I agree with this tier list. I own Chris Reeves, ZTs, opinel, etc but if someone were to ask what a solid no bs folder would be, id look around, and whisper “cold steel”
@@z33thr33 Spartan is good. Never had a quiet carry. The almost is just referring to the usual, weird grind lines, uneven bevels. And a strange QC issue on my stretch
The sprint runs, limited edition, etc. really bum me out sometimes. Just like “heeeyyy because you have a life outside of knives and weren’t paying attention, you weren’t fast enough to get iiiiitttt; no soup for youuuuu!!!”
You don’t have to buy them. Sprint runs bring combinations they otherwise couldn’t do and spread the risk. They can only make so many knives. This give the knife nerds a chance at something unique. Without sprints... you only have a few options.
@David Martin Portmann They do listen. Spyderco has made a lot of knives that could have been sprint runs into production runs. they can't do it with everything.
Mike Stahl, we understand we don’t ‘have’ to buy them, just like you don’t ‘have’ to buy your limited edition Easter Oreos, but like the bulk of the knife community, you might get a touch salty when you don’t have the option to purchase them because they only made 100 boxes and you got stuck in traffic and didn’t get there in time. No, it’s not life altering but damnit, you wanted those cookies; those cookies meant a lot to you, and now your eyeing the Snackwells like some sort of Nancy boy, which you definitely are NOT! (Nothing personal, just musing)
@@Petunia31 Haha agreed. And now that we’ve had the COVID crisis, it seems like every single enthusiast endeavor is limited due to material or production limitations. Everything from home gym equipment to the new gaming consoles, PC parts, you name it. All of my interests now have major scalping problems, online queues, sell outs in 5 seconds etc. pre COVID, I was a bit frustrated with the Spyderco sprint run thing, but now? I absolutely hate it and think the artificial scarcity is some toxic business practice that sustains itself because they know us knife nerds won’t say no, and if we do, well scalpers and the 3rd party pick up the slack. Really not a fan at all anymore.
My dude, I wanna express my utmost appreciation and gratitude for these videos that you do, especially the tier lists, and those Mule Team steel lists. Not to say all the work you put in doing random edge retention testing on many many steels go unnoticed, they do not! You’re doing a huge service to so many of us and saving us so much time, energy, money, headache, etc etc and I want you to know so many of us are stoked on you and what you do. You’re a badass, thank you x1000
Why cold steel has my loyalty, they were the first company to so many things in my hand that I couldn't afford elsewhere. Like my first super steel, XHP, and it wasn't in a junk knife, it was good quality with good materials and had a good heat treatment. They're still the only ones to make 3V affordable in decent fixed blades with a good heat treatment (cough benchmade cough). There goofy stuff is still well made, it's not junk just because it's gimmicky, huge bowies aren't 440A, they're O1 or 3v.
Cold steel won my heart for the year with the 4 max scout. Wanted a 4max since I first saw it, $550 was waaaay more than I was willing to pay. But now I have one, for less than 25% of that. And I couldn't be happier.
Quite happy with your assessment of Cold Steel. I think for a couple years they were considered kind of uncool. But I agree with you on their variety. And after "learning by buying" way too many knives, I happily settled on a Cold Steel Recon 1, partially serrated, with no longer available but excellent CTS XHP steel as my EDC. And I've donated fundage to acquire 7 more of his Cold Steel cousins. One of the most overrated brands is ZT. Good on paper, good looking, overpriced, light on practicality. Cheers from the Czech Republic.
They are the only company I can think of were their knife would last for a lifetime. (The edge consistancy). If I could only have 1 knife for the rest of my life it would be crk
Completely agree about Cold Steel. I didn't used to be a fan but I find their quality control to be a step above other companies for the most part (price range wise). I've hardly had any issues with their knives compared to my Ka-bar, Spyderco, Tops, Ontario knives.
Bark River use premium material, are made where the owners work not outsourced, are hand finished, use a large selection of material variety in each design, use designers works and make them production and sell at very reasonable prices. I can't see how Falkniven can compete on any of these points, I'm lost why they are youtuber darlings.
Back in the late 90's, my first "real knife" purchase was a Gerber Paraframe, but, even as a newbie it just really didn't do it for me, I just couldn't put my finger on why though at the time, it just felt like smoke and mirrors low quality, then I found Cold Steel, it wasn't real expensive but felt so right. And that's when I got hooked on knives.
What lol. Mtech is gas station quality stuff. Stuff you win at the fair lol. Microtech is a different story but they aren't the same as Protech. Microtech makes a whole lot of autos but a lot of them are OTFs the only Protech I know of that is an OTF is a single action Microtech has tons of OTFs to pick from and a lot of them are DAs. I like both a lot though and Protech makes one of the best folding autos out there. See a lot of companies collaborating with them like Ferrum Forge and Arcform when they want an auto version of a knife they already make as a manual folder.
@@redsorgum there best knife wouldnt even come close to cold steels worst knife. They cant even compare with any other company I would even say schrade is 10x better
I'm a huge Kershaw fan. Mainly because my first quality knife in stainless steel was a leek. Before that I used to EDC a 70-80 year old Montgomery wards pocket knife my grandpa gave me. Nowadays I carry either a Spyderco paramilitary 3 in the new cpm S45vn or a kershaw link in cpm 20cv. Really like both of them. Usually like to use pocket knives that can open a letter and be capable of ripping open blister packs.
