Grail Knife List Help

[Medic5916]

Alright, I'm sure people have already begun to roll their eyes after reading the title, but I have been placed in a position that begs a very serious question. Before I explain my question, I just wanted to thank you for all of the knowledge I have gained from reading a ridiculous amount of posts on this website and for being able to check a website every five minutes to learn that five or ten new knives have been listed for sale and I want more than half of them most of the time.

Alright, on with my question. My wife and I have talked this over and we both agree that I am only allowed to buy one knife a year. This is good and bad new. The good news is that there is no limit on price (unless it gets ridiculous). The bad news is that every 365 days I have to narrow down a choice to one knife in a sea of amazing talent and options.

After hearing all of my babble, my question is:

What should my grail list include and why?

DISCLAIMER: I know that a lot of this will come down to personal preference, but I do not have the opportunity to try a bunch of knives. I want to make an educated guess and literally make one purchase a year. Also, there is no way for me to test out these knives or handle them first. I could explain but that would add to an already long post.

Here is my very rough list of grail knives (that I have already obtained two from and will designate below):

P.S.- I am open to any and all advice. Feel free to rip me a new one on this list, but please make a recommendation of what should take its place.

- Chris Reeve’s Large Sebenza 21 (plain) already own, verdict: 10/10, definitely have to agree with the hype on this one
- Zero Tolerance 0777 M390 already own, verdict 8/10, feels too light and unbalanced while opening/flipping (possibly spoiled with sebenza 21), otherwise amazing knife
- Todd Begg Bodega (Field Grade?)(http://www.arizonacustomknives.com/...45&ReturnUrl=NewProductListing.aspx?product-- listing.aspx)
- Yuna Hard 1 or 2
- Need a Strider Added (fully custom?)
- Marfione Matrix (Titanium Tri-Tone)
- Possible: Brous Blades Mini Division Flipper

This is what I have so far and plan to go in this order. As I stated above, I already own the Large Sebenza 21 and ZT 0777 m390. I love them both but the Sebenza takes the cake for me. I haven't completely been able to narrow down why, but I believe that it is due to the weight and solid feeling of the knife. I also included a link to a beautiful Field Grade Bodega that I found and love the black/red combo. I would love a regular Bodega but can't seem to find one that really grabs my eye. Also, the ZT 0454 and 0392 were recently added as they really caught my eye. I am on the fence about considering the ckw decepticon. Again, I will only see one knife a year and that puts a lot of pressure on one decision.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and, as stated above, I am open to any and all suggestions. If you leave criticism...great, just be sure to give your 2 cents right after you tell me how bad my choice is and why.

Edit: "Grail" list changed on 04/27/2015. Love the ideas.

 

[Leftytwogunz]

Hello,
First and foremost I am wondering what led up to your one knife a year deal? LOL did you go ridiculous one year and buy like 100 knives and your family had to have an intervention? Joking of course, you guys have to implement what works for you.

So far I think your grail list needs to be what you want it to be. Everyone can get on here and tell you what knife to buy, and if you could get multiples per year it would be different, and you could afford to try out things, but since you only get one a year I think you should do your year's worth of research and buy what you think will fit you best. It looks like you have already been working on that and I think the most logical thing to do is just to go straight down your list from top to bottom, year by year.

Before even seeing your list I was going to suggest the ZT 0392, as it seems pretty "grail worthy" but since you already have one ZT maybe try the next thing on your list that isn't a ZT. Your favorite knife from multiple manufacturers would end up making a very interesting collection. You also seem to like flippers so maybe that bodega would be right up your alley, it looks like a well thought out and well made knife.
Best of luck, and let us know what you decide!

 

[asdf12345]

It depends on what you want in a grail / see as a grail and what you hope to accumulate over the years.

One option could be to own one example of each type of knife, with each of those knives by an extremely well-regarded maker considered to be the best or one of the best at that particular type or style of knife. For example you could after four years own a Bose slipjoint, a Loveless fixed blade, a Harkins automatic and a Terzuola linerlock.

If you prefer to own only a subcategory of knives such as framelocks, you could seek out a variety of styles and design philosophies, for example framelocks by Sibert, Mayo and Rexford.

