My top three higher end folding knives

For those that have followed my writing on the Loadout Room know that I have reviewed a-lot of knives. Of those knives I have a few that are my more expensive and more valuable ones. More valuable doesn’t necessarily translate into the price point of these blades. For me what makes a knife valuable, more than money, is the history behind them. Granted I don’t carry these knives everyday, but they do find time in my rotation of knives I carry. It really all depends on where I’m going and what I’m doing.

There are plenty of other knives available that are considerably more expensive than the three I’m going to mention in this article, but these are the ones I own. Some may ask why spend so much on a knife you don’t carry all the time. To me it’s not about spending the money on the knife. It’s more about investing in a good product, joining that club that not everyone is a member of, or just owning a piece of history. Owning something like this puts you into a different tier with like minded individuals or clubs.

For the sake of these three knives I’m going to go in order from the most expensive to least expensive.

Chris Reeve Carbon FiberSebenza 25 (Exclusive) – The Sebenza 25 is what I consider to be a gentlemens knife. Due to the higher end materials used, the knife has a sleek professional look. This is something I would expect to see James Bond carrying while he is at a bar sipping on a glass of scotch and enjoying a cuban cigar. The knife is lightweight, easy to carry, and relatively easy to open one handed considering the larger size of the blade.

Blade Material: CPM S35VN Stainless Steel – American Made by Crucible Industries
Blade Hardness: 58-59 RC
Blade Length: 3.625″ (92 mm)
Blade Thickness: 0.14″ (3.56 mm)
Overall Length: 8.335″ (212 mm)
Handle Length: 4.8″ (122 mm)
Handle Material: 6Al4V Titanium (Lock Side) Carbon Fiber (Front Side)
Lanyard: Black cord with titanium bead.
Weight: 4.0 oz.
Fittings: 303 Stainless Steel
Double Thumb Lugs: 6Al4V Titanium
Pocket Clip: 6Al4V Titanium
INCLUDED WITH KNIFE: Hex tools, locktight, attached lanyard/bead, CRK lubricant, certificate/paperwork, CRK chamois and packaging.

Emerson Knives Commander – This is one of those knives that has a history. I’m sure any of you that are knife guys know what I’m talking about. The Emerson Commander was the result of testing and development with SEAL Team 6 back in the early 90’s. Earnest Emerson credits his success to the SEAL Teams for pushing him to develop a product to fit their operational requirements. To this day Emerson Knives still uses the same materials to build their knives. I own several Emerson knives, but the Commander is certainly my favorite of them

MAKER: Emerson Knives
BLADE SIZE: 3.75″
TOTAL SIZE: 8.75″
CLOSED SIZE: 5.3″
BLADE MATERIAL: Stainless 154CM Steel – Black Coated
HANDLE: Textured Black G-10
LINERS: Titanium
SPACER: Black Spacer Pins
WEIGHT: 6.1 oz.

ProTech TR3 Automatic – This knife is one of my recent acquisitions. I’ve owned automatics in the past, but they never really stuck with me for one reason or another. We recently had a writer on the Loadout Room write up an article on his personal ProTech TR3 that he was issued in the SEAL Teams (Here we go with that history and background thing again). After reading his review of the knife and doing some homework on my end I decided to take the plunge and purchase one. The knife is the perfect size for EDC use, is lightweight, and the unique fish scale pattern etched into the handle scales really provides good traction.

Overall Length:8.00″
Blade Length:3.50″
Cutting Edge:3.25″
Blade Thickness:0.13″
Blade Material:154CM
Hardness:59 RC
Blade Style:Drop Point
Blade Grind:Flat
Finish:Black
Edge Type:Serrated
Handle Length:4.50″
Handle Thickness:0.49″
Handle Material:Aluminum
Color:Black
Weight:3.62 oz.
Knife Type:Automatic
Lock Type:Plunge Lock

This article courtesy of Scott Witner of The Loadout Room.