This might be a really stupid reason, but I love Chris Reeve knives because they don't do printing. If there's writing or a logo, it's always engraved. It just adds a touch of class.
@@skycorrigan6511 I also had a way more expensive XM18 but I couldnt justify the price I paid for it. It didnt satisfy me the way my Torrent does. So I sold it.
@@ChuckBeefOG The video is a list of "most precision" not "most attractive" manufacturers. And I wouldn't call this boring: www.protechknives.com/product/cf-award-cambria-flipper/
I love Protech. Their simple classic designs are exactly why they appeal to me. Protech knives will never look tacky or garish or outdated. They are timeless cool. Like Shiro. The Malibu is one of the most perfect knife designs ever in my personal opinion.
I completely agree with Koenig being top here. I've handled all of these knives and Koenig just has a level of precision and attention to simple detail that is unmatched imo.
I think Kizer Cutlery does some really good production knives. You look at what they are putting out these days and it is top-notch quality in both the mid-tech and in their Vanguard lines.
I quit buying handmade knives a few years back. After comparing fit and finish with the knives you just highlighted , the quality for price ratio is no longer there in most handmade knives. The Holt is the only one I don't own, gonna have to work on that. . Thanks MC, great list.
Renegade Tank Crowe nice collection then... damn!!! 😳 if you ever want to sell your arius, my friend Jeff and I are both on the prowl. And I always considered these companies to be more mid tech because the maker sees and touches them unlike a production company where he is sent one model and then they are made overseas far away from him. Custom level and at this level with midtech at least you have a standard with most of these companies where the maker sees them. I know that this is not true with CRK as there are different people that rotate in and check them, but these aren’t like Civivi or kershaw. I was waiting for the kershaw , or the civivi, or the gerber lol . Great review MC. It’s funny to think that maybe we all hav different names or “labels” for what we consider to be ”produiction” and what we consider “midtech” etc.
Kizer is my favorite brand and at least 50% of my collection is their brand. The quality of their knives had always been fantastic. Recently, I got a Kizer Gemini in titanium and they had done such a terrible job sharpening it that the blade shape was actually distorted and I had to re profile the blade to try to get it to look normal again. It still doesn't look totally right. I also got the ppy in brass and raffir in the same purchase and when I looked at it, there was a dent along the blade about an inch from the handle that was deep and high enough that I will never be able to sharpen it out! I got them on sale and they were final sale only so I'm stuck with them and it has definitely opened my eyes and made me a little more hesitant to buy a premium knife from them. I spend $800 Canadian on 5 knives during that purchase and two of the five knives had issues with them and they were both from Kizer
No love for Craig Brown and the Grimsmo brothers?!?! Brown Knives and Grimsmo are on par with Koenig and the Holts 100%. I feel like there should be two categories to this, the normal every day production knives (Reate, WE, ZT, etc.) and then another for the smaller production companies like Craig Brown and the Holts. Great discussion topic 👍
Grimsmo is a joke. 2 designs in 10 years, over priced to all hell, they dont even have a store. I entered their list and they tried to sell me the plainest possible Norseman for $900 USD. Worth maybe $400 tops. $900 RWL34. Give me a break, might as well buy a D2 Medford.
@@ChuckBeefOG Yes, but the discussion here is not if they are worth the price, have new styles etc. The discussion here is MOST PRECISE PRODUCTION companies and again, grimsmo brothers are some of the best machinists in the game bar none. You can knock them for all sorts of things but definitely not putting out a precise, well made product. I don't own any grimsmo knives for the reasons you just stated, particularly the use of RWL34 on a $800+ knife, yuck.
id take ZT off for sure. I mod knives and get a ton of ZT in. loose fitting stop pins, incomplete interface grinds etc. also, CKF should be on this list.
Agree completely. I got a ZT because I heard how great they were, but I was extremely disappointed. Right out of the box the action was suspect and the grind was awful. It would barely slice paper. It took about an hour, but I got it back into working order. If were cheaper knife, I wouldn’t mind. But a premium knife shouldn’t have these issues.
I agree with most of the list, only things I would change is swap bestech for we, I think they have proven that they can make knives almost on par with Reate with the Vero knives. And I would move hinderer down under Reate and CRK. I'm as big of a RHK fan as you are, I own more xm-18s than any other knife but I feel like they take more fiddling with to get perfect than either Reate or CRK. With the other two brands everything is perfect right when you reassemble. I might also add CKF in up in the top 5 and bump the others down a little bit. Good video bud, I agree 100% that Koenig is King.
Nice video. Interesting but you missed on Lionsteel. There is a reason why they are one of the few companies other than Chris Reeve to win the Blade Show manufacturer's quality award. What really is amazing about Lionsteel is the superb fit, finish, materials and innovations in a knife that is half the price or more of many of the other knifes on your list.
Glad to see WE on the list. My 2 favorite knives to carry are the Kitefin and the Saakshi. I have much more expensive knives but these 2 are perfect carrying/using knives
Great list. I would add Brown Knives and Grimsmo Knives, mentioned by several other people. And another company I haven’t seen mentioned is Olamic Cutlery. The fit and finish on those knives is incredible.
