That's a hard choice to make.
I seen a custom that's 500ish that tops all of those though.
Indeed, and
that's really exciting. Like the Koenig Arius is basically a custom - since you can get one
made to order. At the very least it's a midtech that's entirely put together by the guy that owns the company. An Arius starts at >$500 and a pretty nicely finished one is about $550. This is simply as nice as a $1k knife. To think this is his first knife in production, he's in his early 20's, just wow. I just sold my Gen1 Arius to fund a newer model in CF (still have a Ti Gen2).
It's so cool that guys are able to put a Haas CNC in their garage and go to work. The Brown Servo for instance starts at $550. The bare-bones version of it is flat out amazing - simply because he does such an incredible job with his finishes. He used to be a Nasa engineer, this knife acts like a Grimsmo for a fraction of the price. This is only his second knife (books were open for a few hours a week or so ago) and he'll certainly improve.
An Effenberk Sigma starts (or started) around $500, the fit and finish (he even obsesses about the inside finish and tolerances) are extraordinary. Dave used to be an engineer in the auto industry. Any of us who got in on the current Sigma builds are getting more than our money's worth. The
plain version with G10 is stunning. He's doing a new knife called the Rage, which will be a custom built that might start around WE prices. The scale inserts are interchangeable! There will be an Al and Ti version.
Holt Bladeworks builds what is essentially a US Shiro. The looks and finish are astounding. $500 starting price. I haven't done this one (yet) but have been gently guided by those who know! He
just started!
Bill Koenig is quick to respond to anybody regarding his knives, his warranty is 100% honest, and I can say the same about the others. So not only Grimsmo and Ferrum Forge have
serious competition, but so does Reate and WE, and all those they OEM for.
I also highly recommend Olamic, and while they lean towards the production midtech side to some degree (parts made by Fox and imported), they're still fully customized and Eugene stands behind every single knife they build. No other company I know of has a trade-up program.
