Folder makers who focus on ultra high cutting performance

brancron said:
S SCTorrero Incredible lineup! I’ll be back to share more thoughts tomorrow when I have a bit more time, but in the meantime can I ask what that top folder is?
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Jager Blades, model is the Baron.

I bought this secondhand. I was told the maker was starting to build quite a following when he sort of disappeared. Not sure he is still making knives. Anyway, the action is spectacular. Unlike any I’ve had on washers. Blade is 10v with cryo, around 64-65hrc. Awesome hollow. Kind of looks like a folding Winkler.
 
Haven't gotten into custom folders (yet :rolleyes:) but cutting performance is what I look for in any knife. Those that don't cut well, usually due to blade geometry, wind up in the toolbox in the garage for utility duty like prying and scraping.
 
brancron said:
Recently I have got excited by the idea of "ultra high" performance folders, where the maker pays much more attention than most to blade/edge geometry and heat treat. I am making this post to ask for recommendations in this regard, whether they're custom makers or production companies.

To give an idea of what I have in mind (and what I'm seeking more of), I'm thinking of guys like Alex Steingraber of Steingraber Performance Knives (SPK), or Kasé Knives Switzerland. Shawn Houston of Triple B Handmade would be another example but for the fact that he only makes fixed blades (at least currently).

When it comes to production knives, I may have run the gamut on those, at least as far as production knives that are available to purchase in the US. But if you can think of any slightly more obscure companies that may not be common knowledge an which fit the bill, I'd love to hear about them!
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How do you define "ultra High"? I think everyone here has their own definition of what a good knife is and I have never referred to one as "ultra high".
 

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SCTorrero said:
Honestly, you mentioned the first two that came to mind: Alex and Roman. Transparent Knives does reblades and is very much of the philosophy you describe. Josh at REK does reblades and folders.

There is always Spyderco, which I really view as the gold standard here. You will not find a better performance knife for the price (specifically thinking of Seki K390 knives).

I know Mitchell Clark runs higher than typical hardness M390 with cryo, although I would not say his "focus" is performance. Strider, for all their problems, seems to know how to heat treat a knife (or have a good source). The 20CV Strider I had was the best I have had on my stones, but I sold it for other reasons. OZ Machine and CRK have stepped up their HT for magnacut. Hogue has too. Protech is working with Larrin on their HT.

I am sure there are others.
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Usually the issue with a true hard use folder is that (obviously) the pivot area and/or lock suffers damage and fails. What if the handle/lock/pivot were designed in such a way and used materials that allowed for a ridiculous amount of flex/twist/bending/etc, and then this material being used would return back to it's original shape? What if the lock being used was one that allowed for a very high amount of self adjustment, that would self adjust to a certain degree during this flexing to keep the blade locked, but then when the handle material returned to it's original shape the lock would also return to a normal area of wear/adjustment? What if the pivot itself was also designed so that it could not be ripped from this handle no matter how much flex occurred (obviously nothing is indestructible, you can't twist the handle from the blade 360 degrees and not expect something to happen)? I'm no materials expert, but surely there is something out there that a handle could be made of that has properties like this. You would get a knife that could take a ridiculous beating but have the ability to absorb impact and flex so the damage threshold isn't crossed resulting in a failure of the pivot or lock. What kind of lock could provide this kind of adjustment/wear? Does anyone think this is even possible or am I just dreaming?
 
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jamesculver said:
Usually the issue with a true hard use folder is that (obviously) the pivot area and/or lock suffers damage and fails. What if the handle/lock/pivot were designed in such a way and used materials that allowed for a ridiculous amount of flex/twist/bending/etc, and then this material being used would return back to it's original shape? What if the lock being used was one that allowed for a very high amount of self adjustment, that would self adjust to a certain degree during this flexing to keep the blade locked, but then when the handle material returned to it's original shape the lock would also return to a normal area of wear/adjustment? What if the pivot itself was also designed so that it could not be ripped from this handle no matter how much flex occurred (obviously nothing is indestructible, you can't twist the handle from the blade 360 degrees and not expect something to happen)? I'm no materials expert, but surely there is something out there that a handle could be made of that has properties like this. You would get a knife that could take a ridiculous beating but have the ability to absorb impact and flex so the damage threshold isn't crossed resulting in a failure of the pivot or lock. What kind of lock could provide this kind of adjustment/wear? Does anyone think this is even possible or am I just dreaming?
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If the knife is really designed to cut, there would be very little need for the handle/pivot/lock to experience any twisting/flexing/bending.
 
