What high end flipper knife to buy next

[mitchnola]

(UPDATE) Going to be long winded. So in my research on these knives from a market research standpoint and yalls help Ive come to these conclusions. I'll be purchasing a Shirogorov F95 platform of some sort, not sure if I want a HaTi, F95nl, or F95 full ti yet. I might get a stellar cf due to the inset liner lock being preferable.

Koenig Arius: there seem to be alot on the secondary at pretty low prices and lots of them sitting on websites with exceptions being carbon, dlc and limited editions. Not knowing production numbers they could just be pumping these things out like crazy and thats why the market is over saturated. This leads me to believe this is 100% a hype knife and not what most people arr expecting when they get it or its over produced. It may be well made I love that its USA made in Idaho but not worthy of being a first $1000+ knife cause it would have to be a limited run or full dlc which doesn't add anything to the build quality. I will buy one eventually but it will be a non flipper low end model probably just milled handle for around $800.

Grimsmo Norseman: too polarizing to be a hype knife in my opinion. There are very few on the market and the ones that are, are at or above box price for the most part. The people who have them seem to love them and keep onto them with around 8500 being produced over 12ish years I think they are very low production knife. Worthy of a $1000+ knife based on everything ive seen from them machining is top notch. Quality control and CQI seem to be important to them. But I dont care for the guillotine drop shut action very much and reports of bounce back from being too fast closing turn me away. I love the design of the knife which alot of people hate lol but I'll be picking one of these up eventually if I can get it in a config I like. I will probably purchase this on the secondary though.

Shirogorov F95: is the clear cut winner here without question. Based on 1st hand reviews they are a far more consistantly well made. They have been on the market over 15 years they still hold their value extremely well and few are on the secondary market and the ones that are are at or above box. Again I dont know production numbers but they seem to be low. Still hard to obtain new they do not sit around long. The smooth controlled action is harder to achieve from a mechanical standpoint than a drop shut guillotine action. I feel they are better machined with better tolerances and tuned better than koenig or Grimsmo. I think the overall esthetic is more appealing as well. The handle to blade ratio is perfect and the NL models are absolutely beautiful the way they do the carbon inlays.

Nice, glad to hear ya settled on something. Just wanted to let you know by chance I fell into a Norseman. I wasn’t planning on buying one or really looking but here it is in my hand.

I gotta eat some of my words about diminishing returns as far as 1k production knives go or at least the Norseman and Grimsmo. After making the purchase I did some research and was very impressed to find out that they make every single part of the knife in house. Their attention to detail is incredible. To the point of not only making their own bearings but also putting their name on them.

I can certainly understand and see the value in spending what they’re asking considering the level they go to in producing every single part of this knife. While personally I would probably never buy new for 1k I completely understand why someone would. And yes I fhink it’s worth it.

I’m also a big fan of diamond milling aesthetically but it’s nice to finally find one that also provides an excellent grip. If you would have asked me yesterday I would’ve said that there’s no way the norseman is worth double the cost of a crk or LG. But after getting it in hand I understand why it absolutely is.

Edit: I forgot to mention that while they offer lifetime warranties, I was very disappointed to find out that Grimsmo doesn’t do spas and won’t re anodize. I have to say that’s very disappointing for such an expensive knife.

 

[SACBALLZ]

Nice, glad to hear ya settled on something. Just wanted to let you know by chance I fell into a Norseman. I wasn’t planning on buying one or really looking but here it is in my hand.

I gotta eat some of my words about diminishing returns as far as 1k production knives go or at least the Norseman and Grimsmo. After making the purchase I did some research and was very impressed to find out that they make every single part of the knife in house. Their attention to detail is incredible. To the point of not only making their own bearings but also putting their name on them.

I can certainly understand and see the value in spending what they’re asking considering the level they go to in producing every single part of this knife. While personally I would probably never buy new for 1k I completely understand why someone would. And yes I fhink it’s worth it.

I’m also a big fan of diamond milling aesthetically but it’s nice to finally find one that also provides an excellent grip. If you would have asked me yesterday I would’ve said that there’s no way the norseman is worth double the cost of a crk or LG. But after getting it in hand I understand why it absolutely is.

