High End Folder Recommendation

RamZar said:
What was the issue with your LionSteel SR-1A?
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That he lost money on it after owning it a week :p

Curious to hear details as well. Got my first LionSteel recently, a TiSpine. Not my cup of tea but it is a very nice, classy option.
 
I'm also in the market for a new "nice" folder, and for some time I've been moving away from "tactical" designs, because honestly in my daily life I simply don't need a weapon as much as I do a reliable tool. I work in an environment where it's not particularly career-enhancing to randomly deploy threatening-looking weapons. At home, around my wife and young daughter, I also don't have much need for a combat blade, and for several years now my normal "carry" is a smallish Victorinox SAK (Swiss Army Knife) in my watch pocket. I use it all the time (mostly the toothpick and scissors, sadly) and it's great, but not exciting. I have knives from Benchmade, Cold Steel, and Gerber, along with a few larger SAKs in a drawer, but even when I go camping the tacticals just don't get used much.

The direction I've been leaning towards lately is "traditional" and/or "gentleman's" folders. It's kind of a different world from the tactical knives that dominate the market, but to my mind far more practical for those who don't engage in mortal combat in their daily lives, and as I've lately come to appreciate, more beautiful. You've got options like bone, stag, mammoth ivory, exotic hardwood burls, not to mention a cornucopia of blade styles and materials (hello Damascus!), and in the case of traditional folders, all these things in one package. As much as I love my SAKs, they're not made of particularly interesting materials, and even the high-end, silver-embossed models are just gussied-up versions of the same product.

I've been narrowing my field a bit, and I'm liking a lot of stuff from Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) and Fallkniven. The Fallkniven "gentleman's pocket knife" is high on my list, along with the smaller hardwood and bone 3 Kronor folders, but GEC has such an assortment of designs, plus the availability of carbon blades, that I've been a bit torn between them.

Tactical folders often use high-tech super steels and blade locks, but have somewhat impersonal design and use of synthetic materials in the rest of the package, and while I appreciate the high-tech, high-speed stuff as much as the next guy, I'm not a soldier, criminal or secret agent, and so I won't really ever (hopefully!) use these tools for their intended purpose.

If anyone has thoughts about the Fallkniven GP vs a similarly sized offering from GEC or Northwoods, please chime in.
 
I like striders more than crk but for some reason I would see myself passing along a crk due to it's more simplistic and functional use. That's just me though.
 
Let me make it very simple for you: based on what you stated you are going to use it for you need a 25, I have had the CRK 21 and 25 and also 1 SMF and 2 SnGs.
For slicing, something you can pass along to your kids and everything you need.. CRk is the ticket ;-)
Don't look back
 
I've owned all of the above. Can't keep a Sebenza to save my life. It feels like one of those over hyped knife to me. I enjoy my SnG more just because I can be rather abusive with it. Sure Sebenza's and Zaans cut, but so can my other knives. It doesn't really fit in a niche in my collection.

I would say go custom. It'll be something that not every other person will have. For higher end production knives, I would really just look at Spyderco and Kai; they're offering a lot for the money. I enjoy my customs more just because it has received the individual attention from the maker not just someone on the crew. If it's something that you want to pass down, why not pass down something unique? I know it's redundant to say, but let's face it. Every other guy on this forum has the above, but customs will always be unique. They will be more expensive, but if you're spending that much, why not go the extra mile?
 
When the day comes that I have that much money to spend on a knife, it will be a strider smf. I really like the striped blade, brown g10 and flamed ti one.
 
Out of your list I own SNGs, Sebenzas (large and small) and customs. Occasionally I wear suits but more significantly I work on the fringes of financial services but also have dealings with construction people regularly so I have a requirement that I need to blend into very different kinds of work environments.

That said, I would go for a large Sebenza Insingo (you decide if you like the inlays, I prefer the plain ones). The SNG is a great knife but in my opinion the blade stock is too thick for office type cutting tasks. If you do like the Strider looks, whilst a lot smaller (and more difficult to find) is a PT. I prefer my PT to my small Sebenzas.

