Is there a breakdown of brand hierarchy?

As long as they cut for a good amount of time and materials it isn’t relevant to me. I have a lot of production knives that will do anything a custom will do. Fancy, high prices and exotic doesn’t make the knife. It’s the skill, quality materials and knowing what makes a great knife.
 
It is true but doesn’t apply too all knives. What about collectors pieces ? Knives as Art are huge part of the industry,
I hope we don’t deny their existence just because we can survive out in the wilderness with one Mora…..Fancy and exotic also very well make knives, let’s not full ourselves.
 
When it comes to value or quality there will be a thousand different opinions. Buy what you like, that serves the purpose you need, no matter what others may think. As to budget, only you can decide if the purchase price is something you find reasonable. The problem that I have had with almost any interest or hobby I am into, is my idea of what is reasonable in the beginning many times changes upward over time, until I lose interest in adding to the collection. Wine is the worst.
 
coolbreezy37 said:
She probably gets jealous easy.
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And when it’s time to order food, she says, “Oh, I’ll just have a little bite of what he’s having.”

And then eats it all. “Oh, this is really good! I guess I should have ordered some.”

Tip the waitress well.

Parker
 
Ehhhh... I don't know what, other than an art knife like a Grimsmo (which I can satisfy with Spyderco) or a gentleman knife like a Microtech, any other "top-tier" brand can do for me. Benchmade? Ehhh... CRK is nice, not a bad word to say, but... really nothing good. They're nice. That is it. I would be happy to have and use one, but would not buy one. Spyderco is my favorite, gives me the most steels, most customization... I like the PM2 a lot. I like the Reverse S. I like the Endura and lockbacks. I like the small ones like the Sage and Chaparral carbon fiber. The milled copper PM2 REX 45? Forget about it. Crucarta? Forget about it. Yojumbo? Forget about it. Please don't forget to get me carbon fiber S90V though.

Why go for something that is all hype and no substance like the new high-enders, or Benchmade who rests on laureate and lets springs break and grinds the most uneven from a loooot of pics? I will buy a custom knife or something if I should need it. Maybe William Henry, or Rockstead, and even those need to be something WOW-ing. I think I would just get a custom.

My base, entry-level, viewpoint. Which leads me to ask.. I know the 3V Tanto Magnum Warcraft is a good knife. But, for say, $350? Should I get that, or a custom 3V? Take in mind I have never had a custom made for me.
 
Jersey Drew said:
how are the italian brands, mkm lion steel and fox
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I don't have one; way out of my budget.
From all I've seen/"heard" here on the forums, the Lion Steel's are great.
They did the annual (traditional) Blade Forums knife a couple years ago.

I don't recall anyone complaining about build quality or fit & finish, etcetera on that year's Forum knife.
You can bet your next years paychecks if there had been a blade that wasn't centered, gaps, stiff/excessive pulls, and so on, there would have been complaints.
 
tony281sc2 said:
You’ll get there lol I wish I did, sonner than later. When I started collecting knives I would buy whatever I thought looked cool and had speedsafe lol now I have a shoebox full of $30-$50 Kershaws…now I think more about my purchases, and save up for something special, since I have plenty of users anyway. Like right now I have $350 extra burning a hole in my pocket, and a Microtech really really tempting me, but if I can hold out a few more weeks I plan on buying a Wharncliffe Eklipse (which is my grail at the moment). I would put that knife in the “God” territory lol
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Haha I started off the same path as you brother. I spent an embarrassing amount on Kershaws off ebay. I guess we all live and learn.
 
Jersey Drew said:
I’ve been coming across more and more brands as I’m starting to look into this hobby. So I am curious to know which brands fall into which tier.
if we were to say these tiers:

god lever or grail level full customs
high end or small batch production
mid tier
entry level
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You are going about this the wrong way. There are tens of thousands of active brands and many of them make knives at all kinds of levels. My suggestion to you is to remain calm and put some money away, and then head down to the Blade Show in Atlanta, where you will immediately see the futility in what you are trying to do.

You are going to go nuts there. There will hundreds of thousands of knives from makers and production companies from all over the world. Just wear comfortable shoes and give yourself a couple of days to take it all in. And keep and eye out for the rest of us; you will never see so many knife enthusiasts running around like kids in a candy store.

n2s
 
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Some things that are worth considering:
Can you see the dollars paid in the product? Sometimes that's warrantee and support, sometimes its fit and finish, or steel and heat treatment, sometimes a bit of everything. If you are getting a knife that makes huge claims for cheap, ask questions, same if it's a really expensive knife that looks the same as other brands for cheaper.
Does this brand have a reputation, and is that reputation current. A lot of brand names are no longer held by their original creators, and there are eras in time in which some brands were really good, but maybe are not so much anymore.
Bling or User, are you wanting weird or shiney for a reason, or is someone suckering you with marketing?
A lot of it comes down to what you want. There is a wealth of knowledge here, and if you have a few of those questions answered already, you can ask smarter questions and get direct answers. A lot of the "It's good, it's bad" opinions really come down to use, what do you want to do with a knife, and so buying the "best" might not actually be that satisfying. A lot of it is learning and tastes changing, like every hobby.
Another good thing to do is use the search to get a feeling for brands, there is a lot of trash because people do get brand loyal, but if a common theme comes up in a knife you want, ask yourself if it's something you care about. For example, there is at least one "big" knife brand (Survive is one) who never shipped a product on time, but built a lot of hype. There are others who are notorious for crediting designs, shady business practices, and then there are brands who get trashed for totally subjective measures, but back their product and work to constantly improve. Then there are piles popping up every day as the EDC trend continues to grow, and so many are new to the market (relatively speaking since some brands go back to before WW1) The more insight you can share when you ask a question, people can give you a better and more detailed answer. There are some legit experts here, read their stuff first and ask questions on it second, they probably don't have time to give tutorials but they are legitimately helpful people.
 
Problem with creating a tier list is that companies can occupy multiple tiers. Spyderco is generally known for quality, but they can range anywhere from a Chinese-made Tenacious to an American-made titanium Military, and on up until you get to a Rassenti collab.
 
Here's a representative from each tier as I see it (fixed blade). Its easy enough to name one from from these classes and where their fundamental market lies..

Godlike: Royer
Top tier: Rockstead
Mid tier: Bark River
Low tier: Condor
Entry: Schrade
 
Hvactech said:
Haha I started off the same path as you brother. I spent an embarrassing amount on Kershaws off ebay. I guess we all live and learn.
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This is the thing, I almost got a USA made Kershaw a few times. 154CM, made in America? Sign me up!
But... it's just this assisted flipper that is kind of like a Big 5 knife (worse, they only have M-tech and Tac-Force and those god-awful CS:GO colored Karambits) that would serve no real purpose. I'm like, "Will I really be carrying that, or will it sit in a box"?
 
A.L. said:
I find the term ”entry level” a bit misleading. I have been into the knife hobby for 20 years and I currently ”edc” victorinox minichamp. I have seen all the super steels magic tricks but I still enjoy ”entry level” stuff.
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A funny thing tends to happens on your way to a premium knife. As you gain experience, a lot of the gimmicks fall by the wayside, and you learn and get comfortable sharpening and maintaining your knives. So those over hyped super premium steels fade slowly into so much noise; who needs them when a few swift passes can restore a excellent edge. You would still buy those grail knives, but they will seldom get used, when simpler knives can do the same job and are so much easier to replace.

n2s
 
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