Favorite company? And why?

[daltonmcneely123]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to knife collecting, I have a way better understanding of what makes a knife quality and the steels and differnt the different materials and such. I was just wanted to know what your guys favorite production knife companies are and why? Like budget wise, ($30-$70$) more quality wise ($70-$200) and upper wise ($200+) I'm just wanted to get more knowledgeable about my new passion. Thanks guys.

 

[The Nomadic Hermit]

:jerkit

 

[The Aflac Duck]

:jerkit

Anyways...

Spydercos and kershaws can be had for your budget price. The next step up would be the higher end kershaws and spydercos, along with benchmade, zero tolerance and quite a few others.

The more high end knives will be Chris Reeve knives, Hinderers, striders, customs/midtechs.

Stick around for a while and take a look, you'll see what we're carrying. There's alot more than what I mentioned. Don't let idiots like "that guy" bring you down, he probably can only afford a gerber anyways

 

[rob32]

Hey guys, I'm fairly new to knife collecting, I have a way better understanding of what makes a knife quality and the steels and differnt the different materials and such. I was just wanted to know what your guys favorite production knife companies are and why? Like budget wise, ($30-$70$) more quality wise ($70-$200) and upper wise ($200+) I'm just wanted to get more knowledgeable about my new passion. Thanks guys.

My favorite budget knives are the various Chinese brands like Enlan, Ganzo, and Sanrenmu. They make some truly great value knives, usually under 15 bucks or so. Enlan El-01 and Sanrenmu 710 are examples.

Spend a little more money and I would favor a Kershaw over most anything else. You can get a great Kershaw knife with designs and features that much more expensive knives have, for around 50 bucks. I have a Kershaw Blur, and 2 Leeks. I love them all. There are also some great, cheap Spyderco knives in this range. I own a Tenacious and a Matriarch 2, both can be found for between 35-70. Good blades.

Next price range for me would be up to around $200. This is where Spyderco dominates, IMO. I have a Civilian, which is a great self-defense knife. The Military and Para-Military 2 are standouts, as well as others.

$200-$400 for me is all Zero Tolerance. I own 3 ZT knives and for the price, these are my absolute favorite. I have an 0560, an 0561, and an 0300. These are pretty beefy knives, especially the 0300, and they are frickin outstanding.

For 400 plus, I have 2 that really stand out for me. I have a CRK Sebenza and a Rockstead Higo. The customer service and warranty with a CRK knife won me over, but I cannot say enough good about the Rockstead Higo. That thing is an absolute work of art.

 

[KenHash]

It makes a difference if you intend on collecting folders or fixed blades. While a few companies make both that are good, most seem to be better at one or the other.

 

[RBid]

For budget knives, I prefer Spyderco and respect Ontario Rat 1 & Rat 2, as well as Cold Steel offerings in AUS-8. Kershaw does a lot of bead blasted 8cr13mov in lower price points, and I've had rust spotting with it. I've had great experiences with Spyderco's satin finish on 8cr13mov, on the other hand. CRKT stuff in the range is either materials beneath the design (Ripple!) or just trashy in my opinion.

$100-$150, Spyderco kills it. Outstanding blade steels in this range, and some great designs.

$150-$300, I'm all ZT. They hit a lot of home runs in this range. Just... Awesome.

$300-$500, it's about specific models to me. TiSpine, Sebenza, SnG, etc. lots of amazing work in this range.

Beyond that is not on my radar.

 

[ebidis]

:jerkit:

Nice that you could contribute something useful to the thread. Look at the forum rules, that particular "smiley" is only allowed in Wine and Cheese. Just sayin.

As for the OP's question, I can only comment on knives I own, or used to own. My list would go like this:

Budget= Kershaw, Cold Steel
$100-$200(ish)= Benchmade, Spyderco, Emerson.
$200-$300=ZT
$300 and up= Chris Reeve.
As for why, these particular brands in these particular price ranges, in my experience, have excellent designs and materials, and fit and finish for their price points.
There are other fine brands in all of these ranges, but these are what I have experience with.

