Lesser known quality brands?

Moki is not very popular or well known for their knives. But quite a few Fallknivens, Al Mars and Spydercos are made by Moki. I own Moki Glory, used to own Kronus. F&F are outstanding.
 
bh49 said:
Moki is not very popular or well known for their knives. But quite a few Fallknivens, Al Mars and Spydercos are made by Moki. I own Moki Glory, used to own Kronus. F&F are outstanding.
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You beat me to it! Moki makes very nice knives.
 
link2derek, what models are the first two knives? Some Mcusta knives are a bit to flashy for my taste, but I like those two.
 
Well as an American knife manufacturer they've been discontinued for about fifteen years but REKAT (Round Eye Knife & Tool) Knives can be occasionally found on E-Bay.Benchmade owns the patent to REKAT's Rolling Lock design and on that note non REKAT owners mistake that historical fact and get a Axis Lock because they think it's the same lock design...nope..completely different technology.REKAT crafted their rotating lock bolt out of ATS-34 steel for starters.Not an ambidextrous design but it wasn't possible with the technology implemented.Even today if they were still in business I don't see how they would be able to be ambidextrous without sacrificing the industrial design concept of their lock.Pat Crawford did a very sweet model for REKAT called the Carnivore/Carnivore Cub along with some cool models REKAT did like the Pioneer and Pocket Hobbit.I've had my REKAT since 1999 and has never failed on me.Out of curiosity I've checked out the Axis Lock,SOG's Arc-Lock,and Spyderco's Ball Bearing Lock for comparison and those may grab the younger crowd but I am convinced that REKAT always will have had the key design for a serious blade lock.As an older knife brand I won't lie REKAT's were five ounces of G-10 and unskeletonized steel liners that felt slab-like in your hand but had comfortable grip.They were not knives to stick on your shelf and admire they were for someone to establish the meaning of a 'trusty knife'.
 
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Of the ones I've seen so far in the thread I say Combative edge is tops since they are made by Fox I would assume they are just as good but never owned the Fox brand. Both CE knives I have owned had flawless fit and finish and the n690 is very impressive. Their DLC coating on the sr11 and M1 is not only great looking but near bullet proof. They are perhaps a little overbuilt which makes them a tad on the heavy side but better lean that way than make them too dainty. If you can find a decent price then there is no better value dollar for dollar in my opinion. It's mid tech build quality for a production price.
 
sogflash said:
link2derek, what models are the first two knives? Some Mcusta knives are a bit to flashy for my taste, but I like those two.
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Thanks! They are the MC13D (Ebony/Damascus) and MC16D (Quincewood/Damascus). Mine are probably 8 years old, but I think they are still making these models. The pocket clips can not be re-positioned, though.
 
Winkler II Knives

while the fixed blades and axes are legendary, they released their first folder late last year..... It should be here tomorrow and I can't wait to try it out!
 
White River Knife and Tools makes very high quality knives with modern steels and interesting and efficient designs. Their offering is not huge but consists of true users, not novelties (prices are roughly between 100 and 200 $).
In a different style, you have Böker, a big, long established brand with a huge and very diverse (cough, cough...) offering. The 2015 catalogue is 340 pages... it ranges from total crap to very, very nice knives. Use patience and read the specs carefully, you can find an excellent, useful yet beautiful knife for a very reasonable price (under 100 $).
 
Frotier76 said:
Well as an American knife manufacturer they've been discontinued for about fifteen years but REKAT (Round Eye Knife & Tool) Knives can be occasionally found on E-Bay.Benchmade owns the patent to REKAT's Rolling Lock design and on that note non REKAT owners mistake that historical fact and get a Axis Lock because they think it's the same lock design...nope..completely different technology.REKAT crafted their rotating lock bolt out of ATS-34 steel for starters.Not an ambidextrous design but it wasn't possible with the technology implemented.Even today if they were still in business I don't see how they would be able to be ambidextrous without sacrificing the industrial design concept of their lock.Pat Crawford did a very sweet model for REKAT called the Carnivore/Carnivore Cub along with some cool models REKAT did like the Pioneer and Pocket Hobbit.I've had my REKAT since 1999 and has never failed on me.Out of curiosity I've checked out the Axis Lock,SOG's Arc-Lock,and Spyderco's Ball Bearing Lock for comparison and those may grab the younger crowd but I am convinced that REKAT always will have had the key design for a serious blade lock.As an older knife brand I won't lie REKAT's were five ounces of G-10 and unskeletonized steel liners that felt slab-like in your hand but had comfortable grip.They were not knives to stick on your shelf and admire they were for someone to establish the meaning of a 'trusty knife'.
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I miss REKAT big time. They had some of the best designs ever. They also had a certain "feel" to em. I had a few Sifus, a Carnivore, Carnivore Cub, a couple of Pioneers, and a Pocket Hobbit.
Excellent, excellent knives. I sincerely wish some other company would buy the rights to the designs and start producing em again.
 
I've never owned one but Entrek USA knives looks to offer some nicely made models at decent prices. A lot of their models use 440C steel which I'm fine with. Been looking at their stuff for years, just haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 
On the low end, does anyone else have any experience with Kilimanjaro?

I bought one of their cheapest models, (because it was stupid cheap), and I've actually been quite impressed with it considering what I paid for it...
 
I'm not sure if they were mentioned yet but G.Sakai is another great Japanese company. They make some beautiful folders like the RIP
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There's lots of other lesser known Japanese brands like Seizo Imai, Kanetsune and Seki-Cut.
 
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