I've narrowed it down to 5 grails....

ZTFan said:
"Looking for a manual frame lock flipper with super steel and ball bearing action that has the best detent available. I want incredibly fast action, and I want the blade to fall freely when the frame lock is disengaged."
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Out of your list the only one I have spent any time with is the Berg Knife. I have to admit I was pretty damn impressed. With the information you put in I am surprised that a Koenig Arius was not suggested.
 
For instance...my grail is a Todd Rexford Custom Injection, CF, damascus bolsters. Dang!! Now i wont be able to sleep.
Out of the ones you have listed...id go with the Shiro. I have a Craig Brown Servo, and a number of Shirogorovs. At the risk of being bombarded, my choice would be a shiro over a Servo.
Laconico isnt a bad choice either. He makes great knives!
 
Only knife on the list that I have owned is the Laconico. It was a fantastic knife-well made and the action super smooth. Others may be great knives also, but if you go Laconico I doubt you will be disappointed.
 
On a grail you should have a better idea of what you want. For example, the blade lengths are all over the place in those 5 knives. They aren't very comparable at all. Personally, I wouldn't pay the asking price for any of those knives.
 
ZTFan said:
"Looking for a manual frame lock flipper with super steel and ball bearing action that has the best detent available. I want incredibly fast action, and I want the blade to fall freely when the frame lock is disengaged."
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You may not be looking for other choices, but the Koenig Arius meets your criteria. It has the best action of any of my knives, including two Shiros.
 
I've been burned by a hunt for a grail knife.

Knives that looked perfect on paper (or spreadsheet...I'm not proud) simply didn't work out in my pocket or hand after a bit.

"A bit" for me might be up to a year. There are some knives I can dismiss almost immediately and other that frustrate me for a year or more before I finally admit it doesn't work for me. And other knives I tried to give up that keep finding their way back to my pocket. I find the Buck 112 to be among the most pretty production knives ever (my eyes, not yours) but I can't make it through a day before it frustrates me. On the other hand, there are things I just dislike about the Buck 110 but it's among my commonly carried knives.

My advice to people is to experiment with cheaper knives till you narrow down things like size and blade shapes more concretely. Only after you know own tastes more clearly does is it makes sense to me to chase higher price point stuff.

But it's your wallet, your pocket and your journey. If you have the coin and the itch, follow your gut.
 
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bobobama said:
Bear with me, I'm not much of a linguist. Does "grail" mean expensive????
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Grail usually refers to the knife you consider the ultimate knife for you personally, which are rare and often expensive but not necessarily always.
 
JimMD said:
You may not be looking for other choices, but the Koenig Arius meets your criteria. It has the best action of any of my knives, including two Shiros.
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I was really hoping no one would say this, as I've been eyeing it for the past YEAR and am this damn close to getting one. I think the Arius looks better than everything KC recommended, and now it's been mentioned twice in this thread. I've also read about how good its action is from someone else.

My apologies to everyone for the "grail" word usage, I agree it isn't appropriate here. It was a more a half-joke than anything. I already have the perfect knife, an Ed Cop LR.6 with bead-blasted titanium handles and a Damascus clip point. Sitting in my pocket right now.


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All I can say is you would be extremely wise to try to handle some of these knives on your list before dropping the coin and hoping for the best. If you do get a chance to hold those knifes you will know. The knife that makes you feel like this whenever you use/handle it and it will hurt to think about not purchasing and having to walk away without it.
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(The expression on his face is perfect reflection of how I feel when holding my personal grails.)
Something you love more and more every time you pick it up and find beauty in the details...
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IMO the hunt for the grail is the fun part. Personally I realized there is no "one" knife for me. I do have knives that when pick them up I think "I should use this more,it's nice"
 
Remember, if you pick the wrong Grail you die. High stakes.

I'd vote for the Laconico. Reasonably priced, known for good quality, and it looks to actually be ground to cut (but the Shiro does have a better grind, albeit at twice the price). I wouldn't suggest a Grail that cuts like a brick like so many knives are designed like today.
 
kamagong said:
How can you let someone else make a list of Grail(s) for you? I really don't get it. If you don't know if you want it, how can it be a Grail?
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The word has been rendered meaningless. I see it on guitar forums, amp forums, watch forums and, of course, knife forums. Grails are by definition practically unobtainable, so the word has morphed into "unaffordable gear that I hope to one day afford."
 
fjblair said:
The word has been rendered meaningless. I see it on guitar forums, amp forums, watch forums and, of course, knife forums. Grails are by definition practically unobtainable, so the word has morphed into "unaffordable gear that I hope to one day afford."
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Much like EDC I suppose.

Screw that. Here's my grail. This knife is as close to perfect as any as I've ever seen. Someone suggested that I commission the maker to make one just like it, but I doubt that's possible. The hamon, beautiful ladder damascus, and gorgeous stag all come together impeccably. It's not something you can replicate.

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To own this knife I'd have to track it down and then somehow convince its owner to part with it. Yeah right. I have no idea where to start, other than hoping either Ruth or Coop know who the owner is. Then they'd have to be willing to make an introduction. Afterwards I'd have to harness all my powers of negotiation and get him to sell it to me. I don't like my chances of seeing, much less ever owning this knife.

That's a grail.
 
To me personally a grail is a one of a kind, something you have made yourself or commission to have it made.
 
Laconico and Shirogorov. My Keen and F3 cover most of the bases. I might add an Impinda for legal use. But I have an SAK for that too.
 
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