Manufacturer Reputation Poll

B

beetlegauss

Joined
Jan 14, 2005
Messages
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For the newbies such as myself, a thread on the ups and the downs of various manufacturers, as to point people in the right direction. Let's start with the most well-known first (at least that I know of). Please bear in mind that the only knife maker on this list I have experience with is S&W. All others I only know of from hearing random gossip. If you see anything wrong here, PLEASE do comment. If you agree with one of the below, feel free to second the motion.

Cold Steel - I've been seeing lots of comments about the blades breaking and being difficult to sharpen

CRKT - As far as I've read, these guys make quality knives.

Cammilus - I've heard multiple comments on how well their folders work.

Buck - Famous for their made-in-America quality. They also claim that their factories in Taiwan also have the strict American standards.

Smith and Wesson - The folder I have is too hard to open manually, until i took it apart and filed down a small point which gave it that locked-in position when closed. I've also heard that soon, the blade will start to fail. It did come from the factory razor-sharp though.

When commenting on a manufacturer, I think it would be preferrable to underline the name, so those who are scanning the page can easily identify where the main points are.
 
beetlegauss said:
Cold Steel - I've been seeing lots of comments about the blades breaking and being difficult to sharpen
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Cold Steel is a mid range company, many would place them in low-mid range. Their stainless blades aren't particularily high quality, being of AUS-8 (which is OK, but only OK) or lower. Difficult to sharpen? I wouldn't imagine so, except for the serrations. The serrations are extremely small and difficult to sharpen, if at all.

CRKT - As far as I've read, these guys make quality knives.
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I've had issues with quality from them in the past, but this was several years ago. They're a relatively new company, and at their start, their quality might have been below the standard they have today. They make tons of knives and you don't hear very many complaints. Their M16 line is very popular. I personally think you can get better for the money.

The liners on the M16 are thin, which is probably OK for normal use, but not for hard use. Which is why they have the LAWKS system, which is far more ridged. But I'm of the opinion that having a second lock is excessively complicated and shouldn't be required on a "quality" knife. The AUS8 isn't horrible, but it isn't great either. For the cost of an M16 I could get a Benchmade Griptillian or Spyderco with a far better lock and far better steel.

Smith and Wesson - The folder I have is too hard to open manually, until i took it apart and filed down a small point which gave it that locked-in position when closed. I've also heard that soon, the blade will start to fail. It did come from the factory razor-sharp though.
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Junk IMO. I've had a couple (bought cheap at Big 5). On one knife the 440C was literally impossible to sharpen (and I'm pretty adept at putting shaving sharp edges on my knives), and there was blade play in all directions, including between the liner and the blade where it was supposed to "lock". I don't think it was black coated, so much as it was blued or something, because polish took the coating in places (and I was polishing it because there were rust spots through the black). The other S&W knife I had I returned after realizing that a spot on the blade was touching one of the standoffs in the closed position. Even if you find a good example of a S&W, I wouldn't trust it, as the liners are very thin. Even if you get it cheap, there's better "beater" knives out there, like the Kershaw Vapor/II or Ka-Bar Dozier folder.

I have no experience with Buck or Cammilus.
 
Chris Reeve Knives - The epitome of Excellence in all they do.
Benchmade - A great variety of well made knives.
 
Spyderco Oh what an ugly little runt! Why would anyone choose one of these and give it as a gift, what were they thinking? So you dont look after it at all. You use the serrations to cut through small bits of wood, dig holes with it, leave it full of Squid juice when fishing and forget its in the box 'minging to high heaven' for months. When you finally throw it in some boiling water and Jif it comes out like new. Huh? Thats fully, its still tight as the proverbial crabs behind, and the quirky look seems somehow attactive now (must have been the Squid juice fumes). Maybe its not so bad after all. Then you carry it all the time but forget because its so light you cant feel it in your pocket.
 
Smith & Wesson: they don't make their own knives, and yet they're still horrible. can't you pay a good knife company to wear your name?

Kershaw: nice mid-range knives, many in 440, lots of affordable, fun knives (ie: Leek or Scallion)

Benchmade: very high-quality mid to high-end knives. good stuff all around. they use some excellent steels and have some exciting and attractive designs.

Spyderco: the MAC DADDY of user knives, folders in particular. you might buy the "others" and admire them, but you will USE your Spydies, and rely on them time after time. weird designs which are actually quite unique and cool-looking to some enthusiasts (myself included). their steels run the gamut from your basic AUS-6 all the way up to S30v. their VG10 is awesome. materials vary from FRN to carbon-fiber. something for every budget and application.

