Poll about knife brands

Which do you all prefer?

  • Total voters
    149
  • Poll closed .
R

Rascal8399

Joined
Mar 5, 2020
Messages
15
What do you all prefer brand wise and think which one is the best quality for the money? Feel free to add any other brands you all think are good brands.
 
GEC will easily win this though in my book they barely are on my list but it is 1 of 2 from that list that are on my list. I will not but Case, Rough Rider, or Schrade. Two I won't simply because I won't buy China made products when I can reasonably buy it from a country who I have more faith in the ethics of. Case I won't buy because their blades are as hard and tough as the butter knives in my kitchen draw. GEC only makes it on my list because they have quality and they do occasionally make SS knives and I don't want to deal with carbon blade maintenance. Buck is the only one up there making USA blades with quality and SS so they are my #1.
 
Since I have exceptionally little experience with Case, and have never seen much less handled a GEC, I had to vote for Rough Rider and the Schrade family, to include Ulster, Hammer Brand, and Camillus. You can still find pre-2004 USA made Schrade family of brands for (mostly) reasonable prices.
Buck is a close third over-all, but first for a lockback, IMHO.

I haven't seen a lot of the Schrade and Camillus made 300 series available on the second hand market. (No. I do not do eBay - period.)

Whet experience I have with Case so far is positive, but with only three or four Case knives in my "life" I don't think that is enough to vote for them. Besides, they still seem somewhat high priced. (based on my financial situation.)
 
I’m assuming you mean USA made Schrades. That’d be favorite GEC 2nd over Case bc the only Case I’ll buy these days is a Bose colab.
 
Gotta tie Buck and Case at #1 for me.
Buck is the king of lockbacks and makes some of my favorite belt knives, while case I think wins out on slipjoints.
Victorinox is another company who makes great knives.

The whole Schrade / imperial thing is dead now and the name in my opinion is being slapped onto knives not worthy of it.

I've only got one GEC and it's an excellent little belt knife, but I've been too satisfied with my Case knives to want to spend more than they cost.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Gotta tie Buck and Case at #1 for me.
Buck is the king of lockbacks and makes some of my favorite belt knives, while case I think wins out on slipjoints.
Victorinox is another company who makes great knives.

The whole Schrade / imperial thing is dead now and the name in my opinion is being slapped onto knives not worthy of it.

I've only got one GEC and it's an excellent little belt knife, but I've been too satisfied with my Case knives to want to spend more than they cost.
Click to expand...
Agree with all of that. :thumbsup:
 
I chose Case. They're usually less expensive than GEC, the patterns I like are more readily available, & I've had really good luck with their quality control.
 
Norcaldude said:
Which do you prefer?
1: apples
2: oranges
3: cough drops found in your pants after they have been through the wash
4: M&Ms
5: whiskey
Click to expand...

Anyone not voting 4 and 5 are talking crazy ;)

ETA - I voted Case and GEC, as those are the two I have the most of in my collection. Would also echo the positive Victorinox comments.
 
I voted for GEC for their quality. They are also the most expensive of the bunch. You get what you pay for.
I believe the Queen made Black Box Winchesters to be as good as current GECs and usually at a better price if you can find them.--KV
 
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This is one of those discussions that will never fail to pop up (even in threads where it wasn't the original topic). I have opinions, as everyone else here has as well.

GEC is definitely going to take the lead when it comes to better execution of patterns, superior quality control, and a premium product offered at a decent price (the latter point is most certainly a matter of opinion and is based on one's individual perspective). GEC isn't infallible however, and there are certainly things that I criticize them on with regards to their dyeing processes, jigging, and some of their choices with regards to some of their finishes. Lack of stainless options doesn't bother me as I do not mind patina and generally take good care of my knives. I also vastly prefer good ol' 1095 over most of the 440s and their equivalents.

Case comes in second for me as I have some very good Case knives but I also have had some very not-so-good Case knives. I don't like their stainless steel at all but their CV is quite excellent. I don't like that everything seems to be "rounded" but that is simply me nit-picking somewhat. Aside from the garish covers, spotty QC, and limited CV offerings, you can still get a quality modern Case knife and they make for terrific users at a good price.

My experience with Buck slipjoints is limited to the standard 110s and the recent 301 we had made up for our 2018 Forum knife. Robust construction, no frills design, and very good stainless options make for a knife that folks shouldn't hesitate to put to significant and heavy use. However, they have a propensity towards leaving a lot of material behind the edges of their knives and therefore they make for less efficient cutters than the other offerings on the list.

I have limited experience with Rough Ryder (having only one). I think they are a good option to utilize when wanting to try out new patterns without breaking the bank.

US made Schrade is hard to beat for the value (or at least, used to be). Scarcity will always drive up demand as well as prices so most of the ones I come across will cost as much as a new Case or more theses days unless I get lucky at a garage sale or thrift store (happens rarely). I simply stay away from any of the new Schrade stuff - it's similar to Rough Ryder in terms of quality and it's entirely possible that they are manufactured in similar, if not the same, facilities.
 
Bose/Case collaborations are more expensive than GEC and you do get more knife :) I voted Case because they use stainless and their Bose/Case knives are the best. Number two would be Buck. Schrade is just another name for Rough Ryder.
 
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