name the Top 8 best bang for buck production folders over $90. but under $300.

colubrid

colubrid

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After having been away from the knife world, I am curious which top 8 folders are considered by many of you to be the top.


I will start the list to give an idea what types of folders I am referring to. Not the best folders,per say like a sebenza,..but the best for the buck -money spent over $90. and under $300 retail

Spyderco Para 2
Benchmade 710
 
I have both a Para 2 as well as a 710 with custom scales. Both great knives for the money. I would also add the Spyderco Southard.
 
In no particular order:

Benchmade 940
ZT 0301
ZT 0560
Benchmade 810
ZT 0350
ZT 0400
Kershaw CPM-154/CF Blur
ZT 0200

And all can be had for $200 or less if you look around, some for half that or less.
 
Zero Tolerance 0550
Benchmade 940
MircoTech Socom Elite
Benchmade Mini-Onslaught
Bradly Alias 2
Parra 2
 
zerosnipe said:
Zero Tolerance 0550
Benchmade 940
MircoTech Socom Elite
Benchmade Mini-Onslaught
Bradly Alias 2
Parra 2
Click to expand...

That is a good list. I was loking for something like that rather than someone sticking with one brand name like emersons. Heck we know they are similar but which one..ONE.. may be considered the best design.

That beaing said you post is going to make me look into the MircoTech Socom Elite which i have no clue what that is.
 
LOL I'll be honest. I think your question is really silly. In my opinion a quality $90 is just as good as a quality $300 knife. (And to be honest a lot of $60-80 knives are as good or better than $90 knives) Yes of course there will be the super steel snobs who will tell you that a blade with s30v or D2 isn't worth carrying because you'll have to sharpen it at least once a year, and that's WAY too often. Or folks who think that a Titanium lock is actually stronger than a steel lock. Or a knife with carbon fiber is some how magical or something. But that's all completely insane. It's about esthetics and pushing the envelope, not about quality or value.
Don't get me wrong, I've owned many expensive knives but to say that any of them are really a "value" is a joke.

But maybe I didn't understand the question...
What did you intend to ask?

Also,
Folks, if you're going to make a list of these "best for the buck" knives, why don't you tell us WHY you think these are the best value? Come on, they're the TOP 8. You all should be able to write essays about them! :D
 
Chris Pierce said:
LOL I'll be honest. I think your question is really silly. In my opinion a quality $90 is just as good as a quality $300 knife. (And to be honest a lot of $60-80 knives are as good or better than $90 knives) Yes of course there will be the super steel snobs who will tell you that a blade with s30v or D2 isn't worth carrying because you'll have to sharpen it at least once a year, and that's WAY too often. Or folks who think that a Titanium lock is actually stronger than a steel lock. Or a knife with carbon fiber is some how magical or something. But that's all completely insane. It's about esthetics and pushing the envelope, not about quality or value.
Don't get me wrong, I've owned many expensive knives but to say that any of them are really a "value" is a joke.

But maybe I didn't understand the question...
What did you intend to ask?

Also,
Folks, if you're going to make a list of these "best for the buck" knives, why don't you tell us WHY you think these are the best value? Come on, they're the TOP 8. You all should be able to write essays about them! :D
Click to expand...

Chris,
Thanks for your input but you can make a debate about almost anything and I wanted this thread to be more simple just to see the consistency of the knives people pick over an over and over again. No reason has to be given. I think is this forum has the most knowledgable knife community on the internet and we will not get just best sellers on the list but actually best knife opinions from this community.

For instance, i bet that almost everyone will have a Para 2 on the list. So that gives people an idea that is a knife a lot of people agree on . So that knife needs its respect. It also gives the newbie an idea which knife to buy if he stumbles onto this forum..which we all started at on time, as a newbie.. and we were probably confused with the plethora of knives on te exchange and I am hoping this list will simplfy things for such a person before going thru 50 knives to get to thier top 10 keepers within the price point.

