LT Wright vs White River

Which brand would be your preference based on build quality, heath treat of metal, sharpness etc?

  • LT Wright

    Votes: 13 68.4%

  • White River

    Votes: 6 31.6%
  • Total voters
    19
V

VoltaireNZ

Joined
Feb 4, 2022
Messages
6
Hi all, both appear fantastic knives and knife designs and know I would be happy with either. But if it was your choice with respect to build quality quality control, heat treat .. sharpness.. etc. Which brand would you choose and why?
 
Had them both. Very well made and different enough they would fit in a collection for sure. Never kept any though.
 
I've talked to L.T. Wright several times. He's good people, and makes good using knives, for very reasonable prices. In my opinion, you can't go wrong.

White River is more expensive, but uses better materials, and has knives designed by some big names in the field. They have a good custom shop, that
produces some beautiful knives. John and his wife are also good people, I bought my 4 White River knives directly from them at gun shows. I carry one
of two Jerry Fisk-designed White River Sendero Classics every day. An M1 Caper is in my lunch bag. Finally, the Todd Begg-designed Recondo is pretty
much my favorite knife in the 5-ish inch range. It's what the SOG Pillar wishes it could have been.....

Pretty obvious which way I voted, huh...?
 
They really are completely different knives, different steels and very different how they handle. I have and like both brands. The biggest thing I can say from use is the LT Wrights have a more hand filling handle on all but the smallest of their offerings and the White River are a bit lighter in most cases.

Both are really solid choices. It would be dependant on what your uses would be as to which might have a slight edge. Both are extremely well made and have served me well. I have never needed to use customer service for any issues on either side, but both have been responsive and helpful to answer questions anytime I've spoken to either company.

The White River knives I've owned were used more for hunting purposes where a slightly thinner blade and the stainless S35VN shines (Backbacker Pro ... Small Game Hunter ... Sendero Pack ) ... I have not owned or used the larger White River offerings and can't speak about those at all.

The LT Wrights that I own and use are more robust models used for camping and outdoors work in non-stainless steels A2 , 1095 , 3V and a couple in AEB-L ... (Rouge River ... GNS ... Bushcrafter ... Northern Hunter ... and Outback).

What uses and needs are you looking at filling?
 
Last edited:
I've never owned any White River knives. But I'd recommend LT Wright without reservations to anyone wanting a very well-made, no-nonsense working knife. They also offer models in 3V, AEB-L and now Magnacut as well, for those looking for a knife with a higher-performing steel. But even their A2 is great, in me experience.
 
Last edited:
You’re comparing brands that offer fairly different products.

LTWK and White River are on-par when it comes to build quality and heat treatment quality. Steel offerings are different (lots of S35VN / 440C / other stainless from White River, lots of 3V / A2 / other hard-use alloys from LTWK) but both offer high-end alloys.

The biggest difference between the two companies are design choices. For my purposes (woodcarving & bushcraft) LTWK’s designs are FAR superior to those of White River. I often spend 8-10 hours per day whittling with a single knife. LTWK has many offerings that will perform perfectly in that role, without any hotspots or discomfort. Can’t say the same about my experiences with a few White River knives.

White River knives tend to optimize weight quite a bit more than LTWK. Overall, their knives are lighter and slimmer, making them “easier” to carry, depending on your preferences.
 
Nothing wrong with either, in my humble opinion.

For my money? LT Wright.*


Happy hunting!



*As madcap_magician madcap_magician mentioned, they just have a certain "feel" to them, like a really refined one-off "custom". (*best I can put it 🤷‍♂️)
 
justjed said:
White River is more expensive, but uses better materials
Click to expand...
I’m not sure about that. Both LTWK and White River typically have pretty much the same cost. $150-$300+ range, with comparable knives costing about the same between the two companies. And White River’s typical offering of S35VN & 440C is not “better” than LTWK’s typical offering of 3V and A2, just different. Now, depending on a person’s subjective preferences, one will certainly be better than the other. But from a generalized objective overview, neither company is above the other in terms of price or materials imo.
 
I don't think there's a wrong choice between either brand. They both make great fixed blade knives. The LT Wright knives appeal more to me visually than the more modern White River designs, but I'd take either of them in a heart beat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top