$500 folding knife options and recommendations.

[gyp_c2]

Geez, if I was flush, this would be my next!
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Pro-Tech-Terzuola-Tuxedo-ATCF--160358

 

[Mk-211]

Yeah, if I had 007 money...

 

[greyling22]

it's overpriced for what you get, but the james brand barnes looks really nice. https://shop.thejamesbrand.com/products/the-barnes
speaking of the barnes, it's made by reate, who probably make the best production folders in the world. https://reateknives.com/
my money would go to a sharp by design knife. probably the mini typhoon. https://www.bladehq.com/cat--Sharp-By-Design-Brian-Nadeau--2066
we knife makes a really nice blade. you can go from mild (seer) to wild (arrakkis) https://www.weknife.com/collections/best-sellers
They are perpetually out of stock, but the TRM atom is supposed to be great. I can't get my hands on one though, so I cannot say for certain.
the holt spectre is also fabulous https://holtbladeworks.com/collections/sold-specters and the koenig arius is a grail for many https://koenigknives.com/
you could look at olamic knives https://www.smkw.com/brands/olamic-cutlery
the russian outfit custom knife factory has some neat offerings.
if I could find a herman knives dragonfly on the secondary market it would be worth a look https://polishcustomknives.com/manu...g-knife-folder-dragonfly-133-m390-herman.html
the quiet carry drift is rustproof and super neat https://quietcarry.com/collections/the-drift
giantmouse. https://www.giantmouse.com/ the ace line is available, the GM line is much cooler.
microtech socom bravo is coming soon https://www.bladehq.com/item--Microtech-Socom-Bravo-Frame-Lock--140221
kansept knives are nice https://www.knifecenter.com/brand/1013/kansept-knives

whew. longer list than I expected, but should give you some ideas.

bonus ideas!
https://www.smkw.com/brands/hogue/smkw-exclusive-hogue-deka-sub-zero
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/MK...bead-blasted-backspacer-knifecenter-exclusive
https://www.smkw.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=biblio+exclusive



the $500 price point is hard. it's really more than the nice productions which play in the $250-350 range, and not enough for the customs that hang out $700+ park

 

[Yo Mama]

I'm not familiar with strider, I'll take a look . thanks

I'd stay away from them. Stolen valor dirt bag history you can look up and see if you still want one.

 

[Yo Mama]

Use it hard,
https://chrisreeve.com/collections/folding-knives/products/sebenza-31-cgg-forever-flag

https://chrisreeve.com/collections/folding-knives/products/sebenza-31-plain-insingo

https://spartanbladesusa.com/folding-blade-knives/

Got both, would bet my butt on either.

or just admire it and play with it
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Pro-Tech-Terzuola-Tuxedo-ATCF--160358
https://www.bladeart.com/cart/CF-Folder-P2350.aspx
https://www.knifepurveyor.com/shop/...y-damascus-gentlemans-linerlock-folder-11609/

Ummm, too many to list

Definately 500 bucks I'm going Sebenza all the way!

 

[Boattale]

I would only be looking at Chris Reeve knives in that price range. Sebenza is their classic, Inkosi is a later design that's even easier to maintain and Umnumzaan has a lot of fans too. Mine is an Inkosi with the Insingo blade shape which I have come to really like.
There's a reason everyone compares their top of the line folders to CRK.

 

[greyling22]

I would only be looking at Chris Reeve knives in that price range. Sebenza is their classic, Inkosi is a later design that's even easier to maintain and Umnumzaan has a lot of fans too. Mine is an Inkosi with the Insingo blade shape which I have come to really like.
There's a reason everyone compares their top of the line folders to CRK.

