High VALUE Knives

Native, $55 for S30V, ergonomics, finger-choils and a solid back-lock. I would take it any day over a Delica which is priced nearly $20 more.
 
jakeyjake4528 said:
you got that right. but of course, you already know!

im hoping to get andrews newest model, the 4max, hopefully soon. already i can tell this will be 100 times better then the american lawman!
Click to expand...


Yeah that's a real beast. :D

I have photos of the 4 Max next to my AD-10 in ELMAX, it's big....
 
However back on topic. :)

For the money spent I believe Spyderco provides the best value in production knives overall. :)
 
Mount that $80 scope on a 340 or better Weatherby and see how long it lasts... Not very long......[/QUOTE]

Excellent analogy because that scope is going to come apart before a box of 20 is fed through that rifle

There are certain things where you actually do get what you pay for and dare I say the comparison of a CS American lawman to actual Demko custom knife is one of them and hell I own five (5) CS American Lawman's I love em but are they a Demko not even remotely close.
 
I respect the high end production makers, but in terms of value ($ to quality/performance ratio), I have to give it to the Buck Vantage Pro (large). $40-$50 for Paul Bos S30V, great design, great F&F... I think that's pretty tough to beat.
 
MikeC said:
Mount that $80 scope on a 340 or better Weatherby and see how long it lasts... Not very long......

Excellent analogy because that scope is going to come apart before a box of 20 is fed through that rifle
Click to expand...

I used to work with a gunsmith years ago and helped him get customers rifles ready for Africa every year and I can tell you 1st hand the Weatherby's are brutal.

Used to put a bag of shot between my shoulder and the but of the rifles when sighting them in, the big ones are really bad like the 378, 416 and 460.
 
Gayle Bradley I'd say. I paid $100 for mine on sale, but they're normally about $120, which is certainly not the cheapest knife in the world. Still, you're getting impeccable f&f (including consistency--I haven't seen a single report of a problem on one, and they've been out since December 2009); a great, uncommon steel; and carbon fiber handles, which are rare at that price. Even the liners are mirror polished. Materials and f&f make it a steal even at $120.
 
Ankerson said:
However back on topic. :)

For the money spent I believe Spyderco provides the best value in production knives overall. :)
Click to expand...

+1....I also believe Spyderco provides the best bang for the buck in production knives.
 
Ken44 said:
+1....I also believe Spyderco provides the best bang for the buck in production knives.
Click to expand...

I think for the lower-range $0-$30, Kershaw beats them out, but nobody tops out Spyderco in the middle-range. $50-$100.

Kershaw has many 8cr13Mov knives that are high in build quality for under or around $20, whereas the Tenacious line doesn't start until the Ambitious at $28 or more on most websites.
 
Doug S said:
I agree with the OP. I'll take funtion over supposed "materials & tolerances" anyday (whether it be knives, guns, or etc.). In fact, the OPs original point is proven IMO, when all a respondent can really say about their Seb, etc., is that it's "on a different planet", or "materials and tolerances", without any mention of what makes the knife superior by providing examples of real world usage (or by comparison during use to a "lesser" knife). Marketing hype, and Internet bandwagon fanboyism doesn't do it for me, and my comments have nothing to do with how much money one has to spend on a knife, or anyones "right" to buy what they want. Buy what you want. It just gets tiring listening to some people hype up their product as if they are somehow more enlightened, or possessing of some secret knowledge.
Click to expand...

I agree with your comments while acknowledging that I am not yet an expert on knives and using them. For me, the key criteria in determining value is if a knife or other tool will meet the functional use I require of it compared to far more expensive items in the same feature/benefit category. In reflecting upon .22 caliber rifles; a $200 bolt-action Savage, a $350 Henry Arms lever-action, and a $450+ European CZ bolt-action will all provide excellent very similar small bullet groupings at 100 or 200 yards. There is usually (IMO) more difference in performance in a .308 hunting rifle in going from a $500 gun (cheap) to $1,200 than in going from $1,200 to $4,000. Long-ago, I sold high end stereo equipment. A tuner piece selling for $1,000 (or less) provided nearly the same performance as one selling for $10,000.
 
the best values in knives IMHO will be found in Kershaw (as mentioned) for folders, and in either Becker knife and tool, or Condor.

as far as pure bang for your buck, these give you very solid tools at a very comfortable price range. Every step above that is a matter of extreme reducing rewards.

You CAN get better knives, and they can even be MUCH better, but for twice the price, you can't get a knife that's twice as durable, or twice as well built, etc.

IMHO, for a user, these are the places to look...

Edit: There are several other folder, and fixed blade companies of similar quality and price range to the ones mentioned above, but i have no experience with them, and so cannot endorse them
 
On topic; Zero Tolerance.

An aside; I have had more than one custom knife that was an inferior knife compared to many productions.
Of course IMHO, most people who pay the premium for a custom, if they get a poorly designed or executed one, would never admit it.
 
I can't argue with your statement about customs. I have one that i paid $225 for from Mike Conner. It's a D2 skinner with Giraffe bone scales and a hand made sheath

I can say that i'm pretty certain that it's not any better as a tool than any of a dozen production knives that i could get in that price range, but i can also say that it is absolutely unique, and it was made FOR ME... that alone puts it in a whole different category from any production knife.

That's what you're getting with a custom. The knowledge that the knife you're using is YOUR knife, made for you, to your specs, and that no one else will every have another like it.
 
C Ben Susrool said:
On topic; Zero Tolerance.

An aside; I have had more than one custom knife that was an inferior knife compared to many productions.
Of course IMHO, most people who pay the premium for a custom, if they get a poorly designed or executed one, would never admit it.
Click to expand...

ZT has good stuff; my 0550 is excellent. It's heavier, though, than I want to EDC.
If I buy a knife...any knife...and if I don't like it, I'll just sell it. I do it often. I don't have to admit it's poorly designed, as it's out of my life.

And, for my money, it's Spyderco all the way. I've had some Benchmades, but you can't beat the Military and PM2's.
Sonny
 
i own both, and id say yes, its easily 15 times better. maybe 20 times.
Click to expand...

I'm not trying to start anything hear, it's just that these threads come up enough that they make me sincerely curious. It would be nice to here articulate, well-reasoned, and mature individuals discuss the real merits of so-called high end knives...and there must be something more to it than "quality materials, and tight tolerances".

In regard to comment quoted above (spoken tongue in cheek, or not)...what does it mean? How does that translate into actual usage? Where are the real world stories describing how these knives got a person through some event, while other knives were left wanting? I just not convinced that going out into the backyard and whittling sticks, or condescending remarks in response to honest question, constitutes proof of superiority. If experience tells me anything, it's that I probably should just stop paying attention to threads like these, because most never amount to anything more than some college age mentality boys, feeling good about their toys, and talking down to those with more experience and commonsense. So far, none of these many threads have convinced me otherwise.

To summarize my thoughts, I'm not against buying expensive toys for whatever reason a person wants. I'm just not going to deny that most of my purchases like this, are nothing more than shear unadulterated self-gratification (and certainly not based on my superior ability to recognize and appreciate the "better things" in life). It's all going to turn to rust or dust one of these days, and I'm just not much interested in buying something just for the sake of competing with the Jones'. Now if one of you guys could tell me about a knife that would never break, rust, need sharpening, etc., etc....maybe I'd be convinced.
 
Last edited:
Spyderco Gayle Bradley for sure. Great materials and fit&finish, makes it look and feel really special.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top