Other Manufacturers?

[casey1]

So I ordered a Delica and sharpmaker, and I'm really looking forward to getting both of them. I also have a caly 3 on my list, but I'm also interested in other knife companies as well. Anyone have any info on the Cold Steel tri-ad lock? I like Cold Steel and Benchmade, and I wanna get one of each at some point. I'm also not going to spend a ton of money either though... Is Aus8a that bad? If I sharpen it regularly won't it be fine? How are these companies with bladeplay? Anything I should know?

Edit: Looking specifically at Mini-AK and Mini-Grip. Are these handles big enough?

[FlaMtnBkr]

I doubt you will get much talk about other companies on the Spyderco forum. Check out Bladeforums for talk about other knife companies.

As far as the Triad lock it is really strong but not that easy to use so more of a two hand knife. The lock is quite stiff and has to be pushed in a long ways. The knife I have is not very refined and has bad fit and finish. It's the type of knife that you can beat on and loan to people and not feel bad if it breaks. I personally think Cold Steel is a step down (or 2) from Spyderco.

Benchmade is a good company and on par with Spyderco although they have less variety.

[ChapmanPreferred]

You could also ask that this thread be moved to "off topic" here on the company forum. You would likely get more replies there than here in the main forum.

[casey1]

Ok... Thanks! I'll probably wait to get a CS then... at least till I can be in a place where it's legal to carry their bigger knives. I'll probably get the BM sooner

[npueppke]

I haven't really had great experiences with other companies. Kershaw makes alright knives but the styling isn't as good as Spyderco. I also have an Al Mar that is pretty nice, but again, you get better value with Spyderco.

For fixed blades, I'm a huge fan of Kabar knives. They make very good knives in my opinion.

As far as cold steel goes... their reputation for folders doesn't seem to be that great, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

[SmoothOne25]

me either.
benchmade is the only other knife brand i carry.
but i dont collect bm. only use. where as spyderco almost ensures you collect old models.

[2cha]

There is a thread on the triad lock in the off-topic section of the forum.

[markg]

Cold Steel's folders (the ones in question) are typical lower-middle quality Taiwanese knives. Very basic yet serviceable knives. The Tri-Ad lock is strong, but not super smooth.

If you want to try Benchmade, save a bit more and get something in the 710/520/940 level of knife. I find the Mini-Grip to be too small, the larger version is better.

[Pinetreebbs]

Other manufactures? Yes, and some make fine products, but they are all, Before Spyderco. :D

[bh49]

Honda also is making quality product.

[FLYBYU44]

I like Emersons, just can't stand liner locks. So I bought a used Emerson Horseman and I'm getting it converted to a Ti framelock. :) It will be awesome since Ernie has killer ergos on his knives (even better then Spyderco IMHO).

[Jay_Ev]

It has been my observation that it seems to be easy for most members here to get "tunnel vision" and refuse to even acknowledge that there are other fine quality knives out there. I think you will be happy with whichever one you choose.

[dbcad]

I've browsed other companies, but find Spyderco gives superior materials for the price for the types of blades I enjoy. I like to focus on steel quality and the ergonomics of the whole package. The highest quality steel I can get for the buck is usually the dominant factor. I don't buy for tactical reasons.

[phaust]

I've got a couple Benchmades and a couple Cold Steels.

Benchmade HK 14210: Nice knife with the same dimensions as a small Sebenza. I like the little recurve on it, which also adds belly. The only problem is the blade is too long for the handle; pressing down on the axis bar with thumb and index with the butt of the knife in one's palm will result in the blade slicing your palm! It happened to me. It's very smooth opening and closing, as each of my BMs are, and fit and finish is nice. $110 for a 3" 154cm knife is a little steep, though.

Benchmade 940: The weight to blade length ratio is great. I wish Spyderco still made knives with aluminum handles, though I understand they were unpopular. The handle is thin, so it's nice in the pocket. It carries very well for its size. My only complaint is the handle extends to the beginning of the blade's edge, so I've scraped paint off that tip of the handle while sharpening it.

Benchmade small Bone Collector: Another nice knife. Its chunky handles are very comfortable, and the sculpted G10 makes it very secure in one's grip. I plan to get a Spyderco PPT because this one has made me a fan of sculpted G10. I like BM's D2 heat treatment much better than their S30v (Spyderco's S30v outshines BM's S30v). My only complaint is they painted everything black, and it comes off with use and accumulates in areas of friction, such as the axis bar.