I'm surprised that Bestech didn't make the list. The last Benchmade (Valet) that I purchased was HORRIBLE. After I took it apart, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled it, it was passable. I don't consider them to be in the second tier. I received my first Two Sun knife today. It was impressive. Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed it. BTW, my last two CS knives are the AD-10 and 15. Not for those with tight jeans, but they are great knives.
Böker deserves a higher tier, if only for the fact that they really do have a system of brands to un-muddle the waters (unlike eg. Gerber) which are far and deep, considering how many models they put out. Böker Solingen - Made in Germany (mostly traditional designs, but some outdoor and tactical) Böker Arbolito - Made in Argentina (mostly outdoor fixed blades, some tactical) Böker Plus - Made in Asia (decent quality custom design collaborations, much like CRKT) Böker Magnum - Made in China (mostly generic OEM stuff, but with Böker QC)
My favorite knife brands are Spyderco, Victorinox, and Mora. You can cover all bases with those 3 brands. Honorable mentions to Buck and Cold Steel (I think Buck discontinued the Marksman though?). I don't expect innovations from Victorinox. They make some well-designed, classic products at really good prices, and nothing's made in China. I'm done supporting Chinese made stuff because buying things made in China is like supporting Nazi Germany in the 1930's. I know people don't wanna look too closely at that, but maybe it's time they do. I love Spyderco but I'm done with their Chinese lines. Same goes for all knife companies. Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur Muslims, fentanyl mass murder, etc etc etc. Time to sever all ties.
Exactly. That's why I have no problems to pay more for stuff. I don't support the totalitarian technocratic regime in China like our disgusting bought off elites in the world do. Who dream about the same kind of power over their people like the Communists have over their slaves. I just bought a stove made in the USA and a hot tent from Europe. Imported to Canada. Not cheap, lots of headaches with UPS and DHL. But my conscience is clean.
No more supporting a nation that commits genocide to the weak and vulnerable of there people. Shame on them and shame any one who cheats out to them for profit. That’s why all my knives are Mora’s and one knife that’s very special to me and I’m proud of is my Strong Arm made in Portland Oregon. God bless you all from Scotland 🏴
The American globalist swamp creatures love china, did you know even back when Bill Clinton was president he gave a fully guided to of all of our top military bases to top CHINESE GENERALS, the Chinese have bought an blackmailed politicians from around the world, they also lied about the source of the C-19, fauci lied about gain of function, the globalist swamp creatures released a BIOLOGICAL weapon on mankind an yet no one has payed the pioer for doing so.
KaBar Becker Knives are amazing and similar in quality to Esee's of the same size. Otherwise I agree in large part with your analysis. Especially putting Cold Steel and Spyderco at the top. Both awesome brands.
you mentioned its hard to find custom knives. so you have any recommendations as far as a bushcraft style? the market is so flooded and I don't know enough about steel to make an educated decision. I am learning rapidly as a I do for all my interest but Im still in the beginning stages. I am considering LT WRIGHT but even with them im not sure what I should purchase.
I’d say your list is pretty spot on. Cold steel and spyderco are very reliable for factory sharpness. Cold steel definitely hard tests every design. They are hard use with mediocre fit and finish and spyderco as the regular use and good fit and finish. Spyderco I love all the sprint runs despite the negative outcomes of profiteering. I think if your a spyderco fanboy you know what you’re getting into. Everyone trying to get something someone else can’t. Human nature. I almost prefer to not know about the the politics of brands. I don’t want to know the ceo bangs dolphins on the weekend. Sometimes I just want to be ignorant of these things.
These ranking videos are always really great, and I really like the tier list style for this kind of video. I'm already excited for next years version! I'm also glad to see I'm not alone in my appreciation of Cold Steel. For being run by someone as crazy as Lynn Thompson: they make a ton of great stuff. Most of my rankings would probably just be shifting stuff up or down one level from yours, except for Boker. I wish they got more love, they are one of my favorites. I get that that the Magnum ones are basically just Schrade and the German made Tree Brand ones are overpriced traditionals, but a lot of Boker Plus is really awesome. They are a little more expensive than the materials usually warrant, but in my opinion they have some of the nicest looking designs and they do a ridiculous amount of collaborations with awesome custom makers. I also tend to worry a lot about rust, so I like that they use a lot more VG-10 and 440C than D2. I'm not saying they're the best, but I've always thought they're much better than a D.
Ice_Berg I bought a Boker Plus online and was surprised at how poor the finishing is - sharp edges on the handle and thumb stud, a design that pinches my thumb as I open it, and imprecise alignment. I won’t buy their stuff again.
You are so right... I bought this Leopard damascus Gold 42 from böker and I'm looking forward to get it in my collection. I got very sad when nobody has any kind of respect for boker :(
I only have 4 of the brands you listed. I agree completely with the tier placement of them. The brands I have and their placement order are: Cold steel-for the reason you mentioned, great steel, great quality, great price Fallkniven-great quality, good steel but very limited steel choice Bark River-good steel, bad initial quality Gerber(AR3.5, plier tools)-one hand opening pliers are great, my 20 year old folder AR3.5 is a decent knife
As a freshman in highschool cold steel was my favorite then I became a "sophisticated knife owner" and hated cold steel and only liked benchmade, spyderco, and zt. Started working construction and in a factory. Cold steel is my favorite again. Still love my delica and mini grip thou!
I have a STEEL WILL Apostate, which is a awesome knife. S35VN Steel, G10 and Titanium handles. And I carry my COLD STEEL RECON-1 every single day. Best work knife you could ever ask for.
