Which knife to buy in 100-200€ price range?

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Oliver Radvak

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Dec 4, 2018
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For this christmas I want to finally buy myself a high quality knife. I'm new to knives so I need some help with choosing which one to buy. So far I've chosen these knives -
Lionsteel T.R.E. G10 Green (196€) - I love the size of it, I like how it looks, I really like the blade steel (M390), I don't hate the price;
Lionsteel KUR wood santos (184€) - I love the looks, I like the size from looking at it but I'm not sure how carryable it will be, I don't like that it doesn't have a pocket clip, I think that for the price it should have a better steel (it has a little bit improved D2);
Spyderco Manix 2 Black (155€) - The looks are ok, I like the size but it may be too big, I like the steel (S30V), from what I hear the ergos are awesome, I like the price;
Spyderco Chaparral (179€) - I like the looks, I like the size but it may be too small, I'm not sure about the steel (CTS XHP), I don't like the price as it's much less of a knife than the manix 2 for 20€ more and for 20€ more I can get a bigger knife which looks better and is M390, I don't like how thin the blade is;
Benchmade 15031-2 North Fork (157€) - I love the looks, I love the size, I like the steel (S30V), I kinda like the price. I'm worried abou the quality of the knife because I've heard that Benchmade quality control is shit and that people often have to use their great warranty. However, because I'm not from the US, I won't be able to use the warranty and their Lifesharp service. I also don't like that the blade is a bit recurved which could be a problem to sharpen.

So what do you think about the knives I've picked? Do you have other suggestions in the 100-200€ price range? Spyderco Paramilitary 2 is not on the list because I can't get it for less than 190€ in my country. I'm leaning the most towards the Lionsteel T.R.E. G10 Green.
 
The Chaparral is great and fits an XL hand very well. The blade is short but extremely slicy. It fits in a jeans small pocket, and the CF/G-10 version is both attractive and grippy. The build quality is exceptional, and the pocket clip is discreet and effective. CTS-XHP takes a keen edge and is an all-around excellent steel, if that is important to you.

It’s not suitable for all uses, but the Chaparral is one of my favorite knives at any price.
 
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I think you will be happy with the North Fork. It's a bit of a tank, heavy but very well built. I don't own one but I have been fiddling with it extensively.
The recurve is not as pronounced as on a Commander so don't worry about sharpening angle. Just know that S30V is quite a tedious steel to sharpen, with great results tho.

I own a bunch of Benchmade knives and honestly I have yet to find one that disappoint me in term of QC.
 
Thanks a lot for the answers. I've seen the Nick Shabazzes review of the Chaparral and he said that it was a great knife too. It cost 99$ at the time of the review, though. Now its almost double and I'm just not convinced it's worth the price now compared to those other knives, even though I'm sure it's great. And on the Nort Fork, I was basically set on it too before I found out about the Lionsteel T.R.E. in M390. Do you think that the M390 is worth 40€ more? I don't plan on buying more knives in the next few years so I'm inclined to just go big or go home. What do you think about that knife and the Lionsteel company?
 
Oliver Radvak said:
Thanks a lot for the answers. I've seen the Nick Shabazzes review of the Chaparral and he said that it was a great knife too. It cost 99$ at the time of the review, though. Now its almost double and I'm just not convinced it's worth the price now compared to those other knives, even though I'm sure it's great. And on the Nort Fork, I was basically set on it too before I found out about the Lionsteel T.R.E. in M390. Do you think that the M390 is worth 40€ more? I don't plan on buying more knives in the next few years so I'm inclined to just go big or go home. What do you think about that knife and the Lionsteel company?
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That price hike may be sort of reasonable to go from S30V to M390. A custom maker I dealt with recently charges $40 to upgrade from N690 (which is like VG-10) to M390. I'd prefer M390 or CTS-XHP over S30V, but personally I don’t worry much over steel differences.

The TRE’s flipping action is said to be lacking, but otherwise it seems nice. I like that the G10 version has a permanent flipper tab. Lionsteel is a company based in Maniago, Italy that is gaining a solid reputation.