These are just two examples of what you can do to plan your purchases. Another option is to forego planning entirely. If you like your Sebenza, keep and use that, and save money for when that truly unique, historically important, and masterfully crafted knife comes up for sale. I have missed some incredible knives in the past simply because I had a list of "things to buy", and then when the unicorn came trotting up there wasn't enough in the piggy bank to catch it.

For "grails", I would avoid knives whose desirability and collectibility comes primarily from scarcity and hype/the name associated with the knife. These would include many production LEs and "mid-tech" knives. The best knives are both immaculate in their construction and truly scarce. "Limited Edition" is nice, but consider that many LEs have units in the several hundreds. If you buy a knife because of its "rarity", there should be only 1-10 units of that particular knife (slightly differing "configurations" like blade finishes, etc don't count.)

I would personally stay away from the CKF Decepticon as many who purchased theirs for $1000 or even more are having difficulty selling theirs for even $800 - and because it's not a particularly limited piece.

I would stay away from the Marfione Matrix and Begg Bodega because again, they're not particularly limited.

I would seek out true Hinderer or Sinkevich customs instead of purchasing the ZT LEs, to be perfectly honest. ~$500 is a lot of money that could go to purchasing the custom.

 

[Seneca18]

If you are keen on flippers try out a Hinderer XM-18. It is a worthy grail knife in my opinion, right up there with CRK. My XM actually sees more pocket time than my Sebenza now.

 

[Seneca18]

It depends on what you want in a grail / see as a grail and what you hope to accumulate over the years.

One option could be to own one example of each type of knife, with each of those knives by an extremely well-regarded maker considered to be the best or one of the best at that particular type or style of knife. For example you could after three years own a Bose slipjoint, a Loveless fixed blade, a Harkins automatic and a Terzuola linerlock.

If you prefer to own only a subcategory of knives such as framelocks, you could seek out a variety of styles and design philosophies, for example framelocks by Sibert, Mayo and Rexford.

These are just two examples of what you can do to plan your purchases. Another option is to forego planning entirely. If you like your Sebenza, keep and use that, and save money for when that truly unique, historically important, and masterfully crafted knife comes up for sale. I have missed some incredible knives in the past simply because I had a list of "things to buy", and then when the unicorn came trotting up there wasn't enough in the piggy bank to catch it.

For "grails", I would avoid knives whose desirability and collectibility comes primarily from scarcity and hype/the name associated with the knife. These would include many production LEs and "mid-tech" knives. The best knives are both immaculate in their construction and truly scarce. "Limited Edition" is nice, but consider that many LEs have units in the several hundreds. If you buy a knife because of its "rarity", there should be only 1-10 units of that particular knife (slightly differing "configurations" like blade finishes, etc don't count.)

I would personally stay away from the CKF Decepticon as many who purchased theirs for $1000 or even more are having difficulty selling theirs for even $800 - and because it's not a particularly limited piece.

I would stay away from the Marfione Matrix and Begg Bodega because again, they're not particularly limited.

I would seek out true Hinderer or Sinkevich customs instead of purchasing the ZT LEs, to be perfectly honest. ~$500 is a lot of money that could go to purchasing the custom.

Good advice there! I had times where due to impulse buys or "just wanting another knife" I was unable to then pickup certain Spyderco Sprints when I came upon them shortly after. Live and learn (but I haven't learned yet )

 

[gazz98]

Prepare to be bombarded my friend!

My first purchase would be a Yuna I think. Something about it....

http://www.yunaknives.com/s0109/index.php?pgid=0028

I'm partial to a Hard 2 or 3.

 

[Quiet]

I sort of have to wonder at your use of the term "grail". A "grail knife" generally means something that you've wanted for a long time, that's usually rare and/or exceptionally hard to track down for one reason or another. I wouldn't ever require others to tell me what my grail anything is. I would sincerely suggest doing some more research and finding out what it is that YOU deem would be the best knife you could possibly own. I don't say this to be condescending. The truth is, that answer will be different for everyone. I can tell you that any knife I personally consider a grail knife at this point in my collecting history certainly won't be a production model.

Good luck in your search. Some folks never find their grail.

 

[Velitrius]

I'd do a custom with a different maker every year. Designed to my specs, in my choice of materials.

