On Amazon alternative, I have a knock-off Leek I bought out of curiosity, and it is virtually indistinguishable from the real deal besides missing the branding and having a better clip. I can say this because I have the Kershaw in a bunch of different colors.
i bought the benchmade bugout, it wasn't my jam. The handles where too flexy and the cross bar lock wasn't as comfortable to use (the crossbar is too close to the scales). so what i do now is put the knife in my wishlist and revisit it in a couple of months to see if i really want it or not
Outstanding video young man. I've done all of these things. I only watch reviews to get a detailed look at the knife in hand. I see guys buying knives just because they're the hot new limited edition only to be stuck with an unpopular knife they lose money on. I carry and use a CRK Small Inkosi. CRK knives have always been up to my standards for quality, cost, fit and finish and operation. I've never had lock issues. I would say the exact opposite of some expensive knives from top name makers. It was such a disappointment. And I totally agree with you regarding fixed blades. I spent a lot of money, but mostly a lot of time, getting the sheath I wanted for a certain knife. I don't do that anymore. I'm paying for the whole package and it should be right the first time. There are a couple of folders that I'd like to try when I have the money. I just can't spend money on an expensive maybe.
The RU-vid algorithms have blessed you this day. If you are coming up in my feed, you are coming up in a lot of peoples feed. This happens all the time, and in this case, you did a great job explaining the most salient points on this topic. I also appreciate you didn't dive too deep in any of them, or drone on; you were clear, concise, and complete. I hope you continue to make videos, and I'm going to put you on Subscribe for now. Great example using 30SC as an example of the new 'hotness', as you explained task and purpose and the deal with Magnacut. These videos are giving you excellent motivation for your research, and helping to make you an executive level speaker (some day). Keep up the great work!
Cheap isn't always a bad thing. It depends on if you are looking for a tool or something to show off. There are loads of great tools cheap. Knife industry is marketing and branding. Warranty is marketing with esee. Most knives have a warranty. Another fact super steels aren't super. Especially if its a work knife. It appears according to your video i see we buy knives for vastly different reasons.
Hey Brother. I just saw your channel for the first time, and I enjoyed it very much. I have made all these same mistakes myself and have learned that I only buy a knife now if I believe I will enjoy using it. I have quite a large collection of knives and I enjoy using them all from my cheap knives to my American made expensive ones. If a knife makes you happy then buy it and have fun with it.
I actually got the one in the picture for free from a friend, it's not horrible but there's a reason out of every knife I own I used it for the thumbnail lol.
Sog key knife is best key knife . But the lockback can fail, obviously for extra light duty tasks. Failed when ziptie hot spine of knife. If you know a better keychain knife that's discreet.
The only knife I legit regret having at this point was a "straight razor" gas station knife. I just liked the way the blade looked, and I knew what it was when I paid $10 for it. Somehow, it still found a way to disappoint me... That said I gotta agree with ya on all your points here. Been saving up for a 107XX, can't wait!
Viper Knives recently started making folders with Suretouch handles. I'd stick with micarta myself, I like rubber on my Mora knives but G10 never clicked with me.
A few things I'd put up as top considerations or plans for buying a new knife: 1. Is it legal where you live? AND is it legal to get into your country even if you enter in a different province/state? 2. If the knife you want is expensive, consider buying a cheap version to simply carry around and see if it fits your personal usage style. e.g. Throw $30 at the wall for a cheapo version and then see if it "fits" for you. Sometimes the cheap version may just fit the bill and be everything you need/want. Or, it can tell you whether the expensive version is worthwhile for you.
Re: Point 1, people don’t talk enough about the difference between how someone views a knife they paid for vs a knife they got for free. We saw this big time with the Spyderco Paysan. If someone said the knife was sent to them, *most of the time*, people skipped over the horrendous lock stick even though you could clearly hear/see it in the video. Re: Point 3, Im pretty sure this is what you meant, but while I think people should not *go into debt* to buy knives, I do think people should use a credit card to buy a knife if they can afford to buy it in cash. This is strictly because of the ability to do a chargeback and have it instantly resolved if you have a case. Some companies in many parts of the EDC world either don’t deliver what they promise or straight up don’t think they’re responsible if the package doesn’t make it to you. Regardless of your stance on things like that, you should still have some sort of recourse to protect yourself and chargebacks on your debit card aren’t as efficient as it is with a credit card. Oddly enough, parallels can once again be drawn between my money vs other people’s money when it comes to the banks compared to knife reviewers.
The biggest thing for me was realizing that steel doesn't matter for 99% of people and tasks. I've carried everything from 3cr to super steels and never had issues. Obviously consider price though. Also now there is very little reason to spend over $50 on a knife unless you really want usa made or something. Another important thing to consider is if you use a sharpening system to consider if a knife will work. For example, I use the worksharp benchstone and due to the design I can't get access to the entire blade on my pm2 so I look for knives with large choils to eliminate that.
Any authentic Chris Reeve, you can't go wrong. Fit and FINISH are always exceptionally consistent, and PERFECT quality. The custom pieces are even better
this is the answer if you can afford one. If I could dump my whole collection I wouldn't mind only having a large sebenza as my folder and an white river urus as a fixed blade.
