One of the popular types of a standard knife is the folding form. In this case, the blade hides in a special groove, which is equipped on the handle. In fact, for the first time, it was decided to develop such a design for military purposes, but later the best folding knives became loyal companions of people in urban life.
The best folding knives in 2020 are presented in a solid range. They are incredibly easy to use. The knife can be opened with one hand. You can press the button and the blade will come out in automatic mode, or inertia due to the hole or pin. Subsequently, the blade is fixed in the open position, a special lock helps it to hold. Within the framework of the article, it is proposed to discuss not only the best manufacturers of folding knives, but also what designs are presented in the modern assortment.
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Folding knife designs
Today there are several basic designs of folding knives. For example, a back-lock with which the lever presses the blade from the butt side, relying on the spring of the handle on the other side.
Liner-lock provides for fixation through the use of a flat spring, which presses the blade. After modifying the frame lock, the spring became part of the handle itself.
Pin structures are also distinguished, which are represented by different locks, fixation methods, where a movable pin is involved.
The Clasp-knife is the safest among other blade fixing methods. It is based on a rotary coupling, which has a special connector. Since the emergence of a specific niche, many companies that produce folding knives are constantly improving their lineup. Of course, it is quite difficult to choose a good knife without proper knowledge and experience. For this reason, it will be useful to get acquainted with the rating of manufacturers of folding knives in demand all over the world.
TOP good manufacturers of folding knives
To make it easier for the buyer, we have compiled a TOP rating of good brands that produce excellent quality folding knives. At the same time, such important parameters as good quality of products, acceptable pricing policy of the brand, the presence of concepts, interesting options with a unique design, as well as the demand for the company in the Russian market were taken into account.
COLD STEEL
The rating is opened by an American brand, which was founded in 1980. This is a rather small company, but it has managed to establish itself in the market as one of the "weirdest" ones. This is due to the fact that, in addition to folding knives, the manufacturer offers broadswords and exotic weapons to customers. In fact, Cold Steel is doing an excellent job of its multifaceted task, saturating the market with exceptionally high quality products.
The assortment is manufactured on excellent quality production lines. All knives of the brand were able to establish themselves as quite affordable, with high quality locks, blade hardness. But there were some drawbacks. The disadvantage is that there are not so many folding knives in the Clod Steel range. Basically, the production focuses on tactical and tourist models.
VICTORINOX
The Swiss manufacturer produces knives for the country's army. It should be noted that this is one of the best brands in our TOP. VICTORINOX is a full-fledged monopoly company. It was founded in 1884.As before, the main specialization is the production of multi-option folding knives. Over the years, the line has really grown solidly.
VICTORINOX also manufactures single-format folding blades that are useful for hikers on hikes and are also in demand for everyday use.
Popular is the HUNTER PRO 0.9410.9 folding knife, which stands out for its minimalistic design. The handle is equipped with plastic and has ergonomic properties. The manufacturer also releases new models of multitool.
In 2005, VICTORINOX acquired shares of the Wenger brand, becoming the only legitimate knife manufacturer for the Swiss army.
ZERO TOLERANCE KNIVES
In our TOP Zero Tolerance is the youngest company. It should be noted that its foundation took place in 2006. For ten years, she has managed to firmly take the place of the leader in this market segment. The production of Kershaw folding knives, which are marketed in a very original style, is especially in demand. The company was able to establish itself exclusively on the good side, having received the love of weapon fans.
It is worth noting that the company's product lines are quite expensive, but this does not prevent them from remaining popular. TITANIUM KVT® FLIPPER ZT 0095 knives are the most demanded by customers. The weapon is equipped with a titanium handle and a blade, which is made on the basis of high-strength alloy S35VN, while developing 0301. The collection is also presented in a wide variety of colors. The hardness of the blade is 60 HRC, which is a fairly high parameter.
GERBER
The Gerber brand (USA) is known and respected all over the world. The company strives to regularly modernize production, surprising customers with a large range of products. It was founded in Oregon in 1939. In those days, many people were fond of cold weapons.
Gerber Gear was able to go through a long and difficult path of development. But today the company is distinguished by advanced developments in terms of equipment of production bases. This allowed her to take a leading position not only in the production of folding knives, but also in other hand tools. Knife models such as E-Z OUT SKELETON, TACTICAL PARAFRAME TANTO are especially in demand in the Russian market. The hardness of the blade for both options corresponds to the parameter 60 HRC.