 

[Ajack60]

Well, while waiting for that 365th day to come, I'd look on the for sale forum and see what's being sold the most and if it holds it's value. Popular brands like CRK, Hinderer, Strider, Southard are sold often and move fairly quick. This would help you if you got that one knife and decided it wasn't grail worthy. By doing this you might even be able to trade or resale without a significant loss and still be able to work on your personal grail collection. Who knows, maybe you could get two knives in the same year.

 

[Medic5916]

Thank you for all the help guys. These were great responses and I feel like I learn something new every time I read something on the forums. I want to answer some of your questions so that my post may make more sense. I will have to cut out some of the quoted text to save on space, but will try not to come across differently from the original intent.

Hello,
First and foremost I am wondering what led up to your one knife a year deal? LOL did you go ridiculous one year and buy like 100 knives and your family had to have an intervention? Joking of course, you guys have to implement what works for you...So far I think your grail list needs to be what you want it to be...I think you should do your year's worth of research and buy what you think will fit you best...Your favorite knife from multiple manufacturers would end up making a very interesting collection.

What led to my deal is the amount of research and I am definitely a quality over quantity type person and that definitely rings true in my knife interests. I was looking at $400 knives before I got heavy into looking at collecting. I do want my list to be my own but I wanted the opinions of others to be weighed so that I could be more informed about the different experiences and knives out there. Your last idea is awesome and probably something that I will pursue, unless I found two knives that I can't chose between. I feel I may have already started that with my Sebenza 21 and 0777m390. Thank you for all the good advice and great comments.

One option could be to own one example of each type of knife, with each of those knives by an extremely well-regarded maker considered to be the best or one of the best at that particular type or style of knife...Another option is to forego planning entirely. If you like your Sebenza, keep and use that, and save money for when that truly unique, historically important, and masterfully crafted knife comes up for sale...For "grails", I would avoid knives whose desirability and collectibility comes primarily from scarcity and hype/the name associated with the knife...I would personally stay away from the CKF Decepticon as many who purchased theirs for $1000 or even more are having difficulty selling theirs for even $800 - and because it's not a particularly limited piece...I would stay away from the Marfione Matrix and Begg Bodega because again, they're not particularly limited...I would seek out true Hinderer or Sinkevich customs instead of purchasing the ZT LEs, to be perfectly honest. ~$500 is a lot of money that could go to purchasing the custom.

I do like your points but also want to stress that I will use all of my knives. I currently own two knives over $400 and use them all the time. I learned to sharpen well on my Sebenza after trying a few cheap knives prior, but only a few. I was leaning towards avoiding the decepticon anyway and would say that it seems misplaced on my list. I do want to buy knives that I can use and are great at what they were intended. I have heard great things about the Bodega and good things about the Matrix, but again want to hear opinions. I don't necessarily want to find knives that nobody else has, but look at it as if I was the only person on the planet and stumbled across a pile of knives, what would I take and use daily if I could only have a few.

If you are keen on flippers try out a Hinderer XM-18. It is a worthy grail knife in my opinion, right up there with CRK. My XM actually sees more pocket time than my Sebenza now.

Thank you for the recommendation. I have looked at the Hinderer a lot and was thinking of adding it to the list. What are some things you really like about it?

Prepare to be bombarded my friend!...My first purchase would be a Yuna I think. Something about it....

I have looked at the Yuna's a lot and plan on placing myself on the list. I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but how does his site work? I have sent him an e-mail but have not received a response. I definitely want a drop point blade so it can easily be sharpened. As I said above, I will use all of the knives I buy.

I sort of have to wonder at your use of the term "grail"...I can tell you that any knife I personally consider a grail knife at this point in my collecting history certainly won't be a production model...Good luck in your search. Some folks never find their grail.

My personal definition of a grail would have to be stated as above. If I were the only person on the planet and stumbled on a giant pile of knives, what knives would I take and use if I could only have a few. I do not want my decision to be influenced by availability or price. Also, the other absolutes need to be that I will use it, I need to be able to sharpen it with relative ease, and it has to be practical (fit in a pocket, usable). I would have to disagree with the production model part. I have a Sebenza 21 and this thing is incredible. I know it is the first high"er" end knife I have owned, but it feels incredibly solid, no blade play, smooth like butter opening, and fits great in the hand. That seems like a great knife to me, even grail worthy. Sorry, that may be a poor definition of what a grail is to me, but its the best I have right now.