I noticed the video was 4 years ago, but it doesnt seem too far off if u had compiled a list today. I'm fairly confident that you'd have added brands like OZ machine, Brown Knives, McNees, Spartan and Herman
Dude I am almost CERTAIN that is my old Shiro. I bought that at blade show 2012 for 650 bucks. I’m telling you I even see the same marks in the Ti that mine had. I’m going to look back at some pics and see for sure. Cool
Yep I’m basically 100% sure now. I have a video showing it on my jdavis882 channel from when it was acquired. If you ever sell it, please let me know! I have wanted that knife back for a while. Not a fan of bearings and I actually got that one on purpose because it had washers.
Agree sinkevich and the hinder ones are by far the best of the best, I do construction work and they never let me down yet today!! And I own a bunch of benchmade ,Spyderco, microtechs.
regarding hand made things, there is an interesting story of a collaboration between US and UK during WWII where it was decided to increase production of the Roll Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The problem was that the basic engine block was made but pistons, valves etc were hand made to fit. Obviously this would take time to make but no two engines were the same. Eventually they were made in US factories but it wasn’t a simple matter of sharing the specs, it had to be redesigned from the ground up with every part made to an exact tolerance which could be mass produced. I suppose if a hand made Merlin landed in enemy hands, it would have confused the hell out of the Germans if each piston were not identical. The couldn’t just copy it exactly.
I think I’m done getting frame lock knives. I just don’t enjoy handling them anymore. Luckily, moving forward there will be more and more high end knives with the “new” style locks.
I hadn't seen that A Purvis Xerx yet. Just ordered one at DLT where I bought my A Purvis Primordial MK2 here a couple months ago. Those were said to have been Bestech produced though and the MK1 Primordial by We. Looks like all the Primordial MK2s are sold out but the Damasteel variation everywhere. I have the all black with marbled CF. Really nice action and its real light for its size. I bought that and a Pena Lanny's Clip flipper on that order 2 of my favorite knives. Then I got the Berg Blades Iron Wolf and that one is amazing lol got the Iron Pup the other day to go with it. Those have to be the highest quality knives I have had that were produced by We. Those Berg Blades were listed as mid techs on Knifecenter where I got them I don't know seem like really high end production knives but they are both nice. All those high end Chinese companies make some great knives. Reate and We probably the best quality but Bestech, Kizer, Artisan all make great knives so does Rike and QSP and Real Steel sure there is others but I own knives from all those companies and a bunch of other knives made by those companies like my Isham Bladeworks knives, Pena, Chaves, Berg Blades, A Purvis Blades, Liong Mah, Massdrop collaborations, GiantMouse with my MK6 and Sonoma made by Reate, maybe others I have just not thinking of.
All u need to make your own precision knife is a table grinder, belt sander, belt sander jig, some sort of way to temper your knife and some 1080 high carbon steel or some other good steel
In my mind it’s tough justifying buying any knife above around $250.00 that will either be a safe queen or I’d be afraid to ding it up. Those knives are incredible I just carry a spyderco manix 2 every day g10 model and I’m extremely satisfied. Nice video!
I totally agree. A $2000 dollar knife doesn’t cut any better than a $75 knife. It’s just a choice of whether you want an actual tool or expensive pocket jewelry. The same thing could be said about anything though. A $35 Casio tells time just as well as a $10k Rolex. A $50k Mustang is just as fast as a $300k Aston Martin, etc, etc.
Great video. That line between high end production/midtech/custom really is such a grey area now. Koenig is pretty much top of my grail list currently. For the price I haven’t found anything I’m drooling over more. I will never own a “safe queen” I carry and use my knives and won’t buy something that isn’t true for. Thanks for the great content as always MC
I've got a ZT0562CF and it Locks Up Hard! I gotta use 2 hands to close it most of the time. It opens fine. Any suggestions? Should I send it back to ZT? Call tech support? Thanks in advance. 😎👍
I have been wanting to purchase a Chaves knife and when I seen the title of this I guess I expected to see it on the list. But my question is what is your opinion on Chaves knives?
Love the list. You probably get so many comments you might not see mine, but if you do, can you please tell me what the name of that WE knife you showed is called? I looked online and couldn't see one like it. Maybe it has been discontinued, but it looks really nice.
When I heard you say “no Rockstead" I burst in to tears and almost switched off! 😢😢😢, but I watched anyway... some really nice stuff here, great video! I’ll never be able to have a Microtec otf here in the UK, but, if only! My first Chris Reeve’s, a Sebenza 31, should be here in September.
I actually traded my Xm-18 3.5 gen 6 to Kenny from inthepocket for his green micarta chaves my hinderer wouldn’t open using the thumb studs No matter how hard I tried it worries just put a dent in my thumb then I go to my local knife store and pick up 2 different ones and one opened with the thumb studs and one took a ton of pressure to open so I’d have to disagree with the perfection of a hinderer they are really hit or miss
I've owned 26 Hinderers. Every single one could be deployed with the studs. Forward or reverse flick. I do it on camera all the time. My Hinderer knives playlist for reference.