Any opinion about white river knives ? i want ot buy the newer model but nearly impossible to get in europe i could got an another one fom the delivery fee... ( i got a lot of cold steels and a spyderco delica with stainles steel handle vg 10 and a really old victorinox )
Spiderco should change their name to broketip co. Lol I like them but man I brake every single one I get. No I don't use it as a screwdriver, I just have to have hard use knives. Which is why I carry mostly coldsteel.
Spot on with LT Wright, I have a patriot, camp MUK, and a Scandi genesis. I beat the crap out of the Genesis and it is still fantastic. Also, not only their knives, but the sheaths that come with them are some of the best I've used.
Really enjoyed that video. It takes a bit of courage to put yourself out there like that. Really appreciate it. Have you ever had any TOPS knives? I think they make a whole lot of interesting models and do a great job with good old 1095. As an Aussie, I find quite a few of their knives are reasonably priced, too.
David Cooke Tops look overpriced to me. Schrade quality at Spyderco prices. Thousands of designs using the same mediocre steel and coating everything because it rusts. Yuk!
I’m glad to see cold steel at the top. I always get a kick out of the reactions I get from people within the knife community when there is a post asking what you are carrying and I post a picture of my 4-Max. I don’t have a single cold steel knife that I don’t absolutely love. They offer a ton of knife for the money
@@josemariaalipio449 Spidie has too many Lada's and Trabant's in its roster (and they all look the same) to be considered anywhere near a sports car manufacturer.
once I got a promotion of Kyzer, I buyed one nice folding in m390 steel but some day after they talked to me that they did a mistake in the steel label for 154CPM, and i said ok, but more two days and they said that they didn't had the folding knife that I bought. They are not serious.
Good list. I personally would move ESSE to A and move CRKT to B. The CRKT minimalist is probably my fav edc fixed blade for everyday. White river I would also be good at A rank.
Yeah I got an ozf002 made by lionsteel and I love the design BUT it is wayyyyyyyyy too thick behind the edge and didnt come very sharp. Not looking forward to sharpening it
ZT have gone so far down the list for many Australians as one of their few distributors here did some not very nice and embarrassing things. After questioning ZT about it, they blocked whoever queried it via social media. I would put them as a D for that, but purely for their knives as a whole a B.
As far as historical weapons go Cold Steel was last I looked low end and clunky. Albion and Arms and Armor were way above them. Lynn Thompson is apparently good at starting and running business but unfortunately is also a Steven Segal wannabe. His sword demo videos were (I haven't seen one in four or five years at least now) right up there with the 2002 "star wars kid".
Get a Spartan Blades knife. They are a premium, but I'm trying them out now and I'm sold, thus far. Your list is spot-on in my opinion. Benchmade has me when it comes to folders due SOLELY to their axis lock. Liner locks and back locks are like trying to sell me a wood stove for my house; there are better, safer, and more reliable options than antiquated methods. My experience with Benchmade's fixed blades wasn't pleasant, but Spartan Blades seem to have nailed it. My only wish is that knife makers would pair up with multiple sheath makers for options to fit the three needs: molle, kydex, and leather. I have a custom kydex sheath for one of my knives, but I'd love a leather option that either didn't require me sending my knife off, or getting a ping-pong paddle sized sheath. A partnership like that, as a standard, would increase sales on both sides.
Few years later, shrade seems like it's gotten a little bit better but still not amazing. They have some good folders in aus10 and a few good fixed blades.
forgot to add i just got a new cold steel air lite i think,the newest one anyhow i was so expecting it to be awesome...kind of disappointed the grind is just too thick,lots of sharp corners hurt my hand to whittle on a piece of oak,other than that cold steel is the bomb--still in love with some of their old japan knives and their taiwan stuff is crazy good
Great List! I'm certainly gonna have to take a better look at Cold Steel now, I just wish they'd update some steel on their older models. I really like the Steel Tiger and Espada design wise, but AUS-8 is way to easy to chip for a Karambit. Tried out WE Knives this year with the Sugga, usually their designs seem very "mall knife" for me, but the Sugga was a nice median. It'd be great to see Bradford and Reate on this list. Reate has some great machines and would be a great contender to WE. And Bradford is fixed-blade Bushcrafting knife company from Washington State. They offer some of their knifes in Elmax, and it's some of the toughest I've tried yet.
My high school Kung Fu instructor was friends with Lynn Thompson. He actually sold us many practice weapons for pennies on the dollar. Love Cold Steel!
Just came here to say, am a Spyderco fanboy, the Shaman is the best knife I’ve ever owned, and your placement of said Spyderco is spot on. That is all 👍🏻
Hilarious review of the companies, and I whole heartedly agree, but I'd have put Gerber in F, too. I bought 1 Boker knife, a mini AK74 auto knife in S30V made in Taiwan. Knife came without a cutting edge. Huh?! Took over an hour to get an edge on it. I bought a limited edition Emerson Sheepdog in S35VN. Was all excited. But blade was off center. Came dirty and grindy. Pivot screw loosens about every 10-15 openings. What a let down. Not to mention Emerson uses mid-range steel unless it's a limited run. $250 for 154CM? Yeah... No. I've had my bad luck with Spyderco, too. Like their Endura 4 Wave.... carried it for 5 years, but when I really needed it that VG10 steel was miserable. It's great to see them incorporate so many high-end steels into their knives now. I own too many Cold Steel knives and I was sad to see them move away from XHP to S35VN, but when I've really needed a knife in severe situations, my Cold Steel knives have never let me down. Now to move to a rain forest to try out my Espada XL.
