What companies are off of your radar?

WOW! 39 replies yet still flamewar didn't start, I'm impressed:)
anyway, here's my list:
benchmade, busse, strider, maddog, mission and kinda 'darkops' like
 
Chris Reeve (paying for a name)
Busse (bought one, don't really need any more)
Case (any slipjoint, really)
Gerber (sad ruin of a once great name)
Cold Steel (just say no to assclowns)
Strider ($500 and no liner under the G10 scale? WTF?)
Al Mar (don't really know why, just never noticed them)
CRKT (I already have enough $30 beaters with marginal steel)
Emerson (I already have a chisel)
 
BRKT (designs just don't interest me)
Spyderco (they all look alike to me, hate the hole)
CRK (overpriced)
Case (no slip joints)
Dark Ops (just say no)
Extrema Ratio (nothing of interest)
Strider (overpriced, overhyped)
RAT (overrated)
SOG (overrated)
Emerson (hate the wave)
 
off my radar:

cold steel
busse
emerson
gerber
crkt
al mar
ontario
sog
crk

on my radar:

Spyderco (once you spend time with one, you will love them)
Benchmade (but somewhat less of late)
Kershaw
RAT Cutlery (over rated? crazy. stand up people, tough blades, stellar warranty)
KA-BAR
Becker Knife and Tool
Victorinox
Buck (started to come back to buck with their new Vantage, slipjoint, and Bucklite MAX series. Buck's 420HC is not a bad steel at all)
 
Al Mar - Only like the Shiva and could get a similar knife made by a custom maker for less money.

Extrema Ratio - No models that interest me.

Gerber - Don't care for anything they make.

TOPS - I don't know why this company never comes to mind. I like some of their designs, but I never think of them when I am looking for a knife.
 
All tactical knives are off of my radar right now.

Other than that I avoid non USA knives but I would still buy a Japanese one.
 
I am the same way, not made in America I (usually) dont want it, especially Chinese junk. :rolleyes::thumbdn:
Samael said:
At the risk of sounding like a snob, I don't pay attention to anything that isn't made in America. That kinda narrows the field pretty significantly.
Click to expand...
 
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CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
...just not knifes we desire.
Click to expand...

Not on my radar? For almost all that I'm not interested in, it's probably because any desire I have to own something by a certain brand is usually covered by another brand already. I have no real interest (Right now) in: CRKT; Busse; Benchmade; Ontario; Mora; BRKT; Randall; Strider; Leatherman (knives)

thx - cpr

ps - Dark Ops: I can't stop laughing long enough to decide if I'd even like them...probably NOT.
 
Hey everyone. I'm pretty new to knives and didn't think much about them [though appreciated good ones] until about 2 months ago - now I can't read enough about them.

For me, I don't really care to have the cheap crappy knives, nor do I care for knives of such tremendous value that they rot in a display case. I want to purchase knives from countries that are known for their abilities with steel and knife making: e.g. USA, Germany, Japan. I don't care for knives made in countries because labour is cheap. Though, I'm not American, I tend to only buy American knives. I will pay for good quality. I want good materials [e.g. S30V, G10, Ti]; superb craftsmanship; useful/practical design [no Aladin daggers/Mall Ninja designs]; and robustness [Ti liner locks or even better frame locks]. If I couldn't use the knife to 'survive' - it's not worth owning - in my opinion.

Knives I like [keep in mind, I'm new to this] b/c they fit my above criteria, though some yield better value than others: Spyderco [Millies, Para-Military, H1 steel (for boating/diving etc.) and their 'Mule' knives]. ZT - great bang for your buck. CRK - fit/finish/materiality - top notch. Hinderer - love the XM-18 - the detailing and finish is so fantastic. Strider - great materials, well made, great design - though over priced. Leatherman - probably the best MT. Emerson - I'm on the fence.