Good luck in your collecting quest, and welcome to the sickness.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Being the nice guy that I am I'll show you some of my knives in those price ranges.

Don't have anything under $60, sorry. But here goes!
All these knives go from $60-$125. The prices goes up from top to bottom (bottom being the most expensive of the bunch).

From top to bottom
-kershaw chive
-lionsteel opera
-benchmade griptillian
-Mcusta tsuchi
-kizer 4401


These will go from $125-$250

-Spyderco manix 2
-spyderco Manix 2 (with CPM-cruwear steel)
-spyderco gayle Bradley
-spyderco Southard
-Reate horizon-C

And finally, these go from $250-$600

-zero tolerance 0562cf
-Chris Reeve Umnumzaan
-Chris Reeve sebenza
-zero tolerance 0454
-Olamic wayfarer

I'm sure I can use this list again for future use, so I think I'll copypasta it somewhere

 

[Sonnydaze]

There are so many "correct" answers here. Opinions vary widely, as parameters are different for each person. If you just keep on reading here, you will arrive at your own favorites...
I would say that the favorites are the companies that you always are reading about. Also, the ones that seem to be primary in the Exchange...in terms of "For Sale." That also means that lots of folks are buying these same knives...
You can read the "Knife Reviews and Testing" forum, as well as the replies on those reviews. Look for threads in the Discussion area that have MANY replies, and read the posts. Those threads that result in many replies are indicating which knives are catching the interest of the readers...whether good or bad.
Welcome to a fine hobby...

 

[The Nomadic Hermit]

Dalton, i want to apologize for being an a**. I am sorry for my ridiculous comment to your post, which added nothing to the discussion. I am new here also, and on the same quest for knowledge as you. I actually have learned something from your question, and the responses to it.

Again, man, I apologize.

 

[ebidis]

Dalton, i want to apologize for being an a**. I am sorry for my ridiculous comment to your post, which added nothing to the discussion. I am new here also, and on the same quest for knowledge as you. I actually have learned something from your question, and the responses to it.

Again, man, I apologize.

Way to show some class man! Welcome to the discussion.
And the forums. :thumbup:

 

[ebidis]

Being the nice guy that I am I'll show you some of my knives in those price ranges.

Don't have anything under $60, sorry. But here goes!
All these knives go from $60-$125. The prices goes up from top to bottom (bottom being the most expensive of the bunch).

From top to bottom
-kershaw chive
-lionsteel opera
-benchmade griptillian
-Mcusta tsuchi
-kizer 4401


These will go from $125-$250

-Spyderco manix 2
-spyderco Manix 2 (with CPM-cruwear steel)
-spyderco gayle Bradley
-spyderco Southard
-Reate horizon-C

And finally, these go from $250-$600

-zero tolerance 0562cf
-Chris Reeve Umnumzaan
-Chris Reeve sebenza
-zero tolerance 0454
-Olamic wayfarer

I'm sure I can use this list again for future use, so I think I'll copypasta it somewhere

Your cheating, you've got a few custom scales in there.
How you likin' the Reate? I've kinda got my eye on them.
And to stay on topic, I think you're right, that is a very helpful list.

 

[155440]

Dalton, i want to apologize for being an a**. I am sorry for my ridiculous comment to your post, which added nothing to the discussion. I am new here also, and on the same quest for knowledge as you. I actually have learned something from your question, and the responses to it.

Again, man, I apologize.

Classy move

@Blues Bender, all of those knives are awesome, thanks for the pictures. I'm really digging that marble carbon fiber on the 0562.

I guess i'll address my favorite production company that makes knives in the $30-70$ range, Buck.
Buck makes a rock solid reliable product for a relatively inexpensive price and they are willing to back up their products with awesome customer service. The vast majority of their products are american made. (If I were you I would stick with the ones made in America). If you were going to buy a Buck knife, I would recommend one of their fixed blades, especially the 102, 118, or 119. For 40-50 dollars you end up with a product that will last you a life time.

