Does anybody have any info on....

1917cutlass · Jul 21, 2005

Hi, im somewhat new to these forums, and i was wondering, i have heard alot about a few different knife brands and i was wondering if you guys could give your honest opinion on a couple of them. The 4 i have heard really good things about are 1.)Cold steel 2.) Ka-bar 3.) Black Jack 4.)spyderco
I was just wondering what you guys think of these knives, pros or cons. Im just looking in some quality knives to invest time and money into.

thx.

knifetester · Jul 21, 2005

Welcome, those are companies. Did you have specific models in mind?

Artfully Martial · Jul 21, 2005

I'm not that big a fan of Cold Steel...it's not that I dislike them, per say, but they seem to charge a lot for...well, knives with cheaper than I'd like steel (among other things). Mostly, however, they just don't make a knife that really attracts me....the Arc Angel is sweet, but it costs more than a benchmade 42...so...no.

Don't know anything about Black Jack.

Ka bar is actually really cool...their fixed blades are kind of like, the essential image of the combat knife....when I think of combat fixed blade, I think kabar. Their dozier is really cool too. I don't own anything from them..they're sort of pricy by my standards.

Spyderco is really cool. The one spyderco I own (a spyderfly) had subpar quality, in my opinion, especially for a ~75 dollar knife. HOWEVER, it is probably my favorite knife, great steel, amazing edge, the design is amazing. I'm a pretty big fan of spyderco and plan to buy more from them. I would list their best knives, but there are so many....you can come back and give me the specs you want and I'll suggest a few.

I'm a fan of Benchmade, probably about as much as Spyderco. The knives I like from Benchmade I like more than their spyderco equivalents, but Spyderco makes more knives that I'm interested in. In my opinion, the quality control is better and in my opinion the actions are far superior...but the deal isn't quite as good, and benchmade makes a ton of knives that seem to serve the exact same function and there's not the diversity I'd like that Spyderco gives me.

Also look into Kershaw and CRKT.

My favorite brands, in rough order:

Spyderco
Benchmade (I actually do think this is the highest quality brand, by the way)
CRKT (some of their knives are WAY underrated in my opinion)
Kershaw (cheaper knives, sure, but great deals to be found and maybe the best assisted action out there)

WarRaven · Jul 22, 2005

I'll second the Benchmades.

Just got my 710 and 707 in the mail, and i am quite happy with them.
(polishing them now)

Peace

WR

1917cutlass · Jul 22, 2005

Let me know about what you guys think of them, pros and cons, and any other suggestions you would add to the list.
Thx.

Artfully Martial · Jul 22, 2005

Well, of those four brands, I've only actually bought Spyderco, so I'll comment on them.

I'm not sure what you're looking for, but some things to keep in mind with the Civilian especially, but all those spydercos you mentioned--they look evil! You could probably get away with EDCing the harpy, but man, the chinook and civilian are really menacing and huge.

You might have posted it, but Cold Steel makes a Civilian-esque knife (some say clone) you might check out.

The Chinook is my favorite of those Spydercos. It's beefy, it has G10, it has S30V, and it looks great.

Okay, I'm just going to assume you aren't yet familiar with the steel chart.

I think it's fair to say that most people believe that S30V is near or at the top of blade steel in folders. I personally have never used it, but there are so many fans I have little reason to doubt it. The other knives use VG10, which probably has a slightly smaller fan base than S30V, but it's very popular, and I can personally vouch for its effectiveness. Very well rounded characteristics.

You really can't go wrong with Spyderco. I would really recommend that you check out their knives before you buy them though, as I've had some quality control issues with them, but if you do get a defect, they'll fix or replace under warranty, so it really isn't that big of a deal.

By the way, if you are going to order your knives, order them from Newgraham.com . They are the cheapest and fastest store out there. If you DO get a defect on a knife ordered from Newgraham, they'll let you send it back in for a replacement (which is usually faster than sending it in to be fast) or trade it in. Plus, they send bandaids with every order!

Anyway, check out some of my favorite Spydercos when you have some free time:

paramilitary

persion

native

centofante

spyderench

spyderfly

1917cutlass · Jul 22, 2005

Thx, does anybody else have any other coments or suggestions?

digdeep · Jul 23, 2005

Artfully Martial said:
...By the way, if you are going to order your knives, order them from Newgraham.com . They are the cheapest and fastest store out there. If you DO get a defect on a knife ordered from Newgraham, they'll let you send it back in for a replacement (which is usually faster than sending it in to be fast) or trade it in. Plus, they send bandaids with every order!...

Very true - I have ordered many knives from Newgraham and the only one I had a problem with was replaced very quickly without any problem. Great company to deal with and their prices are very low.

1917cutlass · Jul 24, 2005

You guys spoke of benchmade highly, what knives do you reckomend from them?

WarRaven · Jul 24, 2005

Well, i have only 2 now, they are both, the Plain edged Non-Coated,
710 and 707.
(I got rid of my mini-ambush,it had an Rolling Lock, didnt inspire confidence for me)
Where as these 2 have a the Axis Lock, which is reported to hold over 200 Lbs of force before breakage, and still is not supposed to close on you,most importantly.(And is damn nice and smooth and playable)

The 710 has G10 scales, fairly beefy folder,154cm blade, and feels just right overall.

The 707 Has T6 6061 Al scales with a G10 insert on them(Mostly Deco imo) 154 blade and is a nice gents knife when my 710 is overbearing for the situation.

After handling them both for a while, My wife and son have warmed to the Bm's wily ways, Seems i may be ordering more this weekend.

Take a look at all of them and come back an tell us what you like bro.

my 710
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=710

and 707
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=707

WR

theobetts · Jul 24, 2005

These are great days to be a knife collector. There are a ton of great manufacturers and makers out these and thousands of knives that great values. Having said that i will say that i love benchmades. I always carry two folders and no matter what new knives i buy my Benchmade stryker is the one knife i ALWAYS carry. Great knife, i have had it for about seven years and have only kept it clean and sharpened it and have never had any problem with it.
There are many other great benchmades, it depends on what you want. Price range, fixed or folded, type of lock for folder, type of handle, type of blade steel- these are just some of your choice. Some of my favorite Benchmades:
Fixed blade- snody resistor, small blade great for concealed carry; nirvarus, available in small or larger sizes and several blade configurations.
Folders- already mentioned the strker. Griptilian- axis lock, tons of size, blade, handle color configurations, great price, mine will cut all day long. Skirmish- now in several styles and sizes, frame lock (monolock) very nice, slightly more expensize than other folders but very nice.
Hope this helps. Just check out several online retailers and get an idea of the different knives out there and keep checking out this forum and you will get a good idea of what is popular and why.
Theo

1917cutlass · Jul 24, 2005

If you guys had to choose a few fixed blade knives, which ones would you choose? from BM, CS, KB, or black jack.
I have have decided to get a spiderco harpy for my folding knife, and i just got a really good folding knife for my b-day from a buddy who got it from cold steel, called the recon 1, it has a tanto point, its also half serated, and it has an ultra lock that can support over 150 lbs of dead weight. Have you guys heard anything about the knife i just recieved? It appears to be a fairly decent knife, but i could be wrong, please help me out here.