I like neither of my Cold Steel knives, a Mini AK-47 and Mini Lawman. I'd say the strong lock is the only thing going for them. Their price from a dealer is about twice what they're worth, IMO, given Aus8a blades and plastic washers (I bought mine second-hand). The inside edges of the G10 are sharp, which makes any shifting of one's hand painful as well as unlocking it. They are designed so that the back lock has to be pushed down much further than Spyderco's back locks, and the G10's cutout there isn't wide enough to accommodate that, so the G10 digs in right under the first thumb joint for me--very uncomfortable. They both have two pins in them, so to get them apart, they must be pried. The coating they use comes off just looking at it (I sanded it off). Neither can be flicked open because of the design of the blade tang. I also dislike the handle designs. I know they're the mini version, but I have small hands, and the finger grooves are way too close to each other. Without the grooves, they'd be fine. I have listed both for sale to get rid of them.

[racer88]

I only became a "knife guy" around last May. And, it started with a Spyderco. What attracted me then, and continues to attract me is the pure functionality of Spyderco knives. I really do like the Spyder Hole. I like the ergonomics of various models, too.

I'm just a "form follows function" kind of guy. Guess that's why I like Glocks. And, I like my cars the same way.

I also think the value of Spyderco knives is hard to beat. Ultimately, I'm just not jazzed by any of the other brands of knives. They just don't do much for me. I can't articulate exactly why. But, I just really like my Spydies, and I don't see any reason to stray from the brand.

[wsdavies]

Dollar for dollar the Ontario Rat 1 is hard to beat if you are looking for a value folder similar in functionality to the Tenacious. I have both and they are both fantastic knives for the money.

[yuldeli]

I have some BM, Kershaw and SAKs and enjoy them all. The reason is that Spydies find their way into my pocket most frequently is the ergos. I find that they fit my hand better than any other brand of knife. I also prefer the spydiehole to thumbstuds.

[araneae]

This really belongs in off topic, or elsewhere. I buy spydies because for the money you can't beat them. Why by a knife with inferior steel and ergonomics that costs more than a good spyderco?

[bh49]

Honda also is making quality product.

On the serious note.
I used to own BM: Griptilian, Presideo, and Ares. All of them gone many years ago. In my search for knives I bought Kershaw: Nakamura, Ti/ZDP Mini Cyclone, and SG2 Blur. I didn't like bolsters on Nakamura; Mini Cyclone, the size like my Caly3, but didn't fit well into my hand, Sold both of them within a week after I bought it. Blur lasted much longer, couple month probably. Good ergos, nice blade, but it didn't bring me as much joy like my Persian or R2. So it was sold as well.
Last summer I bought Mcusta Take Cocobolo. This one is a keeper. Thinking about getting Mcusta Bamboo.

[jackknifeh]

So I ordered a Delica and sharpmaker, and I'm really looking forward to getting both of them. I also have a caly 3 on my list, but I'm also interested in other knife companies as well. Anyone have any info on the Cold Steel tri-ad lock? I like Cold Steel and Benchmade, and I wanna get one of each at some point. I'm also not going to spend a ton of money either though... Is Aus8a that bad? If I sharpen it regularly won't it be fine? How are these companies with bladeplay? Anything I should know?

Edit: Looking specifically at Mini-AK and Mini-Grip. Are these handles big enough?

I've looked at Cold Steel but never bought one of the folders. I did order two of the new Voyager knives last year but they were cancelled. I wanted the Tri-ad lock, VG-1 san-mai blade and I liked the look of the knives. The AK and some others look too much like they were designed as weapons than tools. That's only me though. Their existence seems to be centered around fighting. Anyway here is the link for the new Voyagers.

http://www.coldsteel.com/voyager-series.html

I'm still considering getting the 3" blade one but not sure. The only other manufacturer I have more than one knife is SOG. The Tomcat 3.0 is one of my favorite knives. I also like the Trident. I have had more problems with the lock on both knives though and had to send them in for repair. Since getting them back though I've had no problems. I only use the Tomcat though. The Trident is just in my toolbox. Nice knife though and the grove for string and cord is very convenient. That is a very very nice feature. I'd love to see Spyderco do that. That feature in itself would guarantee sales I believe. It's also a feature that doesn't take anything away from any knife model they already have. Some may say it weakens the handle some but if the handle is made of good stuff it would be fine. I used to use the Trident a lot and never even noticed any weakness in the handle. AUS-8A steel is good. Not the best but definately usable. You know 10 or 15 years ago 440C was one of the best so I understand. Now it's not any worse than it used to be, it's just that technology has make better steels available. Just because we now have ZDP-189 doesn't mean AUS-8A is useless.

Cold Steel seems to be about knife/sword fighting. SOG seems to be about military/combat or even law enforcement use. Spyderco seems to be about EDC for the average person. That's just an observation I have but may be wrong.

Jack