I agree mostly with your list you need to look at some reate knives there some of the best production knives out there i have knives from almost everyone on your list reate would be one of the best for folders great video
Cold Steel knives and Cold Steel weapons are two separate entities in my eyes. Cold Steel is a big dog in both market places. Their knives are big, durable and have a weaponized aesthetic to them. I don't like the look but I can't fault the craftsmanship. Their Demco collaborations are some of their best work. I probably won't own one myself but I have no problem recommending their knives to my friends. Their weapons follow the same design philosophy as their knives: thick, tough and durable. They make good beater swords but if you're looking for performance, nearly any company not named Deepeeka will give you a better performing product. The reason why none of this matters is because of how much depth Cold Steel has in their product line. As Pete says in the video "nobody else makes a polish mace" which is true. But Cold Steel makes a German mace and so do many other companies and when somebody actually makes a product to compete with Cold Steel, the other company is more often than not the better product. But Cold Steel stays relevant due to the sheer volume of weapons they make. They make things nobody else makes, so if you want to buy a Zulu Ilkwa spear, Cold Steel is your only option. And if Cold Steel doesn't make one, chances are nobody else makes one. TL;DR: Cold Steel knives are well made. Cold Steel weapons are an inferior product.
Kershaw is my favorite knife company. I like my kershaw link in 20cv and think its better than my spyderco manix 2 lw in spy27. I never had a benchmade thus far.
Great info, thanks. My only really big change on that list is Spyderco, benchmade n Spyderco overprice EVERY knife they make n cuz they are the 'cool' knives guys keep paying ridiculous prices. of course, that bumps up the prices even further. But as always, I learn a lot from every one of your vids. Thanks again. Blessings.
Hey, thanks for that! We're so happy to hear you like our knives and have had a good experience with us!
The person from LTW who answered my email was pretty rude.
@@_jajajaja_ were you asking stupid questions?
IMHO, LT Wright are right up there with Spyderco.
I agree with this tier list. I own Chris Reeves, ZTs, opinel, etc but if someone were to ask what a solid no bs folder would be, id look around, and whisper “cold steel”
I gotta go with Spyderco.
@@z33thr33 spyderco has never let me down [almost]
@@underskillednunderpaid if budget is not an issue, I'd have to lean towards Quiet Carry or Spartan Blades. I'm curious about the "almost"
@@z33thr33 Spartan is good. Never had a quiet carry. The almost is just referring to the usual, weird grind lines, uneven bevels. And a strange QC issue on my stretch
The sprint runs, limited edition, etc. really bum me out sometimes. Just like “heeeyyy because you have a life outside of knives and weren’t paying attention, you weren’t fast enough to get iiiiitttt; no soup for youuuuu!!!”
@David Martin Portmann Yes
You don’t have to buy them. Sprint runs bring combinations they otherwise couldn’t do and spread the risk. They can only make so many knives. This give the knife nerds a chance at something unique. Without sprints... you only have a few options.
@David Martin Portmann They do listen. Spyderco has made a lot of knives that could have been sprint runs into production runs. they can't do it with everything.
Mike Stahl, we understand we don’t ‘have’ to buy them, just like you don’t ‘have’ to buy your limited edition Easter Oreos, but like the bulk of the knife community, you might get a touch salty when you don’t have the option to purchase them because they only made 100 boxes and you got stuck in traffic and didn’t get there in time. No, it’s not life altering but damnit, you wanted those cookies; those cookies meant a lot to you, and now your eyeing the Snackwells like some sort of Nancy boy, which you definitely are NOT!
(Nothing personal, just musing)
@@Petunia31
Haha agreed. And now that we’ve had the COVID crisis, it seems like every single enthusiast endeavor is limited due to material or production limitations. Everything from home gym equipment to the new gaming consoles, PC parts, you name it.
All of my interests now have major scalping problems, online queues, sell outs in 5 seconds etc. pre COVID, I was a bit frustrated with the Spyderco sprint run thing, but now?
I absolutely hate it and think the artificial scarcity is some toxic business practice that sustains itself because they know us knife nerds won’t say no, and if we do, well scalpers and the 3rd party pick up the slack.
Really not a fan at all anymore.
My dude, I wanna express my utmost appreciation and gratitude for these videos that you do, especially the tier lists, and those Mule Team steel lists. Not to say all the work you put in doing random edge retention testing on many many steels go unnoticed, they do not! You’re doing a huge service to so many of us and saving us so much time, energy, money, headache, etc etc and I want you to know so many of us are stoked on you and what you do. You’re a badass, thank you x1000
Why cold steel has my loyalty, they were the first company to so many things in my hand that I couldn't afford elsewhere. Like my first super steel, XHP, and it wasn't in a junk knife, it was good quality with good materials and had a good heat treatment. They're still the only ones to make 3V affordable in decent fixed blades with a good heat treatment (cough benchmade cough). There goofy stuff is still well made, it's not junk just because it's gimmicky, huge bowies aren't 440A, they're O1 or 3v.
I think lionsteel has done some more affordable 3v haven’t they? But otherwise I agree with you!
Cold Steel Twistmaster!👍
Love my CS knives too. Would be nice though if they experimented with more steels like Rex45 or S90v
Benchmade fixed their 3v heat treat issues, to be fair
im still salty because of their sanmai thing. still havent bought a cold steel knife
Watched video for knives and I ended up buying a new toilet seat.
Sounds kind of shitty...😧
For me, there's a hole in that approach.
I think they make a heated bidet model
Cold steel won my heart for the year with the 4 max scout. Wanted a 4max since I first saw it, $550 was waaaay more than I was willing to pay. But now I have one, for less than 25% of that. And I couldn't be happier.
