Can you all help me out with a sensitive question?

J

jeff_c

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Jun 9, 2009
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I do realize I am asking the Spyderco forum this question so I realize the answers will likely be a bit "skewed".

How does Spyderco, Benchmade and CRKT compare?

Please, Im not looking to bash any other companies but I am very curious.

I have a few Spyderco's but my goodness the cost has jumped since I bought my last one about 15 years ago LOL. That made me look at Benchmade which is a similar price point.... and then at CRKT which is less expensive.

I have a M16 and a M21 by CRKT and I have a Mel Pardue Benchmade.... and several spydies. But its been so long and all 3 companies have come so far its hard to compare modern options.

I think a Tenacious and or Persistance would do be just fine, but I cant find any local dealers that carry them so that I could hold one.

Any way, thoughts on the companies and their materials? Any comparison thoughts?
 
Spyderco offers the best value on the market and brings the best steels and is always pushing to bring better and higher quality knives to market. :thumbup: :cool:
 
Will will not be disappointed with a Spyderco. Then again, you may be. Take your time and find the knife you like best. It's hard to pick just one knife company and stick with it.
 
You are right about that!!!

When I bought my last Spydies, it seemed like there were only 2-3 models. LOL. At that time, (as I remember it in my world) Spyderco was "different" due to the serrations.

Now as I look through the offerings everyone has TOO MANY KNIVES! lol... I cant keep them all straight. :)
 
Spyderco offers excellent steels and other materials coupled with designs that are innovative and extremely ergonomic, if not always visually exciting. On top of that, Sal has always walked the high road when it comes to respecting the intellectual property of others.

Paul
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My Personal Website ---- Beginners Guide to Spyderco Collecting ---- Kiwimania ---- Spydiewiki
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spyderco > bencmade > CRKT

but really, it all depends on what you want in a knife, buy something and try it out, find out what you do and don't like about it, then look for a knife that suits your needs better.
 
I will say (even as a crkt fan) that it's more common for spyderco and benchmade to use higher quality materials. Now being an even bigger spyderco fan, benchmade seems to have a higher "top-shelf" of offerings (damascus steel, more exotic handles, etc.)

so then it comes down to feel. find a handle, blade material, locking mechanism, steel configuration that looks like it will work for you.

edit: if you're considering spyderco or benchmade, pay attention to the origin. US/JAP are more desirable.
 
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Only Kershaw can compare to Spyderco when it comes to listening to the customers and fulfilling their desires. Benchmade's quality is as good or better than Spyderco's (depends on what models you're comparing), but they seem to go their own way hoping the customers will follow.
 
Hi Jeff,

The 3 (or 4) brands I usually go to for folders are Spyderco, Kershaw, Benchmade, and Byrd. And I've listed in the order of preference for me.

And I like each brand for different reasons.

The biggest appeal for me is innovation, design and the ability to experience all the variations within. So Spyderco has the highest appeal due to things like the Sage series, the Ethnic series, Manix 2 variants, and the Mules. If you want to try out the latest super steel, the latest lock design, or your ideal combination of various materials available, Spyderco is hard to beat.

Kershaw is simliar, but with a different design philosophy. The only things I don't like are recurves and aluminum handles so they lose out.

Benchmades are beautifully made knives and there are a few models that I really like. And I have a few different models. But apart from those, the rest are too much alike in design and appearance. So I don't feel the need for any more.

Byrds are affordable alternatives to Spyderco that offers such good value for the price that I feel the need to list them as well. You get 80% of all the positives from Spyderco for a third of the price. Can't beat that.

I can't comment on CRKT because I don't own anything from them. And I have a few others from various brands but not in enough numbers for a fair opinion.
 
I think you will find CRKT down a couple of notches in quality from Spyderco and Benchmade.

I think you will find Spyderco's devotion to the ergonomics and the steel to be a notch above Benchmade.

Spyderco is hard to beat when you take all the various components into combination:

  • Steel...they're second to nobody there.
  • Ergo...not sure whose better.
  • Quality Control...very very good...somebody's probably better but who knows?
  • Innovation...pretty much goes without saying...they now have a scandi grind fixed blade bushcraft knife for crying out loud!:thumbup:
  • Materials...non-steel...top notch use of the right stuff for the right knife.
  • Company...stands by their product...up front about steel and origin...no bull.
  • Prices...great knives from $40 to $140.

Love that company.
 
All good...just different.

At some level of appreciation, guys will start to realize the differences. If you carry a knife and it comes out for use a couple times a week to cut a string, or open a package, you may never notice or appreciate the differences...and there is nothing wrong with it.

OTOH, some guys will examine closely how the knife fits together, how it works, what it does well, and what another knife will not do well. It is a this level of appreciation that pricing of knives often starts to make sense (there are exceptions).

Buy what you like, but understand that when something costs more, it is usually for a reason....it just remains to be seen if that (those) reason(s) are important to you.

No wrong answer...just the right answer for your needs, wants, preferences.
 
Spyderco has the best choices of steel to choose from, uses basic handle materials for the most part, and has reasonable prices. Benchmade uses only a couple of steels, but has much nicer furniture on their knives, more high-end damascus and such, and has fairly high prices.. CRKT uses mediocre steel and has low prices.
 
jeff_c said:
So what is the BYRD line?

Are they owned by Spyderco? Are they Spydercos?
Click to expand...

Same build quality as the Spydercos, but use cheaper steels. Owned and produced by Spyderco in China.

Spyderco is to Lexus as Byrd is to Toyota. :D
 
I think for the price spyderco is the best value on the market. They have the best choice of steel, designs, and materials of any company. If you want an incredible knife at an incredible price pick up a manix 2.

Benchmade makes some of THE highest quality production knives and I will go out on a limb and say at the 150+ price point they beat spyderco in overall value. Benchmade has some amesome designs like the 755 and 710 which are versitile and unlike anything spyderco offers. Also the Axis lock is incredible if you haven't used it.

Basicially you can't go wrong with either but CRKT knives are in my experience complete and utter crap for the prices they charge. I hear they are getting better but I will never buy another on of their knives. Poor designs, poor steel, poor fit and finish.
 
Benchmade is no doubt on par with spyderco when it comes to quality. Where they end up lacking is in the steel and pricing. BM is overpriced for the materials you get on nearly all their models. For me it would go spyderco> kershaw> bm.
 
dsmegst said:
Byrds are affordable alternatives to Spyderco that offers such good value for the price that I feel the need to list them as well. You get 80% of all the positives from Spyderco for a third of the price. Can't beat that.
Click to expand...

Well said! Byrd is really coming along with their knives, fer sher. The pattern on their bi-directional FRN on the 2nd gen models looks super-cool (G10 is also an option, at least with some models,) they've shrunk the 'comet hole' :thumbup:, and offer full flat grind to boot. I don't think that a casual user really needs expensive super-steel in a knife, anyway. Plus, Byrd models often 'mirror' Spyderco knives (eg. Meadowlark/Delica, Cara Cara/Endura, Robin/Dragonfly...etc.)

For the same price, why not pick up two or three Byrds instead? If you like those, you can always buy an 'official' Spyderco later (with confidence!) There are tons of online stores to buy from if you don't have a local dealer.

Good luck! :)
 
LOL I just did! the Spyderco online store was having a sale and I bought two... Thing is, I think I bought two that are so similar they are a bit redundant. But heck, for 40.00 Ill give them a try.

Meadowlark:
BY04G_L.jpg


And Crow:
BY09G_L.jpg


Both with G10 handles. Both with plain edges.

Probably a dumb choice as they are so similar.
 
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