Knife Brands - Who are the best manufacturers?

[Captain O]

I have an 11" American-made, Italian-style picklock Automatic stiletto that has a 1095 steel, bayonet-type blade. I had the hard-to-sharpen style of blade professionally honed to an edge. It is a "bad boy" and it would leave someone either quite sick or mortally wounded. I have a couple of 9.75" Italian Fishtail picklocks that take a mean edge. They carry nicely and perform cutting tasks rather well.

 

[Kruel J]

I'm too lazy to read 10 pages of threads, so my short answer is Benchmade and Spyderco. Oh and Microtech

 

[Captain O]

I'm too lazy to read 10 pages of threads, so my short answer is Benchmade and Spyderco. Oh and Microtech

Lazy boy!

 

[Kruel J]

Lazy boy!

Most of the time, no. But right now, you betcha.

 

[Pandaz3]

It "earned" its appearance. Some of the "less than premium" commercial knives still worked when "push came to shove". (The Western sheath knife has battle-worn "character" hasn't it)? Those freaking rice paddies could rapidly take their toll on a blade with a higher carbon content. It has a memory that cannot be denied.

I'll tell you, my Buck 898 Impact is a handy knife. You should buy either that or a Buck 110 Auto. You'll appreciate Bucks craftsmanship and the price for either knife isn't prohibitive.

I do own a couple regular 110's, but not a automatic, I carried one on a sheath until I took a government job and now guns or knives were allowed, then I carried a Leatherman Supertool, claiming I needed the pliers.
Now it depends on my gun carry, pocket carry moves my wallet to the left and needs a smaller knife, my Zero Tolerance 350. If my left pocket is empty then my Emerson CQC-13, a folding Bowie style. They get carried a lot, used little, I have a little wear on the Emerson, more on the ZT, but I have had the ZT longer and I'm not needing to use one much. Not trying to save anything, just lazy.

 

[DeanMk]

Lazy boy!

What do you call a lazy boy for dogs?
A Bark-o-lounger!

 

[DeanMk]

...

 

[Captain O]

What do you call a lazy boy for dogs?
A Bark-o-lounger!

You're a sick unit, brother!

 

[DuneHopper]

At the local gun shows there are professional knife makers, they have amazing solid knives at around 300+ depending on what you get. I wish I hard the card of one of these guys. My son bought a amazing handmade on a few years ago is indestructible.

 

[MDH]

To add one more to my old answer, from months ago and pages back, I came across a Spartan Horkos a little while back, and have been absolutely in love with it since.

 

[BillGabby1]

What do you call a lazy boy for dogs?
A Bark-o-lounger!

I have one of those , my wife!
She loves her dogs more than me I think sometimes!
Gabby

 

[Pandaz3]

Speaking of my wife she has a Emerson CQC-15

 

[SnapShot]

Benchmade = Ferrari of knife manufactures sleek, but overpriced

Spydeco - pretty good, but some of their locks and steal's have something to be desired.

Cold Steal - when you want to chop something to the ground and not feel bad about it.

CRKT - pretty good for the price. (easy openers (folder) so easy they may open in your pocket beware)

Kershaw - because of the ken onion assisted opening, pretty good when you find em on sale.


I sold my benchmades after they started to fall apart... (folders) but sometimes i wish i didn't
I still have some Spyderco - dont really carry them --- the few i have left (and old bubblegum endrua) and a chinook (one of the strongest back locks i have ever owned "Chinook is running in the 800 inch/lbs" )
cold steal - sold off my folders, (didnt like the plastic handle) but still have some fixed
CRKT - used em until they got full of construction debris and crap then give em away..

Kershaw - in my pocket right now.


in my humble opinion one of the best if not the best knife-makers alive right now is Bill Bagwell --- he knows how to make a bowie.

 

[Aero Denezol]

I have a couple of Spyderco folders, one is a daily carry that has been enormously useful. The other was an expensive wedding present and spends most of its life in my safe.

For hiking and the outdoors I always keep Mora knives in my pack. They are cheap and super sharp. I buy the kind that have a hilt, they look like little daggers.

 

[Jamie6.5]

Can someone explain to me why it's so hard for a lot of guys to buy a expensive ,quality knife? This is not a dig at anyone .But I'm willing to bet that if your spending time on this forum it's probable that you have fine firearms.quality hunting equipment to protect you from the elements. Nice hunting or hiking boots.probably a great big diesel truck to pull your camper or boat. So why do people in general including people in my family just think it's crazy to spend even $200 for a good knife?
I'm not understanding.

In my case, it's because 40 years ago, I spent anywhere from $40-80.00 ea. on good quality knives that, adjusted for inflation are roughly the same price you're paying today, or more.
In addition, they were built before there was any Chinese steel sold in the USA.
I've got a couple of Gerbers and a Buck or Two, a Puma classic lockback and an old Schrade drop-point skinner that I will put up against anything sold today at just about any price.
And don't tell me they aren't good quality, they're decades old, have never failed me, and still take and hold a shaving quality edge.
When your $200.00 knives have gutted and skinned as many critters as mine have, and are still around after 40+ years, get back to me.

Yep, buy once/cry once. They were $50+/copy when Min Wage was 2.85/hr or thereabouts.
And the Gerber Sportsman is still regarded as one of the finest production knives ever built.
It's just too bad they no longer build it.

Hell, my newest knife is 30 years old and is the original Gerber Gator. Love that knife.
I just wish it was a drop-point.
I've got a Buck Filet knife that is probably older than many of the members here. To say that it will shave is an understatement. It will shave the hair and your topmost layer of skin off, without making you bleed!

PS: I lied. My newest knife is a 20 y/o Dexter Russel 8" filet knife. I got it for filet-ing large halibut.

 

[DeanMk]

Speaking of my wife she has a Emerson CQC-15

Don't Emerson make radios?



...

 

[Colts4me]

What kind of knife are we looking for?

 

[Pandaz3]

Butter knives!

 

[ma96782]

I choose to support locally made products.......

Benchmade and Kershaw.

Truthfully though......my son buys Benchmade (gets a discount Military). I buy Kershaw because, if I lose my knife, it's not gonna mean the end of the world.

Aloha, Mark

 

[Boboclown]

I just use a cheap Morakniv... Been through with me in my hikes and never failed me yet. Also used it to cut some ropes to get the tarps down when we needed to get it off fast.

Probably not the best, probably not good, but it was $15 and hasn't given me reason to hate it. I do need to take a stone to it though, been a couple of years....