Quite happy with your assessment of Cold Steel. I think for a couple years they were considered kind of uncool. But I agree with you on their variety. And after "learning by buying" way too many knives, I happily settled on a Cold Steel Recon 1, partially serrated, with no longer available but excellent CTS XHP steel as my EDC. And I've donated fundage to acquire 7 more of his Cold Steel cousins. One of the most overrated brands is ZT. Good on paper, good looking, overpriced, light on practicality. Cheers from the Czech Republic.
Your opinion and a few dollars will get you a coffee. Cold steel is fine, zt is better in literally every way
At 9:50 I could almost hear the collective "wtf" from tens of thousands of Sebenza owners. You're a bold man, Peter.
Sebenza owners don't care, they're worse than Honeybadgers😂
No sir he is correct. CRK is overrated.
They are the only company I can think of were their knife would last for a lifetime. (The edge consistancy). If I could only have 1 knife for the rest of my life it would be crk
Sebenza is a quality folding pocket knife. That’s it. This is an accurate placement for the knife.
Completely agree about Cold Steel. I didn't used to be a fan but I find their quality control to be a step above other companies for the most part (price range wise). I've hardly had any issues with their knives compared to my Ka-bar, Spyderco, Tops, Ontario knives.
I know I'm late but what issues did you have with Spyderco and TOPS?
Bark River use premium material, are made where the owners work not outsourced, are hand finished, use a large selection of material variety in each design, use designers works and make them production and sell at very reasonable prices. I can't see how Falkniven can compete on any of these points, I'm lost why they are youtuber darlings.
Great work mate!
You have a lot of genuine TH-cam knife friends.
Back in the late 90's, my first "real knife" purchase was a Gerber Paraframe, but, even as a newbie it just really didn't do it for me, I just couldn't put my finger on why though at the time, it just felt like smoke and mirrors low quality, then I found Cold Steel, it wasn't real expensive but felt so right. And that's when I got hooked on knives.
Cold Steel finally gets the respect they deserve! Great list!
Spyderco brings high quality super steels to the masses at affordable prices... I love their sprint runs!
Though I'm a fool for it as well, it's a way to drive up prices because of demand over supply. Then causes more on 3rd party market
Where is Mtech how could they not be top tier basically the same as protech right?
What lol. Mtech is gas station quality stuff. Stuff you win at the fair lol. Microtech is a different story but they aren't the same as Protech. Microtech makes a whole lot of autos but a lot of them are OTFs the only Protech I know of that is an OTF is a single action Microtech has tons of OTFs to pick from and a lot of them are DAs. I like both a lot though and Protech makes one of the best folding autos out there. See a lot of companies collaborating with them like Ferrum Forge and Arcform when they want an auto version of a knife they already make as a manual folder.
The Mtech extreme line of knives, are actually pretty decent.
@@redsorgum there best knife wouldnt even come close to cold steels worst knife. They cant even compare with any other company I would even say schrade is 10x better
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Mtech are solely useful for shanking people on a budget both literally and ironically
I'm a huge Kershaw fan. Mainly because my first quality knife in stainless steel was a leek. Before that I used to EDC a 70-80 year old Montgomery wards pocket knife my grandpa gave me. Nowadays I carry either a Spyderco paramilitary 3 in the new cpm S45vn or a kershaw link in cpm 20cv. Really like both of them. Usually like to use pocket knives that can open a letter and be capable of ripping open blister packs.
I'm surprised that Bestech didn't make the list. The last Benchmade (Valet) that I purchased was HORRIBLE. After I took it apart, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled it, it was passable. I don't consider them to be in the second tier. I received my first Two Sun knife today. It was impressive. Thank you for the video. I really enjoyed it. BTW, my last two CS knives are the AD-10 and 15. Not for those with tight jeans, but they are great knives.
LOVE Bestech! I think Kombu is my favorite designer.
Böker deserves a higher tier, if only for the fact that they really do have a system of brands to un-muddle the waters (unlike eg. Gerber) which are far and deep, considering how many models they put out.
Böker Solingen - Made in Germany (mostly traditional designs, but some outdoor and tactical)
Böker Arbolito - Made in Argentina (mostly outdoor fixed blades, some tactical)
Böker Plus - Made in Asia (decent quality custom design collaborations, much like CRKT)
Böker Magnum - Made in China (mostly generic OEM stuff, but with Böker QC)
Totaly agree an A
Yay for Cold Steel! I carry my AUS-10 XL Tanto Voyager every day along with my Leatherman Surge 🙌
I have a soft spot in my heart for Victorinox. It's almost as soft as their blade steel. Almost but not quite
My favorite knife brands are Spyderco, Victorinox, and Mora. You can cover all bases with those 3 brands. Honorable mentions to Buck and Cold Steel (I think Buck discontinued the Marksman though?). I don't expect innovations from Victorinox. They make some well-designed, classic products at really good prices, and nothing's made in China. I'm done supporting Chinese made stuff because buying things made in China is like supporting Nazi Germany in the 1930's. I know people don't wanna look too closely at that, but maybe it's time they do. I love Spyderco but I'm done with their Chinese lines. Same goes for all knife companies. Hong Kong, Tibet, Uyghur Muslims, fentanyl mass murder, etc etc etc. Time to sever all ties.
Exactly. That's why I have no problems to pay more for stuff. I don't support the totalitarian technocratic regime in China like our disgusting bought off elites in the world do. Who dream about the same kind of power over their people like the Communists have over their slaves. I just bought a stove made in the USA and a hot tent from Europe. Imported to Canada. Not cheap, lots of headaches with UPS and DHL. But my conscience is clean.