Metal Complex I’ve owned 2 and neither one I could and they were both ordered through dlttrading.com if you want to know if I’m lying ask Kenny from inthepocket RUclips channel and see if he can thumb stud deploy my old hinderer
Now I’ll agree with you on strider being great I’ve owned 13 sng and 6 smf’s all of different washes and flaming everyone single one has been top notch solid and almost blade dropping with a minor shake the one thing I do t like on my older generations is the lock stick which is super crazy
Big Sean247 I’m not trying to win because n my eye I won already because I have solid proof that they are not all perfect like I told him go to inthepocket channel ask Kenny to thumb stud deploy my old hinderer gen 6 3.5 and he will tell you it can be done it you do it left handed it’s possible but not right handed
I love crks.. have a 31 in my pocket right now. But my first, a small insingo 21 with micarta.. had a really, uneven funky edge grind.. not even being picky.. it was 2-3 times higher on one side than the other. It was pretty off putting. Ive only owned two, but my 31 is perfect. I make precision objects by hand all day so I think I have a pretty good eye for flaws and I can’t find a single thing to gripe about.
I agree with your list, some of the bigger US companies that sell in the mid range sometimes show their precision. Let’s of examples are G-10 scales and those are just too common to separate themselves from everyone else. If a company wants to show their precision they have to use more uncommon materials.
Buddy my state has the strictest knife laws. Anything with a switch a spring is off the table for me . Every video I watch has switches and springs. What kind of knife should I look into from these company’s? The quality of the blades look great!
Lots of hate for ZT in the comments. I’ve always been impressed by them personally. Strider used to be absolute dog shit, rock lock being a big issue, glad they’re doing better work.
I’d say Shiro for best production, then Koenig. Never held a Holt but I’d consider it a custom. Have you tried a Curtiss, my F3 OvalTac is amazing! Side note each Shrio’s lock is match fit to that specific blade, so sorta custom.
I appreciate your list. It just doesn't work with me personally. Our definitions are different. I don't consider Ferrari, Lamborghini, rolls Royce, payback and Bentley to be production cars although they meet the minimum number created criteria. The human interaction with those cars is too high to put their prices anywhere near actual production cars. Same goes for the knives on the pointy end of this list imo. AGAIN, your list your rules. Just explaining why mine would be a good bit different although not competent. Good companies all around.
Trae UCity They are still made. I got my first one a few weeks ago. Had to watch IG for posts about when they will be available to purchase on the site. They sell out immediately. Great knives though!
Perfect list. When I saw CRK at number five, I knew things were about to get real. I will have to drop bye USA made blades and fondle the Konus before buying one but it is definitely on the short list. Thank you for the investment you make in the community my friend, no it is appreciated.
I always find two 200 dollar knives I want more than a 4 500 plus knives just haven't taken the plunge. My first will most likely be a crk or a Hinderer.
I'd put Reate above CRK and Hinderer any day of the week, better materials, equal F&F and blade finishing easily puts Reate ahead. Reate hand finishes much of their blades (hand grinding) has proprietary cooling processes heat treats during HRC and cooling processes during sharpening all adding to their cost. CRK does some of this and AFAIK Hinderer does not. Reate runs their M390 at industrustry standards. Hinderer runs their 20cv soft, just incase it might chip.
I have. There are multiple on this channel. Olamic models are at least partially hand made. Some models are full custom. That puts Olamic in the "midtech to custom" range. This list is limited to production knives.
Personally I'd substitute Spyderco for ZT. Sure, they make some less expensive knives in addition to the higher end stuff, but they're all made very well.
To be fair to people, which I think is very important, frankly I think many knives are overblown and glamourized by those who make videos on youtube. Sells more knives, right? ;-) This does a disservice to people, IMHO. It's good to state facts as much as possible. But ebullient and grandiose descriptions of knives, even though they may be very high quality, can set new purchasers up for disappointment. Case in point is the section here on the Chris Reeve which is for sure almost always a high quality knife. To some extent, I fell victim to this kind of hype and perhaps expected more from my new Chris Reeve Inkosi than any mere knife can deliver. If you are considering a Chris Reeve knife, rest assured that you have a very high chance of getting a knife which has close tolerances, good fit and finish, good materials, and a knife that will develop into what may become one of your favorite knives. That's all. Heaven's gates will not open, and the angels will not sing, unless you're temporarily enhancing your perceptions artificially. In that case, you will come back to earth probably sooner than later and think, gee this doesn't seem anywhere near as spectacular as those guys on youtube made it out to be. IMHO, of course. ;-)
Are you saying that my positivity and enthusiasm is geared entirely towards selling knives? I've got plenty of knife reviews that don't end with a recommendation, as well as positive reviews of knives leant from dealers or viewers that don't benefit me at all. I don't keep 99% of this stuff, and only certain knives grant me a TINY kick back IF someone buys them. So... you're more than a little off there. My enthusiasm for the things I love is real. Just because you didn't have the same experience doesn't mean I'm blowing smoke.