CRKT: affordable knives, usually in mid to low-end steel such as AUS-8. some very cool designs, and some nice collaborations. they don't appear to be nearly as "involved in the community" as a lot of other manufacturers, but they make some reasonably-priced, reliable users.

Camillus: they carry lots of what i consider to be "classic" designs, and make some excellent collaborations with Darrel Ralph. many knives use higher-end steels and are very high in quality. my Maxx was tougher than tough and locked up like a Windows PC -- HARD. good stuff.

SOG: i classify these folks in the same boat with Kershaw and CRKT. they make some high-end stuff, but mostly low to mid-range users. they have some unique designs and occasionally come up with some innovative ideas (that weird seat-belt cut-out on the Trident comes to mind). i like that alot of their folders look very... "gunlike".

that's all i have very much experience with.

abe m.
 
Busse The best of the best in fixed blades. And thougher than all hell. I was out playing with mine today, I was splitting 2x4's with one stroke, and it is still shaving sharp. Definitly the best blade I own.
 
I'll see what I can add to this thread:

CRKT: For such a new company, they've really churned out some great designs. I'm a big fan of some CRKT products, although their materials are not top-of-the line. I haven't had any CRKT knife fail on me yet.

Buck: Great products, and excellent customer service. I EDC an Alpha Crosslock, and it has consistently served me well. One thing I've found with Buck folders is a tendency for the action to naturally loosen with use, beyond what I see in other companies. This isn't really a problem though, as it's easy to tighten them up.

Spyderco: Good guality production models, and better-than-average steel on most designs. I've had great experience with Spyderco's customer service in the past. Strangely, I've never been a real fan of their handle designs.

Grohmann: Being a proud Canadian, I had to throw this company in. I've got a good collection of Grohmann / Russell fixed blades, and I really find that they strike a great balance between aesthetics and function. Plus, a 5.5" Grohmann is strangely received much better by sheeple than a comparable Kabar. The only letdown I've experienced with Grohmann is their sheath design, particularly the placement of their retention strap.

Cheers,

Mentor
 
Ive just been transformed into a lifer for Strider.... what they do is done right. Period. I am sure my AR will chop an amphibian, socom elite, or a spiderco ( among others ) right in half. and as far as I am told... their service is top notch. :) This knife feels like a fixed blade.
 
Victorinox.....Well made, useful knives at low cost. They have something for everyone.

Chris Reeve Knives.....Simply the finest.

Paul
 
CRKT - As far as I've read, these guys make quality knives.
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They don't make anything. They contract the manufacturing out to plants in Asia.

But, they seem to do a good job of policing those plants and have good relationships with their suppliers such that they're knives are usually quite good and a bargain for the price.
 
Microtech has some really cool designs, and great quality. They are one of the top companies for autos. They also make a good using knife, and are always coming out with something new. Though this might be out of the budget for a newbie.

Buck makes a good qaulity knife, and stands behind their products. The Buck 110 is a classic, and made the idea of a locking blade on a folder a popular thing. They make pretty much every type of knife you could want, some better than others. Still you could do a lot worse than a standard 110 as your first knife.

Camillus makes a great product to, and has a wide range. The collaborations with DDR are some of thier best work IMHO. Especially the EDC, which is really hard to beat for a value in a user knife. They have also been arouns just about forever, and make thier knives, at least most of them, in the US.

CRKT makes a decent knife for the money. I agree tough that the steels used generally aren't the best, and the liners are on the thin side. I don't really like the idea of having to use two seperate mechanisms to lock the knife up.

Spyderco makes many different knives and are geared toward the using market. They make plenty of lower proced models that work great for just beating, and higher priced models too. Great locks, and innovative designs that might look odd but work out great.
 
I'll contrary the Smith & Wesson comments. My expierence have been for the price they're hard to beat, 440C blades that hold a good edge and take a new one with some ease and durable. I've used a Large SWAT for 6 years now at work, I've managed to litterally destroy the tip and put one back on it with a grinder, use it as a hammer, chisel, and prybar. All of these things I've done with frequency, I might add.

Camillus is quickly growing as one of my favorite companies for folders. The Cuda Maxx is simply awesome in quailty and execution, enough so for me to have added a Heat to my "Soon to Buy" List, and to seriously consider purchasing one of their Aftermath folders as well.

