Please put the following "everyday" knives in order of quality

R

rdsaylr

Joined
Dec 2, 2002
Messages
14
Please put the following knives in order of quality....

Case XX
Buck
Old Timer
Gerber
Hen and Rooster
Buck Creek
Boker
Kershaw

Since these are what I have (well not all of them)
 
they are all about dead even in the larger scope of all production knives in terms of overall fit finish and material quality. sure - kershaw and even gerber have some higher end stuff with better scale material and better steel, and buck has the mayo and strider stuff, but they also all make some borderline cheap stuff as well.
 
I agree with sting7777...

Man, you NEED to get some Benchmades, Spydercos, or even some SOGs or Cold Steel knives...
 
for the most common production brands IMO:

CRK WH
Benchmade, Microtech, Emerson, Spyderco
SOG CRKT
Cold Steel Kershaw
Gerber, Buck et al.

there are always exceptions and the larger companies tend to make both cheap and higher end (camillus EDC and Dominator and the Buck Mayo/Strider I mentioned)
 
Well, for slipjoints, Schrade makes excellent ones, IMO. The Case ones I've seen are a bit too expensive for what you get...they have some good looking models, but for a working knife, I think they have too much form and not enough function. The Schrade SS steel is rather soft, but for less than 20$, it's better than you'd expect. The Case SS steel, however, isn't as good, despite the knives costing twice as much or more! I'd look into Queen Cutlery (www.cumberlandknifeworks.com sells these), they make awesome slipjoints too.

Benchmades and Spydercos seem to be the most popular brands around here for modern folders, but there are many other brands which are good as well. Just remember, you almost always get what you paid for.
 
As the others say, it's a matter of the specific model in most cases. These are large companies with extensive product lines, some items better than others.

But in general terms, Buck, Gerber, Hen and Rooster, and Kershaw have always impressed me. I don't mean to put the others down, just that I don't recall any personally.
 
Well remember that knives appeal to people with all size wallets and budgets. For stuff in the sub $40 range I think he's showing good taste as all of those companies except maybe Hen and Rooster have great offerings in the low end range.

I mean honestly for $30 can you do better than the Buck 110 or the Vapor II? I think not.

But I do have to agree it all comes down to which model are we talking about exactly.
 
From all I have read, except for the vanadium (carbon) steel line, Case knives are made to look at, not cut. Shrade Old Timer slipjoints are carbon steel knives and good value for the money.

Generally speaking, if you want decent steel and edge-holding in a low price knife, stick with those that have carbon steel blades. The low end stainless steels have very poor edge-holding.

Having said this, I have read posts where members said they don't mind the low end stainless steel knives. They aren't bothered by having to sharpen them frequently. What is good enough to each person is often a subjective thing.
 
Speaking in generalities, from the initial list of manufacturers, I would be most inclined to trust and purchase a knife from Kershaw, Buck, Gerber, and Schrade/Old Timer, in that order. As many others have said, the specific model in question would be the determining factor. However, as a general guideline, those brands I listed would get my nod.
 
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