If I could pick just one modern style folder, it would be my sebenza. I sold multiple nice knives to buy it. It’s the most expensive knife I own, and the most carried. There isn’t much point in buying one if you won’t use it. They are made as a working tool, not a show piece.
Except the soft heat treatment. They aren't worth the money to me. Overpriced old design. Frame locks suck. I really don't understand all the fanboys that refuse to admit the truth.
While I agree spending a little more is better than getting a cheaper knife, BUT thats how people end up buying a knife they never use since they spent $500 on it compared to buying a $50 beater knife.
Yeah just bought some kizer knives , 2.5" and less is what I carry and I keep using the mini pyrite. Well I lost it lol not to mad. Just sentimental value since I was learning to sharpen on it. But now carry spyderco ambitious serrated. I keep using cheaper steals and budgets nives cause I don't want to ruin them.
Good informative and honest video. For me a good burlap micarta is the sweet spot. The suregrip is a good idea but falls short in various aspects, mostly durability. That is why I avoid full rubber and wooden handles, I use my knives for batoning
Burlap micarta is one of my favorites. Super durable but still looks good. When I built this knife I didn't know a ton about Suretouch but figured even if it didn't hold up well, I could just warranty the knife if needed. So far so good though!
that "discoloration" is rust. high end stainless steels don't rust like typical carbon steels you are used to seeing. they don't rust in orange or yellow colors, but instead they turn dark gray and black, and the oxidation is usually surface deep without pitting. that's why they seem like it's just mere "discoloration", but in fact it's rust. not all stainless steels have equal rust resistance, and they all still require some minimal care and maintenance. the previous owner most likely used the blade in high moisture environment or left the blade dirty without promptly drying or cleaning it.
That makes sense, I always clean my gear after it gets dirty and wet so I've never seen one do that in person. I'll take a picture of it and send it to Benchmade and see what they say about it. Thank you for pointing that out. I'm really curious to see what they say about it now.
I got my Bark River Bravo 3 in Suretouch and it is really really good! It is noticeably different and slightly better than my Bravo 3 thats in Burlap Micarta
For most of my "hard-use" knives I'll probably still go Micarta or G10. But for some specific stuff like fishing knives I think I'd go with Suretouch. Bark River seems to be one of the only companies using it very often though
My BRK Bushcrafter and Cub have Suretouch on them. I've used the Bushcrafter a lot, especially in wet conditions. Great grip and zero issues. The only con is that Suretouch seems to add a bit of excess weight to the knife compared to other options out there. My fav handle material is still micarta and some of the woods like desert ironwood and maple burl but for heavy use the Suretouch has held up just fine.
I also have a knife with suretouch handles and can confirm its seems less durable. I dropped it and a chuck chipped off, to be fair this was on concrete. Personally i prefer g10 and micarta over the suretouch so far because it slides in and out of sheaths better and is feels more natural to handle. The stickiness of the rubber layers grabs too much for me and doesnt allow rotation of the handle as easily. Where this material shines, you did mention, is something like a knife for fishing like a filet knife or similar. Or possibly something like a large chopper such as a kukri, machete etc, Giving you a bit more grip.
Good review. I also do a lot of hiking. Usually I wear my Marathon. However it is a fairly expensive watch. I always keep an eye on Bertucci because I think they are great field watches. The only reason that I have never pulled the trigger on one of their models, I don't care for single pass or Nato straps.
Here to circumvent censorship to say water quenching and cooling air hardening steels, that are extremely sensitive to such, will have you with a steel at acts like a downgrade from what you’d expect. They have no desire to change and they censor everyone who speaks up. 0 tolerance for that. “This is just how we do things” would work but they don’t even comment. Shameful. I wish I could like them. Truly.
Did you see anybody utilizing a flat grind instead of a convex edge on any of their knives by chance? I've always thought a flat ground bark River option would be cool
Don't hold me to this, but I think someone did. I saw a flat grind Bark River but I'm not sure if they did that at the Grind-In or had someone else do it and just brought it along.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I live in Australia but would definitely try to go there if i ever went to America. One question, was it a big difference in price for different blanks, eg size and type of steel?
@mick1turner The price actually doesn't change based on blanks, steel, etc. So if you wanted a small little EDC knife in CPM154 or a bigger model in Magnacut, the price is the same. It is just random what blanks they have. So if you ever get a chance to come over to the USA and go to the event, you have to just see what blanks they have when you show up.
I had a warranty ticket plus sharpening and I got it back in 13 days after shipping it out. Their prices are stupid but the warranty is at least very good.
Per dollar you can find higher quality out there. But I think if someone isn't super into knives and will just end up buying something at Cabela's or REI, at least they have the warranty and it will be a decent knife.
Im currently getting mine done now and am experiencing the same level of service including updates through email. Very nice outfit to work with. It explains why they're so popular.
I’m at 3 weeks now but I don’t mind. I hear ppl saying blade replacement cost $90 but I just got mine replaced just now for $50 plus tax for a mini griptilian tanto. And yours is a fixed blade and still not $90 so I’m not sure what’s up with all the stories of blade replacement cost. Basically getting a brand new knife for $50. I think it’s definitely worth it. I used the heck out of that knife. Even if I threw the knife out I got more than my money worth. Benchmade has awesome customer service and I don’t mind paying a little more for it. Great video!
