Is it safe to say that kershaw is leading benchmade and spyderco now?

i would say that kershaw dominates the < $100 market. while spyderco dominates the $100-$200 market with benchmade sitting in a close second. zero tolerance also dominates the $200-$300 market. but spyderco would beat kershaw any day in my book.
 
I would say of the three , Kershaw ( USA) /ZT is probably the leader in sales revenue.

But strictly speaking as a consumer , my perception of the three brands is Spyderco and Benchmade are smaller companies with a higher degree of specialized products. More choices , wide range of designs / materials, a cut above the regular Kershaw line.

Most Kershaw branded products ( not ZT) , while being high in quality are more generic in appearance /designs/materials used, they represent a lower priced niche of knives, but offer great bang for the buck.

This might be contradictory , but I don't ever consider a Kershaw branded product to be overpriced, even those at the upper limit of their line. But I do feel that way about some Spyderco and BM models ( more so Spyderco).

IMO , ZT is an upscale brand, some models can directly complete with BM / Spyderco , while other ZT models are above any offerings from BM /Spyderco. I have no problem parting with a couple of c notes for a ZT knife.

Well those are my ramblings....
 
I am not sure that I completely agree that kershaw is leading benchmade and spyderco now. Almost all of my knives are Spydercos. I do not need heavy duty knives. I like slicers and great Spyderco ergos. It is certainty that Kershaw knives today and several years ago look quite different. When I got heavily into knives in 2005 most of Kershaws were using 440A. Of cause there were few with S30V. Later a lot of innovations start to come from this company. And this attracting a lot of my attention lately.
 
Kershaw is one of my favorite companies right now, even though I've been more interested in traditionals lately. I've never been disappointed with any of their products I have bought. They're probably also the only company (disregarding traditional knife brands) in which I can go buy a new Kershaw I've never heard of, in package, without feeling it or checking it out, and not be disappointed with quality or F & F issues. Only issue I've EVER had with Kershaw is a light safety switch on my Chive.
Benchmade.....Eh. Good stuff, but minor fit and finish issues.
I only have one Spyderco, and It's great. Im not going to say much here, because I only have one Spyderco, and that's not much to base an opinion on.
 
The OP asked about innovation, quality, and fun.

First I truly believe in all three companies/brands. The industry, and users of all of the products of these manufacturer's have/are/will benefit from them. There is so much history and great individual products from each of them

Kershaw/ZT does occasionally compete with each the other two in the $100+ category, though we&#8217;re really just starting to focus at this price point. ZT specifically will challenge BM and Spyderco in the upcoming years, as we are full steam ahead in expanding our line-up. They have a couple of decade&#8217;s head start on us, but it gives us goals to achieve. :)
We are not a patient company when it comes to establishing ourselves, and achieving our objectives, so look to see our regular production in this specific category/pricing structure to soar in the near future. I&#8217;m positive both of them have their own future objectives, and are very talented, so again, it will be you the user that is the real winner.

As to the value sub $75 and below category, it&#8217;s more of what we do and what we&#8217;re set up to do. Neither of the other 2 here are considered competitors.

Innovation, whether past or present, all 3 have it. From locks, blades, opening mechanisms. We all have strengths. It should be noted that breaking new ground is difficult and expensive.

Imo, quality is attached to all 3 brands as well. We all have a solid foundation in this area.

Fun&#8230;hard to quantify, as we all like what we like for different reasons.

In the end, as we step towards furthering ourselves in this price point, it&#8217;s humbling for us to be in the same conversation today, as both Spyderco and BM are iconic with their premium reputations.
 
I've owned knives from all 3 companies, and i'll admit I don't buy kershaws, Zero tolerance on the other hand i'm willing to buy anything they put out. Spyderco is still one of my favorite brands and it's hard for me to find a knife that will slice like a spyderco. I alternate daily between my zt 550 zt 560 and spyderco Ti millie, all 3 are superb quality. I am in the process of buying a tilt, i had my doubts at first becuase it seems like kershaw is more of the value line of knives, but i must have this knife. That being said Zt is really raising the bar on new designs and I know other companies will haft to raise the bar in order to compete with them, which makes a knife guru like me super excited to see what all new knives are gonna be released in the future in order to compete with who I think is king of the hill right now , Zero Tolerance.
 
