Favorite company? And why?

ebidis said:
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.
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Blade play is very slight, nothing to fret over. I have a good feel for blade play (don't tell anyone but my Sebenza even has a little;)). I haven't seen many folders with absolutely zero play, I think my Umnumzaan is the only folder I own with zero play.

No lock rock. lockup is early, like 20-25%, they even give you an extra steel insert and hardware:eek:

Here's the horizons lock up, 20-25%

39E5DFBA-E976-4504-929F-14E8438B3939_zps5ldpfcbf.jpg


Compared to my 562, 50-55%

29E0E8FF-8BEC-47DC-8C01-CEEA7FC4D35D_zpsdnbslgep.jpg


Compared to my wayfarer, like 15%. This is what early lockup really is.

8293D52E-29EB-44D4-A736-835C7B1E0507_zpszaxtlwkq.jpg
 
Blues Bender said:
Blade play is very slight, nothing to fret over. I have a good feel for blade play (don't tell anyone but my Sebenza even has a little;)). I haven't seen many folders with absolutely zero play, I think my Umnumzaan is the only folder I own with zero play.

No lock rock. lockup is early, like 20-25%, they even give you an extra steel insert and hardware:eek:

Here's the horizons lock up, 20-25%

39E5DFBA-E976-4504-929F-14E8438B3939_zps5ldpfcbf.jpg


Compared to my 562, 50-55%

29E0E8FF-8BEC-47DC-8C01-CEEA7FC4D35D_zpsdnbslgep.jpg


Compared to my wayfarer, like 15%. This is what early lockup really is.

8293D52E-29EB-44D4-A736-835C7B1E0507_zpszaxtlwkq.jpg
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks.
The ti slabs on that Horizon are thicker than I expected. Not that it's a bad thing.
 
Buck, Hess and ESEE (premium budget)

Blackjack, fallkniven, or BRKT (premium)

I have many other brands but these are the ones Iv become partial to. I use all my knives so I can't really justify spending more than $250 for a knife. I'm in firearm territory for above $250.
 
My favorite brands are zero tolerance, spyderco and benchmade ... yes I like American made knives ;)

IMHO ZT is the best for robustness, Spyderco for ergonomics and Benchmade for design

Out of the three I enjoy ZT the most
I like their simple and robust designs that I can trust on for almost any challenge
They have different shapes/designs/finishes, low carry clips are often available...

I would say: 1) ZT, 2) BM, 3) Spyderco

Spyderco third, mainly because I feel all their designs too similar and usually not so "pocket friendly"... That being said, I carry my PM2 a lot;)
 
For the $30-$200 range i would deffinately say spyderco hands down. So many offering for that price range. Tenacious family, manix 2, pm2, delica, endura, native, sage series, the list goes on and on. For high end productions would deffinately say hinderer hands down. You cant get much better then a 3" xm-18.
 
The Nomadic Hermit said:
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.
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Don't worry about it man, it was kinda funny actualy lol. Thank you for the apologe and no harsh feeling!
 
On the low end: Victorinox, Kershaw.
A little higher up: Spyderco, Benchmade.
A little higher: Emerson, Zero Tolerance.
The high end: Chris Reeve, Strider, Hinderer.
Fixed Blades: Bark River, Busse Group.
Traditional: Great Eastern Cutlery, Hiroaki Ohta for custom.

Then of course there are all the other custom makers out there. My grail knives are an Emerson CQC-6W and a Lucas Burnley Kwaiken Flipper.

Don't ever ask me to pick a single knife brand, either. It can't be done! :eek:
 
Don't really have a favorite in the $30-$50 range other than Vic Swiss Army Knives which I have quite a few. I have some moderns that were priced in that range like the Cold Steel Tuff Lite, and Kabar Dozier folding hunter (actually <$30)and others. I just ordered a Gerber River Shorty which cost like $20. Sort of looking forward to playing around with the Gerber. Not usually the price range I seek, but for occasional use canoeing and kayaking..... might be just the thing along with me SAK or a fixed blade if I am camping and floating.

