In your opinion, what are the top 5 knife brands/makers and their iconic models?

I mostly use/look for small to medium fixeds. 5 Iconic fixeds for me:

Ka Bar/Becker - BK2 ("indestructable")
Mora - Companion (low cost, good performance)
Lionsteel - M2 (MCKF - Forum collaboration design)
Swamp Rat - Ratmandu (Highly praised/talked about in last few years)
Fallkniven - F1 ("Swedish pilot survival knife" we've all heard those words more than a few times! )

I could swap them around 20 times but this is the first list that came to me.
 
Benchmade 940 or Griptilian, its a complete tie for me with those 2
Spyderco PM2
Cold Steel Recon 1 or Ti-Lite (tie again)
ZT 0560
Kershaw Blur, Leek, or Skyline (another tie)

The Runner up for me is the Buck 110 (the most classic knife), but i just dont see Buck being as popular as these other knife companies nowadays.
 
I would say the following:

Busse - SFNO Le
Lionsteel - SR-1
Buck - 112
Victorinox - Huntsman
Leatherman - Surge
 
ok let me give this a go....


Spyderco - Military
Kershaw/ZT - 3XX series
Case - Peanut
Hinderer - XM-24
CRK - Sebenza

I could list more companies, but these are probably my favorites.
 
Since the OP uses the word "vague" that makes for less controversy because it comes down to each individual's perspective on use, serviceability and/or collectability, steel, beauty and other factors.
Mine are:
Chris Reeve, Spyderco, Benchmade, ZT, Great Eastern Cutlery.
I like too many individual knives that I purposefully did not include any.
Strider & Hinderer are not on the list because they do not make left hand models therefore I only think I know the little that I know about them.:)
 
Benchmade-Griptillian
Spyderco-PM2
Chris Reeve- Sebenza (21)
Mora- Companion
Bark River- Bravo
Victorinox-Pioneer
 
Buck: 110
Victorinox: Spartan
Kershaw: Leek
Spyderco: PM2
Chris Reeve: Sebenza 21

Get one of each and, arguably, you're done.

Yeah, I know. Not gonna happen here.:D
 
sharp_edge said:
Looks like so far Spyderco has the most different opinions. Is it really military, pm2,endura, or delica? which one came first?
Click to expand...
The Delica and Endura came out long before the Military. The Para Military 2 came out last of those four.
 
Busse-FSH, Infi
Demko-Ad-10, tri-ad (cold steel by extension)
Chris Reeve-Sebenza (I prefer the Umnumzaan, but the Seb is more iconic)
Benchmade-axis lock(grip or 710), butterfly knife
Leatherman- charge Ti multitool
 
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If price isnt a object then the top 5 would be impossibel for me to pick. But love my shiros though
 
Spyderco - Police (serrated)
Benchmade - 710
Victorinox - Swiss Champ
Kershaw - Leek
CRK - Sebenza Regular
 
my own personal 'take' is that this topic is so vague that it is pointless...
 
Chris Reeves sebenza 21
Spyderco Police
Benchmade Griptilian
Spyderco Endura
Buck 110 S30V
 
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