Knife Brands - Who are the best manufacturers?

[Mister Bisley]

I would recommend staying away from CPM M4 steel as it rusts like nobody's business.

You pay a premium price for any of the Particle Metallurgy stuff. Go with S30V, S35VN, CPM 154, S90V, S110V, M390 or Elmax for good edge retention and corrosion resistance.

 

[DeanMk]

Get a Buck General (120) and you too can pull that old Crocadle Dundee line....A knife?! HA! That's not a knife!...



...that's a knife..

Click HERE for Buck's website.


Dean

 

[Certaindeaf]

Get a Buck General (120) and you too can pull that old Crocadle Dundee line....A knife?! HA! That's not a knife!...

View attachment 339810

...that's a knife.. View attachment 339811

Click HERE for Buck's website.


Dean

That's true.. I was just in a store the other day and was eyeballing a Buck Special and musing to myself, "boy, that's a pretty big blade".. I used to have one years ago and don't really know what happened to it. Loved that knife.
For those that don't know, the General is larger.
My big knife is a Cold Steel Trailmaster, CarbonV steel

 

[Captain O]

Get a Buck General (120) and you too can pull that old Crocadle Dundee line....A knife?! HA! That's not a knife!...

View attachment 339810

...that's a knife.. View attachment 339811

Click HERE for Buck's website.


Dean

Carry that in your jacket pocket at church.

 

[DeanMk]

Ha!
That's a pretty big pocket.
I think that knife is about a foot long!
...btw, that one is also available with a nice looking wood handle, too...




Dean

 

[Captain O]

Father had an original Buck General (Circa 1950) with an added inch that came directly from Al Buck himself. I wish I had that knife. It was made from 440C steel. It had the wide fuller as was the custom of the day.

That, my friends, takes me back!

 

[DeanMk]

You're welcome, Captain O.
Glad I could help you relive some of those childhood memories. =)

 

[ikemay]

IMHO, some of the best value in knives are Buck, Victorinox, and Mora's (stainless or carbon steel). The Bucks come in two flavors, those made in the USA and those that are not. Mine are all USA made, though I have not heard anything bad about the ones that are not. Between these three brands, you can generally find something that will match your needs without breaking the bank. I have owned (and still own one) Benchmade and they are nice, but pricey. Boker makes some nice knives, I like my Tree Brand which is a carbon steel stockman. Several Mora's, different Bucks, and a bunch of Victorinox Swiss Army knives.

Having said that, I really like older knives and 1095 carbon steel blades .......... Western, Camillus, Case, Remington UMC. Like AndyinEverson's Camillus TL-29 (electricians knife) I have two, one I got for $5.00 at a garage sale, awesome knife. That same garage sale I got a couple really nice older Case knives, $5.00 each. I also have a Camco (budget Camillus) TL-29 electrician knife which is nice but not as heavy duty as the Camillus branded ones. Be advised, the screwdriver "blade" can be a nail buster on some of them. I think because they use carbon steel back springs and not stainless ones. This could be said about most of your older vintage slipjoints, but they don't fold up easy either.

I also like my old U.S.A made Schrade+ Bear Paw and Schrade+ 6OT. Regret selling off my Western L66 Boulder Colorado hunting knife though.

Sorry if this too off topic.

Mike

 

[DeanMk]

There was (is?) a German brand that was real popular, too.
Can't remember the name anymore, but they were known for their ultra thin folders.
Metal handle.
I found one on the side of the road and I believe I still have it....somewhere.
...gonna look and see if I can find an example of one.


Dean

 

[DeanMk]

...and just like that, I find it....

MERCATOR!
That's what it was called!

...here' an approximation of what I have (had?)...



Don't remember the cat on the handle.
Mine was silver (i.e., no finish/paint) and the handle was textured with a crosshatch design.
Definitely. Only a Mercator looks like that and I definitely remember the base of blade saying it was made in Germany.
I remember sharpening the blade on a grinding wheel, which may have ruined the edge, but it always cut for me.


Dean

 

[MrMillspecer]

My boy gave me this Kbar for Xmas. Not sure what I'll do with it but it would be good for clearing brush or chopping small limbs and such. I think he takes the zombie stuff more serious than some. He has one also.
It is sharp and made in the USA. And a Benchmade for size comparison.

 

[cooperritchey]

ESEE knifes
ESEE Knives - ESEE Knives

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I think he takes the zombie stuff more serious than some. He has one also.

I hope "the one he has" is the machete ... not a zombie!
EEEKKK!
Andy

 

[BillGabby1]

You are so sharp you must have been eating razor blades
Andy.

 

[Captain O]

I have been mooning over some Kabar Beckers and some Schrade/Smith & Wesson/Taylor fixed blade knives. I was looking at a minimum of 5.5" of blade length, 1095 Chromium/Vanadium (or just 1095 Carbon Steel) a minimum of .20" or 1/5" blade diameter at the blade's spine. This was to be a Camping/Bushcraft/Hunting knife.

This is just something I have been considering in the relatively near future.

 

[Pandaz3]

I have several Buck 110's and a bigger 124, also a large Stockman. I have a small Case and a large Case bowie that I had in Vietnam. I have WWII German parade bayonet and a long ceremonial dagger, my dad brought those back. I have a KBar and several military survival knives from Ontario Knife Co. A old broken Schrade and a junky Schrade hunting knife. Four Emerson's, a Zero Tolerance, several Cold Steel including a more expensive (for Cold Steel) 7 1/2 " Tanto Recon, several CRKT, Leatherman, and Gerber and a pot load of no name knives.

 

[Blindranger]

Wow, lots of great stuff in this thread. The old fixed blade hunters make my heart hurt. My humble two cents... Benchmade 2550 I carried for about ten years, wore out the original blade. And a year-old Seb that gets more use now. Very different, these two, and cover every application I can fathom.
View attachment 339447

love that Sinn!

 

[Hawaiian]

For folder production knives I like Strider, Microtech, Chris Reeves. For fixed blades, I tend to lean toward custom. Bill Siegle is a member here on NWFA and makes awesome camp knives.

 

[blaster1145]

love that Sinn!

Thanks, dude!

 

[AR SLOOT]

I Like
Dozier Design
Ka Bar
CRKT
Bench Made

Ka Bar is not like they used to but I like many of their designs and they are a relatively low cost. Dozier Design is more of a specialty knife out of Arkansas but I love much of what they do. CRKT is good product so far with many designs. Bench made from the PNW is another good choice. Anything else is meh.