The Most Improved Knives of All Time

Rather than roll out entirely new knife models as the years press on, some manufacturers take a more measured approach: small improvements to make their great knives even better. Benchmade, Spyderco, Cold Steel and more have iterated on their designs in ways that go beyond simply upgrading blade steel.
Featured Knives
00:00 Most Improved Knives Over Time
00:49 Benchmade North Fork: kcoti.com/4eELuIp
03:29 Benchmade 710: kcoti.com/4eGnTqQ
07:03 Spyderco Military 2: kcoti.com/4cjpJwu
10:15 Spyderco Delica 4: kcoti.com/4biUjos
13:10 Spyderco Native 5: kcoti.com/4blbmGo
15:25 Cold Steel Recon 1: kcoti.com/4blr8Bp
18:12 Cold Steel Voyager: kcoti.com/3XEp8kh
20:19 CIVIVI Backlash: kcoti.com/3VBenNb
22:47 CIVIVI Praxis: kcoti.com/3zsqAvZ
24:50 Microtech Combat Troodon Gen III: kcoti.com/3xnPnAZ
28:15 Microtech Amphibian: kcoti.com/4bfsjlz
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[@Jalartifact]

Native 3 was under my car seat for 7 years, finding it made my year.

[@TechZACH16]

Good for you for keeping a car that long honestly. I’m as impressed by that as I am about finding it 7 years later.

[@maybefrank8345]

Let be real man, if you were in a car seat, you were too young to have a knife anyways

[@heididragonfly]

@@maybefrank8345🧐😂😂

[@Regolith86]

I got a Native in 2005/2006'ish and that was my EDC until 2018 or so, when I started getting back into knives and collecting them. I decided recently that I needed a Native 5 in a newer steel, so ended up getting one in Magnacut earlier this month. 😅

[@DamionJR4923]

I lost a Swiss Army cadet in my couch for 2 years. It was amazing to find it. Still have and carry it in 5th pocket on my jeans almost daily.

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

This video made me realize I have the original Delica in the glove box of an old wrecked car of mine. Going to look for it now. Wow. Thanks.

[@Optimization_Coach]

Benchmade HAS LOST THEIR MINDS

[@koomo801]

They're still selling strong everywhere. I think that's crazy.

[@eriktaylor5704]

Gouge the customer until they stop buying. People don’t stop buying so benchmade won’t stop gouging.

[@Fly2kill1]

I’ll pay for my fell American worker. They don’t outsource and have the best warranty in the business. Yeah I’m a fan.

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

@@koomo801 The fan boy sheeple bandwagon.

[@whatisthis__95]

Why would they sell them for cheaper if they can sell them at the current price? I think you don't know how the market works

[@JohnC29]

Victorinox needs to change to at least 14C28N blades

[@eriktaylor5704]

Amen

[@DamionJR4923]

That would be awesome.

[@justincortez3404]

Something about keeping it the same works I think. Would be pretty sick if they did a production super steel model though.

[@carlosanderson4479]

Imagine a magnacut Vic

[@jamesR1990]

The 710 at that price needs to be milled Ti. Or be mid $300's at the most. That's the continued absurd pricing for Benchmade, that's Spartan Harsey, CRK Sebenza, and low end Shirogorov money.

[@Fly2kill1]

Then buy those. I have a SHF 3.25 and it’s not all that. I can’t stand sebenzas and don’t like shirosteak knife’s

[@kerryrwac]

The Native was designed to be sold in Walmart. Walmart didn't like the leaf shaped blades, ergo the drop point blade. When that contract fell through, Spyderco chose to include it in their regular catalogue, and the rest is history. ( i still have that same Native 3)

[@maybefrank8345]

Where’d you come by this cool bit of info?

[@kerryrwac]

@@maybefrank8345 I read it in an article a long time ago.

[@Regolith86]

I got one of the Walmart Natives back in 2005 or 2006 for a Christmas present. That was my EDC up until 2018. It was a pretty decent little knife, and it only cost $40 at the time. 😮

[@bornonthebattlefront4883]

I wish Walmart sold Spydercos Would be awesome I just hope that one day Kershaw would drop all their 3Cr, 4Cr & 420j knives and bring in more quality models in the mainstream I was on the filter for 5 years straight cause I didn’t know any better Now I rock an Iridium!