Wow, THANK YOU for using that 0055 as the representative ZT... I totally agree with you, I have 9 ZTs and they're all freaking spot on. But the logic behind dropping a spring of that incredible 0055 that basically just adds some squiggly lines on the scale 🤦♂️... that kinda sums it all up for the direction ZTs been heading as of late. C'mon, ZT!!!
0055 is one f if not the most underrated zt ever. I have the 0055brz in 20cv. It will never leave the collection. I currently have the 0055brz, 0562ti, and the 0220. The 0220 is another severely underrated knife. The 0055brz and 0220 will always stay. The 0562...eh
Man, I have a good amount to pick up another a knife, and just picked up a norseman a week or so ago. Been dying to get a specter, but that seems impossible!
@@metal_complex - I honestly wasn’t trying to bust your balls, and I hope you didn’t take it that way. But, I can see where you might come to that conclusion. 🤷♂️
Not at all! I didn’t mean to come across that way, either. But, I can see where someone might have come to that conclusion. The fact is, I love your channel, and everything I’ve learned from it, and the community at large. And, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to respond at all. Thank you!
My Amazon store! - The VERY BEST knives & gear! - www.amazon.com/shop/metalcomplex
We need an updated list like this lol
This might be a really stupid reason, but I love Chris Reeve knives because they don't do printing. If there's writing or a logo, it's always engraved. It just adds a touch of class.
I just ordered the Reate Torrent. By far the most expensive knife I've bought. Can't wait for it to arrive.
You will have zero regrets. Reate knives are of superb quality. Congrats on the amazing knife!
@@visiblemode Thanks, I cant wait.
How do you like the Reate?
@@skycorrigan6511 Amazing attention to detail. Amazingly smooth. Amazing.
@@skycorrigan6511 I also had a way more expensive XM18 but I couldnt justify the price I paid for it. It didnt satisfy me the way my Torrent does. So I sold it.
This is the kind of content that keeps us from making a purchase we wish we hadn’t. Thanks MC 👍🏻
I'd switch out ZT for Protech. The precision on some of their limited and higher end models is on par with the best out there.
Protech’s designs are very boring and unattractive in comparison to ZT imo.
@@ChuckBeefOG The video is a list of "most precision" not "most attractive" manufacturers. And I wouldn't call this boring: www.protechknives.com/product/cf-award-cambria-flipper/
@Alex Langer
No. Definitely Not Boring At All!
I definitely agree.
I love Protech. Their simple classic designs are exactly why they appeal to me. Protech knives will never look tacky or garish or outdated. They are timeless cool. Like Shiro. The Malibu is one of the most perfect knife designs ever in my personal opinion.
I completely agree with Koenig being top here. I've handled all of these knives and Koenig just has a level of precision and attention to simple detail that is unmatched imo.
I think Kizer Cutlery does some really good production knives. You look at what they are putting out these days and it is top-notch quality in both the mid-tech and in their Vanguard lines.
Sheepdog XL is amazing
I quit buying handmade knives a few years back. After comparing fit and finish with the knives you just highlighted , the quality for price ratio is no longer there in most handmade knives. The Holt is the only one I don't own, gonna have to work on that. .
Thanks MC, great list.
Renegade Tank Crowe nice collection then... damn!!! 😳 if you ever want to sell your arius, my friend Jeff and I are both on the prowl. And I always considered these companies to be more mid tech because the maker sees and touches them unlike a production company where he is sent one model and then they are made overseas far away from him. Custom level and at this level with midtech at least you have a standard with most of these companies where the maker sees them. I know that this is not true with CRK as there are different people that rotate in and check them, but these aren’t like Civivi or kershaw. I was waiting for the kershaw , or the civivi, or the gerber lol . Great review MC. It’s funny to think that maybe we all hav different names or “labels” for what we consider to be ”produiction” and what we consider “midtech” etc.
what's the model # of the We knife rated at number 8 ?
Kizer is my favorite brand and at least 50% of my collection is their brand. The quality of their knives had always been fantastic. Recently, I got a Kizer Gemini in titanium and they had done such a terrible job sharpening it that the blade shape was actually distorted and I had to re profile the blade to try to get it to look normal again. It still doesn't look totally right. I also got the ppy in brass and raffir in the same purchase and when I looked at it, there was a dent along the blade about an inch from the handle that was deep and high enough that I will never be able to sharpen it out! I got them on sale and they were final sale only so I'm stuck with them and it has definitely opened my eyes and made me a little more hesitant to buy a premium knife from them. I spend $800 Canadian on 5 knives during that purchase and two of the five knives had issues with them and they were both from Kizer
No love for Craig Brown and the Grimsmo brothers?!?! Brown Knives and Grimsmo are on par with Koenig and the Holts 100%. I feel like there should be two categories to this, the normal every day production knives (Reate, WE, ZT, etc.) and then another for the smaller production companies like Craig Brown and the Holts. Great discussion topic 👍
Grimsmo is a joke. 2 designs in 10 years, over priced to all hell, they dont even have a store. I entered their list and they tried to sell me the plainest possible Norseman for $900 USD. Worth maybe $400 tops. $900 RWL34. Give me a break, might as well buy a D2 Medford.
