Sub $1000 midtech and custom makers to look at?

acphillips3

acphillips3

Joined
Feb 26, 2015
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I'm getting into a new level of knife collecting and I'm not too familiar with this level of makers. I love flippers, and larger knives (3.5"+) , other than that I don't have a lot of preference. I just want to see who's out there and who I should look at. Thanks!
 
A couple of my personal favorites:

André Thorburn

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Rockstead

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I've been looking at Andre Thorburns work a lot. He has some beautiful knives. I will have to look more into Rockstead. They have some nice knives from what I've seen on the forums so I will give them a better look. Thanks for the answer.
 
Clyde Challenor (South Africa) (@clydechallenor on Instagram) makes the Raptor, a 4" framelock with various grind options. Raptor 2 will be available at Blade Show.

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John W Smith and Enrique Pena for just under your max price if you take your time and shop around.
 
Blues Bender said:
A couple of my personal favorites:

André Thorburn

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Rockstead

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Click to expand...

I knew I was going to see you put those two up here man ;)

Shirogorov (95 in particular) and Diskin (his Volcan is sweet!) are my votes, at least off the top of my head. Jake Hoback's UHEP folders would also be a good place to look.
 
Gerry McGinnis's Pro Line knives are nice flippers. Custom quality in the $550/$650 range.

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Some of my faves... Shirogorov, Hoback, Gavko, Grimsmo


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Stellar recommendations so far. I'll add a few to the list:

Guardian Tactical - They have some custom variants of their production knives on their website.
Koenig Arius
I'll second Clyde Challenor
Nova Blades - Custom Maker
Olamic Cutlery - Always a good choice
Shirogorov Knives - Overpriced, but absolute perfection
Cheburkov - Russian midtech knives
Custom Knife Factory - continually impressed by their work
Matt Degnan - super nice guy, knives are getting better with each build (books are open)
Jason Guthrie - Another south African maker with awesome build, books are closed but check the Exchange for one.
Jessie Jarosz
Gavko Knives

Quite a few others, but that's all I can think of right now. Certainly a buyers market these days which is fantastic.
 
Wow. Thanks for all the suggestions. There were a lot that I had never even heard of. I have a lot of researching to do now... Hopefully I will get to see a few of these knives and their makers at Bladeshow in June.

And Blues. That Rockstead is amazing. I love the wood with that mirror polish.
 
Jake Hoback.

If you're looking for a state of the art, hard use, incredible everyday carry this is the maker I would look for.

His HRD Detent is something special. I can almost guarantee that any knife purchased from this maker will have one of the, if not the, best actions you'll experience as you're the one who adjusts it to YOUR specifications.

I've handled a lot of mid-techs, mostly heavy duty hard use knives, and this is the one that strikes me as the most well thought out and best executed.

Look at the Kwaiback MK4. Incredible blade. The perfect blend of hard use and elegance.

Plus it's Japanese inspired, backed by an incredible guy (Jake Hoback), and totally bombproof.
 
acphillips3 said:
Wow. Thanks for all the suggestions. There were a lot that I had never even heard of. I have a lot of researching to do now... Hopefully I will get to see a few of these knives and their makers at Bladeshow in June.

And Blues. That Rockstead is amazing. I love the wood with that mirror polish.
Click to expand...

Thanks Brother!

Be sure to stop by and check out Rockstead at Blade. Their real beauty can only be witnesses in person:D

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