[@kerryrwac]

@@Regolith86 nice!

[@Errcyco]

I could watch this stuff all day. showing the OG then the progression.. great idea. Have a dope week Seth and team! Ty

[@jimcooney552]

I enjoyed the history lesson. Thanks Seth!

[@charlesdudek7713]

I still have my Delica 1 that I bought in January or February of 1990. I still have the box too. I think it only weighs 1.8 oz due to no steel liners.

[@ronfry5851]

400 bucks for aluminum handles, Benchmade you're going to get amnesia you keep bumping your head😂

[@Herpetile]

Benchmade may as well not exist anymore for normal people who use knives as tools lol priced themselves out of a bargain !

[@stephenbarabas6286]

Benchmade is trying to put themselves out of business

[@unhinged_films]

@@stephenbarabas6286100%. Their prices are just too unapproachable for most people, if they introduced a sub-$100 line I think it would succeed

[@EDCandLace]

BM has plenty of fan boys that will pay the crazy map pricing. They aren't putting themselves out of business... they sell plenty.

[@warwicksworkshop9511]

Yeah they don't offer good value, do they. Doubt I'll ever have one in my collection. USD400 is AUD800 once it gets here, which is insane money for a folder.

[@RR-pv4mc]

Good video on improved designs!! Thanks for the update!!

[@propblast82nd]

The Buck 110 has gone through close to 40 improvements since it was first released

[@timtitus2532]

Good video, Seth. Thanks

[@elde667]

Interesting and very well done!⭐️

[@eriktaylor5704]

Excellent concept and content. Keep it coming.

[@cletus85]

The current Benchmade and Spyderco pricing made it easy for me to decide to a get Chris Reeve Inkosi😂

[@happykt]

I love my Spyderco Native 5 in Cruwear, with the black G10 handles, which was a KnifeCenter exclusive. Its one of my favorite knives in my huge collection. And I love those blue liners in the Civivi's. I wish I had one.

[@heididragonfly]

Fantastic presentation. GREAT concept. Exellent execution. Thanks guys. 👍🏻😎👍🏻

[@user-wq5br1py1c]

this is a great video idea, thanks guys!

[@pipo57able]

Really interesting video thank you!

[@2Bstrifeless]

Love this video concept

[@neilwatson4562]

I had an OG Native in s30v but it fell down a pipe at work one day 😭😭😭

[@JerryLoffelbein]

Oh man that workaround crossbar lock that Cold Steel used on the old Recon 1's had some problems. I'm super glad they moved to the Triad lock, even though so many find backlocks of any sort outdated or old fashioned. The crossbar ran inside a channel of the blade rather than riding along the tang which is how they got around the patent. The troubles came from the fact that if you tried to disengage the lock from one side like an Axis lock rather than pinching both sides, the crossbar would shift diagonally and immediately bind and jam, leaving the large and heavy blade to flop about. It would also jam if either side of the crossbar became loose as it was held together by screws on each end. It was usually pretty difficult to unbind them when they got in that state. The cutlery shop I worked in back then had quite a few returns of them. And of course since customer service was a thing, we'd always get yelled at of either selling known faulty knives, or even worse was the folks that thought we made them ourselves. I certainly don't miss working retail jobs...

[@maybefrank8345]

I’ve got one of the old cold steel “ultra lock” ak47s. Honestly, I never disengage any of my axis style locks with only one side (I’ve always been a little suspicious that this was what causes springs to break) but I couldn’t agree more with the upgrade to the triad. And also am very very happy to be out of a retail environment😅😂

[@jdisdetermined]

Had mine since 2001. Still original springs, closes perfectly, using one side or both. Amazing knife. Zero problems. ever. Carried it daily for the first ten years and beat the hell out of it. Wouldn't sell it for $300. Bought it myself for my 18th birthday along with a rifle and shotgun. Triad lock ruined it. I bought a new one and instantly never touched it again. Backlocks are not my jam.

