Thoughts and Favorites, $350-$600 range.

I like my SHF far more then my small sebbie,from a purely build stand-point.
They are easily my #1 and #2 folders right now.
 
Indeed I am.

My Spartan in smooth as butter.

My sebbie is smooth, but just not quite as smooth?
Maybe it's the sheer size of the SHF vs. The small sebbie that gives it more momentum, where the CRK has a bit of drag. IDK?
Both are awesome though...
 
HS2SHLB.jpg
 
Hinderer / CRK / Strider
in this order (depending on what type of knife you need... Its a toss up for 1st place between Hinderer and CRK...)

My all time favorite knife I've had for years is a CRK small sebenza insingo plain jane.
However Its direct competition is the Hinderer XM-18 3.5" Flipper/Spanto... which I also love dearly...

It's been between these 2 for several years now. --- no strider has come close to matching either 1....
I believe strider as a whole (company wise) isn't up to CRK or hinderer...

The only strider that has seemed to stick around in my collection is a PT, which I love...
 
sgt244 said:
Hinderer / CRK / Strider
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Let's agree to totally disagree. I've owned two of the three and handled plenty of the third, and they wouldn't make my top five, much less my top three.

To OP's original, month's ago question that you brought back to life, my favorite knife in that price range right now is the Olamic Swish.
 
evilgreg said:
Let's agree to totally disagree. I've owned two of the three and handled plenty of the third, and they wouldn't make my top five, much less my top three.

To OP's original, month's ago question that you brought back to life, my favorite knife in that price range right now is the Olamic Swish.
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TBH, if I were to drop $500-$700 right now, it would be on a Swish.

I’m in an interesting space right now. Since I picked up a Keen, I haven’t cared to buy anything else. I’ve actually begun finding reasons to not buy or want things. eg, Shiros have loose bearings, I dislike CRK thumb studs, etc.

With that, the only things that sound appealing are specifically change-of-flavor collection pieces with practical utility. Not much says “flavor” like an Olamic, and those blades... nice stock thickness, great steel, good attitude in relation to the handle.
 
evilgreg said:
Let's agree to totally disagree. I've owned two of the three and handled plenty of the third, and they wouldn't make my top five, much less my top three.

To OP's original, month's ago question that you brought back to life, my favorite knife in that price range right now is the Olamic Swish.
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I had a swish very briefly, bought it brand new. It was a lemon but the action on it was really poor, which was a big disappointment, and put me off from getting another Olamic even though I know that knife was an anomaly. Ended up using the refund money on a HOM :D
 
CRK
LES GEORGE

CRK knives are boring for a reason they are at the top of food chain , i call them the glock of the knife world
because glocks hardly ever have refinements because they are just that good , glock now are making
new stuff but glocks been on top since 1989 , i still have a gen 1 17 , shiros are real popular nowadays
but they are wayyyyyy over priced eventually the market will self correct itself and get back to earth .

i wanna try a spartan they look sweet , im all about tool knives that why i say CRK . i dont buy safe queens
or flashy or blingy knives . i did see a olamic wayfarer on ebay that had the crater scales that looked sweet
but i do not have alot of disposable income as im on fixed income and partially disabled so i have to save for months
 
In response to the OP's original post , I'd say my favorite in the $350-$600 bracket is my Large Sebenza CGG. It's not perfect and there are a couple things I'd like to change but it's overall build quality , attractive graphic design and outstanding opening action/detent put it at the top of my list (currently).
 
Knife designer Chris Reeve was conservative when he designed the Sebenza that defined the fit and finish standard in the OP's $350 to $600 price range. Hinderer followed and Les George, Koenig, Olamic, Hoback, William Henry, Liong Mah, Medford, Rockstead and others in customs, productions and midtechs are all up there now. Many of these will pierce a car door and look the role.

Great fit and finish in folding knives are even available today for under $200. Skaha II, Laconico Keen and Megalodon Titan are three that come to mind and Monterey Bay Knife just had the $225 Minpin and an EZC run coming up.

Shirogorov F3 and Sander Contra at $700 to $800 entry price point is well above the stated range. But this is where the slicing tanks are. Russians make great stout full flat grind slicers and fixed blades, thick behind the edge but with good steel can have a hard 17°-18° micro bevel. Good for food prep and light bushcraft. As a work knife, no other full size folder has challenged my base single row bearing Shiro F3.

Super high end decorated folders in the multi-thousand dollar range are another story.
 
stonproject said:
I had a swish very briefly, bought it brand new. It was a lemon but the action on it was really poor, which was a big disappointment, and put me off from getting another Olamic even though I know that knife was an anomaly. Ended up using the refund money on a HOM :D
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My three Swishes all have great action, but everyone puts out a lemon sooner or later I suppose. That said, Eugene is fantastic to work with and if you have an issue with one of their knives I have to think he'd find a way to make it right.
 
On the subject of this price range, my recurring thought is that nearly anything above $200 is past the point of diminishing returns. You’re likely paying for appearance and pride of ownership, and have stepped outside of what can be reasonably justified as the purchase of a cutting tool.

It’s not as if that extra $280 on top of the price of, say, a PM2 makes a Chris Reeve any better at parting materials aside from parting the owner with more money.

I occasionally get excited and purchase a knife in that price range, but I always end up being underwhelmed by the reality of the item in hand - it’s still just a knife. In this age of $100 knives having S35VN and tight fit and finish, I don’t see much justification for stepping very far outside of that apart from adding to a collection.
 
Craig brown servo
Holt blade works
Chris reeves
Millet torrent
Andrei Sander
Shiro
Koenig - not my style but the machine is great.
 
Phil Indablanc said:
I feel that the ergonomics are nearly perfect and they are a great balance between finesse and durability. There is something about the click of the lock bar when you open the knife that conveys quality. I also like the blade shape more than the others. I can’t find much to fault in any of the three brands, but my Les Georges are my favorite.
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I don't own one, but have sharpened several and they certainly do have a confidence inspiring feel to them.

They're not my cup of tea, but aside from personal taste I've never found any reason to fault a Les George. Fantastic knives. I'd happily recommend one.
 
BilboBaggins said:
For me, it's the G&G Hawk pieces produced by Millit. The MUDD, MUDD auto, Dauntless, and Orbit. They've been killing it.
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Exactly the same for me. I have so much liner/framelock fatigue that these other options are nice.
 
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