BENCHMADE
Benchmade brand offers customers the best folding knives that will become indispensable for hunting small game. The American company deservedly continues the rating. Its products have been known since 1979. Although there were many well-known companies on the market at that time, Benchmade still managed to occupy a solid niche. The company decided to concentrate its production on the production of butterfly knives. At that time there were not so many of them, and the demand for products was increasing more and more.
Subsequently, the Griptilian 550 model made a splash. This is a high quality EDC class knife, which is very affordable and looks original. It is complemented by excellent mechanical characteristics and is very easy to use.
For its production, the brand used to become 154 CM, giving the blade a hardness of 60 units on the Rockwell scale. But the main difference of the model is that the cutting edge is extended along the blade. This is a very practical and interesting solution.
EMERSON KNIVES
In America and abroad, the Emerson brand has been able to establish itself exclusively on the positive side, offering its customers a wide range of exceptionally high quality.
The brand was founded in 1979 by Ernest Emerson. He sold his knife, which was made to order. The master worked in a home garage. He was so inspired by this that he decided to found a real workshop for the production of tactical knives.
Today Emerson Knives is known all over the world, often participating in collaborations with other market representatives, for example, Zero Tolerance, Kershaw, Spyderco. You also need to understand that the cost of Emerson products is very high.
The most sought after knives from Emerson are the Roadhouse models with a tanto blade and 57-59 HRC hardness, as well as the Gypsy Jack with a graceful bowie profile and 58 HRC.
OPINEL
The French brand Opinel is one of the oldest in our TOP. The history of its existence is over 200 years old. Knife production began with the production of simple blades. A family workshop was opened in the city of Savoie, but later it grew and became known all over the world.
Opinel offers knives at an affordable price and with good blade hardness. There are offers at a price of up to 2 thousand rubles per model, but hardness indicators vary between 59-60 HRC. Customers note that they are delighted with the optimal parameters of the Opinel folding knives. But the most popular were models # 10 VRN CARBON TRADITION, # 8 VRI OUTDOOR EARTH-GREEN.
KERSHAW
The Kershaw brand offers the best combination of price and quality in folding knives. This is a brand from the USA, which was founded in 1974 by master Pete Kershaw. Initially, he opened a trading store, where he sold knives of his own production of a fixed type. Subsequently, it was decided to expand the scale and folding knives were born. The production vectors have remained the same - high quality and low cost.
Today the Kershaw brand can be called the most loyal for the supply of folding knives on the market. The range of products is very large. Every buyer will be able to find a good folding knife. The company also participates in collaborations with other brands, for example, it has experience of cooperation with Zero Tolerance and Emerson.
Analysis shows that Link, Rick Hinderer KVT Flipper knives are in the highest demand.
BUCK KNIVES
The American brand Buck has been awarded the title of the best folding knives manufacturer. Her services are known all over the world. In fact, it is worth saying that the brand does not have anything outstanding in production technologies, but its products are always presented exclusively with a high level of quality. This is due to the fact that the masters of blacksmithing worked on the blades. They were able to get the most out of the hardened steel. The change of era influenced the methods of making knives, but the mechanical properties of the products did not change at all. The Buck collection is known for its high hardness of 57-59 HRC.
The company's mascot since 1967 is model 110 of a folding knife. It is customary to produce it with the classic back-lock, which securely fixes the blade in the open position. It is a good hunting companion when dealing with small or large predators. The Vantage model is no less in demand, the price of which is acceptable today, but even in appearance it is clear that the knife will last a very long time, pleasing with its reliability.
SPYDERCO
Gradually, we got to the last position of the TOP, but this does not in the least say that the Spyderco brand is somehow worse than the others on the list. This is not true. The Spyderco brand is able to boast of the best customized knife series using unique designs and high quality workmanship.
Spyderco was founded in 1978. Today it has an international character. The manufacturer was able to focus on the production of knives with the characteristic features of the "spider". The source of this decision was stretched for a long time, but one day the company managed to find that very iconic configuration.
Also known to many for the development of Spyderco "Lady Anne". Spyderco Endura was able to be remembered by many due to its rather aggressive appearance, sharpness of features and a clear opening click. The model is made on the basis of VG-10 steel, which is resistant to the corrosion process. The alloyed material also gives the blade optimal toughness parameters. At the same time, its hardness varies in the region of 60-62 HRC, which is quite good characteristics.
Due to all the combinations, the "Lady Anne" model is in great demand on the market, the Russian Federation is no exception.
Summing up
Concluding the article, we sincerely hope that the reader can rely on the presented TOP in choosing a quality folding knife. Share your experience in the comments, perhaps you have a folding knife that pleases you for a single year and you are ready to advise others to purchase the model. We always read your comments with curiosity, and perhaps this time they will be useful to other users of our resource.
