The Byrd of fixed blades??

[Nuke_Spook]

After the strong endorsements of many Bladeforums members I tried Spyderco's Byrd knives and was very impressed. The combination of quality and low price is very hard to find. I have had no problem recommending these knives to friends looking for a low cost quality knife. Is there a manufacturer of fixed blade knives whose level of quality is way above it's low price similar to Byrd?

Thanks,

 

[jaislandboy]

hey Nuke_Spook,
as a byrd-lover, and a spyderholic, I recommend Scrapyard Knives and (although I have none yet).... Ranger Knives.....
The Ontario Rat-3 ain' bad either .... I have one in D2....

 

[rifon2]

I know the Byrds are well liked here on BF, but I don't buy Chinese made knives.
Not Sal's, not anyones.

Taiwanese knives are a different story, BTW.

 

[rifon2]

After the strong endorsements of many Bladeforums members I tried Spyderco's Byrd knives and was very impressed. The combination of quality and low price is very hard to find. I have had no problem recommending these knives to friends looking for a low cost quality knife. Is there a manufacturer of fixed blade knives whose level of quality is way above it's low price similar to Byrd?

Thanks,

Benchmade Instigator is a great deal; I've got a couple of those.
Have heard good things about the Benchmade Rant Bowie, too, but haven't handled one.
Ontario Spec Plus Knives are fantastic for the $$!
Ka-Bar Impact Series are pretty good as well but I like the Ontarios better.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Ontario Spec Plus, you'll be really pleased. There have been some threads on them here on BF.
http://www.ontarioknife.com/specplus_pg1.html

 

[Vivi]

I'd stay away from those Ontario's unless you get your enjoyment out of reprofiling thick fixed blades.

Mora's sounds like what you're looking for. If you need something to whack around with, just go pick up a Fiskars hatchet or axe from Lowe's.

www.ragweedforge.com for the Mora's. Roughly 10$ each and slice better than most knives you'll get from the big US companies even at ten times the price point. If you buy an Ontario Spec Plus and a Mora and cut some cardboard with each, you'll have a hard time even looking at the former as a "knife."

 

[rifon2]

I'd stay away from those Ontario's unless you get your enjoyment out of reprofiling thick fixed blades.

Mora's sounds like what you're looking for. If you need something to whack around with, just go pick up a Fiskars hatchet or axe from Lowe's.

www.ragweedforge.com for the Mora's. Roughly 10$ each and slice better than most knives you'll get from the big US companies even at ten times the price point. If you buy an Ontario Spec Plus and a Mora and cut some cardboard with each, you'll have a hard time even looking at the former as a "knife."

Moras are great values, no doubt.
Thanks for mentioning them.

I've read and heard about having to reprofile the Ontario Spec Plus knives.

HOWEVER, in my own recent experience with an SP5, 2 SP23s, an SP14 and an SP19 - I really have to disagree. EVERY one of these knives came shaving sharp out of the box! The grind lines were excellent. I was and am really, really pleased with all of them.

Perhaps at one time these knives were poorly ground and needed significant work to be useful cutters.

But these knives I've bought over the past two or three months, as I've described, are simply excellent knives, and terrific values.

I think that Ontario's qc improved greatly over the past year or so when they started producing the RAT series, and had a partner/customer looking over their shoulder, so to speak.