[@DamionJR4923]

@@jdisdetermined2001 never had a problem with mine either. The handle is slick but the lock works fine.

[@Herpetile]

Prices then… prices now… least improved

[@ExtraCrispy357]

He Seth, Great Video! It was very interesting to hear about the evolution of these knives. Wow - I couldn't believe the plastic pocket clip on the OG Delica! We have come a lonnnnnnng way!

[@JacobBrantley90]

It was called the ultra lock

[@tomt5745]

Delica 4 is just brilliant. Cudos to Sal and Eric for working on it for so long. The little tip-d(r)ip is so important. Using it for so many years, it now feels like the ideal no nonsense tool. Really sleeps in the pocket, and is so able when one needs it. (esp in K390 of course ;)

[@BigHammerz]

Im carrying the Delica 4 with gray scales and VG-10 and i think this knife has the best ergonomics of all my knives.

[@BlueWingedRino]

I still have my first Native 3 in XHP that I bought at Knife Center a long time ago.

[@Harleywindtherapy]

Across the board i see partial serrations swapped out. 8 use my knife very hard, every day and i could NOT imagine a knife (or my Leatherman Skeletool without a partiality serrated blade. I find the serrations very easy to sharpen with a tapered rod and man do they cut thru rope, tape, and zip ties better. I noticed this trend a few years ago and have grabbed a few Benchmade griptilians of both sizes with partial serrations and ive already got BM to agree to swap out my 940bk for a partial separation blade the next time i send it to them. I understand totally how absolutely in the minority i must be... makers sell what sells... but i remember when the forums started and the internet "experts" started banging on serrations... didn't understand that then or now. Just me... Thanks for the video - cool to see the innovation. I have an almost 20 year old Spyderco that's been used crazy hard and while it's frame is a little loose, is still perfectly fine.

[@Kevin-qj7fp]

Loving the new knives.

[@jlastre]

I have the “Northfork” with the recurve. It’s harder to sharpen as you say.

[@matthewnorman1864]

I like the ship of Theseus analogy!

[@HonestArcher_13]

I had the 1997 Jess Horn version of the Delica blade in Aus8 steel. I made the mistake of allowing it to be sharpened by someone who did not know what they were doing! It was returned to me without serrations .I have never been compensated! I no longer allow anyone to sharpen my knives. Live and learn!!

[@DamionJR4923]

That was my first real knife. It had a very thin tip. lost it. I bought a replacement and never carried it cause I didn’t want to loose my first knife again.

[@tombeyer375]

I've never been a fan of Spyderco, due to the "hump", BUT the Native 5 is one smooth slidin' tool!! I juuuust might have to add one to my EDC rotation!! Thanks for gettin' me into trouble AGAIN!!

[@matthewkuhl79]

Native 5 is my favourite edc knife. It has zero drawbacks for me.

[@Logan2070]

All the way back to the 1990s....yeah the olden days before the interwebs and iPads were only in Star Trek...

[@decibellone696]

I have a hand full of knives for edc.. always without exception (well few exceptions sometimes I get in a mood) I usually have a Ka-bar Dozier or (and more often than not) the Spyderco delica 4. mine is VG-10 but still a great knife.

[@threesixtysafari2115]

I have good memories of the Cold Steel Voyager which I carried over 5 years. It was the mid-size 4 inch version which is surprisingly light for its size compared to all the blades I carried after. You did forget to mention the Kris serpentine blade shape on the Voyager XL.

[@gebogen4409]

Great Topic! and pretty civil comments. My take on the different brands 1. For hard use (sampling of construction materials) cold steel’s improvements and addition of the triad lock cannot be beat, however, Underrated for the same purpose is my tanto Griptilian and I get a lot less commentary when I use it instead of my larger than necessary cold steel. The CS knives do the job better for less money though. 2. For office work/environment, the benchmade stuff just works well. I think the axis locks on my 940 and bugout work better than the one on my older Griptilian though the S30V does not seem to be an improvement over the 154 on the older knife. 3. EDC knives that accompany me into the unknown? Spyderco. I have used them forever, starting with a 90s Delica that I recently rediscovered inside a recliner at my dad’s, through Enduras, a chaparral, manixs (not as good as the benchmade, what is up with the plastic control?) and now into paramilitary knives, I just have to agree with Seth on his brand taste because the Glessers have done such a good job with the different designs fitting nitches. Will a smock replace my 940 as my favorite office knife? That is next on my list.