@@ChuckBeefOG Yes, but the discussion here is not if they are worth the price, have new styles etc. The discussion here is MOST PRECISE PRODUCTION companies and again, grimsmo brothers are some of the best machinists in the game bar none. You can knock them for all sorts of things but definitely not putting out a precise, well made product. I don't own any grimsmo knives for the reasons you just stated, particularly the use of RWL34 on a $800+ knife, yuck.
I've been following the Grimsmo brothers from their start, I just can't afford them. LOL
id take ZT off for sure. I mod knives and get a ton of ZT in. loose fitting stop pins, incomplete interface grinds etc. also, CKF should be on this list.
Agreed on the weirdness of at
Zt
If I’m not mistaken, CKF parts are made by Reate…so they kinda are on the list.
Agree completely. I got a ZT because I heard how great they were, but I was extremely disappointed. Right out of the box the action was suspect and the grind was awful. It would barely slice paper. It took about an hour, but I got it back into working order. If were cheaper knife, I wouldn’t mind. But a premium knife shouldn’t have these issues.
Zero Tolerance is Garbage
I agree with most of the list, only things I would change is swap bestech for we, I think they have proven that they can make knives almost on par with Reate with the Vero knives. And I would move hinderer down under Reate and CRK. I'm as big of a RHK fan as you are, I own more xm-18s than any other knife but I feel like they take more fiddling with to get perfect than either Reate or CRK. With the other two brands everything is perfect right when you reassemble. I might also add CKF in up in the top 5 and bump the others down a little bit. Good video bud, I agree 100% that Koenig is King.
Nice video. Interesting but you missed on Lionsteel. There is a reason why they are one of the few companies other than Chris Reeve to win the Blade Show manufacturer's quality award. What really is amazing about Lionsteel is the superb fit, finish, materials and innovations in a knife that is half the price or more of many of the other knifes on your list.
Yea same with Mtech
@@skycentipede74 💀
I'm laughing so hard at this right now
wich model we knife is that?
Glad to see WE on the list. My 2 favorite knives to carry are the Kitefin and the Saakshi. I have much more expensive knives but these 2 are perfect carrying/using knives
Awesome video, enjoyed every minute of it! But what about Custom Knife Factory? ?? They gotta be somewhere in the top 10 !
Great vid buddy! Though I love Zt, I would kick it out for Norseman definitely.
What is that top 3 knife? Surebored?
Great list. I would add Brown Knives and Grimsmo Knives, mentioned by several other people. And another company I haven’t seen mentioned is Olamic Cutlery. The fit and finish on those knives is incredible.
The best knife you can get is Ontario Rat.
Grismsmo is production. They are custom
Who do you think makes Olamic’s knives?
@@TheModernNeanderthal who?
I noticed the video was 4 years ago, but it doesnt seem too far off if u had compiled a list today. I'm fairly confident that you'd have added brands like OZ machine, Brown Knives, McNees, Spartan and Herman
what is the name of this WE Knife ?
I believe $500 is a completely fair price for a quality knife, which I will have forever. Thank You! Knowledge is power, as they say.
I recently purchased a Hinderer Hellfire and I absolutely love it. That hollow grind?!🤤
Kevin John knives got amazing precision and you get a lot for it’s low cost.
Ya, but they make an absurd amount of clones, so no thanks.
Any time I see someone making clones of other knives it makes me wonder if I'm actually gonna get the materials they're selling me.
Dude I am almost CERTAIN that is my old Shiro. I bought that at blade show 2012 for 650 bucks. I’m telling you I even see the same marks in the Ti that mine had. I’m going to look back at some pics and see for sure. Cool
Yep I’m basically 100% sure now. I have a video showing it on my jdavis882 channel from when it was acquired. If you ever sell it, please let me know! I have wanted that knife back for a while. Not a fan of bearings and I actually got that one on purpose because it had washers.
I agree on the Koenig , I love mine. Was sad to not see a Medford make the list .
Truthfully, I place Medford in the midtech category. They have a few extra "human" steps in their product 👍
Awesome list 👍🏻, what are your thoughts on the SPARTAN BLADES SHF.
Good list and well done. But off the top of my head, CKF need to be in the top 3. Kick ZT out ffs.
ZT is awesome. Sinkevich designs are the best
Agree sinkevich and the hinder ones are by far the best of the best, I do construction work and they never let me down yet today!! And I own a bunch of benchmade ,Spyderco, microtechs.
CKF parts are made by Reate if I’m not mistaken. They don’t really manufacture anything.
You forgot the Grimsmo Norseman!
Hello, Nick Shabazz?
@@northernninety7 I was gonna say that you ass 😂
I came here just to say that!'
They are highly customized, although you can't chose your own finish personally!
Came here to say the same thing!
regarding hand made things, there is an interesting story of a collaboration between US and UK during WWII where it was decided to increase production of the Roll Royce Merlin aircraft engine. The problem was that the basic engine block was made but pistons, valves etc were hand made to fit. Obviously this would take time to make but no two engines were the same.