View attachment 3200117View attachment 3200118

Shiro is the same way, everything made in house, from the screws to the bearings. even the "production" knives, every single screw and bearing is custom made. they go one step further than grimsmo, grimsmo is heat treating their blades in small batches of ~10-15. Shiro does their heat treat INDIVIDUALLY. One at a time. Even the production knives. However Grimsmo and Shiro are not the only game in town when it comes to this level of quality, attention to detail, and craftsmanship. Herman comes to mind, they also are making every single fastener and bearing in-house, they even make a custom titanium t20 driver for their pivots and include it with every knife. CRK and LG are offering nothing unique these days, and not a "standout" in the premium knife game, not even close. They are just a nostalgia kick, making dated designs at an equal(or less) level of quality as brands like Shiro/Grimsmo/Herman/Hawk/Machinewise/take your pick. Now that you've experienced what a true super premium knife is, i think it's time to branch out and see just how far things have come.

 

[SACBALLZ]

my apologies to CRK and LG catching strays

 

[mitchnola]

Shiro is the same way, everything made in house, from the screws to the bearings. even the "production" knives, every single screw and bearing is custom made. they go one step further than grimsmo, grimsmo is heat treating their blades in small batches of ~10-15. Shiro does their heat treat INDIVIDUALLY. One at a time. Even the production knives. However Grimsmo and Shiro are not the only game in town when it comes to this level of quality, attention to detail, and craftsmanship. Herman comes to mind, they also are making every single fastener and bearing in-house, they even make a custom titanium t20 driver for their pivots and include it with every knife. CRK and LG are offering nothing unique these days, and not a "standout" in the premium knife game, not even close. They are just a nostalgia kick, making dated designs at an equal(or less) level of quality as brands like Shiro/Grimsmo/Herman/Hawk/Machinewise/take your pick. Now that you've experienced what a true super premium knife is, i think it's time to branch out and see just how far things have come.

Well the fact that they make all their parts in house automatically justifies the additional cost in my opinion. I get it.

However when it comes to spending 800-1k on a new knife I will always go back to my favorite maker that will make me any of his models just the way I want them. Doing a custom build with someone is a whole other experience and makes the knife that much more personal and cherished. There’s nothing like having a knife custom made that’s uniquely yours and the only one in existence like it.

Now I must admit, he’s probably the only maker doing this in that price range. So eventually I will be tapped out once I have all the models that I want.

So while I can understand why these 1k production knives are technically worth it. If there are anymore I come across that I absolutely have to have it will be via the secondary market at significantly lower prices in 6-800 range. Personally I don’t find shiro’s or Herman’s aesthically pleasing so they’re out. I like the look of the arius but the one time I handled one I wasn’t impressed at all. I could feel the bearings in the scale and it made a ting sound when opening that was as bad as scratching ya nails down the chalkboard. But for the right price I would maybe try one again knowing I could easily get rid of it. I am interested though in the machinewise mojave and brown knives cortex xl.

Ps: I read Grimsmo doesn’t do a heat treatment but a cryo treatment instead.

And LG while stale is still the !!!

 

[SACBALLZ]

Well the fact that they make all their parts in house automatically justifies the additional cost in my opinion. I get it.

However when it comes to spending 800-1k on a new knife I will always go back to my favorite maker that will make me any of his models just the way I want them. Doing a custom build with someone is a whole other experience and makes the knife that much more personal and cherished. There’s nothing like having a knife custom made that’s uniquely yours and the only one in existence like it.

Now I must admit, he’s probably the only maker doing this in that price range. So eventually I will be tapped out once I have all the models that I want.

So while I can understand why these 1k production knives are technically worth it. If there are anymore I come across that I absolutely have to have it will be via the secondary market at significantly lower prices in 6-800 range. Personally I don’t find shiro’s or Herman’s aesthically pleasing so they’re out. I like the look of the arius but the one time I handled one I wasn’t impressed at all. I could feel the bearings in the scale and it made a ting sound when opening that was as bad as scratching ya nails down the chalkboard. But for the right price I would maybe try one again knowing I could easily get rid of it. I am interested though in the machinewise mojave and brown knives cortex xl.

Ps: I read Grimsmo doesn’t do a heat treatment but a cryo treatment instead.

And LG while stale is still the !!!