No more supporting a nation that commits genocide to the weak and vulnerable of there people. Shame on them and shame any one who cheats out to them for profit. That’s why all my knives are Mora’s and one knife that’s very special to me and I’m proud of is my Strong Arm made in Portland Oregon. God bless you all from Scotland 🏴
The American globalist swamp creatures love china, did you know even back when Bill Clinton was president he gave a fully guided to of all of our top military bases to top CHINESE GENERALS, the Chinese have bought an blackmailed politicians from around the world, they also lied about the source of the C-19, fauci lied about gain of function, the globalist swamp creatures released a BIOLOGICAL weapon on mankind an yet no one has payed the pioer for doing so.
I know this is an old video, but Jesus you guys really hate China that much and you really listen to the propaganda don't you??
I agree with coldsteel; I prefer a lockback over a frame/liner due to safety reasons. Keeps my fingers out of the way.
Spydie, Benchmade...Both seem to be increasing in price like a rocket ship to Mars...
3yrs after your comment, the rocket ship is still full throttle. Absolutely ridiculous prices.
This gave me a good overview of the main brands available, I found it very helpful. Thank you Sir.
KaBar Becker Knives are amazing and similar in quality to Esee's of the same size. Otherwise I agree in large part with your analysis. Especially putting Cold Steel and Spyderco at the top. Both awesome brands.
you mentioned its hard to find custom knives. so you have any recommendations as far as a bushcraft style?
the market is so flooded and I don't know enough about steel to make an educated decision. I am learning rapidly as a I do for all my interest but Im still in the beginning stages.
I am considering LT WRIGHT but even with them im not sure what I should purchase.
I’d say your list is pretty spot on.
Cold steel and spyderco are very reliable for factory sharpness. Cold steel definitely hard tests every design. They are hard use with mediocre fit and finish and spyderco as the regular use and good fit and finish. Spyderco I love all the sprint runs despite the negative outcomes of profiteering. I think if your a spyderco fanboy you know what you’re getting into. Everyone trying to get something someone else can’t. Human nature.
I almost prefer to not know about the the politics of brands. I don’t want to know the ceo bangs dolphins on the weekend. Sometimes I just want to be ignorant of these things.
Customers: I'm worried about where your knives are manufactured.
Quartermaster: don't you worry about our manufacturing, let me worry about blank.
These ranking videos are always really great, and I really like the tier list style for this kind of video. I'm already excited for next years version!
I'm also glad to see I'm not alone in my appreciation of Cold Steel. For being run by someone as crazy as Lynn Thompson: they make a ton of great stuff.
Most of my rankings would probably just be shifting stuff up or down one level from yours, except for Boker. I wish they got more love, they are one of my favorites. I get that that the Magnum ones are basically just Schrade and the German made Tree Brand ones are overpriced traditionals, but a lot of Boker Plus is really awesome. They are a little more expensive than the materials usually warrant, but in my opinion they have some of the nicest looking designs and they do a ridiculous amount of collaborations with awesome custom makers. I also tend to worry a lot about rust, so I like that they use a lot more VG-10 and 440C than D2. I'm not saying they're the best, but I've always thought they're much better than a D.
Ice_Berg I bought a Boker Plus online and was surprised at how poor the finishing is - sharp edges on the handle and thumb stud, a design that pinches my thumb as I open it, and imprecise alignment. I won’t buy their stuff again.
You are so right... I bought this Leopard damascus Gold 42 from böker and I'm looking forward to get it in my collection. I got very sad when nobody has any kind of respect for boker :(
Wait...no Morakniv?!? Surely the most have introduced a new color to a knife you hate enough to make the list...no?!? 🤔 smart move!😉
Morakniv and Opinel, Victorinox and even Case. Each of them at the top of their own game. You don't have to play, but you've got to give them a try👌
Esoteric except for case knives, I have the other three, which are very nice knives.
Only good thing about Mora is the price.... might as well just grab a kitchen table knife outta ur moms drawer
@@baroneb5043 Mora Garberg is a pretty decent knife by any standard.
Why do you prefer LT Wright over bark river?
Where would you place Sanrenmu (manufacturer of Ruike / Real Steel) and Ganzo?
LT Wright Knives! Good stuff!
would have put Bark River in A tier.
I only have 4 of the brands you listed. I agree completely with the tier placement of them. The brands I have and their placement order are:
Cold steel-for the reason you mentioned, great steel, great quality, great price
Fallkniven-great quality, good steel but very limited steel choice
Bark River-good steel, bad initial quality
Gerber(AR3.5, plier tools)-one hand opening pliers are great, my 20 year old folder AR3.5 is a decent knife
As a freshman in highschool cold steel was my favorite then I became a "sophisticated knife owner" and hated cold steel and only liked benchmade, spyderco, and zt. Started working construction and in a factory. Cold steel is my favorite again. Still love my delica and mini grip thou!
How could you forget Opinel? I'm sure they've come out with some exciting new knives recently.
Absolutely! They have this great new model with carbon steel and a birch handle which is, oh, hang on, a few decades old (but still great).
@@matthewvelo Their standard handle material is beech, though. ;)
@@kaizoebara Hey man. You don't have to be a beech about it ;P
@@lommerdpassievrucht8555 Wood you mind not butting in?
@@kaizoebara oakay man.
I have a STEEL WILL Apostate, which is a awesome knife. S35VN Steel, G10 and Titanium handles. And I carry my COLD STEEL RECON-1 every single day. Best work knife you could ever ask for.