Knives I don't care for: Cold steel, Gerber, CRKT, SAKs [you need to have just one]. Anything that is poorly made or advertised as a 'tactical' blade that is far from tactical. Anything that looks cool, but lacks the engineering to actually be cool. Anything that's mall ninja material. Anything made in China - too many quality control and ethical issues + I *loath* knock-offs.

Bottom line: I'd rather have one sweet knife [e.g. Sebenza or Hinderer] over 10 cheapos. :)
 
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Off my radar because I'm not interested:
Queen
CRK
CRKT
Al Mar
Boker (except CLB designs)
Busse
SRKW
Scrap Yard
Ka-Bar (except Becker designs)
Knives of Alaska
Diamond Blade
Blackjack
Randall
Canal Street
CAS Iberia
Condor
Colonial
Katz
Timberline
Smith & Wesson
Remington
Browning
Beretta
Sig
Colt
H&K
Entrek
Mora
Henckels
Kissing Crane
Meyerco
Frost
ProTech
Boye
Meyerchin
Muela
Outdoor Edge
Schrade
Bear & Son
Wenger
Timberline
Marbles
Mcusta
Helle
Gryphon
Harley Davidson
German Eye
Bradley
Puma
SOG
Sebertech
William Henry



Off my radar because of ethics or advertising:
Mantis
Benchmade
Cold Steel
Strider
BRKT
Gerber
Dark Ops
Ontario
Microtech
Mercworx
Taylor
VTech
Fury

Who I'll always buy from:
Spyderco
Kershaw
Emerson
RAT Cutlery
Fallkniven
Victorinox
BladeTech
Case
Buck

Regards,
3G
 
Tops has to be one that I never see on here, and nobody has one to sell either, why is that?????
 
I'm just going to list the companies that I used to have interest in but no longer do.
BRKT - I just got burnt out on them. The newer models don't hold any appeal for me.
Busse - Not my style of knife.
SOG - I don't really care for there new stuff.
CRKT - Their new designs don't interest me.
 
Spyderco - but only because that big round hole reminds me of baby crocodiles and gecko's. I know it works and their knives are great so I'll probably get one at some stage. Funnily enough I don't mind the hole in the Byrd range
 
Cold Steel , Tops , most Benchmade products , Buck , Busse , Microtech, SOG

Chris
 
companies that are off my radar:
sog: it is not what it used to be
victorinox: fragile knives
ontario: rust problems and poor edge holding over the long run
ka bar: not as robust as it claims to be, some of the kabars are made in china
spyderco: no my favorite designs and not the safest folding knives
mod: not my favorite designs
dark ops: poor ergonomics and too much copied from extrema ratio
tops: nothing special
buck: it is not what it used to be
fall kniven: a laminated vg10 blade that can chip badly

companies that are on my radar:
gerber: for the silver trident with a 154 cm blade and for the markII reedition with a s30v blade
kizlyar: robust russian knives with 65x13 steel, fabulous quality
rosarms zlatoust: robust russian knives with 110x18m and 40x10-c2m steel blades, slightly above kizlyar in terms of fit and finish, fabulous quality and outstanding price too
blackjack: outstanding quality and great edge holding over the long run
randall: expensive but you get what you pay for, O1 premium steel is hard to beat
MCUSTA: great knives with great blades
extrema ratio: because of the bohler n690 steel used in the blades and because of the 3909 http://www.extremaratioknivesdivision.eu/inglese/military/3909.htm#
bark river: great design and edge holding
ardennlame: great handmade knives with solid 440c blades
 
Tops: Good stuff but way to pricy for what they give me. a lot of their stuff seems very similar to what I get from Rat but a lot more money.

CRKT: I’ve bought from them in the past and have a few of their blades but their really isn’t anything they offer right now that I feel I need (other then the 2 I already have).

Queen: I get my Slip joint fix through my case knives.
 
Busse - had a battle Mistress BM-E wish I had never traded it. Came with a nice kydex sheath, and was priced reasonable
Now it seems like you have to be a member of a group to get one, they are expensive, don't come with sheaths, and their way of putting out one style at a time doesn't appeal to me.

Ken
 
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