Nothing wrong with sticking to what you know and enjoy. My "guilty pleasure" is Hinderer's only I can't afford customs, so I modify production models and special assembly's. And i prefer the "step child" model, the Eklipse. So while I'm out here brown-nosing Shiro like it's my second job, what I really have in my pocket is either an Eklipse or 0392

 

[mitchnola]

Nothing wrong with sticking to what you know and enjoy. My "guilty pleasure" is Hinderer's only I can't afford customs, so I modify production models and special assembly's. And i prefer the "step child" model, the Eklipse. So while I'm out here brown-nosing Shiro like it's my second job, what I really have in my pocket is either an Eklipse or 0392

The eklipse is my favorite hinderer too and while I let mine go a while back I will definitely have one again. Excellent knife.

I will recommend selling one of those shiro’s though and I’ll hook ya up with my boy and ya can get a custom made for the same price as that shiro.

 

[jbmonkey]

Well the fact that they make all their parts in house automatically justifies the additional cost in my opinion. I get it.

However when it comes to spending 800-1k on a new knife I will always go back to my favorite maker that will make me any of his models just the way I want them. Doing a custom build with someone is a whole other experience and makes the knife that much more personal and cherished. There’s nothing like having a knife custom made that’s uniquely yours and the only one in existence like it.

Now I must admit, he’s probably the only maker doing this in that price range. So eventually I will be tapped out once I have all the models that I want.

So while I can understand why these 1k production knives are technically worth it. If there are anymore I come across that I absolutely have to have it will be via the secondary market at significantly lower prices in 6-800 range. Personally I don’t find shiro’s or Herman’s aesthically pleasing so they’re out. I like the look of the arius but the one time I handled one I wasn’t impressed at all. I could feel the bearings in the scale and it made a ting sound when opening that was as bad as scratching ya nails down the chalkboard. But for the right price I would maybe try one again knowing I could easily get rid of it. I am interested though in the machinewise mojave and brown knives cortex xl.

Ps: I read Grimsmo doesn’t do a heat treatment but a cryo treatment instead.

And LG while stale is still the !!!

stale.....we should toss ya out of the club and ya be burned at the stake for saying that. long live LG.

 

[mitchnola]

stale.....we should toss ya out of the club and ya be burned at the stake for saying that. long live LG.

Easy, only I can get away with that!

 

[Tensaw]

I've not learned to appreciate Shiro, Herman, or Grimsmo yet. I enjoy the Arius and love my LG Talos. I currently have my MW Mojave for sale and looking to get my fourth CRK. But, my tastes do change sometimes.

 

[scorp38]

Nice, glad to hear ya settled on something. Just wanted to let you know by chance I fell into a Norseman. I wasn’t planning on buying one or really looking but here it is in my hand.

I gotta eat some of my words about diminishing returns as far as 1k production knives go or at least the Norseman and Grimsmo. After making the purchase I did some research and was very impressed to find out that they make every single part of the knife in house. Their attention to detail is incredible. To the point of not only making their own bearings but also putting their name on them.

I can certainly understand and see the value in spending what they’re asking considering the level they go to in producing every single part of this knife. While personally I would probably never buy new for 1k I completely understand why someone would. And yes I fhink it’s worth it.

I’m also a big fan of diamond milling aesthetically but it’s nice to finally find one that also provides an excellent grip. If you would have asked me yesterday I would’ve said that there’s no way the norseman is worth double the cost of a crk or LG. But after getting it in hand I understand why it absolutely is.

Edit: I forgot to mention that while they offer lifetime warranties, I was very disappointed to find out that Grimsmo doesn’t do spas and won’t re anodize. I have to say that’s very disappointing for such an expensive knife.

View attachment 3200117View attachment 3200118

Yeah i like the diamond pattern i want the starburst 2.0. I might be buying a norseman at the moment there is a couple for very "cheap" in almost the exact spec I want I might just buy both grimsmo and shiro lol. The spa I dont care I can anodize and sharpen so nothing to worry bout there. Just found a used one for $665 in an ugly spec around 20 min ago. I didnt buy it but though and it sold in like 5 min.

