What knives have impressed you?

A

AdamSean

New member
The question is just that. I was on a search for a good quality, yet affordable Karambit Folder. Of course if you run a search, the Emerson comes up the most, or some by Terani. Good knives, but more than I want to spend. These brands run from $150 to over $200. I wanted something under $100. I came across the Mantis MK line of Karambit Folders.

I had never heard of Mantis Knives before so was kind put off. Not many reviews exist so I was not able to really make an educated decision, but I pick up the MK-3 for around $70. Once I got, I was greatly impressed by the great feel in my hand. I was lightweight, built strong and sturdy, and really sharp. There was no loose wiggle in the blade, which I have found on many expensive reputable brands. I also quickly realized at how well this knife held an edge. I was pulling the knife through paper, cardboard and rope right and left. After all that, it still held a razor-like edge.

The only other knife that has surprised me was my SOG Mini X-Ray Vision that I will soon replace with a Mantis Chaos Folder. I will let you all know what I think of it after running it through the paces.

What knives have impressed you and why?
 
i picked up a spyderco titanium salsa that i love.....just the overall fit and finish, and the short but superfat blade. ive really been wanting a stilleto like the infidel or piranna lately, just having a hard time justifying 400$
 
Benchmade offers a variety of nice blades. I received one some time ago as a gift. Prior to that, I usually had a Buck or similar in my pocket. I'll not be switching back any time soon. :)
 
When Kershaw came out the the assisted opening "black out" I bought one and been a fan since. I currently own 5 different Kershaws and each one has been great.
 
Truthfully, Emerson, Chris Reeves, Warren Thomas, Strider, Crusader Forge, Greg Lightfoot, Kirby Lambert, Microtech, Grahm Brothers, CnC Bladeworks, Tops, Rick Hinderer. There are more but those are the ones that stand out most to me. They are all superbly made with the best and newest materials. They manage ultimate function while still managing to be rediculously beautiful. Most of the makers I mentioned and their designs are very out of the box but are still more useful than most conventional makers/designs. They will be sharp and stay sharp for a long time.

If you are looking for a karambit for about 100$, spyderco still makes one I think.
 
I have actually looked at the Spyderco Karambit. I like the looks of it but it looks really small. I would have to handle one before buying it. That is what made me go with the Mantis Karambit, I new the size was a good fit.

A Spyderco Delica was the first knife I ever bought. I still have it. It did its job very well. Until I found a Benchmade that I loved. Then went to a Kershaw and then the SOG. I still want the Mantis Chaos Folder though. It just looks amazing. Plus the materials make it one I desire.
 
Knife

I sell knives and survival gear at trade/gun shows (thesourceincorporated.com) That doesn't make me an expert but does expose me to many knives. I think for the money the Benchmade Dejavoo is the top of the heap, and a top of the line knife. The S30V steel is quite good (actually close to the best available), the self lubricating pin is a plus, the design is great, the quality is top notch, the price is reasonable for what you get. Look at it, if you can find one. I prefer the "plain steel blade with no serrations" they are hard for even me to find. They are a great knife.
 
For production knives and or folders in general, Benchmade has always impressed. Quality, workmanship, materials, performance, warranty...etc. They are fantastic.

But the toughest knives in existence have to be the ones made by Busse. It is unreal how tough they are. They only do fixed blades, however and are quite expensive. But they are backed by a warranty which dares you to abuse them.
 
Aitor - Oso Negro

Picked up one of these on E-Bay for $100 - very nice ;)

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+1 for the Kershaw Ken Onion knives. I have a Scallion I carried for several years. I currently carry a Boker 1001. The Boker impresses me because the Kershaw needed to be sharpened every month or two (I cut cardboard alot) but I have only needed to sharpen the Boker once since last August. I do miss the easy opening of the Kershaw but the spring was wearing out so I bought a new knife.
 
I love my Benchmade 710. I have carried mine for a few years now even though I have quite a few ither knives. The blade is 154 CM and the scales are made of slip resistant G-10 laminate. The knife has a nice heft and the Axis lock is super smooth and strong. Corrosion resistance is excellent, expecially for an everyday carry.

I had a Kershaw Vapor (also a Ken Onion design), but it developed some surface rusting very quickly. If I recall, it had in integrated liner lock and was made entirely of stainless steel. It was a nice knife, but corrosion resistance was horrible.
 
Well I have been a student in boxing, TaeKwondo, Judo, Shui Chiao, and Tai Chi. I have studied Pentjak Silat extensively by book, but have been unable to locate a decent instructor. I have practiced with Katana, Chinese broad sword, and a few others. All my knife practice was done with ball point pens, but I have put in a few hours with that also. I just applied for a CCW but doubt I will ever use it because I feel so secure carrying just a knife. Not trying to brag, just indicating I have some idea how melee weapons function.

If you pull a knife on me with a serrated blade and I am unarmed, I will feel very confident that I will win the fight. Serrated blades are for wal-mart tactical snipers only.

Fairbairn Sykes mk III. Knife used by the SAS. GUNGHO makes a very good one (GUNG HO is Chinese for work together). Not balanced for throwing as it should be(throwing knives is also a waste of everyone's time in my opinion).

For something lighter a cheap switch blade bought out of Hong Kong. $10 and as much for shipping. The james dean style. Don't have to worry about throwing on in a trash can if you goto a concert and are unexpectedly going to get pat down or something. The springs don't last forever but at $10 who cares. They get weak but never break so you have plenty of time to replace without a failure. You can't sharpen them b/c the metal is cheap, but again $10. Don't worry about losing.

I can pick up any rifle made in the world and be proficient very quickly.
I am very particular about blades.
 
I wish these guys made knives (I would buy several). This is a Gransfors Bruks mini-hatchet. Impressed the hell out of me. The sharpness of the blade makes up for the small size. If anybody out there knows of a comparable knife steel composition please tell me.
 

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I'm not real impressed with the karmabit design. It seems like a knife you would just hang on the wall with other ninja stuff.

Folders:
I do like a lot of the SOG blades. Most are reasonably priced and well made. The Twitch XL is one of my favorites. Had one and lost it. Still have my Twitch II and a Blink though and others. I really like the SOG Mini-Vulcan for EDC. I may not replace the XL since I have the mini-vulcan. It is more knife than I need for most tasks, real fun to flip open, stays very sharp and is not too difficult to sharpen.

As a kid, I thought the SAK's or the copies were a bit gawdy and the ones I was aware of then, way too big to carry everyday. I carried a basic Case folder then which I still have. Later, I traveled a lot with my job, so I bought a Vic Tinker (the smaller one) and carried it for years, loosing them and replacing as soon as I could... Then I tried a Soldier model and really liked it. Decided it wasn't big enough for a lot of cutting, so I bought the Adventurer model which I often carry these days along with the SOG Mini-Vulcan. I have been most impressed with the dollar for dollar quality of the Vic SAKs and I highly recommend them for EDC. They are very non-threatening knives. In fact until 9-11, I routinely carried my SAK in my pocket during all airline travel and never had any problems. Try that with a karmbit design and you won't get past the metal detector even prior to 9-11.

The old Case knives always impressed me. The older Schrade knives and the classic Buck 110 were excellent knives. The Schatt & Morgan knives are well made folders of high quality. Spyderco makes good blades.

I don't own any Emerson's as they are too expensive for a using knife for me. I know they are well made blades however and if you can afford them, you probably won't be let down.

There lots of very good knives available these days and I by no means have tried them all or even tried a sample by each manufacturer. I'll leave the fixed blades for another day. I'm generally a folder guy. But, I'm thinking about getting a fixed blade Benchmade to try out.
 
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