Opinions : Most under-rated production knife brand?

Wow, 21 posts and no mention at all of Condor Knife and Tool!

Condor's lineup is fantastic, and absolutely, in my mind, right up there with Mora, Opinel, Sword, etc... (basically, the rest of Baryonyx stuff) for being the best bang for the buck.
I have enjoyed my Bushlore and Moonshiner so much that I got a Woodlaw blade blank to mod. I'll be working not he project next week, so expect some pics.
 
19-3ben said:
Wow, 21 posts and no mention at all of Condor Knife and Tool!

Condor's lineup is fantastic, and absolutely, in my mind, right up there with Mora, Opinel, Sword, etc... (basically, the rest of Baryonyx stuff) for being the best bang for the buck.
I have enjoyed my Bushlore and Moonshiner so much that I got a Woodlaw blade blank to mod. I'll be working not he project next week, so expect some pics.
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Condor is one I've looked at a lot but never purchased. Have you tried out any of their machetes?
 
Viper by Technocut. The Kyomi has been excellent in the week I've had it.

I think Kizer is overrated. They cost as much as knives made with similar materials in non-communist countries.
 
Hogue, they make exceptional knives. I have an EX-04 & EX-01 and like them on every level. The quality is really outstanding.
 
I've been a fan of Al Mar knives for a while. They always put out high quality knives.
 
Another vote for G.Sakai. With so many Spyderco fans out there IDK why aren't they more popular and no one talks about them.
I find them classy, innovative and on the right price range.
 
I don't own one personally, but I would love to get a Corrie Schoemann knife in my hands. They just look beautiful open and closed (one of the few knives that has a flow when closed. The blade aligns perfectly with the frame lines). I usually don't get intrigued by art knives, especially since he does use flimsy liner lock design, which I guess is fine on a knife not intended for hard use. But the design is just out there.
 
SAK, Mora, Buck(USA Made), and Case make high quality, useful, and reasonably priced knives. These knives, at $20 - 60, will give you 90% of the performance of a knife cost many multiples of that figure.
 
I would say Blackjack, as far as fixed blades, no experience at all with their folders.

As far as Folders, I would agree with whomever said Al Mar. I have a SERE 2000, and the quality is outstanding.

Also agree with SAK, and Case.
 
Wowbagger said:
Swiss Army Knives (SAK)

  • Thin (cuts most of the stuff I need to cut easier than thicker blades)
  • High quality finish; well beyond the price point when compared to knives costing two or three times the price and SAK always gets you more blades for the price.
  • Good enough steel once you learn to grind that useless obtuse edge into shape.
  • Nice walk and talk AND CONSISTENT KNIFE TO KNIFE AND YEAR TO YEAR (DECADE TO DECADE) meaning never too hard to open but always crisp stops and closing. :thumbup:


Boker . . . I hope you boys are taking notes here. ;)
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I came here to say the same about Victorinox. Their ubiquity engenders disrespect from many, but they offer fantastic value (and utility) for their modest price. This is true of their kitchen knives, too.
 
Cold Steel folders. Believe it or not?? and here's why:

Their locks are the strongest. They are 100% ambi, lockback designs. (I'm a lefty and 99% of companies who offer ambi pocket clips still don't make liner, frame and other locks in a true lefthanded style).. CS uses quality steels with excellent heat treats.. But so many people "underrate" the actual knife because they think their marketing is BS, and they say CS is trying to appeal to wannabe collectors who pretend they are zombie slayers. Simple fact, I will put a Cold Steel with a Triad Lock and XHP steel up against any similar size folder, no matter the price, custom or otherwise, in head to head battles of various tests, and I will seriously like my chances in a competition, especially in durability, But the steel is more than adequate for any hard core knife user. And... I could match any size knife you "throw at me" because they make every size knife!! From mini all the way up to BEAST size. Name another folder company who covers the whole spectrum with such effective designs of all sizes, and within the $40 to $150 range. Also I love that they offer effective "Wave" designs in the ak47, talwar, rajah, etc.. Lastly, they may look funny doing their test videos, but at least they are doing them. And I have seen proof of batoning all day with a Aus8 Recon 1 and having ZERO blade play afterwards. Look at the vids online of 3rd party, neutral tester beating the hell out of them. They are underrated and flat out better performing knives than any company I know of. Are they pretty? not really.. neither are Emersons and they get $250 a knife. Do you have to sand down the G10 a bit under the pocket clip? SURE!! But who cares.. Lets not bring up the code 4 /sebenza video.. or should we? That said, you pay for more than just utilitarian functionality with a CRK and I love the he remember us Lefties as well. All in all I think they kick ass at making knives, despite their marketing, And I realize their prices are directly related to Taiwan production.. But as many have said here.. Taiwan is not china. for sh*ts and giggles go buy a 4 inch talwar in xhp and start slicing everything in sight.
 