Eventually they were made in US factories but it wasn’t a simple matter of sharing the specs, it had to be redesigned from the ground up with every part made to an exact tolerance which could be mass produced.
I suppose if a hand made Merlin landed in enemy hands, it would have confused the hell out of the Germans if each piston were not identical. The couldn’t just copy it exactly.
I’d personally put Chris Reeve above Hinderer, and I’d definitely kick ZT down to 11 and put Grimsmo in the top 3. Other than that, great list!
Agreed. CRK before Hinderer
@@codys5727 No doubt.
I think I’m done getting frame lock knives. I just don’t enjoy handling them anymore. Luckily, moving forward there will be more and more high end knives with the “new” style locks.
What is the new style lock?
Fun video. Great job. Another few excellent ones are Grimsmo and Direwire.
And Ontario.
Ontario makes great knives, but they're nowhere near the same league.
@@metal_complex It depends.
On...?
@@metal_complex Well the style and stuff. They have AUS8 and no sharp sides.
I hadn't seen that A Purvis Xerx yet. Just ordered one at DLT where I bought my A Purvis Primordial MK2 here a couple months ago. Those were said to have been Bestech produced though and the MK1 Primordial by We. Looks like all the Primordial MK2s are sold out but the Damasteel variation everywhere. I have the all black with marbled CF. Really nice action and its real light for its size. I bought that and a Pena Lanny's Clip flipper on that order 2 of my favorite knives. Then I got the Berg Blades Iron Wolf and that one is amazing lol got the Iron Pup the other day to go with it. Those have to be the highest quality knives I have had that were produced by We. Those Berg Blades were listed as mid techs on Knifecenter where I got them I don't know seem like really high end production knives but they are both nice. All those high end Chinese companies make some great knives. Reate and We probably the best quality but Bestech, Kizer, Artisan all make great knives so does Rike and QSP and Real Steel sure there is others but I own knives from all those companies and a bunch of other knives made by those companies like my Isham Bladeworks knives, Pena, Chaves, Berg Blades, A Purvis Blades, Liong Mah, Massdrop collaborations, GiantMouse with my MK6 and Sonoma made by Reate, maybe others I have just not thinking of.
I know this is an older video but is there a reason ypu don't include spartan knives in this list? Are they not a high tolerance well built knife?
I would have to say the Grimsmo Norseman is really precision. The action is one of my favorites, but my Arius is my favorite knife,,
I bought a 0470, cpm 20cv, and barely after any use, there were big clear visible broken metal pieces along the knife
My 1st, and currently only edc, is a Viper Katla in chiseled titanium. It's bloody impeccable:)
No idea what the standing is of Viper, but i am happy
Okay but have you ever handled a gerber???
WE Knives and REAT !!! thanks for including all the links
@WristRawce you should move your post to an original Comment instead of a Reply
My top 3 would be
Koenig
Reate
Shirogorov
I've owned everything on the list except a strider or holt .
Great video!
Where can I buy these knives and at what cost
All u need to make your own precision knife is a table grinder, belt sander, belt sander jig, some sort of way to temper your knife and some 1080 high carbon steel or some other good steel
In my mind it’s tough justifying buying any knife above around $250.00 that will either be a safe queen or I’d be afraid to ding it up. Those knives are incredible I just carry a spyderco manix 2 every day g10 model and I’m extremely satisfied. Nice video!
I totally agree. A $2000 dollar knife doesn’t cut any better than a $75 knife. It’s just a choice of whether you want an actual tool or expensive pocket jewelry. The same thing could be said about anything though. A $35 Casio tells time just as well as a $10k Rolex. A $50k Mustang is just as fast as a $300k Aston Martin, etc, etc.
@@drameday plus, with the Casio you don't have the pesky annoyance of ladies sizing you up
Great video. That line between high end production/midtech/custom really is such a grey area now. Koenig is pretty much top of my grail list currently. For the price I haven’t found anything I’m drooling over more. I will never own a “safe queen” I carry and use my knives and won’t buy something that isn’t true for. Thanks for the great content as always MC
What is the knife at 9:01? Reate? I could not catch the name or model number. It was #6 on your list. Thank you.
Begg Steelcraft Series 3/4 Kwaiken, made by Reate 👍
Thank you. Is there a seller you would recommend? If available, what is a reasonable price?
@@peterpuleo2904 www.bladehq.com/item--Todd-Begg-Steelcraft-34-Kwaiken--81059
The price is pretty much the same everywhere 👍
I've got a ZT0562CF and it Locks Up Hard! I gotta use 2 hands to close it most of the time. It opens fine. Any suggestions? Should I send it back to ZT? Call tech support? Thanks in advance. 😎👍
I know there not super popular but I would say when it comes to crazy machining and precision I would say Rike Knives
What is the model of the WE KNIFE?
I have been wanting to purchase a Chaves knife and when I seen the title of this I guess I expected to see it on the list. But my question is what is your opinion on Chaves knives?