I lent my Buck 119 to a friend and he beat the hell out of it leaving several chips in the blade. I sent it to Buck and they completely re profiled it and resharpened it for the price of return shipping. It looks better now than it did coming from the factory.

420hc is a lower tier steel but Buck heat treats it well. Most of their knives come in 420hc and are hollow ground.

Pic courtesy of Machine26
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/967059-Buck-119-Testing

 

[Seilu]

My personal favorites:
Folders
Extrema Ratio, Fox knives, ZT, Emerson
All for their quality and reliability
I want to try Fantoni knives and steel will, both companies seem to be a future favorite

Fixed
Eickhorn, TOPS knives, or my personal customs off of the makers here
I only buy quality fixed blades I can trust my life on and the above are proven to me
There are possibly more but I can't think of them

 

[Lost Cosmonaut]

For me, given your criteria, my list would be:

Budget: Kershaw. Constantly knock it out of the park. Sure, the fit and finish and materials aren't always the best, but they are still quality and have great features for what you pay. Plus, for within your price range, they even have several USA made models.

$50-200: I'm going to name three, and they are going to be Reate, Benchmade and Zero Tolerance.

$200+: Chris Reeve. I have been far more happy with my Chris Reeve knives at the ($300-400) price range than any other knife I own from that range.

 

[ebidis]

My personal favorites:
Folders
Extrema Ratio, Fox knives, ZT, Emerson
All for their quality and reliability
I want to try Fantoni knives and steel will, both companies seem to be a future favorite

Fixed
Eickhorn, TOPS knives, or my personal customs off of the makers here
I only buy quality fixed blades I can trust my life on and the above are proven to me
There are possibly more but I can't think of them

I would add Blackjack (AKA: Bark River), Esee, and Becker to the fixed blade category. All three brands have proven themselves to me.

Becker is in the $70-$100 range.
Esee, and Blackjack, are both in the $100-$200 range.

Esee, and Becker are such popular brands (with good reason) that you can find literally thousands of reviews on Google and YouTube for either brand. You can spend an entire weekend researching ha ha.

 

[Seilu]

Those knives are excellent as well, very solidly built
I however prefer more exclusive knives because I like something a little different

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Your cheating, you've got a few custom scales in there.
How you likin' the Reate? I've kinda got my eye on them.
And to stay on topic, I think you're right, that is a very helpful list.

I love the reate, it has exceeded my expectations. I'd put it on par with my 0562 as far as quality goes, well worth the 2-something (can't remember) I payed for it. It has a ridiculously strong detent that makes the blade explode out of the handle.

I'm not sold on the MRBS, as I still find KVT to be smoother with less resistance. The reate also has ceramic bearings which feel..well...ceramic I guess. I don't really care for the ceramic bearings so far, they have more of a "sliding" feel rather than a "rolling" feel. They still work great though, the blade can still fall under its own weight, but not like my 0454 or wayfarer.

Nonetheless, it's a great flipper.

 

[ebidis]

Those knives are excellent as well, very solidly built
I however prefer more exclusive knives because I like something a little different

I can dig it. :thumbup:

 

[ebidis]

I love the reate, it has exceeded my expectations. I'd put it on par with my 0562 as far as quality goes, well worth the 2-something (can't remember) I payed for it. It has a ridiculously strong detent that makes the blade explode out of the handle.

I'm not sold on the MRBS, as I still find KVT to be smoother with less resistance. The reate also has ceramic bearings which feel..well...ceramic I guess. I don't really care for the ceramic bearings so far, they have more of a "sliding" feel rather than a "rolling" feel. They still work great though, the blade can still fall under its own weight, but not like my 0454 or wayfarer.

Nonetheless, it's a great flipper.

Have you noticed any other issues, like blade play, lock rock, or the lock bar wearing and moving over? What's the lockup percentage?

Just asking, because these seem to be the most common issues with most ti frame locks.