 

[Medic5916]

I guess you could call this a subtle bump to this thread, but my question after all of the great comments so far is...

If you could only have one knife this year, what would it be? (no price restriction, even if you already own it)

 

[vanslem6]

If you could only have one knife this year, what would it be? (no price restriction, even if you already own it)

Delica 4. I already own it, but that's what I'd buy knowing what I currently know. I too prefer quality over quantity, however, I've found that the level of diminished return is around $150 or so. So I'd much rather buy 4, $100 knives than 1, $400 knife. Interestingly enough, my goal is to buy 4 knives this year. Two on the list are < $100, and I've already purchased one of them. The other two are < $200 (each), as I won't spend more than that. With that being said, I'm not a collector. I try to only buy things I'll use, and to spend > $200 on a 'user' knife is a tough pill for me to swallow. My 'grail' knife is currently a Spyderco Military. Not that it's rare or even expensive, but because I know I won't use it much considering the size. I just want one, lol. That isn't enough to justify the purchase though.

Interesting thread, glad I could 'muck' it up a bit with my own opinion. Ha.

 

[craytab]

I sort of have to wonder at your use of the term "grail". A "grail knife" generally means something that you've wanted for a long time, that's usually rare and/or exceptionally hard to track down for one reason or another. I wouldn't ever require others to tell me what my grail anything is. I would sincerely suggest doing some more research and finding out what it is that YOU deem would be the best knife you could possibly own. I don't say this to be condescending. The truth is, that answer will be different for everyone. I can tell you that any knife I personally consider a grail knife at this point in my collecting history certainly won't be a production model.

Good luck in your search. Some folks never find their grail.

I agree with quiet in a way. Nobody can really help you with a grail that much. My thought on the whole grail thing is that I have come to realize there is no grail for me. I could never like one knife that much more over another. I thought I could but I am always after the next knife, inexpensive or not, I just love knives. Which brings me to my next point. One knife a year? My gosh, if you can do that you are a better man than I!

Looks like you have a nice list of very good knives. One suggestion, what about a fixed blade? My "grail" fixed was a TGLB but after that I bought a CS Ratmandu so who knows what I will be after next. Good luck!

 

[craytab]

I guess you could call this a subtle bump to this thread, but my question after all of the great comments so far is...

If you could only have one knife this year, what would it be? (no price restriction, even if you already own it)

I guess my TGLB.

 

[Medic5916]

Delica 4...I try to only buy things I'll use, and to spend > $200 on a 'user' knife is a tough pill for me to swallow. My 'grail' knife is currently a Spyderco Military. Not that it's rare or even expensive, but because I know I won't use it much considering the size...Interesting thread, glad I could 'muck' it up a bit with my own opinion. Ha.

No mucking up going on at all. I appreciate the comment and advice. I have jumped the fence so many times on looking at a Spyderco Southard. I have decided at this point to pursue buying one knife from my favorite brands. That means no long list of ZT's for me. I will have to stick with my 0777 m390 which I am learning to love even more. I use the heck out of these knives and would definitely make some people cringe when they see me riding on the road with my Supermoto going 50 miles per hour around a turn. One slip of the back tire and my 0777 isn't even a 0 anymore. I just have learned that if it costs what it does, it better hold up to a little abuse. If it doesn't hold up, at least I will be able to tell others about it. Life is just too short to stick a knife in a drawer or safe. Use the crap out of it and buy a new one in 5-10 years.

Nobody can really help you with a grail that much...One suggestion, what about a fixed blade?...I guess my TGLB.

I agree with you on the final decision of a grail. I just like hearing how people arrived at their grail. With one knife a year, my options are limited, but also endless. With only one knife a year, I can justify a $1500 knife pretty easily. That is the only one I will buy in 365 days. I don't think I've ever even considered a fixed blade due to wanting to carry it and use it everywhere, but holy crap is that one beautiful knife. If I ever make the jump to fixed blade that may have to be my number one.

