Top 3 mass-production knife mfrs.

1. Benchmade/Spyderco
2. Kershaw
3. Victorinox/Ontario on the Queen Cutlery end
 
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Busse...INFI, toughness, designs.
CRK.... Sebenza's.
Spyderco...Great blade geometry, also great knife for the price.
 
No particular order.

Benchmade (axis) Though there's not too much out I'm crazy about at the moment.
RAT Cutlery (customer service and just a simple well done product)
Blade Tech Magnums (The Magnum series will just surprise the heck out of you)

I really like Spydies and think it's a great company. They just don't have what I'm wanting right now.
 
Benchmade for their design and their resale value,
Spyderco for their innovative spirit and their experimenting with new steels,
Chris Reeve for being a manufacturer with a human face (I mean, how many companies are there where the owner or his wife bother to answer e-mails?).
 
1. CRK folders
2. Bob Dozier
3. unknown

Chris Reeve's Sebenza and Mnandi folders are the epitome of what a folder should be IMHO, elegantly minimalist, built to exacting standards with excellent customer service.

Dozier's knives may be rougher in appearance than a CRK product but they exhibit the same elegance of design just without the cost of the more refined production.

I've got multiple knives (oy!) but I don't consider myself so much a collector but a user with somewhat refined tastes who's always on the lookout for a better tool. These are two makers I would unreservedly recommend to anyone who wants a high quality working knife beyond the regular manufacturers.

My most recent Dozier replaces a Spyderco Moran signature drop point and my CRK folders replaced my Emersons and Gerbers four years ago. Both are still excellent knives that I still own but now relegated to backup roles, even the Kydex sheath on the Dozier is an improvement on the Spyderco one.
 
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darthsoaker said:
Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw.

No particular order.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I thought of when I read the title. I find that I have bought way more Benchmades than Spydercos, but I would have to say that I like Spyderco overall a little bit more than Benchmade.
 
In order:

--Benchmade. Nothing beats an Axis lock. Just when I thiink I'm jaded on Benchnade, they come out with something I like.

--Al Mar. Incredible knives. Solid as all get out. And superb customer service.

--Spyderco. A very good line.
 
There are a lot of good makers out there, that make a wide range of products. It's hard to say "who makes the best knife" without knowing what properties are important to you. Quality for the price? Overall fit & finish? Hardcore performance? The answers would be different for any of one of those considerations.

Overall, I'd have to say that my favorite three makers RIGHT NOW (this tends to change) are Bark River, Chris Reeve, and Spyderco. There are several other companies that I like, but overall, I guess these are my favorites.

Bark River makes absolutely beautiful, well designed, well finished fixed blades, that actually come with nice sheaths. And the price is about right. They have a HUGE selection of different models and handle options.

Chris Reeve has a very limited product line- but the Sebenza alone is enough to put them in my top 3. The Sebenza is in a league of its own. It's the best folder on the market, period.

Spyderco has an impressive line, their prices are good, and their designs are amazing. Sal and Eric Glesser are two of the best, most prolific knife designers in the world. There is a lot of serious talent and hard work coming from those two, and though they receive a lot of praise for it, I think they deserve more. Their knives dominate the mid-range niche, and deservedly so.

Honorable mention goes to Case, Busse, Ka-Bar, Queen and GEC.
 
IMHO...

#1 = Kershaw/ZeroTolerance - HA! put 2 in for my #1 pick! :D They just have more models that I really want than any others.

#2 = Spyderco - quality steels, solid designs, impeccable implementation, many price-points.

#3 = Benchmade - quality steels, solid designs, impeccable implementation, many price-points.
 
No order..

Spyderco, Benchmade, Kabar

4a Vic
4b Kershaw. Onion has some great designs but many are AO (a no-no in MI) and the pocket clips are goofy shapes.
 
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busse combat: unbeatable warranty, great steel, a knife in every size/variation (except a folder!)

spyderco: sharpest out of the box knives ive ever encountered, great materials, price point for everyone, and sal listens to his customers.

emerson: best ergos of any folder ive owned, great warranty, rock solid, great materials.


honorable mention: dozier (don't currently have any though), crk (i always come back to a sebenza), strider (rock solid folders).
 
Originally Posted by darthsoaker
Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw.

No particular order.
Click to expand...
I totally agree. If there was a 4th I would put CRK in there but how many Sebenza's and Mnandi's can you get. The Umnumzaan is next on my list.
 
Only brand I'm really loyal to is Kershaw. They make great knives for the price, good design, and have an awesome warranty. I sent them two knives (One asking for a stripped screw replaced, the other asking for a new pocket clip). Both times on fairly old well used EDC knives.


Both times they sent me a brand new knife.
 
Benchmade, I love their designs and the axis lock
Kershaw, great designs, flippers and value
Spyderco, great knives just not a huge fan of the holes
 
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