 

[scorp38]

Shiro is the same way, everything made in house, from the screws to the bearings. even the "production" knives, every single screw and bearing is custom made. they go one step further than grimsmo, grimsmo is heat treating their blades in small batches of ~10-15. Shiro does their heat treat INDIVIDUALLY. One at a time. Even the production knives. However Grimsmo and Shiro are not the only game in town when it comes to this level of quality, attention to detail, and craftsmanship. Herman comes to mind, they also are making every single fastener and bearing in-house, they even make a custom titanium t20 driver for their pivots and include it with every knife. CRK and LG are offering nothing unique these days, and not a "standout" in the premium knife game, not even close. They are just a nostalgia kick, making dated designs at an equal(or less) level of quality as brands like Shiro/Grimsmo/Herman/Hawk/Machinewise/take your pick. Now that you've experienced what a true super premium knife is, i think it's time to branch out and see just how far things have come.

I have looked at hermans as well but they are far and few between slims and mantis seem to be fairly attainable for that 1k mark but woowee do those suckers get up there in price. I was also considering holt and brown knives fsd.

 

[scorp38]

I've not learned to appreciate Shiro, Herman, or Grimsmo yet. I enjoy the Arius and love my LG Talos. I currently have my MW Mojave for sale and looking to get my fourth CRK. But, my tastes do change sometimes.

I want a mojave im just not aure of the size its a little on the small side for my taste.

 

[vjb.knife]

RJ Martin

 

[DrRollinstein]

(UPDATE) Going to be long winded. So in my research on these knives from a market research standpoint and yalls help Ive come to these conclusions. I'll be purchasing a Shirogorov F95 platform of some sort, not sure if I want a HaTi, F95nl, or F95 full ti yet. I might get a stellar cf due to the inset liner lock being preferable.

Koenig Arius: there seem to be alot on the secondary at pretty low prices and lots of them sitting on websites with exceptions being carbon, dlc and limited editions. Not knowing production numbers they could just be pumping these things out like crazy and thats why the market is over saturated. This leads me to believe this is 100% a hype knife and not what most people arr expecting when they get it or its over produced. It may be well made I love that its USA made in Idaho but not worthy of being a first $1000+ knife cause it would have to be a limited run or full dlc which doesn't add anything to the build quality. I will buy one eventually but it will be a non flipper low end model probably just milled handle for around $800.

Grimsmo Norseman: too polarizing to be a hype knife in my opinion. There are very few on the market and the ones that are, are at or above box price for the most part. The people who have them seem to love them and keep onto them with around 8500 being produced over 12ish years I think they are very low production knife. Worthy of a $1000+ knife based on everything ive seen from them machining is top notch. Quality control and CQI seem to be important to them. But I dont care for the guillotine drop shut action very much and reports of bounce back from being too fast closing turn me away. I love the design of the knife which alot of people hate lol but I'll be picking one of these up eventually if I can get it in a config I like. I will probably purchase this on the secondary though.

Shirogorov F95: is the clear cut winner here without question. Based on 1st hand reviews they are a far more consistantly well made. They have been on the market over 15 years they still hold their value extremely well and few are on the secondary market and the ones that are are at or above box. Again I dont know production numbers but they seem to be low. Still hard to obtain new they do not sit around long. The smooth controlled action is harder to achieve from a mechanical standpoint than a drop shut guillotine action. I feel they are better machined with better tolerances and tuned better than koenig or Grimsmo. I think the overall esthetic is more appealing as well. The handle to blade ratio is perfect and the NL models are absolutely beautiful the way they do the carbon inlays.

This is a bad take on the Koenig. Its not overhyped, its just easier to get than the 2 foreign made knives lol. Its basically perfect.

Also, dont get the flipper less version. Its meant to be a flipper. Get the basic titanium model so you only need to spend like $700.

 

[scorp38]

RJ Martin

Arctic overkill will happen one day thats the Grail

 

[SACBALLZ]

I've not learned to appreciate Shiro, Herman, or Grimsmo yet. I enjoy the Arius and love my LG Talos. I currently have my MW Mojave for sale and looking to get my fourth CRK. But, my tastes do change sometimes.