They are made by reate.
Love the list. You probably get so many comments you might not see mine, but if you do, can you please tell me what the name of that WE knife you showed is called? I looked online and couldn't see one like it. Maybe it has been discontinued, but it looks really nice.
When I heard you say “no Rockstead" I burst in to tears and almost switched off! 😢😢😢, but I watched anyway... some really nice stuff here, great video! I’ll never be able to have a Microtec otf here in the UK, but, if only! My first Chris Reeve’s, a Sebenza 31, should be here in September.
I actually traded my Xm-18 3.5 gen 6 to Kenny from inthepocket for his green micarta chaves my hinderer wouldn’t open using the thumb studs No matter how hard I tried it worries just put a dent in my thumb then I go to my local knife store and pick up 2 different ones and one opened with the thumb studs and one took a ton of pressure to open so I’d have to disagree with the perfection of a hinderer they are really hit or miss
I've owned 26 Hinderers. Every single one could be deployed with the studs. Forward or reverse flick. I do it on camera all the time. My Hinderer knives playlist for reference.
Metal Complex I’ve owned 2 and neither one I could and they were both ordered through dlttrading.com if you want to know if I’m lying ask Kenny from inthepocket RUclips channel and see if he can thumb stud deploy my old hinderer
Now I’ll agree with you on strider being great I’ve owned 13 sng and 6 smf’s all of different washes and flaming everyone single one has been top notch solid and almost blade dropping with a minor shake the one thing I do t like on my older generations is the lock stick which is super crazy
Big Sean247 I’m not trying to win because n my eye I won already because I have solid proof that they are not all perfect like I told him go to inthepocket channel ask Kenny to thumb stud deploy my old hinderer gen 6 3.5 and he will tell you it can be done it you do it left handed it’s possible but not right handed
I love crks.. have a 31 in my pocket right now. But my first, a small insingo 21 with micarta.. had a really, uneven funky edge grind.. not even being picky.. it was 2-3 times higher on one side than the other. It was pretty off putting. Ive only owned two, but my 31 is perfect. I make precision objects by hand all day so I think I have a pretty good eye for flaws and I can’t find a single thing to gripe about.
I agree with your list, some of the bigger US companies that sell in the mid range sometimes show their precision. Let’s of examples are G-10 scales and those are just too common to separate themselves from everyone else. If a company wants to show their precision they have to use more uncommon materials.
Thanks for sharing MC great video all great knives
Man you're trying really hard to put a dent in my wallet lol
I just did that today.
The knife he didnt show that is the best one is Ontario Rat. Both 1 and 2 are super good.
those are nothing compared to my popsicle stick balisong XD
Love the videos man keep it up my dude
Buddy my state has the strictest knife laws. Anything with a switch a spring is off the table for me . Every video I watch has switches and springs. What kind of knife should I look into from these company’s? The quality of the blades look great!
Your no.2 knife is such a beauty...
What model is the we knife?
Apurvis Xerx 👍
Grimsmo needs to be on any precision list. Certainly before ZT
Lots of hate for ZT in the comments. I’ve always been impressed by them personally. Strider used to be absolute dog shit, rock lock being a big issue, glad they’re doing better work.
Shirogorovs are top knives for sure but I had lock stick with 2 of them.
What a great video... I respond to quality... the higher the better.
My top three from your list is CRK, Koenig, Microtech. Great layout brother.
Good list.
I’d say Shiro for best production, then Koenig. Never held a Holt but I’d consider it a custom. Have you tried a Curtiss, my F3 OvalTac is amazing! Side note each Shrio’s lock is match fit to that specific blade, so sorta custom.
I appreciate your list. It just doesn't work with me personally. Our definitions are different. I don't consider Ferrari, Lamborghini, rolls Royce, payback and Bentley to be production cars although they meet the minimum number created criteria. The human interaction with those cars is too high to put their prices anywhere near actual production cars. Same goes for the knives on the pointy end of this list imo. AGAIN, your list your rules. Just explaining why mine would be a good bit different although not competent. Good companies all around.
Great video. I would put Sharp by Design Evo Typhoon near the top.
Sharp by design I believe is contracted to Reate.
^yup^
Great list !!👍
Informative but it would help if you had an overlay of words. It’s nice to read brand names and specs while you’re watching a video.
What is your favorite Spyderco knife? Is it the shaman that you showed
Correct 👍
The Arius was designed by T.J. Swartz... a little credit here, please!
Are Strider knives still made? Every time I've searched for one, they were listed as out of stock or unavailable.
Trae UCity They are still made. I got my first one a few weeks ago. Had to watch IG for posts about when they will be available to purchase on the site. They sell out immediately. Great knives though!
@@ryanniemann1950, Thank you very much. I appreciate the information.
What we knife model is that
Apurvis Xerx. Made by WE
I have that same Sebenza & I love it!
Perfect list. When I saw CRK at number five, I knew things were about to get real. I will have to drop bye USA made blades and fondle the Konus before buying one but it is definitely on the short list. Thank you for the investment you make in the community my friend, no it is appreciated.