View attachment 1098105

you know, the sebenza was the single most disappointing knife I have handled. Granted, I had super high hopes for it, but I hated the action. It's smooth, but lots of friction. I understood what people mean by a hydraulic feel to a knife. I was unable to flick it out and had to slow roll it, and sharp pointy thumbstuds are not great for slow rolling. Yes, it was a new knife. and yes, the store owner let me try his sebenza, and it wasn't any better. On a technical level, I wish they used a steel lockbar insert to prevent wear on the titanium. I love the design, but the knife wasn't for me due to preference and a nitpick. and price. For $500 I want something that really speaks to me in a positive way. [now I also don't care for spyderco's, the sig p226, 45acp, new balance shoes, or mercedes cars. so my opinion is just that. don't get butt hurt if my opinion differs from yours.]

All that to say, just because a lot of people say the sebenza and it's kin are the best knife, doesn't mean it will be for you. Personally, the bradley alias used identical materials and had much better action and ergonomics. I miss the alias. wish it would come back. RIP bradley cutlery.

if you can find one, the benchamde anthem was a neat knife. I didn't like the way it felt in my hand, but it was a neat design. and about $500.

 

[Obturation]

I pulled the trigger on the Spartan shf , the only large sabenza I could find in stock had micarta inserts and I didn't want that.
The one I picked was this:

Thanks for the link @hso .

I'm pretty confident I'll like it, I've had a Spartan blades "ares" since about 2013 and it's an awesome knife with way beyond average finish and ergonomics , but it is really only meant as a "fighting" knife, I fight open packages with it mostly but I will stick it in my pack or on my belt if I'm feeling frisky. I always have a full sized ka-bar with me (not always on my person but close at hand) and that's what I use as a hard use knife.

My brother lives in Europe and can't have guns so he's a knife & flashlight geek. He did not like hearing I was looking at sabenzas, he got jealous and ordered one directly which has an estimated lead time of 4 years- pay a few weeks before delivery , price isn't locked in at time of ordering. I don't like that at all but he's been looking for one in the $400 range for a few years and has gotten no where so he just put the order in and start the wait .

I won't have hands on the shf until my wife gives it to me as a gift on the 2nd but I know it's been ordered. Excited to get hands on it and I'll report back as to how I like it.

Thanks for the input all, I definitely agree that the $500 range it tough, more than most and not as much as a full custom. It is what it is and I think I'll be lovin it !

 

[rabid wombat]

Congratulations!

And still GREAT Wife!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

you know, the sebenza was the single most disappointing knife I have handled. Granted, I had super high hopes for it, but I hated the action. It's smooth, but lots of friction. I understood what people mean by a hydraulic feel to a knife. I was unable to flick it out and had to slow roll it, and sharp pointy thumbstuds are not great for slow rolling. Yes, it was a new knife. and yes, the store owner let me try his sebenza, and it wasn't any better. On a technical level, I wish they used a steel lockbar insert to prevent wear on the titanium. I love the design, but the knife wasn't for me due to preference and a nitpick. and price. For $500 I want something that really speaks to me in a positive way. [now I also don't care for spyderco's, the sig p226, 45acp, new balance shoes, or mercedes cars. so my opinion is just that. don't get butt hurt if my opinion differs from yours.]

All that to say, just because a lot of people say the sebenza and it's kin are the best knife, doesn't mean it will be for you. Personally, the bradley alias used identical materials and had much better action and ergonomics. I miss the alias. wish it would come back. RIP bradley cutlery.

if you can find one, the benchamde anthem was a neat knife. I didn't like the way it felt in my hand, but it was a neat design. and about $500.

Same. My coworker has one and while it’s a nice knife, and if someone gave me one I’d be extremely grateful and treasure it, there’s nothing about it that actually impresses me. I doubt I’ll ever own one. There’s lots of other knives that suit me better.

 

[hso]

I was unable to flick it out

They weren't designed to flick open. Chris derided the folks that wanted one to be able to flick or flip open. He designed a folder to work with in 1987 that was as close to impossible to break as he could make instead of something to fidget with. Sebenza means "work" after all and in the late '80s and early '90s the only knives that you could flick open like that weren't really sturdy. It takes a while to break in a Sebenza (at least on mine) where they'll flick open without getting loose, but they do.