Hashishiin said:
Spyderco
David Mary
Opinel - performance for money is insane
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I was going to chime in with Spyderco and Opinel.

Spyderco obviously some models will be thinner behind the edge than others. My lightweight Sage 5 and Chapparal cut very well, as does the original Military for its size.
 
jamesculver said:
Usually the issue with a true hard use folder is that (obviously) the pivot area and/or lock suffers damage and fails. What if the handle/lock/pivot were designed in such a way and used materials that allowed for a ridiculous amount of flex/twist/bending/etc, and then this material being used would return back to it's original shape? What if the lock being used was one that allowed for a very high amount of self adjustment, that would self adjust to a certain degree during this flexing to keep the blade locked, but then when the handle material returned to it's original shape the lock would also return to a normal area of wear/adjustment? What if the pivot itself was also designed so that it could not be ripped from this handle no matter how much flex occurred (obviously nothing is indestructible, you can't twist the handle from the blade 360 degrees and not expect something to happen)? I'm no materials expert, but surely there is something out there that a handle could be made of that has properties like this. You would get a knife that could take a ridiculous beating but have the ability to absorb impact and flex so the damage threshold isn't crossed resulting in a failure of the pivot or lock. What kind of lock could provide this kind of adjustment/wear? Does anyone think this is even possible or am I just dreaming?
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I don't know the answers, but they are cool concepts to think about. I do wonder if we are getting into "solution looking for problem" territory. For example, what kind of forces are we applying to a cutting tool that would necessitate this level of "toughness/durability?"

That said, the idea that a tool could be fully optimized for performance (darn the costs or practicality) is really fun to imagine, imo. I'd check it out.
 
SCTorrero said:
I don't know the answers, but they are cool concepts to think about. I do wonder if we are getting into "solution looking for problem" territory. For example, what kind of forces are we applying to a micro credentials malaysia cutting tool that would necessitate this level of "toughness/durability?"

That said, the idea that a tool could be fully optimized for performance (darn the costs or practicality) is really fun to imagine, imo. I'd check it out.
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thank you for your response.
 
I saw a big table with tons of BTE measurements taken from Spyderco models, and I recall none of them being what I would call thin behind the edge. Most Spydercos also have rather thick stock.

To me, a slicing design would be around 2 mm stock (or less), with a full flat or hollow grind and below 0,3mm BTE. Sharpened from the factory at 10-15 DPS.

I can’t think of many modern makers that do this, apart from traditionals. I recently got a PMP harmony that is 0,25 BTE.

Many of the modern powder steels might not have the edge stability to take super fine razor edges (10DPS at 0,1-0,2mm BTE). So you’re basically stuck with high carbon, or something like AEB-L, 14c28n or Magnacut. Something to consider.
 
When I first posted in this thread I had managed to stay away from CRKs. Now that I own a couple (in MC and S45VN), I have to say they are among the best cutters among my folders, out of the box. Only my Spyderco GB and S90V Yojumbo, and my custom REK and Krein hollow grinds can compete.

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Locutus D'Borg said:
I want a knife to cut stuff. Any recommendations? :eek:
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I suppose you are being facetious, but the truth is, most knives are pretty terrible at cutting things compared to the knives that are the subject of this thread. I figured a “platinum member” such as yourself would appreciate the obvious distinction.
 
Which one is better slicer, a SAK or Spyderco Chaparral? Just based on experience or impression, thanks.
 
vinprom said:
Which one is better slicer, a SAK or Spyderco Chaparral? Just based on experience or impression, thanks.
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Probably the Chaparral, 2mm thick at the Spine and higher blade than the SAK (2-2.5mm (?) depending on model).

You make a good point though, some of my traditionals in Carbon are really good cutters (e.g. the GEC 36), better than most of my modern knives - except the good hollow grinds. A CRK will still beat the 36.
 
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