Benchmade Superb quality product, from my limited expierence with their Bali-Songs. Absolutely top-notch product execution and quality. I'm looking forward to several of their new models.

Boker is a brand I don't see mentioned here very often, but is worth mentioning. I have on of their Ceramic bladed folders, that is absolutely wonderful. It's very smooth, sharp, and the quality is overall very pleasing. When, like an idiot, I managed to break the tip off my knife, by abusing it. I sent it to Boker with a $20 check to have the blade tip re-ground and sharpened. Boker in turn, sent me an entirely new knife because of their warranty and customer service.

-Rob
 
allyourblood said:
Kershaw: nice mid-range knives, many in 440, lots of affordable, fun knives (ie: Leek or Scallion)
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I have to disagree with Kershaw being mid range.

Here are a lists of Kershaw firsts:
- Assisted Opener
- Polished G10 Scales
- Crucible CPM Steels
- Sculpted Titanium Scales
- Vault Lock
- Stud Lock

The high end knives designed by Ken Onion are some of the best factory knives ever made:
- Random Task
- Mini Task
- Boa
- Avalanche
- Whisper
- Bump (Frame lock)
- Bump (Stud lock)

Kershaw has knives for every budget. The Storm has to be one of the best, if not the best value knife currently available.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Will somebody please critiique Emerson knives?
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(Trolling, trolling :p )
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Emerson Loved by many, hated by some...Good hard use folders with some interesting designs. Can be pricy some places, but their stuff works.
 
Cold Steel - Their Voyager line of folders is good. Several of their fixed blades are nice. The carbon steel blades are excellent. They do sell a lot of crap too.

CRKT - Poor QC. I've had several of their folders fail. I don't trust them. Good CS though.

Camillus - Great knvies. Excellent fit and finish most of the time. Good folders and fixed blades.

Buck - Ok quality. I mostly like the 110 and a few of their fixed blades. The new Strider collaborations seem poorly made.

Smith and Wesson - Complete junk.

Emerson - Way overpriced. The models I have experience with did not have good fit and finish and had sloppy lockup. This was several years ago though; maybe things have changed. Some people love them though.

Spyderco - Excellent quality. Great designs. Value priced. I've had great CS experiences 95% of the time. My favorite company of the ones listed.

Benchmade - Great knives. Good fit and finish. The AXIS lock is great. The designs are more artistic than most.
 
Chuck Bybee said:
I have to disagree with Kershaw being mid range.
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don't get me wrong... well, nah.. go ahead and get me wrong. ;)

Kershaw definitely makes some high-end stuff, but i tend to find that a lot of it becomes prohibitively expensive. it seems like steels jump from 440A and AUS8 (420HC on the new Chives and Scallions? PUKE!) to s30V/s60v without much in-between. i'd like to see some middle-class steels on some of their stuff, and i would still say most of their knives are mid-range. where's the VG10 (i guess the Nakamura sorta counts), 154CM, etc?

one of my fave knives, and a regular EDC for me is my Leek. its a great design and for 440A it holds an edge O.K., but Kershaw would do well to offer more variety in their materials, rather than 440a for 30 bucks, and s30v for $150.

abe m.
 
allyourblood said:
one of my fave knives, and a regular EDC for me is my Leek. its a great design and for 440A it holds an edge O.K., but Kershaw would do well to offer more variety in their materials, rather than 440a for 30 bucks, and s30v for $150.

abe m.
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Chesapeake Knife & Tool has a model called Random Leek. S30V steel with the Random Task blade for $100. It is a great knife.

The Avalanche can be found for about $70. The Boa is about $90. Both knives have S60V steel for the blade. :)
 
Chuck Bybee said:
Chesapeake Knife & Tool has a model called Random Leek. S30V steel with the Random Task blade for $100. It is a great knife.

The Avalanche can be found for about $70. The Boa is about $90. Both knives have S60V steel for the blade. :)
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heh, get outta my head, Chuck! these have been on my "to buy" list for some time now! that Random Leek is pretty pricey, which is why thus far, i've not bought it. i know s30v is a premium steel, but 100 bucks is a lot to ask in this case. they oughta produce a VG10 version for 60, but that's just cloud-talk, i guess.

abe m.
 
Not all Smith and Wesson blades are junk. Check out the Darrel Ralph designed ones. I think the HRT line is higher quality.


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