillus knives some going way back and they are solid, excellent fit and finish. Top notch! And they made many contract knives for alot of companies, under various names.
Older Utica/Kutmaster are good, i have a few of these in various patterns
I'm sure people will be along to recommend many more fine blades:
:D Ah hell check here they have a nice list by manufacturer, give ya an overall idea of price, etc
http://www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eCommerce/brands.jsp?Mode=Cat&Cat=6&A=
ivan
 
Also, I added more detail explanation of the "branding" that I received from one of the official Laguiole dealers, on the "Laguiole Pocket Knife" thread. It is a bit lengthy but i think rather informative.
 
There are a lot of quality mfg out there--and some of the better ones from small companies--Bark River, Northwoods, Canal Street, Great Eastern, Orion.

Welcome to the forums--wander around for a while, you'll learn a lot.
 
atlas, as okbohn said, wandering around here is an excellent way to learn about quality knives.

Another way is to go to A. G. Russell's web site, and sign up for his free catalog. Once every couple of months you will get a catalog full of knives from many makers, all of high-quality, ranging in price from $20 to $1000+.

Very good way to learn, I think!
 
Although it depends on what exactly you want to learn... Russell is a very knowledgeable gentleman ... but be careful since not every salesman is like him ;) As for the price, Russell's prices are often higher than in some other places...
 
What ever you do stay away from Busse forums...
they are evil...
...and adicting...
...and they make you wanna spend more money then you have...
...and you will actualy spend more money then you have...
...and everytime somebody will call you a pig you'd take it as compliment...

But at least they have a nice support group, folks who understand your problem, and are willing to help.
 
As a connoisseur of cheap stuff, I can say that Opinels are also a great value. Someone here likened them to "folding Moras," and that is, in my opinion, an accurate assessment. Both work better than their sub-$10 price tags lead one to believe. Neither one is going to win any beauty pageants or awards for using high tech stuff, but they are the most knife for the money out there. Expect to get what you pay for everywhere else.

Benchmade and Spyderco seem to rule the roost when it comes to entry-level modern knives in this forum. I was sold on the Benchmade 710 from reading by this forum, and one now rides in my pocket on a daily basis. It replaced my previous EDC, a Browning-branded liner lock, and the difference is night and day.
 
What about the Martini Knives on SMKW,they look and sound good at a very good price? Mike
 
DrThunder88 said:
As a connoisseur of cheap stuff, I can say that Opinels are also a great value. Someone here likened them to "folding Moras," and that is, in my opinion, an accurate assessment. Both work better than their sub-$10 price tags lead one to believe. Neither one is going to win any beauty pageants or awards for using high tech stuff, but they are the most knife for the money out there. Expect to get what you pay for everywhere else.
Click to expand...
I kindly allow myself to disagree! :) To me Opinel is undoubtedly a beautiful knife/design, and the beauty is in its simplicity! Can you really say that the exquisite countess is more beautiful than a red-cheek country girl? ;) I like it all about Opinel knives - and especially their "signature" - the locking mechanism, which is again simple yet effective. Their carbon steel blades are not of a superb quality and the stainless steel - well, pretty much the same :). These are just simple working knives for every day small jobs... I only wish the bigger models to come with an Opinel pouch as the smaller ones do some times...
 
DrThunder88 said:
Benchmade and Spyderco seem to rule the roost when it comes to entry-level modern knives in this forum.
Click to expand...
I have some "bad experience" with my Spyderco :(
When I got it as a present, I didn't know that the knife is THAT sharp (VG-10, decent quality)! Well... I started to close the knife while still having my fingers wrapped around the handle, and the blade "guillotined" on my fingers! :( Nothing serious, just some minor cuts (the blade IS sharp!), and it happened to me few times before I remembered NOT to have my fingers wrapped around the handle while closing this knife. I think the company should indicate it in their safety note that the knife is not to be held that way when one is closing it.
 
micromike123 said:
I have some "bad experience" with my Spyderco :(
I think the company should indicate it in their safety note that the knife is not to be held that way when one is closing it.
Click to expand...

I am a climber and I usually handle Petzl Climbing gear. They have some of the greatest safety notes ever and they always say:
"WARNING
Activities involving the use of this equipment are inherently dangerous.
Read this notice carefully and keep all instructions and information on the proper use and field of application of the product(s). Only the techniques shown in the diagrams that are not crossed out are authorized. All other uses are excluded: danger of death. A few examples of misuse and forbidden uses are also represented (shown in the crossed out diagrams or with the “skull and crossbones” symbol). Many other types of misuse exist and it is impossible to enumerate or even imagine all of them. Contact PETZL if you have any doubt or difficulty understanding these documents."
So there you have it... none ever thought that someone could have his fingers round the blade while closing it.

Just kidding, don't take me seriously. That said I will add that I did exactly the same than you the first time I pushed the lockback of a Colt AR15 while holding it horizontaly. The blade swung to the closed position and cut my nuckle bladly... lol.
Mikel
 
Mikel_24 said:
....That said I will add that I did exactly the same than you the first time I pushed the lockback of a Colt AR15 while holding it horizontaly. The blade swung to the closed position and cut my nuckle bladly... lol. Mikel
Click to expand...
Hmmmm could it be the way for us to recognize each other in the crowd - by the very specific scars? :D Well, if to be serious - I think this kind of warning should be introduced by all knife makers with a particular type of a locking mechanism.
 
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