Have you had the chance to handle any of them yet? I have both an arius and Shiros, and I can confidently say the Shiros just feel like they are from another planet. That's not to say the Arius isn't extremely nice and well made, it is. Very much so. If you can't appreciate the looks though it's a non-starter, at least that's how I am. You might like collab models more, but those are 2x the money. The RJ Martin collab they do, the Overkill, is just *chefs kiss*. They do bunch of versions, I'm particular to the Soft Overkill in black. Granted, they are even nicer and more attention to detail than "production" models, $2k+ is a steep price tag. That's my grail though, a boy can dream

I have looked at hermans as well but they are far and few between slims and mantis seem to be fairly attainable for that 1k mark but woowee do those suckers get up there in price. I was also considering holt and brown knives fsd.

Yeah hermans are a bit harder to find and can definitely get very expensive very quickly. There are decent deals out there though, I got my slim from a user here for $800 in like new condition. There is one on the exchange right now for same price, a subtle and classy colorway too.

RJ Martin

Shiro x RJ Martin is a goated combo. Here is the Denim Overkill

 

[Tensaw]

I want a mojave im just not aure of the size its a little on the small side for my taste.

For me, the length was fine, but the handle is very slender. Not my typical aesthetic and "too nice" for me to feel good carrying it, if you know what I mean. Very well made with very smooth and fast action.

 

[scorp38]

This is a bad take on the Koenig. Its not overhyped, its just easier to get than the 2 foreign made knives lol. Its basically perfect.

Also, dont get the flipper less version. Its meant to be a flipper. Get the basic titanium model so you only need to spend like $700.

I'll find out soon, I'll be getting all 3 in the next month or so. The koenig will be a milled scale though I dont want smooth ti. I bought a smooth ti ad20 when they were god aweful expensive for textured and regreted it. Well see about the flipper ive heard some of them are tuned poorly very very stiff detents, now im not sure if its actually a stiff detent or if they are riding the lockbar. As far as production numbers foreign has nothing to do with it grimsmo I know for a fact is less than 800 norseman a year. Shiro overall probably high production quantity but spread over many models and configs not many of each come out. They "limit" control their production well or maybe thats just their machine capacity. Koenig if production numbers are low which I dont think are that low Id bet 300-400ish per batch meaning more are available easier to obtain. I shouldn't have said "hype" knife. I dont think its a shitty knife obvioisly if im even considering it next to the others. I thinknits hyped up do to it being unobtanium for many years. Then everybody kind of getting them when production started to catch up blew up reviews and hype again. Where as grimsmo and shiro have just kind of been in the background quietly just doing their thing.

 

[mitchnola]

Yeah i like the diamond pattern i want the starburst 2.0. I might be buying a norseman at the moment there is a couple for very "cheap" in almost the exact spec I want I might just buy both grimsmo and shiro lol. The spa I dont care I can anodize and sharpen so nothing to worry bout there. Just found a used one for $665 in an ugly spec around 20 min ago. I didnt buy it but though and it sold in like 5 min.

I was gonna message them to see if I eventually removed the ano once it starts wearing out if that would affect the warranty. While I like the blue I don’t like that it will eventually wear off which is why ultimately I would prefer it to be sw. I got a great deal on this one which is why I couldn’t pass it up.

 

[BP Green]

Nice, glad to hear ya settled on something. Just wanted to let you know by chance I fell into a Norseman. I wasn’t planning on buying one or really looking but here it is in my hand.

I gotta eat some of my words about diminishing returns as far as 1k production knives go or at least the Norseman and Grimsmo. After making the purchase I did some research and was very impressed to find out that they make every single part of the knife in house. Their attention to detail is incredible. To the point of not only making their own bearings but also putting their name on them.

I can certainly understand and see the value in spending what they’re asking considering the level they go to in producing every single part of this knife. While personally I would probably never buy new for 1k I completely understand why someone would. And yes I fhink it’s worth it.

I’m also a big fan of diamond milling aesthetically but it’s nice to finally find one that also provides an excellent grip. If you would have asked me yesterday I would’ve said that there’s no way the norseman is worth double the cost of a crk or LG. But after getting it in hand I understand why it absolutely is.

Edit: I forgot to mention that while they offer lifetime warranties, I was very disappointed to find out that Grimsmo doesn’t do spas and won’t re anodize. I have to say that’s very disappointing for such an expensive knife.

View attachment 3200117View attachment 3200118

Enjoy it. While I may not find them aesthetically appealing, I have all the respect in the world for the way they are manufactured. Each one is a work of art.