Know*
😊⚔🤝
The sharpening choil leaves a little to be desired on the Koening 😏
Reate and ZT absolutely do not belong on this list. I would have changed them out for Rockstead and Pro-Tech in a heartbeat.
I would have had Medford around the strider mark
I always find two 200 dollar knives I want more than a 4 500 plus knives just haven't taken the plunge. My first will most likely be a crk or a Hinderer.
How is medford not on here?
I'd put Reate above CRK and Hinderer any day of the week, better materials, equal F&F and blade finishing easily puts Reate ahead. Reate hand finishes much of their blades (hand grinding) has proprietary cooling processes heat treats during HRC and cooling processes during sharpening all adding to their cost. CRK does some of this and AFAIK Hinderer does not. Reate runs their M390 at industrustry standards. Hinderer runs their 20cv soft, just incase it might chip.
I believe at CRK, Chris's son and former wife run the company now. Chris Reeve is brought in as a consultant when needed.
Good to know! Thanks!
Correct. Chris has retired and CRK is now run by Anne and Tim 👍
Dude you gotta handle an olamic and revisit your list. That would shake out ZT super fast.
I have. There are multiple on this channel. Olamic models are at least partially hand made. Some models are full custom. That puts Olamic in the "midtech to custom" range. This list is limited to production knives.
Personally I'd substitute Spyderco for ZT. Sure, they make some less expensive knives in addition to the higher end stuff, but they're all made very well.
Where do I buy a cr knife for a decent price
I'm assuming you mean "Chris Reeve"? Their knives have fixed prices. They're the same everywhere unless they're junk clones.
Metal Complex don’t f*** with clones been looking around and I see anywhere from 350-450
How does spartan not make the list?!
I love Hinderer! But every Gen 6 XM-18 I’ve had (3 or 4) had Lock Bar failure. All failed the spine whack test.
opinion on Lion Steel or Hogue?
Good, but not quite in the top 10
Stunning to say the least.
I personally think WE deserves to be higher
To be fair to people, which I think is very important, frankly I think many knives are overblown and glamourized by those who make videos on youtube. Sells more knives, right? ;-) This does a disservice to people, IMHO. It's good to state facts as much as possible. But ebullient and grandiose descriptions of knives, even though they may be very high quality, can set new purchasers up for disappointment. Case in point is the section here on the Chris Reeve which is for sure almost always a high quality knife. To some extent, I fell victim to this kind of hype and perhaps expected more from my new Chris Reeve Inkosi than any mere knife can deliver. If you are considering a Chris Reeve knife, rest assured that you have a very high chance of getting a knife which has close tolerances, good fit and finish, good materials, and a knife that will develop into what may become one of your favorite knives. That's all. Heaven's gates will not open, and the angels will not sing, unless you're temporarily enhancing your perceptions artificially. In that case, you will come back to earth probably sooner than later and think, gee this doesn't seem anywhere near as spectacular as those guys on youtube made it out to be. IMHO, of course. ;-)
Are you saying that my positivity and enthusiasm is geared entirely towards selling knives? I've got plenty of knife reviews that don't end with a recommendation, as well as positive reviews of knives leant from dealers or viewers that don't benefit me at all. I don't keep 99% of this stuff, and only certain knives grant me a TINY kick back IF someone buys them. So... you're more than a little off there. My enthusiasm for the things I love is real. Just because you didn't have the same experience doesn't mean I'm blowing smoke.
Wow, THANK YOU for using that 0055 as the representative ZT... I totally agree with you, I have 9 ZTs and they're all freaking spot on. But the logic behind dropping a spring of that incredible 0055 that basically just adds some squiggly lines on the scale 🤦♂️... that kinda sums it all up for the direction ZTs been heading as of late. C'mon, ZT!!!
0055 is one f if not the most underrated zt ever. I have the 0055brz in 20cv. It will never leave the collection. I currently have the 0055brz, 0562ti, and the 0220. The 0220 is another severely underrated knife. The 0055brz and 0220 will always stay. The 0562...eh
The Arius is no doubt my favorite knife I've handled so far!
My new hinderer xm-24 vintage has a black splotch on the show side. Waiting to hear back from them.
Crk definitely beats hinderer.
Man, I have a good amount to pick up another a knife, and just picked up a norseman a week or so ago. Been dying to get a specter, but that seems impossible!
It is 😅😖
Chaves ultramar and 229 are pretty damn good as well, mine drops shut and rockets out like an auto
Perhaps someday, you could put together a list of Top-10 knives with something other than a frame lock. 🤷♂️
Lol you new here? I have an entire playlist of top 5/top 10 videos I've created. Perhaps someday; you could go look for yourself.
@@metal_complex - I honestly wasn’t trying to bust your balls, and I hope you didn’t take it that way. But, I can see where you might come to that conclusion. 🤷♂️
Not at all! I didn’t mean to come across that way, either. But, I can see where someone might have come to that conclusion.
The fact is, I love your channel, and everything I’ve learned from it, and the community at large. And, I appreciate the fact that you took the time to respond at all. Thank you!