[@random_eskimo_in_the_rockies]

Cold Steel originally had a lock on the recon they called the Ultra Liock. The reason they had to discontinue it was because it was decided to be too similar to the Axis lock from a disgusting little company in Oregon, so they dropped it and went with the Triad Lock.

[@WyattWillis88]

Love recurves and I hope they dont ever go away because people are too lazy to learn to sharpen them

[@hk45c62]

I have a combo edge Native in CPM 440V.

[@kvernesdotten]

4:39 - "rusting on their laurels" hehehe

[@tomcook8897]

Delica 1 was my first good pocketknife but the clip broke after a few years. I replaced it with a Delica 3 and the nylon around the clip wore away and got loose. For 10 years after that I carried a mini cqc-7. I wanted something lighter and a Native 5 got me back into a spyderco!

[@The4cp]

The Cold Steel Recon One is still the best value and most bomb proof knife available. Buck needs to update the steel on the 110 again and add a pocket clip. They have the sport but it lacks the weight amd classic feel.

[@Tony42Rivers]

This that good shit.

[@jameskyle7943]

My original old Native is still going strong.

[@leotam3372]

I want to say the Benchmade Griptilian could use some modernizing, but I'm not sure what changes would be worth it

[@Smclaugh08]

after becoming competent in sharpening recurve i began loving recurve blades nothing extreme but microtech amphibia is sweet t

[@Salamando3D]

That 710 is 🔥Was going to get the LE (dig the black/FDE combo) but the FDE/'raw' aluminum look is pretty sexy, too. MagnaCut is nice but pretty overhyped by now. S90V is a time honored super steel you can depend on. Decisions decisions!

[@brandtmoore9119]

Yes.

[@Toyotas_n__Tools]

North Fork is a river and area that had a massive fire and is still burned out, its a beautiful area that is healing.

[@stefanopederiva8516]

Hi DCA, Thomas, and Seth, I have a question for you: what kind of multitool do you think will retain some historical value in the future? I am a collector of Opinel and Swiss Army knives. I believe that the Victorinox Replica 1897 and the Victorinox Pioneer carry historical value, as they are replicas of tools that were revolutionary in their own way or used in significant historical contexts. I would like to expand my collection and was considering the Leatherman Bond, which is a reinterpretation of the original PST. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions? I would love to hear your opinion and perhaps get some recommendations for Italian tools that might be interesting to add to my collection. Best regards!

[@brandtmoore9119]

That tip down clip placement on the Military 2 drives me crazy!

[@JohnDoe-zb7dz]

Digging down deep in my pocket to find the thumb stud and then flipping the knife to deploy it drives me crazy. 🤪

[@brandtmoore9119]

Try putting a wave on a tip down knife

[@charlesdudek7713]

@@JohnDoe-zb7dz Good luck finding a thumb stud on a Military.

[@charlesdudek7713]

@@brandtmoore9119 Isn't the Military like most Spydercos that give you a choice of tip up or tip down? My PM2 came tip down and I just switched it to tip up and life is good.

[@marcthompson4063]

Colored Liners are GREAT!!!!

[@Mike-id8gu]

Knife prices are getting out of hand. When I can purchase a quality firearm for $350 to $550, how can a rather simplistic knife design pretend to command even higher prices? 🤷

[@redlion145]

Agreed. I think a lot of the growth here comes from collectors rather than users. Some parallels to firearms there too - there are fewer firearm owners as a percentage of population than ever before, while contradictorily there are more guns in circulation than ever before. Basically that's because on average each gun owner owns many more firearms than they used to. They became collectors. That tends to bias the market towards more expensive collector pieces. There are still budget brands that offer great value. This video wasn't really made to highlight those brands though, it was about the industry innovators that are pushing new technologies. Innovative models tend to be expensive until economies of scale come into play.

