What are the "Big Five" to You?

batosai117

batosai117

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Jun 5, 2007
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Okay guys/gals, I was just thinking to myself about manufacturers and their customer service. So this thinking got me hungry which made me think some more which lead to this thread :D

Which of the knife companies do you consider to be the "Big Five?"

And...

Which of the chosen 5 has the best customer service from greatest to least?

My big five would be as follows:

Spyderco, Benchmade, Kershaw, Buck, Gerber

order of customer service:

1. Spyderco
2. Benchmade
3. Buck
4. Kershaw
5. Gerber

Those are my five big ones and their customer service ranking which are all strictly my opinion from personal dealings as a customer (not as a dealer).

SOG has excellent customer service, but don't seem to have as "large" a following as the other companies mentioned.

Well, have at it!!!
 
I think places like Kershaw/KAI, Ka-Bar, Fiskars/Gerber, and Buck would be among the big companies. Part of being a big company is, well, being big. Whether a company is popular with knifeknuts is another situation.

To me, the big five would, in no particular order, be:

Spyderco
Kershaw
Himalayan Imports
Ka-Bar/Becker
Busse (including siblings and spouses)

And I'd feel kind of bad that I didn't include Buck, Misono, Aritsugu, SOG, Mora of Sweden, Nenohi, Cas Iberia/Hanwei, Browning, and Cold Steel in the top five.
 
Yeah, there's a lot of companies that I felt bad for not having on here, but these "big five" are mainly ones that instantly come to mind as having a mass following and/or being around forever.
 
Kershaw/ZT
Benchmade
Strider/CR (tie)
Swiss Army

In no particular order, but in my experiences, Kershaw/ZT has the best CS, bar none.
 
Its an all bamboo longbow(5 lams of heat tempered bamboo), brown glass, figured myrtle wood riser slightly dished cut .125" from center and 64" with tip wedge, 65lbs@28" and right handed. Signed by Craig Ekin. Those who hunt will know and I couldn't resist. Keepem sharp

PS TOPS Thunder Hawke to be specific, EKI, some BM stuff, and some Boker stuff like the M TYPE!!!, CS, I am not including any custom makers from here.
 
My big 5 for CS would be Vic, Leatherman, and Buck tied for first. I sent in a Charge TTi for a repair, no questions asked. The 25 year limit is a bit odd, though. Same with a couple SAKs. My grandfather sent in a 40 year old Buck 112 that he had snapped the tip off of about year or so ago...they replaced the blade free of charge, and shipped it right back to him.

My other two, well...I hear Spyderco's CS is top notch, but isn't a no questions asked kind of deal. And from what I read on their forums, RAT Cutlery puts customers first as well.
 
In no particular order...

Benchmade
AG Russell
Spyderco
Gerber
Victorinox

These are all companies I have dealt with both as a customer and as a dealer when I had my shop open.
 
In no particular order, my "Big Five" production makers include:

1. Spyderco
2. Benchmade
3. Kershaw
4. Victorinox
5. CRK

All have admirable customer service and excellent business practices, in my opinion. :thumbup:
 
My big five, in the order my Customer Service experiences...

1. Kershaw
2. Victorinox
3. Benchmade
4. Spyderco
5. Buck
 
When it comes to production knives, in no particular order.
1.) Spyderco- I have had good experiences with the customer service.
2.) Benchmade- No experience with customer service.
3.) Kershaw- No experience with customer service.
4.) Rat Cutlery- :eek: one of the best warranties and customer services.
5.) Buck, Blackhawk, MOD, Emerson, Al Mar, Bradley, Boker, Swiss Army, Ka Bar, Tops, and SOG

Ok thats my list of 5 ;)
 
I'm surprized that Chris Reeves Knives (CRK) is only on 1 persons list so far. If you're just talking about CS mine are:
1.Buck
2.CRK
3.Spyderco
4.Kershaw
5.Benchmade
 
In no particular order:

1. Buck
2. Friskars
3. Victorinox
4. Kabar
5. Chinese copies/counterfeits
 
The staff @ Chris reeve have been the only manufacturers EVER to respond to an email regarding a product I'd bought and needed assistance with.

Spyderco, well the staff there are amazing, Ive just never had an issue with any of my spyderco knives.

The rest have never responded, so my big 5, is a big 2.
 
I've only needed service once, and that was with Chris Reeve. Excellent customer service, they really go above and beyond.
 
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