Personally, I'd not look at a custom unless I know I could replace it or not be really upset if I lost or broke it. Because I use almost all of my knives this is always a risk. Unfortunately because of this my customs rarely come out to play. Much as I like to use them, it will be around the house. If you lose a Sebenza, it hurts to pay to replace it but you get over it. Not being able to replace my custom damascus Persian would be a different story.
 
tas237 said:
I had a not so good experience with a Lionsteel SR-1A. I sold it at a loss after owning it a week.
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I am sorry to hear that. I have been looking to pick up the smaller SR-2A so if u don't mind I would like to hear about your experience via pm if possible. Regardless I love my Ti, but based on what I know of the knives in your list any and all of them would do u very well. Good luck on your search. Btw William Henry was mentioned earlier and I have one of their EDC6 models. It is beautiful and while not one of the higher end models in their line-up it or the larger EDC10 would fit well with your office requirement; however, they are slim and I believe their toughness would not be at the same level of the knives you listed. Do I like mine? Hell ya, it's perfect as an EDC light use tool.
 
There are two customs that I'd recommend and I've owned knives from both. Either Jens Anso or Mike Draper. Both are suitable for office carry and both can take a lot of abuse in any other situation. If money is a consideration, go for the Draper, his knives are way underpriced for both the materials and for the build quality.
 
If you can find one, (he's not currently taking orders) a Les George ESV is a mighty versital knife.
 
Having personally owned at least one of each knife on your list, I speak from experience: CRK. I love my SMF more, but I'm a Police Officer in uniform for 4 days a week, and I ride horses and cowboy in my off time, so the Strider fits my lifestyle fine. On the times when I'm in a suit (yes, Cowboys dress up :) ) I find the CRK's to be far more suit friendly. If it were me, and it's not, but you asked, I would rock an Insignio Sebbie. That is a perfect marriage of size, shape, usefulness, and class. You won't weigh your suit down like a Strider, but it will be plenty strong for anything you need a folder for.

I can't say enough about a nice CRK Insignio. For a production/ mid-tech, in your price range, that's my top pick.
 
Strider is out if you're wearing a suit. Takes up a lot of entrance pocket space.

The large sebenza with micarta would be a great fit. If you think that's going to be too big the get the small sebenza with micarta. I think you will be impressed!

In fact the better version would be the 25 IMO, he did just release them with micarta...
 
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Ludwig said:
That he lost money on it after owning it a week :p

Curious to hear details as well. Got my first LionSteel recently, a TiSpine. Not my cup of tea but it is a very nice, classy option.
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I don't mind losing a few dollars on a knife. If that were the case, I wouldn't be here.

No, the issue was an overly sticky lock face. So tight I needed a tool to free it from the blade tang. Sharpies and pencil lead did nothing to help. Further, I didn't care for the disc lock. It engaged to easily for my liking.
 
A good Strider option for both suit and casual could also be the SJ75 Baby Huey. It's classy looking, yet has that solid Strider feeling. I'm really enjoying mine.

I don't have a shot of the Ti side, but it's nicely milled, and no worries about shredding your clothes :) In pocket, it "appears" very small.

FD2AB6E0-62CA-491F-8CC9-2EE76C0E4EA2.jpg
 
Get a large sebenza 21. It's well suited for slicing duties (many apples have felt the wrath of my 21) and the sebenza's pocket clip is the stuff of legends. It slides perfectly in the pocket with just the right amount of tension. While i do love my striders, their pocket clips have too much tension for me to use with slacks on a regular basis.

At the end of the day which do you want more. If you like one more than the others, even though it may not meet the requirements that you posted, get that one. You will enjoy it more than the more practical yet less desirable purchase. Also don't feel the need to order your knife in a hurry. Watch and read many reviews of each and formulate your opinion over time. Don't pull the trigger tonite because youre itching to have an expensive knife ASAP. Make sure youre getting the one you absolutely want.
 
I'd vote for a large micarta Sebenza 21 or a micarta large Insingo. It's a classic for a reason.

Looks fantastic in person, the micarta fills your hand and helps hide scratches, and the fit and finish leave nothing to be desired. It's like the '69 Camaro of the knife world.

It will work in a suit (in a CRK slip case to hold it vertical in the pocket and make it less noticeable) or in jeans with the clip (no need to remove the clip to fit in the slip case, mine fit fine) and they are sturdy knives. You can use them camping.

Whomever you leave it to will be able to use it their lifetime, also, as the quality is there.

It won't be pigeonholed for looking too "tactical" like some of the others you mentioned.

And lastly, the company should still be in business years to come. I'm sure his son will one day be running the business when Chris is retired but will still be keeping an eye on things.
 
I'm leaning toward the Large Senenza with the Insigo blade profile.

One question:
Will inlays protect the titanium scales from scratching?

Alan Davis isn't taking any orders until he gets caught up. That and I like the idea of having a company warranty behind a big knife purchase ($400 for a knife is a good amount for me).

I'll make a final decision in a few days. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. You're remarks have been insightful & helpful.
 
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