Like you said, I’ve heard good things about the Manix ergonomics, although it takes a lot of space in the pocket. I don’t know the other knives on your list.

I’m not familiar with EU prices. In the US the FRN Chaparral is $88, and CF/G-10 is $127. The cheapest TRE is $191. So I’m not quite clear on your price range, but one knife I have that probably fits it and has 20CV (M390 equivalent) is the Three Rivers Manufacturing Neutron. However if the Chaparral’s blade is too thin for you, the Neutron’s may be as well. Since S30V seems OK with you, I wonder how the Sage 5 price is for you. It's like a larger Chaparral.
 
Check out Lamnia, cheaper than the prices you listed for the Spydercos. Haven't checked the others.
 
Have not tried the KUR, I have handled the T.R.E. (very nice). I currently own 3 Lionsteel knives and believe the quality is top notch. As of late, I am losing faith in Benchmade's quality control. I had a chaparral, but sold it after not too long as it was for me on the smaller side. I carry often and absolutely love the pair of Manix 2's that I have (both Saber grind S30V, one black combo and one plain edge). They are some of my most carried heavy duty / EDC folders that I own.

My vote is for the Manix 2.
 
JimMD said:
So I’m not quite clear on your price range, but one knife I have that probably fits it and has 20CV (M390 equivalent) is the Three Rivers Manufacturing Neutron
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Unfortunately I can't find that knife in any store in my country. The Lamnia site suggestion was great, I didn't know about it. They have Chaparral for 161€, Manix 2 for 143€, surprisingly the Benchmade North Fork is almost 30€ more expensive at 182€, Lionsteel KUR wood for 176€ and the T.R.E. for the same price as on the site I used before, 196€. Spyderco Sage 5 in S30V is for 183€. I got a 5% sale though on the T.R.E. form the shop where I got the prices in my first post so now I can buy it for 186€ which is I think a better deal than the Sage 5. Spyderco PM2 costs 170€ which is still not cheap enough compared to the M390 T.R.E. The Manix 2 buggs me a bit because it's a great knife for that price but also one of you mentioned that asking 40€ more for upgrade to M390 is standard. Now it's just a matter of deciding if I want great ergonomics but sacrifice space in my pocket or great looks with great steel and premium feel for 43€ more. I've decided to go for the Lionsteel T.R.E because if I'm not going to buy another knife in a long while, I might as well pay a bit more for the advantages the T.R.E. has. At some point in the future I'll probably get the Manix 2 too. Thank you all for your advice and suggestions, I truly appreciate it.
 
Oliver Radvak said:
Unfortunately I can't find that knife in any store in my country. The Lamnia site suggestion was great, I didn't know about it. They have Chaparral for 161€, Manix 2 for 143€, surprisingly the Benchmade North Fork is almost 30€ more expensive at 182€, Lionsteel KUR wood for 176€ and the T.R.E. for the same price as on the site I used before, 196€. Spyderco Sage 5 in S30V is for 183€. I got a 5% sale though on the T.R.E. form the shop where I got the prices in my first post so now I can buy it for 186€ which is I think a better deal than the Sage 5. Spyderco PM2 costs 170€ which is still not cheap enough compared to the M390 T.R.E. The Manix 2 buggs me a bit because it's a great knife for that price but also one of you mentioned that asking 40€ more for upgrade to M390 is standard. Now it's just a matter of deciding if I want great ergonomics but sacrifice space in my pocket or great looks with great steel and premium feel for 43€ more. I've decided to go for the Lionsteel T.R.E because if I'm not going to buy another knife in a long while, I might as well pay a bit more for the advantages the T.R.E. has. At some point in the future I'll probably get the Manix 2 too. Thank you all for your advice and suggestions, I truly appreciate it.
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Good luck! FYI, Three Rivers Manufacturing sells directly from their website and ships internationally. BladeHQ is starting to carry their products as well.
 
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