Input about Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, and coldsteel folders.

Last week I have purchased a Kershaw knife for 200 dollars. That was a very good price. And not the most expensive knife from that company.
Spyderco Endura in my humble opinion has the most convenient handle for under-the-belt carriage. And in general, an excellent knife - particularly this FFG with ZDP-189...
Benchmade - what is the knife of theirs you believe is too expensive? It could be for a reason. And besides that, I would not be surprised if for every knife from BM you will find a more expensive one from both Kershaw and Spyderco...
CS - I do not know really anything about their particular durability. Do you mean the lock design? Check out the topick here about brocken Spartan...
All the difference is in head of the consumer. You just listed some general "truths" which get mentioned here often enough and usually are not substantiated in any way.
All the companies do their best to gain some competitive advantage this way or another, they work hard and actually are quite good at what they are doing - otherwise you would not have mentioned them here.
 
Own examples from all four : an endura, griptilian, American lawman, and a storm(now discoed)and a little half ton from kershaw. All but the half ton are in my edc rotation. The half ton gets use around the house. All are very nice edc knives.
 
A benchmade saved my life when a rope attached to a very large trebuchet got tangled around my arm. Sure they are expensive but it's worth it for the quality.
 
Today I'm carrying my Spyderco Manix2, I have my Benchmade Rift in the laundry room from when I carried it a couple days ago, I thought enough of the Kershaw Needs Work to sell it cheap to a friend and I have a pocket bushman from cold steel that I own simply to abuse.

That all being said, I'm a Benchmade kinda guy, the Axis rocks because I'm a lefty and the lock is a solid performer, I have the Manix2 because its CBB lock is a solid performer and I'm a lefty. The needs work was an assisted flipper, but liner locks aren't very fun. The pocket bushman is ambidextrous as well with its ram lock.

The only knife I've ever called about was a BM because I stripped a t6 screw, BM was nice enough to send along a parkerized clip and brand new hardware for the knife, including pivot screws! My experience with Benchmades customer service is yet another reason why I love Benchmade.

Price points are only one thing to consider when it comes to buying a knife, you have to look at blade style, blade steel, manufacturers heat treat of said steels, handle style, lock, pocket clip, weight, length and if it tickles your fancy color and or blade coating etc. etc. etc.
 
Can't really lose buying any of them, they all make quality products in different price ranges so with each company one can find a model in their price range and use.
 
They're like women, you'll love all of them for different reasons. None of them will ever be so perfect that they make you forget about the other ones. You'll wish u could use them all at the same time, but that just never works out :-D

That said, as much as I like Cold Steel's products, I agree that they really don't belong on a list with those other three companies.
 
zignal_zero said:
They're like women, you'll love all of them for different reasons. None of them will ever be so perfect that they make you forget about the other ones. You'll wish u could use them all at the same time, but that just never works out :-D

That said, as much as I like Cold Steel's products, I agree that they really don't belong on a list with those other three companies.
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Cold Steel makes excellent USER knives for people who really USE them.

Both Spyderco and Cold Steel make some of the best USER models on the market for people who really put their knives to work, not talking about flip toys, pocket ornaments, fingernail cleaners here either.
 
Benchmade- Love the axis lock, maybe a bit pricey for what you get though.

Spyderco- Many lock types to choose from, you name a high end steel and you can find a Spydie with it, lots of full flat ground blades make them extremely great at doing what a knife is meant to- cut.

Kershaw- I've never owned a Kershaw but I do have a Speed Bump that should be here tomorrow. I do know that if you like assisted opening knives, Kershaw/ZT is the place.

Cold Steel- Some may hate on them for their advertised methods, or because of their use of AUS8 steel, but CS is one of my favorite companies for affordable folding knives that can take hard use that many people would use a fixed blade for.

So to sum it up, they are all good companies that have large fan bases for various reasons. Buy what you like :thumbup:
 
Ankerson said:
Cold Steel makes excellent USER knives for people who really USE them.

Both Spyderco and Cold Steel make some of the best USER models on the market for people who really put their knives to work, not talking about flip toys, pocket ornaments, fingernail cleaners here either.
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oh, trust me, my knives live FAR from a sheltered life :D i just honestly think the difference in F&F between a Benchmad and a Cold Steel is something Stevie Wonder could see from across the room.
 
I would personally rate the four as follows:
1. Spyderco: for steels, heat treatment, grinds.
2. Benchmade: for build quality.
3. Kershaw: some very impressive designs, but mediocre heat treatment, and thick grinds
4. Cold Steel: work horses built to last, but don't have much to impress a knife aficionado (no miracle steel, HT, grind wise).

all four have decent quality/value offerings in their product range. depends, on what you are looking for and expect from a knife.
 
Gadfly22 said:
My opinion:

1. Kershaw offers the largest line of good-value for folders. If you have only $30-$60 to spend on a folding knife, you'll find a lot of solid choices from Kershaw. And their Zero Tolerance line gets you into higher-end, extremely rugged knives (though heavy for EDC I think).

