Super high quality functional folders

DarkoMaledictus

DarkoMaledictus

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Jun 22, 2010
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150
With so many brands and models I'd like to start this thread so it becomes easier for people to find super high quality folding knives.

Criteria :

-High Build quality.
-Build to last a lifetime
-Blade must be centered after years of regular use
-Premium building material.
-Strong lock mechanism.
-No coated blades as they don't age well.
-No blade play whatsoever
-Strong screws that wont strip (looking at you militaries)
-Quality vs price (yep this means SOG is out :D)
-No customs

Here is my contribution :

-Benchmade 710-101 Gold class - Smooth as butter lock with some premium quality material : (pic is the regular version)
BM710D2.jpg


Strider SMF: Build like a tank with titanium all over and great blade material!
strider_smf_11.jpg


Large Sebenza : A classic folder build to last with premium quality materials :
seb21l.jpg


So what do you guys think are other hall of fame quality folders?
 
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From the sounds of it the new ZT 550 may just be the cream of the crop.
With Rick Hinderer involved I am sure it will be tough. The Sebenza and BM 710 are also good. It looks like Cold Steels new line with the strong Tri-Ad lock may fit in with this group too. Just my thoughts. Kevin
 
Blade coatings are sometimes an essential part of a blade. Take a high carbon steel and add a little humidity and an owner that doesn't dedicate time to proper care for whatever their reasons, you get a rusty knife.

Screws get stripped more often than not when the incorrect tools are used and the person using the tool has little patience. Not necessarily because one type is worse than another (speaking about quality knives).

Some lockbacks have a small amount of blade play. The locks are plenty strong (Buck, Spyderco, etc), and the knife would probably be rendered "destroyed" before the lock actually fails. If someone is using a folding knife for something that stressful, then it would seem that they need to reevaluate their current tool selection.

I would say:
Spyderco Paramilitary
Spyderco Manix 2
Spyderco Gayle Bradley
Spyderco PPT
Cold Steel American Lawman
Cold Steel AK-47
ZT 0300 and 0350
Benchmades with Axis Locks
 
RevDevil said:
Screws get stripped more often than not when the incorrect tools are used and the person using the tool has little patience. Not necessarily because one type is worse than another (speaking about quality knives).
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True in most cases, but some manufacturers like Cold steel used to use soft screws that stripped after very little use. One main culprit was the Arc Angel balisong knife, I had to change all its screws after a few uses. And that is unacceptable for a 200$ knife...

RevDevil said:
Blade coatings are sometimes an essential part of a blade. Take a high carbon steel and add a little humidity and an owner that doesn't dedicate time to proper care for whatever their reasons, you get a rusty knife.
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Agreed blade coating is necessary in some cases, but using a better steel would of solve the need to use coating. Main problem I have against coating is it will look terrible after 2-3 years of use. Not a big fan of high carbon steels... Usually I prefer to have my blades stonewashed, but if that is not possible I'll get them plain. Coating is fine for fighting blades like Emersons as they wont get much use other than defensive roles... but that's not my POI.
 
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There is also an EKA Swede 92 - great knife with super strong lock and screws that can be adjusted with a penny
Too bad it's twice as expensive as it was couple of years ago:mad:
EKA%20SWEDEN%2092%20SS.JPG
 
kda89508 said:
From the sounds of it the new ZT 550 may just be the cream of the crop.
With Rick Hinderer involved I am sure it will be tough. The Sebenza and BM 710 are also good. It looks like Cold Steels new line with the strong Tri-Ad lock may fit in with this group too. Just my thoughts. Kevin
Click to expand...

Problem I have with cold steel is they don't seem to use premium steel for their blades and their Kraton handles seem cheap to me. Had a bad experience with Cold steel... now kind of keep away nowadays..
 
DarkoMaledictus said:
Problem I have with cold steel is they don't seem to use premium steel for their blades and their Kraton handles seem cheap to me. Had a bad experience with Cold steel... now kind of keep away nowadays..
Click to expand...

DarkoMaledictus said:
If you are talking about Damascus steel I totally agree, its mostly for show. But vg10, CTS-HXP, m390 or s30v are amazing :)
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Nonsense. I defy you to tell the difference in performance between VG1 and VG10.
 
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Chris Reeve Sebenza
Strider SMF
Hinderer XM-18

Those are the ones I would call "super high quality."

If you wanted a few "production but timeless" folders,

Spyderco Military / Endura
Benchmade AFCK / Grip
Case Sodbuster
 
DarkoMaledictus said:
Lol remove vg10 from my list then ;).
Click to expand...

VG-1 also out does most of the other steels on your list too.. ;)

Not sure what they are doing with it, but whatever it is it works....

It's a much better steel that some would have you believe.
 
Ankerson said:
VG-1 also out does most of the other steels on your list too.. ;)

Not sure what they are doing with it, but whatever it is it works....

It's a much better steel that some would have you believe.
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For one, its a high carbon steel, which means it will rust easier. Did a bit of research on it :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VG-1(steel)

Some claim it chips easier. but been disputed.

In 10 blades that were placed exactly on the same spot, my only Cold steel I had at the time (Carbon v (High carbon)) was the one that rusted . Not a fan of babysitting my blades. Been staying clear of high carbon blades since then...

Would be nice if Cold Steel started using different types of high grade steels like other manufacturers... VG-1 is not something everyone likes...
 
Ankerson said:
VG-1 also out does most of the other steels on your list too.. ;)

Not sure what they are doing with it, but whatever it is it works....

It's a much better steel that some would have you believe.
Click to expand...

I really like the VG-1 from CS. I have it in large and med. clip point voyagers. They get "stupid" sharp and hold their edge for a while.


With that said, I do not think CS has a place in this tread either. Their customer service is not the best in the world (if you have a problem, they just try to sell you a new knife, axe, ect.). When you are able to get something sent in for repair it take months (or at least it did for me about 4 years ago) ever for replacements.

I would vote the BM Skirmish, Bradley Alias I and II as some of the folders that fits the OP's criteria.


John
 
DarkoMaledictus said:
For one, its a high carbon steel, which means it will rust easier. Did a bit of research on it :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VG-1(steel)

Some claim it chips easier. but been disputed.

In 10 blades that were placed exactly on the same spot, my only Cold steel I had at the time (Carbon v (High carbon)) was the one that rusted . Not a fan of babysitting my blades. Been staying clear of high carbon blades since then...

Would be nice if Cold Steel started using different types of high grade steels like other manufacturers... VG-1 is not something everyone likes...
Click to expand...

It's because they really don't know anything about it. ;)

Carbon V isn't stainless Steel and it will rust....
 
Talking about high grade materials, is there a custom manufacturer that does something that looks like the 710 but with titanium handles in an extremely high quality package? Yeah I know 710 is already great but looking for uber nonsense quality ;).

Just a sucker for the 710 design... sexiest blade I own in my eyes!
 
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