Even though I’m already subbed, that Futurama reference secured it for life.
Not too bad! Might take a look at Silver Stag and White River for next year. I'm glad you talk about steel. It's all about the steel.
If you can find a better factory made knife than Bark River, I'd like to see it, also the Gerber 06 Auto in S30V and made in USA is top notch.
Where would Condor sit? I have a couple of their knives and am pretty happy with them so far.
Hello i would like to ask something...whats the difference of toughness and hardness on a blade..cause in my language Greek they translate the same
In a SHTF scenario I have my Cold Steels and my Spydercos in my BOB , So I agree 💯% with you Steven ! I trust my life with them both
Esee is an LGBQT Co. it shows with all the colors.... are they still doing their heat treat on a Weber Home Depot Grill ?
Wheres tops!?
My fav big brands are Kershaw, Spyderco and Buck. Can’t beat a Buck 110! Built like a tank, little old fashion but still can’t break them.
Any opinion about white river knives ? i want ot buy the newer model but nearly impossible to get in europe i could got an another one fom the delivery fee... ( i got a lot of cold steels and a spyderco delica with stainles steel handle vg 10 and a really old victorinox )
I'm still shocked that Lynn sold Cold Steel. Good for him but I don't know that I will ever be into their knives like I used to be.
Which video is that where the ESEE knives breaks when he drops it? Would love to see it 😂
Spiderco should change their name to broketip co. Lol I like them but man I brake every single one I get. No I don't use it as a screwdriver, I just have to have hard use knives. Which is why I carry mostly coldsteel.
would love to see an updated list these days, 4 years has changed a lot with the knife game
Really good summary. Like it how you described your thought process. Keep it up!
I liked cold steel Spyderco 🤘 tops on my list the rest good choice
Pete 😩 I haven’t even finished the video but this content your spoiling us.
What exactly was the QuarterMaster knife business???
Spot on with LT Wright, I have a patriot, camp MUK, and a Scandi genesis. I beat the crap out of the Genesis and it is still fantastic. Also, not only their knives, but the sheaths that come with them are some of the best I've used.
Really enjoyed that video. It takes a bit of courage to put yourself out there like that. Really appreciate it. Have you ever had any TOPS knives? I think they make a whole lot of interesting models and do a great job with good old 1095. As an Aussie, I find quite a few of their knives are reasonably priced, too.
never had a tops but they sure do get the love from their owners
David Cooke Tops look overpriced to me. Schrade quality at Spyderco prices. Thousands of designs using the same mediocre steel and coating everything because it rusts. Yuk!
What do you think of Zombie Tools?
Or do you need to do a separate video on boutique knife makers?
I’m glad to see cold steel at the top. I always get a kick out of the reactions I get from people within the knife community when there is a post asking what you are carrying and I post a picture of my 4-Max. I don’t have a single cold steel knife that I don’t absolutely love. They offer a ton of knife for the money
Very interesting video. Any comment as to why Mora did not make a show? Did they not meet a certain criteria?
You got pretty decent taste man, I tend to agree, for the most part, with your tier list
Love this video but where is Mora?
Cold Steel and Spyderco are two of my favorites as well. One is like the reliable offroad-capable SUV and the other’s a top-tier sports car.
Which one is which?
SeemsLogical Holy schmokes, a comment from 5 months ago. Cold Steel’s the SUV and Spydie’s the sports car, haha.
@@josemariaalipio449 Spidie has too many Lada's and Trabant's in its roster (and they all look the same) to be considered anywhere near a sports car manufacturer.
Haha I just read that AlMar has graduated to D2! Wow...baby steps man...baby steps
once I got a promotion of Kyzer, I buyed one nice folding in m390 steel but some day after they talked to me that they did a mistake in the steel label for 154CPM, and i said ok, but more two days and they said that they didn't had the folding knife that I bought. They are not serious.
where would you put houge now with that deka in magnacut
Spot. On.
The Radio Head analogy...thanks now Reeves knives have a sound track .
Dead on with Cold Steel.
Good list. I personally would move ESSE to A and move CRKT to B. The CRKT minimalist is probably my fav edc fixed blade for everyday. White river I would also be good at A rank.
Look, this is a cool vid and all and I agree with most of it but by any metric, Cold Steel above LT Wright, Chris Reeves and Bark River is just wrong.
Yeah I got an ozf002 made by lionsteel and I love the design BUT it is wayyyyyyyyy too thick behind the edge and didnt come very sharp. Not looking forward to sharpening it
Great Video. But, it's time you got to know TRC Knives. Knives in a different league.🙏
ZT have gone so far down the list for many Australians as one of their few distributors here did some not very nice and embarrassing things. After questioning ZT about it, they blocked whoever queried it via social media.
I would put them as a D for that, but purely for their knives as a whole a B.
Dante Martin ZT and kershaws are ran by assholes, they blocked me for no reason as well. It’s bullshit
The bouncing iTunes icon is such an annoying part of MacOS
classic review buddy,super funny and couldn't agree more. thank you and great job. always a pleasure to watch! ⛲🌱
Tops?
Where would CIVIVI be on this list?
As far as historical weapons go Cold Steel was last I looked low end and clunky. Albion and Arms and Armor were way above them. Lynn Thompson is apparently good at starting and running business but unfortunately is also a Steven Segal wannabe. His sword demo videos were (I haven't seen one in four or five years at least now) right up there with the 2002 "star wars kid".
