Buck or Chris Reeve. Opposite ends of the price spectrum but both offer excellant Customer Service and take their trade seriously with the consumer/user in mind.
For the money, Buck knives have much to offer and, as stated above, they are like presentation grade out of the box. CRK, it's almost like what I tell people about Harleys ... if I had to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand!
Honorable Mentions and (ah, er) Mentions:
I have Spyderco and like their products but see them as less than great value in their "pinned together Zytel without liner" models. Better designed and executed knives can be had for the same money.
Benchmade. What can I say, do a search. They have really nice designs, good material choices but seem to want to play in the premium market with budget QC. They have nice stuff, but their execution leaves something to be desired for the price range they want to keep themselves in. I did NOT say price fixing!
CRK&T. But for the fact that Buck has been around for so long, they could be well on their way to following in the footsteps of a company who puts to markey good quality for the money. It may be 40 or 50 years too soon to tell, but CRK&T seems to give bang for the Buck (punn alert).
Emerson. Gotta love the Wave but sheeeeeeech, it's like a fifty dollar folder in some regards with a $150 optional Wave feature. I like the Commander so much that I am angry FOR Emerson, not AT them for their failure to honor such a great design and style with better execution. Did I hear someone say '98 ?
AlMar. The SERE 2K is built the way a user folder should be. For the price, I could not belive the quality, fit and finish. What the H happened with the autos though?
Microtech. I do not have one and, on this issue, know not of what I speak ... so I won't.