The brand I feel does not get mentioned enough is Fantoni. I know that they historically have made knives for other brands, but they sell Fantoni knives these days (not just Lone Wolf or Beretta knives with the Fantoni tree on them).

I have a Fantoni HB 02 that I reviewed (you can view the review here if you want). I find the build quality to be absolutely superb, and considering that these knives have fantastic fit and finish and materials at prices that are really quite good, I think they are hard to beat.
Point.JPG


I also own an older Lone Wolf Loveless Hunter that was made by Fantoni that is also a real stunner. Everything about the quality of their knives sets the gold standard of my collection. So they are the brand I like to point out to people.
 
GlockandBalls said:
Cold Steel folders. Believe it or not?? and here's why:

Their locks are the strongest. They are 100% ambi, lockback designs. (I'm a lefty and 99% of companies who offer ambi pocket clips still don't make liner, frame and other locks in a true lefthanded style).. CS uses quality steels with excellent heat treats.. But so many people "underrate" the actual knife because they think their marketing is BS, and they say CS is trying to appeal to wannabe collectors who pretend they are zombie slayers. Simple fact, I will put a Cold Steel with a Triad Lock and XHP steel up against any similar size folder, no matter the price, custom or otherwise, in head to head battles of various tests, and I will seriously like my chances in a competition, especially in durability, But the steel is more than adequate for any hard core knife user. And... I could match any size knife you "throw at me" because they make every size knife!! From mini all the way up to BEAST size. Name another folder company who covers the whole spectrum with such effective designs of all sizes, and within the $40 to $150 range. Also I love that they offer effective "Wave" designs in the ak47, talwar, rajah, etc.. Lastly, they may look funny doing their test videos, but at least they are doing them. And I have seen proof of batoning all day with a Aus8 Recon 1 and having ZERO blade play afterwards. Look at the vids online of 3rd party, neutral tester beating the hell out of them. They are underrated and flat out better performing knives than any company I know of. Are they pretty? not really.. neither are Emersons and they get $250 a knife. Do you have to sand down the G10 a bit under the pocket clip? SURE!! But who cares.. Lets not bring up the code 4 /sebenza video.. or should we? That said, you pay for more than just utilitarian functionality with a CRK and I love the he remember us Lefties as well. All in all I think they kick ass at making knives, despite their marketing, And I realize their prices are directly related to Taiwan production.. But as many have said here.. Taiwan is not china. for sh*ts and giggles go buy a 4 inch talwar in xhp and start slicing everything in sight.
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I actually must disagree with you. Cold Steel certainly makes a fine knife, but I wouldn't say they're underrated at all. They're a very popular and successful company, and it's been quite some time since I've seen much anti-CS circlejerking.

I think CRKT is very underrated. They're one of the most innovative knife companies around today and I've always found their quality to be superb, even on their cheaper offerings. In time, I'd like to add more of their products to my collection. They've got collaborations with some great makers and, while I think some of their stuff is goofy (I'll say the same about Spyderco, one of my top favorite knife companies), they do know what they're doing. I don't think CRKT gets the praise they deserve, and I think that's largely because they don't seem to follow trends in the industry.
 
ugaarguy said:
Viper by Technocut. The Kyomi has been excellent in the week I've had it.

I think Kizer is overrated. They cost as much as knives made with similar materials in non-communist countries.
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Please enlighten me, where can I get a titanium framelock with g10 and vg10 steel for 80$?

No room for politics in my knife collection :)
 
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