2. Spyderco offers some excellent value folders (Tenacious, Ambitious etc.) and a lot of top end knives. I just got a paramilitary 2 the other day, and it lives up to all the hype you might read. And while the FRN handles on some knives might look "crappy", I find them to be very comfortable. If someone said I could only buy knives from one company ever again, Spyderco might well be my choice.

3. Cold Steel has some good folding knives, and I like the Tri-Ad lock a lot. But their handles can be overly grippy, some folks don't like their AUS-8 steel choice and their advertising and promotional work is way over the top. But I still really like my Recon 1 tanto, American Lawman and Mini Lawman a lot.

4. Benchmade also offers top end knives. I've personally thought them to be overpriced, but you'll find a lot of people who disagree. And while I like the AXIS lock, I'm not a fanatic about it.
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I would have to say that the above is a fair assessment, with perhaps the exception of #4. I love the axis locks and have never been disappointed with any Benchmade offering.
 
I agree, I think Cold Steel knives are pieces of crap especially the tri ad lock, the spring is way too stiff and takes me two hands to push down that spring to close it.
 
James0723 said:
The handles depend on what model of knife you get, not the company. My Spyderco Dragonfly has the nicest handles of any knife I own. It's the stainless steel acid-etched version. I don't know what Spyderco you got that made you form such an opinion, are you sure you aren't mistaking Spyderco for their cheaper Chinese brand "Byrd"? If you are looking for quality handles, look for linerless construction, metal (as opposed to any plastic type material), and first world manufacturing.

Kershaw has some very nice knives but like with Spyderco and other brands you get what you pay for. Kershaw is better at hiding everything that you're not getting on their cheaper models which may be why you think they're better.
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I'm trying to figure out what this means....can you be more specific?
 
Gotta disagree a bit here about Cold Steel. Cold Steel and their overblown ads aside, make some excellent knives. Recon 1 Tanto, Spartan, Kobun and Trailmaster just to name a few. Two of my hard use knives (Recon 1 Tanto & Kobun) are both Aus-8. I have zero gripes with the steel. As for the tri-ad lock, I love it. Opening the Recon 1 Tanto was a bit tough at first, but now it's very very smooth. As for closing the knife, pushing the lock-back was tough too, but not anymore. If you have problems opening and closing the tri-ad after a week or so of use, you should start hitting the gym. I thought the strength of the tri-ad lock was exaggerated at first, but I'm a believer now.

BM and Spyderco have classier and elegant designs, and I appreciate them for that. I prefer Spyderco prices between the two.

Kershaw and ZT have great F&F as well. Their prices (respective to quality of materials and craftsmanship) is excellent.

Buck leans towards traditional designs, but I love the Buck Vantage pro. For Paul Bos treated S30v, I believe it to be the best value EDC knife out there ($45 to $55).
 
dennis357 said:
I agree, I think Cold Steel knives are pieces of crap especially the tri ad lock, the spring is way too stiff and takes me two hands to push down that spring to close it.
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Hmmm and you pass judgement on a whole company because of one knife. LOL.
 
singularity35 said:
Hmmm and you pass judgement on a whole company because of one knife. LOL.
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Hey, that's better than me... I dislike coldsteel and I've never even used one.

There are VERY few models that they release that appear to me to be functional knives and I'm swayed eXtremely strongly away from those because I would be terribly embarrassed to ever carry one or pull it out to use it. Their tactifool middle aged men abusing knives and stabbing them through car hood videos are just too much for me, that is simply not something I would wish to associate myself with.

On the same hand though... I would also find myself hard pressed to carry a ZT knife, absolutely nothing against the knifes performance (except the weight and bulk) I am just not attracted to that "tactical weapon" style of folder, it's not right for me. It doesn't make it any worse of a knife, and could be a wonderful knife for many people. Thankfully we have a very diverse range of styles and companies to choose from so that we can get what we personally want out of a knife.

Is my opinion worth anything to people who are actually attracted to that style and genre of knives? I would hope not, because it speaks nothing towards what the quality and performance of the knife is, just the way I view the character of it.
 
Love these threads, so much disinformation passed onto newbies. Kershaws have bad heat treat now? OP, do your research and make a decision, take all else on here with a big grain of salt. All of these companies make a fine product that you will enjoy so have fun.
 
dennis357 said:
I agree, I think Cold Steel knives are pieces of crap especially the tri ad lock, the spring is way too stiff and takes me two hands to push down that spring to close it.
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If it takes you 2 hands to close a Cold Steel folder, the only thing that comes to mind is you probably need to break the aknife in or try hitting the gym. The lack of any semblence of insight of your comment leads me to believe you have very little knowledge about knives. At least, it seems that way. Summer break is almost over...:confused:
 
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