Get a Spartan Blades knife. They are a premium, but I'm trying them out now and I'm sold, thus far. Your list is spot-on in my opinion. Benchmade has me when it comes to folders due SOLELY to their axis lock. Liner locks and back locks are like trying to sell me a wood stove for my house; there are better, safer, and more reliable options than antiquated methods. My experience with Benchmade's fixed blades wasn't pleasant, but Spartan Blades seem to have nailed it. My only wish is that knife makers would pair up with multiple sheath makers for options to fit the three needs: molle, kydex, and leather. I have a custom kydex sheath for one of my knives, but I'd love a leather option that either didn't require me sending my knife off, or getting a ping-pong paddle sized sheath. A partnership like that, as a standard, would increase sales on both sides.
As a native Californian I am pleased that you rated Cold Steel so high.
Hail Lynn!
Few years later, shrade seems like it's gotten a little bit better but still not amazing. They have some good folders in aus10 and a few good fixed blades.
We need to see the polish mace reviewed on the channel now.
Guarantee it's top tier for coconuts.
Almus Quotch cut test coming soon
@@CedricAda The most shocking part of this vid is that you know what Futurama is !!!!!!!!!!!!!
forgot to add i just got a new cold steel air lite i think,the newest one anyhow i was so expecting it to be awesome...kind of disappointed the grind is just too thick,lots of sharp corners hurt my hand to whittle on a piece of oak,other than that cold steel is the bomb--still in love with some of their old japan knives and their taiwan stuff is crazy good
Great List! I'm certainly gonna have to take a better look at Cold Steel now, I just wish they'd update some steel on their older models. I really like the Steel Tiger and Espada design wise, but AUS-8 is way to easy to chip for a Karambit. Tried out WE Knives this year with the Sugga, usually their designs seem very "mall knife" for me, but the Sugga was a nice median.
It'd be great to see Bradford and Reate on this list. Reate has some great machines and would be a great contender to WE. And Bradford is fixed-blade Bushcrafting knife company from Washington State. They offer some of their knifes in Elmax, and it's some of the toughest I've tried yet.
Did I miss Bradford in this video or was it just not on there
I'm just wondering why there is no E
CRK, for the dough needs to step up one layer for steel, zdp, or m390, something like that.
My high school Kung Fu instructor was friends with Lynn Thompson. He actually sold us many practice weapons for pennies on the dollar. Love Cold Steel!
Kung fu is Gay Af
Just came here to say, am a Spyderco fanboy, the Shaman is the best knife I’ve ever owned, and your placement of said Spyderco is spot on. That is all 👍🏻
Cold steel for life! They have something to beat most offerings at a better price and stronger! Lynn Thompson turns it up to 11
what aboot reate?
Hilarious review of the companies, and I whole heartedly agree, but I'd have put Gerber in F, too. I bought 1 Boker knife, a mini AK74 auto knife in S30V made in Taiwan. Knife came without a cutting edge. Huh?! Took over an hour to get an edge on it. I bought a limited edition Emerson Sheepdog in S35VN. Was all excited. But blade was off center. Came dirty and grindy. Pivot screw loosens about every 10-15 openings. What a let down. Not to mention Emerson uses mid-range steel unless it's a limited run. $250 for 154CM? Yeah... No.
I've had my bad luck with Spyderco, too. Like their Endura 4 Wave.... carried it for 5 years, but when I really needed it that VG10 steel was miserable. It's great to see them incorporate so many high-end steels into their knives now.
I own too many Cold Steel knives and I was sad to see them move away from XHP to S35VN, but when I've really needed a knife in severe situations, my Cold Steel knives have never let me down. Now to move to a rain forest to try out my Espada XL.
I agree mostly with your list you need to look at some reate knives there some of the best production knives out there i have knives from almost everyone on your list reate would be one of the best for folders great video
Cold Steel knives and Cold Steel weapons are two separate entities in my eyes. Cold Steel is a big dog in both market places.
Their knives are big, durable and have a weaponized aesthetic to them. I don't like the look but I can't fault the craftsmanship. Their Demco collaborations are some of their best work. I probably won't own one myself but I have no problem recommending their knives to my friends.
Their weapons follow the same design philosophy as their knives: thick, tough and durable. They make good beater swords but if you're looking for performance, nearly any company not named Deepeeka will give you a better performing product. The reason why none of this matters is because of how much depth Cold Steel has in their product line. As Pete says in the video "nobody else makes a polish mace" which is true. But Cold Steel makes a German mace and so do many other companies and when somebody actually makes a product to compete with Cold Steel, the other company is more often than not the better product.
But Cold Steel stays relevant due to the sheer volume of weapons they make. They make things nobody else makes, so if you want to buy a Zulu Ilkwa spear, Cold Steel is your only option. And if Cold Steel doesn't make one, chances are nobody else makes one.
TL;DR: Cold Steel knives are well made. Cold Steel weapons are an inferior product.
Kershaw is my favorite knife company. I like my kershaw link in 20cv and think its better than my spyderco manix 2 lw in spy27. I never had a benchmade thus far.
Great info, thanks. My only really big change on that list is Spyderco, benchmade n Spyderco overprice EVERY knife they make n cuz they are the 'cool' knives guys keep paying ridiculous prices. of course, that bumps up the prices even further.
But as always, I learn a lot from every one of your vids. Thanks again. Blessings.
I want a cold steel katana bad. I have the Italian 4-max and boy that’s a lot of steel.
I agreee cold steel and spyderco are the only knives i kept and edc everything else has light use more of collection
19:41 you got really Scottish when you said heart lmao