Thanks for all the advice so far guys. Keep it coming. I am going to edit my list a little as I have already changed my mind on a few options and how I will be collecting. As I said above, I will try to buy one knife from each maker (not every one, just the ones I am really drawn to). This means no long list of ZTs or Chris Reeve's. Looks like I will have to get very comfortable with my Sebenza 21 and 0777 m390.

 

[vanslem6]

I just have learned that if it costs what it does, it better hold up to a little abuse. If it doesn't hold up, at least I will be able to tell others about it. Life is just too short to stick a knife in a drawer or safe. Use the crap out of it and buy a new one in 5-10 years.
[/COLOR]

I agree that there should be an expectation of quality when shelling out money for things, but I've come to the conclusion that there's a 'sweet' spot in most cases. For example, when I bought my BM Mini-Griptilian I was extremely hesitant spending nearly $100 on a pocket knife. It's now the knife I grab when I know there will be prying, and there will be metal on metal. It might be digging a hole in the mud or cutting something cringe-worthy, but it always accomplishes the task at hand. That experience has established my perception of quality, and that varies from person to person. I'm now in a position where my most expensive knife is a 940 Osborne, and while I know that it's tough. I know that it can take whatever I throw at it, so can my little yellow mini-grip, and at half the cost. And while I certainly don't baby the 940 (or any others), when it's time to get down and dirty, my normal EDC gets traded out for the mini-grip (which ironically is my least favorite EDC knife). I can sit here and dream about owning a BM 275, chopping trees in half like matchsticks. What's the point? Aside from just burning a hole in my pocket (not a luxury most can afford in '15), it'd probably make my pants fall down.

While the subject is certainly open to interpretation, I tend to try to avoid competing with 'the Joneses' in my every day life. Some people like collecting and seeking out things, spending thousands of dollars in the process. I think those 'thousands of dollars' look better as $20 bills, stacked up and wrapped in rubber bands.

 

[Sonnydaze]

I have owned many crk's and love 'me, but I've been carrying my brad southward AVO since I got it in early Jan.
It's not fancy but has everything that I like. I don't particularly care for a flipper, but this one is just "there" and it doesn't mean anything one way or the other.
Am not fond of one knife per year. Would rather have a "personal" allowance ( I know...bad word) of $100 per month or so to allow me to buy/sell/trade as I please. The money's the same, depending upon what your limits really are.
All just opinion...this way, I can go thru a ton of knives and still stay solvent.

 

[asdf12345]

I guess you could call this a subtle bump to this thread, but my question after all of the great comments so far is...

If you could only have one knife this year, what would it be? (no price restriction, even if you already own it)

Probably my Benchmade CQC-7. I prefer it over the EKI one because of the tip down carry, more aggressive grind, screw type, and bead blasted blade. It handles any cutting task I need to do - it's not the most refined cutter, but it gets the job done with ease. I like my CQC-9 more but it's more limited in its application.

As an added bonus, it's a good travel knife because the thumbdisk can be removed to make it a two handed knife, and the blade length is more friendly than those on some of the other folders I own.

 

[Lebowski22]

If you are keen on flippers try out a Hinderer XM-18. It is a worthy grail knife in my opinion, right up there with CRK. My XM actually sees more pocket time than my Sebenza now.

This is pretty much exactly what went through my head after reading your initial post.

As an added benefit, this is bar none the absolute best time to purchase an xm-18. The bottom had almost completely dropped out of the secondary market making them affordable to the average consumer for the first time. The price from Hinderer has just increased also, so we will be seeing that soon on our level, but not quite yet. They are seemingly more readily available then before, but their production levels have not ramped up yet as I bet they will which means the quality had not suffered.

There may be better choices out there for sure, but in my opinion there is no better time to buy a Hinderer than right now.

The xm-18 is a very worthy Grail knife, and one that can be put to work.

 

[jswr450]

A Murray Carter knife should be on your list. He has some that are made at his shop by his apprentices that are cheaper than his (but still quite expensive) that are still really nice knives. I love the hand craftsmanship. Mine both came really sharp and are very easy to get super sharp after use.

There are too many good options. This should be a fun thread. I like to hear other ideas from our community too.