[@daniel896us3]

Hey guys - I have a question about sharpening choils - spyderco tends to design blades without a sharpening choil, whereas many brands do (e.g., benchmade). Because of this, will one tend to get less sharpenings over the lifetime of a blade without a sharpening choil? If so, should one consider machining a sharpening choil into a blade without one, and if so, will it increase the number of life sharpenings?

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

the biggest change Benchmade has done, is completely pricing me out of ever buying another one of their knives !

[@rtz549]

All back locks should have the Boyd Dent

[@bukithd]

Gotta go back to spyderco and get a new cru-wear/3v exclusive native 5 in knife center orange

[@shadowdemon5730]

I have to admit that I like the older version of the Native blade much better.

[@heididragonfly]

It is the LOOK of the gen 1 that gets me. Somethin’ bout it. Yup.

[@whysoseriouszxd5946]

the new Combat Troodon mechanisms ARE already in an ultratech which comes out this month or next month very soon. + That one will ALSO include the new Zero Stop bladeplay system completely eliminating bladeplay.

[@connorw1494]

Seth is the man!

[@rtz549]

Get some special runs or batches of various Cold Steels made using different steels.

[@krefcenz]

I would say do a part two that includes Kershaw, zero tolerance, Protech, and CJRB/Artisan Cutlery. I would say send cut and we knives but you kind of covered that with CiviVi.

[@acid6urns]

the 4 inch drop point voyager (and all the blade lengths tbh) are some of the BEST bang for your buck knives you can get imo. aus10 which is essentially upgraded 440c, on a SUPER ergonomic handle, with an essentially indestructible lock for $60 is a killer deal. best beater work knife you can get. i need to fix the edge on mine, i destroyed near the belly abusing it cutting caulk around a ceramic sink…

[@levelonup0314]

That’sa shame because I really really like those blue liners on that Civivi Baklash! I think that pop of color is pretty cool and I’m a huge sucker for that blue! I hope they make more like that, specifically just that blue color. I’d actually buy that exact one just because of the blue liners.

[@levelonup0314]

Oh and pretty sure you guys spelled Civivi “Backlash” wrong. I always thought it was BAKLASH.

[@levelonup0314]

Is that Civivi BAKLASH, with the blue liners and everything else in black, still available? Because it looks like it says “out of stock but typically ships from KC within 5-7 business days”. What exactly does that mean?

[@gcvrsa]

The new North Fork is the first Benchmade folder I've ever wanted to buy, the first Benchmade knife I've wanted to buy in 20 years, and compared to many other models in Benchmade's lineup, it's relatively affordable.

[@charlesdudek7713]

@@gcvrsa I'm considering the North Fork too. I like the new blade shape better and relatively affordable.

[@Midnightrider1177]

Is the cru wear micarta para 2-3 and manix limited edition or is it standard in their line now?

[@DavidHernandez-dq1ih]

Is there a deep carry pocket clip for the spyderco para or Dalica

[@meanderinoranges]

The Military was already a perfect knife. The Military 2 is the PM2 XL, not a Military.

[@mcsquirgle]

id like to see Buck improve the Bantam series of knives. 4 position pocket clip would be nice. or 2 position. change the shape of the handle so that you can drop the blade shut on your knuckle the way you can with a delica. also the Kabar Dozier could use better edge termination. it feels wierd complaining about some of the most affordable knives out there, but they could just be perfect if they would update them.

[@XFS540]

Is there any other company aside from Cold Steel that has to include a lefty pocket clip for a good portion of their designs?

[@Capin91]

All the Demko AD20 versions have funky clips like that

[@cameroncato4910]

Seth what watch are you wearing in this video??

[@randymartin5521]

I've got one of those old Delica predecessors called the Clipit, with the pocket clip molded into the handle. It has the full serrated blade, which I hated because it was such a pain in the ass to sharpen. Still, I carried it for a couple of years while working in a warehouse until one day I was walking by a cardboard box that was about waist high and caught the clip on the flap and snapped it right off. I discovered that without the pocket clip, the knife was too thin and slippery to get enough grip on for me to easily open the blade one handed. That knife became my beater bench knife, it now just sits open all the time on my work bench in the shop and is used for prying and scraping mostly, or ripping bags and boxes open with those horrible jagged serrations when I don't care about saving the packaging and just want to rip it open in a hurry.