Lastly, a little sillness is just plain fun sometimes.
 
Last edited:
NeverMore1701 said:
In no particular order:

Benchmade 940
ZT 0301
ZT 0560
Benchmade 810
ZT 0350
ZT 0400
Kershaw CPM-154/CF Blur
ZT 0200

And all can be had for $200 or less if you look around, some for half that or less.
Click to expand...

The more and more i am loking at this list i am liking it. those i never really looked at the Kershaw blur as a top 8 but I am looking at youtube reveiw on this knife now.
And i am glad you put the 940 in there.
 
Sage 2
Hest 2.0
Delica G-10
Mini Grip
Leafstorm

Those are what I'm thinking
 
colubrid said:
The more and more i am loking at this list i am liking it. those i never really looked at the Kershaw blur as a top 8 but I am looking at youtube reveiw on this knife now.
And i am glad you put the 940 in there.
Click to expand...

The ZT 0400 is out of production, but they still pop up now and then. If I had to replace it with something a little more readily available I'd go with the Boker Burnley Kwaiken. Yeah, it's the "worst" steel of the lot, but with a flipper mod and a little tuning, it's an amazingly smooth and sweet little knife that sits right at the bottom of your price range.
 
^^^ Fit and finish is really a big part of this. Really I look at the question as "What are the best bang for your buck knives as far as materials, fit and finish, and quality goes?"
Sure there are $60 - $80 knives that have excellent quality and fit and finish for the price. But a good $100+ knife may, or should have better materials or fit and finish, or better yet, both.
Of course that's not always the case.

So what's the most you're getting for your money is really the question.

But the $90 - $300 price range is huge and it's really hard to go through and pick the knives.
Really you should make the price ranges a little closer together.

However if I had to choose in that range I would say(yes most are Spyderco):
Spyderco Para 2 - A sprint if I'm specific
Spyderco Chaparral - CF or Ti
Spyderco Techno
Spyderco Chokwe
Spyderco Gayle Bradley
Spyderco Air
DPX H.E.S.T. 2.0
Kershaw Speedform 2 - May be a little under $90, but look at what you get.
 
colubrid said:
Chris,
Thanks for your input but you can make a debate about almost anything and I wanted this thread to be more simple just to see the consistency of the knives people pick over an over and over again. No reason has to be given. I think is this forum has the most knowledgable knife community on the internet and we will not get just best sellers on the list but actually best knife opinions from this community.

For instance, i bet that almost everyone will have a Para 2 on the list. So that gives people an idea that is a knife a lot of people agree on . So that knife needs its respect. It also gives the newbie an idea which knife to buy if he stumbles onto this forum..which we all started at on time, as a newbie.. and we were probably confused with the plethora of knives on te exchange and I am hoping this list will simplfy things for such a person before going thru 50 knives to get to thier top 10 keepers within the price point.

Lastly, a little sillness is just plain fun sometimes.
Click to expand...

That is a problem. I did the same thing when I first started collecting knives. I asked what everybody else thought. And it turns out that most folks are wrong. Yep I said it :D It's like asking what's the best food. A lot of America will say McDonald's or Pizza Hut. Does that mean that McDonald's and Pizza Hut deserve respect?
That's an analogy btw. I know it's not perfect :)
My point is that there are a lot of fan boys here (like everywhere) and lots of folks who don't even use their knives, or don't use them for the same stuff that other people use them for. Or only want the 'best' etc etc. The problem is popularity trends.
Anyway.
After ignoring your first post and reading your latest you seem like an intelligent guy (gal?) so I'm sure you know all of this. Just keep in mind what you want this tool to do. If you want some pocket jewelery, than yeah go for the ZT0560! If you want a knife that will actually cut something, go with an Opinel. You want a 'tough" knife then cold steel makes the strongest folding knives around.
YMMV
 
Benchmade 810; it's one I've carried and used most and always keep coming back to.
ZT 0200, it's really the best value and the best knife ZT makes, imho.
My favorite Emerson, the Roadhouse.
Cold Steel Large Espada, either version, because you'll never know when you'll need to slice clean through a brisket.
Benchmade 860, for similar reasons.
I can't really list any others in my personal rotation since they're either less than 90 bucks or more than 300 (i.e., Spyderco Endura Wave/CS Recon 1 tanto/Kershaw Tremor or Strider SMF).
 