I don't think that would be a safe statement. All three make high quality production knives. In terms of innovation, I think Spyderco and ZT/Kershaw lead Benchmade, but not by a huge amount. Consider, for example, that Benchmade is the first production company to adopt M390 fairly widely throughout the product range. If I had to pick one of the three for innovation, value, quality, and pure fun, though, I'd give the nod to Spyderco without any need to think much about the answer.

ukknifer said:
Hi guys.
When I first started into the knife world I used to view kershaw like I view Gerber and CRKT now. Judging by the way they appeared in blade the last few years, it seems to me that they are the leader of the pack now.
How do you rate these 3 in terms of innovation, quality and being fun.
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I have 11 Kershaws, had 5 ZT's, and have 5 Spyderco knives. I like my Kershaw and ZT knives. But I don't think they are better quality, innovative, or more fun than my Spydercos. In the area of quality, I have had to send in 1 Kershaw, and 3 ZT knives for warranty work. The Kershaw was a cosmetic issue and was fixed nicely. All three ZT's had functional issues. Customer service fixed all of them nicely. However, it did take two trips to the factory for one ZT to be fixed properly. I have a fourth ZT that I would send in for warranty work. But it is a blem. So there is no warranty. I will try to fix that one on my own. I have not had to send in any Spyderco knives for warranty work. So, for me, Spyderco wins hands down as far as quality goes.
 
I think you nailed it, ThomasW, and it means something to me coming from your perspective.

Sorta the same thing I tell my 11 and 12-year-olds when they ask me who I love more.

FWIW, I love all three companies for what they've done for the industry as much as their products.

Prof.
 
For me the line in the sand is CPM-S110V. Who has made and plans to make factory folders with this super steel?

I like M390 but its more common place now.

The Gayle Bradley was the only one revently that I had to have.
 
I don't know about "leaders," but I have no problems with any of the three companies you mention.

EDCs-1.jpg
 
I got my first Kershaw yesterday (made for Snap On) and the fit and finish is grade A.

I avoided them in the past because they were cheaper than other brands and assumed they were of lower quality.

But it turns out they are of very high quality and affordable. On par with Spyderco, above SOG & Benchmade and way beyond that of Cold Steel. Everything is square and the left and right sides are mirror images of each other. BUT they do not come as sharp as other brands.

I think their weakness is the lack of a distinctive locking mechanism that is solid. With the speed assist index finger flippers, its hard to implement an AXIS style lock.
 
I think that Kershaw/ZT have some really good designs that have come out in the past year. I love Spyderco and Benchmade as well even though benchmade knives are sometimes overpriced in my opinion, but Kershaw/ZT is in the lead right now. I'm really trying to get a hold of the Echelon, Knockout, and the Cryo II when it comes out. I also am really liking the new ZT 0888 and I hope I can pick one of those up whenever they come out.
 
From price point no one beats kershaw Leeks,skyline, Blur,Packrat,Ram,shallot,needswork,Rake, ect . All $75 and under really good knives and made in USA for that price. Spyderco is my favorite Knife maker but not by much ilike the delica but love my skyline I like my Native but love my blur. But when it comes to the $100 and up they don't have many I like ZT to big for me Spyderco wins. Benchmade over priced IMO. I might get the Adams.
 
imbryan715 said:
i would say that kershaw dominates the < $100 market. while spyderco dominates the $100-$200 market with benchmade sitting in a close second. zero tolerance also dominates the $200-$300 market. but spyderco would beat kershaw any day in my book.
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Do ya mind me asking why ya think Spyderco beats Kershaw any day???
 
I believe my A.G. Russel Acies was manufactured in the Kershaw factory (the great design was Mr. Russell's) and it's the best slicer I own...as far as their KAI/ZT division, they've certainly won me over this past year or so. The ZT 0560 impresses me as much as any folder I've ever purchased and that's after waiting nearly a year for it's release so that's saying a lot. I also love their 0551 and 0300. I've been a big fan of Spyderco for years so they're my two favorite knife companies. The BM Skirmish is one of my all time favs...sure wish they'd bring that one back into production, other than that I haven't seen many BM's that catch my eye lately but that's not to say that they don't make a terrific product became they do. Competition is good. :)
 
I've never owned a Kershaw; never saw one I liked.
I like Benchmade and have owned some for quite a number of yrs without problem.
I'm really into Spyderco and love the Military and Paramilitary2 models in super-steels, and own quite a few.
That's it.
Sonny
 
bluejayburly said:
If we are talking the ultimate approval, which is willingness to spend money, Kerhsaw wins for me these days, hands down.
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The ultimate approval for me comes with ergonomically-friendly lock systems, carry-easy clips, and super-steel blades. Spyderco in a nutshell.
Sonny
 
I also would like to see slimmer USA-made Kershaw folders in the middle price range between their value line and their flagship line. Kershaw makes great knives in the value and high end of the price spectrum but they seem weak in the mid range. I just bought my 4th Kershaw folder, a Ram, after thinking about it a long time. Heard they were discontinuing it and so many here really like the Ram so I had to try one. My only other flipper is a Tyrade, but it is a tank so I seldom carry it.
 
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