What High-End / MidTech Knife Should I get First?

I'd say start with a CRK but not a CF. I've owned all of those you list (Avo instead of Tolk, I found the Avo handle too small for my liking, and have a Tolk on order) and there's a reason the CRK is mentioned so often as a standard for fit/finish/QC. It will set the bar very high and give you a great benchmark to evaluate future purchases.

Perhaps I've just had bad luck, or I'm too picky, but I've bought maybe a dozen popular "mid-tech's" over the last couple years and honestly haven't been that impressed. I'd say probably half of them have been disappointing with a fit/finish/QC issue and/or just overall not a "step above" production offerings costing half as much. The only one's I've kept are two CRK's and a George. Some just didn't fit my needs/wants once in hand and all that had issues were addressed by the company successfully on the first try without hassle so that's a plus.

At these price points though, there's no reason any of them should be less than perfect out of the box. It's actually kind of turned me off to the whole genre and my focus has shifted back to higher end production offerings in the $200-300 range. They seem to offer every bit as much quality as the average "mid-tech" aside the exclusivity factor, many times with better blade steel, and for half the price.
 
I'll have to throw another hat into the sebenza ring. IMHO every knife guy entering the midtech realm needs to have one in his collection. It's the standard bearer to which all other knives are and can be compared. It's beauty is in its simplicity- 1 blade, 2 Ti scales, 2 stand offs and a pivot. It's just one damned fine simply perfectly executed knife. What impresses me the most is Chris Reeve not only wants you to use it, hard, but to take it apart if you want. Not only he wants you to take it apart, he gives you an Allen wrench to do so. I know of no other company that believes in his product so much that he encourages users to disassemble clean, and reassemble. Most other knife makers will void their warranty if you so much as loosen a screw. THAT ALONE speaks volumes on the quality and confidence of the knife and knifemaker.

From there, you can delve into other bells and whistles like flippers, bearing systems, framelock vs liner locks, exotic steels, custom anodized scales, CF scales, file work, and all the other fun things that come with midtech or customs. I have a modest collection of my own, but it all started with the appreciation of a sebenza.

Speaking of which, the guy above that brought up Ferrum Forge is right. It's a newer company but maker absolutely knows what he's doing. I just picked up a Ferrum Forge FortisB and it is freaking outstanding. The tolerances are tight, but functions and flips like buttah!

 
I'd opt for the Ti Tolk, maybe get the scales anodized if you want to separate it from the herd. Another commenter mentioned the Avo - also a good choice. Both have great action, nice looks, good users & good show pieces. When I got my first Tolk, my wife stole it from me! (She's a wildlife biologist, does a lot of field work and really uses her knives.) Had to buy another. I own or have used several Sebenzas - small & large 21s, 'zaan, 25, plane jane & carbon fiber, etc. My favorite Sebenza is a large 21 w/ Insingo blade and micarta inserts. Right out of the box it was exceptionally smooth & easy to deploy, fits a large hand really well - a reliable user and not too common. Another possibility: I recently saw a Laconico Lancer on the forum for $600. Very large knife but nice...
 
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