The "medium" catagory has moved to about $120 which captures most of the Great Eastern Cutlery slip joints, Queens, and so forth except with more exotic handle materials. I like Spyderco knives a lot and consider them an excellent value. You can spend a fair chunk on some of their models. The medium catagory would include the Kabar Beckers and many of the ESEE knives.

"Higher" priced would include the special GEC's, most of the fixed blades I prefer, and ZT. Have not done the Chris Reeves thing yet as I am pretty sure I won't carry a $400 folder, so why bother. I do carry a ZT.

Now, when you say "collecting" what exactly do you mean? Keeping knives unused or simply accumulating knives you like to use mostly?
 
Spyderco - Fantastic quality and very user-friendly knives.

Kershaw - Consistent quality at very good prices.

Opinel - Great working knives disguised as gentlemen's folders.

Enlan, Sanrenmu, Ganzo - Great quality and features that you'd normally have to get by paying 4 or 5 times the price.
 
the only "favorite" company i have when considering price range (most can be bought for the price of a nice dinner) is Victorinox. they send a quadrillion knives out the door every year and im yet to see one that disappointed me when bought NIB.

now if im asked whats my favorite fixed blades no matter the price, its Fallkniven's lineup. ive beat the tar out of several models and they've never failed me...and their folders are pretty darn nice as well.
 
Definitely love Kershaw, ZT and Opinel.

But like many things in my worldview... The Scandinavian region does it best. ;)
 
The under $70 doesn't really apply to me. Only knife in that range is an ESEE Izula.

Otherwise, I have:

5 Spyderco's
3 ZT's
1 Brous
1 Three Sisters Forge
1 LionSteel
1 Sog

Spyderco is my favorite brand, closely followed by ZT, especially with their new, smaller, and lighter offerings coming out for 2015.

Very much dislike Benchmades.
 
Blues Bender said:
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.
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I totally agree with Blues Bender on his price to brand assessment. Steel type preference & scale choices based on intended use will ultimately be what you'll have to figure out to see which one(s) in the same price range will be right for you. Good luck in your search
 
My absolute favourite, bar none, is Himalayan Imports (as my post history will show). They are best known for their kukris, often considered the best on the planet, but they also have a very nice line of bowie knives, and a wide variety of swords and unusual knives. Price-wise, they range from around $30 for a blemished villager knife to several hundred dollars for a top-end model. Most of their mainstream blades cost between $100-$200.

Why do I love'em so much? They hit darn near all of the things I look for in a product.

Quality : Even though they're 100% made by hand, they're just as functional & tough as a high-end mass-produced knife, if not more so. They're made of 5160 steel, which is supposed to be one of the best out there. In any sort of emergency or survival situation, or even just an extended stay in the great outdoors, my HI World War 2 kukri will be on my hip.

Beauty : Quality is one thing - hell, Cold Steel makes pretty tough knives. Himalayan Imports kukris aren't just tough, they're also drop dead gorgeous. Even the cheaper models are pleasing to the eye.

Authenticity : All their blades are made in Nepal by traditional craftsmen using traditional methods. While they have some modern designs, they also make reproductions of classic kukris. They're as real as it gets.

Small Business : They aren't some faceless multinational. HI is run by one woman, Yangdu, who works closely with the kamis, who are relatively well paid for their work.

Customer Service : They always go the extra mile to make their customers happy, and often design knives based on customer feedback (right here on bladeforums).

If their working conditions were a bit safer (not really HI's fault - apparently the workers themselves prefer doing things the way they're used to) and the whole operation was more environmentally friendly (I don't see any way that could happen, but it's nice to dream) they'd basically be the perfect company.
 
I really like the Spydie Taichung models. The quality is more than they cost imo. Pretty amazing actually.
I've also got a ZT562cf and a Kizer 5404a2
 
Best bang for your buck in the middle of the road for your price range is Reate. Great fit and finish the horizon C and the Hills are both rock solid. If you get all weird about buying from a Chinese company and have to buy American I would go with ZT.
 
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