Spyderco Manix2 (S30V version - Stout, strong, sharp blade. Great for most cutting tasks, but the hollow grind can make it less suitable for slicing)
Spyderco Paramilitary 2 (Obligatory.)
Basically any Zero Tolerance knife. I personally own and love an 0561.
Spyderco Caly 3.5 Carbon Fiber (ZDP-189, 3.5 inch blade, deep carry and discreet pocket clip, handsome gentleman's-knife appearance.)
Benchmade Griptilian (can be customized/personalized on their site with all sorts of neat things. Tanto/Plain/Serrated? No problem. D2? Sure. DLC? Okay. Two different colors of G-10? Go crazy.)

If you don't mind non-stainless, however: A Spyderco Gayle Bradley runs about 110-130 on the 'bay and is often touted as one of the best knives ever as far as design, comfort, build quality, and function go.
 
Yeah, the list is pretty complete. PM2, Gayle Bradley, Brad Southard, Techno, ZT0350, Alias 1, Chaparral, Sage 1, BM710 and on and on.
I just happened to note that just about the entire list of nine folders is a Spyderco product. That should tell you something, although it's subjective.
And if you need the 10th, make it a Sebbie. You can buy a used Sebenza for about $300 or a bit over. And a used Sebbie is as good as a new one. A spa job is about $20 or so, and it's like new again. I've had 12-15 Sebenzas, and none of them were new. Most were model 21's.
A Sebbie is in my pocket now, and usually is. It's the best and most impressive folder I've ever tried, but certainly not the most expensive.
My second choice is the PM2 (Paramilitary 2) and has been for years.
 
I'll do it a bit differently, I'll just tell you what I feel I need to have next...

Benchmade 810 Contego (axis, steel, quality, heft)
Benchmade 300sn (flipper, axis)

Spyderco Southard (hype, steel, quality, flipper)
Spyderco pm2 (any varient I don't care which, I just want to try the lock)

There are plenty of others that I REALLY want to try, but those are knives that make me feel like I am doing myself a dis-service by not at least trying.

One knife that I haven't seen pop up yet that I really think deserves the nod (and I know I've pointed to this knife before, but it deserves the attention) is the Benchmade 950 Rift. It's just an amazing design that I happened on in a trade. Didn't even want it. Now it's my favorite design. Check one out for sure. :thumbup:
 
See i think there is a lot of good knives coming up here and i am learning about . Also there seems to be a repetitveness about some folders that all agree on.

#1 I didn't know the bradley alias was so good.Uhh duh! ..I never liked the look but now that i got a second look at it I have to try one.

#2 Also the hest 2.0, I never thought that knife could survive the early onslaught of issues. Also i never cared for the gimmics it had either. But it is a super sturdy well made folder for edc.


3# ZT 0560 ..oh yeahh!
 
colubrid said:
See i think there is a lot of good knives coming up here and i am learning about . Also there seems to be a repetitveness about some folders that all agree on.

#1 I didn't know the bradley alias was so good.Uhh duh! ..I never liked the look but now that i got a second look at it I have to try one.

#2 Also the hest 2.0, I never thought that knife could survive the early onslaught of issues. Also i never cared for the gimmics it had either. But it is a super sturdy well made folder for edc.


3# ZT 0560 ..oh yeahh!
Click to expand...

I love my Alias 1. It's very smooth and the action is a lot smoother than the Sebenza I owned. I would put it up there with the pm2 and Southard.
 
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