[@user-hk9du6px9x]

The H2 knives are great now! They were sogt and took forever to work harden.

[@cautahwork2466]

Interesting approach, it would have been better to present the original together with it.

[@mikoyanig5512]

The Cold Steel Ak-47 also went through a huge change. This year I got to handle an original Ak-47 and it was a totally different knife

[@lordaleksandre]

I kick myself for not geting an original BM710. That said, this reiteration is not it. FRN or G10 is just better for every day use. Maybe Ill see the new one in a shop and get to handle it, and my opinion may change. I enjoyed this video idea greatly!

[@ronfry5851]

My thoughts on improvements, benchmade needs to lower their prices a bit😢

[@Voledc]

Agreed. The best improvement they can make is lower prices.

[@warwicksworkshop9511]

I kinda hope, Seth, that Spyderco is improving their knives because of user experience, and not just being reactionary due to warranty claims and trying to make it easier to make.

[@Mntoyaz]

I am a Spyderco Fan. I would purchase the Delica 4 if it had a front finger choil like the Dragonfly 2, Native 5, Para 3 etc….

[@Sammyandbobsdad]

Why does Benchmade’s overpricing bug me (bug get it?!???) but Spyderco pricing doesn’t? Benchmade seems like Apple to me, yes, they make great products, but they double the price.

[@lordquenntillieusiii9250]

Spyderco (for the most part) doesn't fell like they are charging you for more than you are getting the way Benchmade does I think it might have something to do with the Axis lock going mainstream people are buy and large opting more for the higher value and Benchmade doesn't offer something you can't get elsewhere anymore so instead of trying to do that they just up their margins because they know they have nutty superfans that will buy it anyway.

[@Sammyandbobsdad]

@@lordquenntillieusiii9250 100%.

[@stephenbarabas6286]

😂 probably because even tho Benchmade is way overpriced they do come out with new stuff .....All Spyderco does is release the same things time after time but with cheaper handle material and different blade steel.. it's hard to upcharge for the same oldass designs

[@marcausedc9521]

Probably because Benchmade just raises prices whereas Spyderco generally changes steels for the expense change. I know there is exceptions to this but generally this is the rule.

[@jimmycricket7946]

​@@stephenbarabas6286your answer is the opposite of what the guy said in the comment. Doesn't make sense is what I'm says.

[@BoneOrchard]

When will Spyderco be ready to make the world’s most perfect EDC knife? A Native 5 with a compression lock?

[@justincortez3404]

At far as needing improvement, my vote goes to sheaths. Universally speaking… the Buck 539 sheath is a masterpiece in my opinion. Favorite knifes are irrelevant to a favorite sheaths. Can I get an amen?

[@thefrenchkaddict]

Can we speak about Spyderco clips ? Will they be improved one day of this century?

[@jasonchatham4170]

Seth V! Wrist check. What watch is that dude?

[@MFFIV]

I see a Seth V video, I click.

[@wattsmichaele]

The older version of the combat Troodon was almost impossible to open and close with this old geezer….hopefully its as easy now as Guardian Tactical (a great great OTF) or even the Hawk….the holy grail of OTF’s😎

[@TheWoolyWolf]

I would say the gen 3 definitely looks easier to open. I’ve seen users deploy and retract it with a index finger

[@MrSavage170]

I think the modernized Buck 110 and 112 needs to be included

[@kylelindberg7771]

The older north fork looked way better without the orange, and it was decently priced, unlike the new one.

[@MikeyD8716]

The 25th anniversary and it has a recurve. After talking about not having one opens it up to more people.

[@searchBLOC941]

Every Benchmade and Spyderco that I own are all autos or fixed blades. I have 13 Benchmades and only two Spydercos. The 710 in an auto (7100 maybe??) akin to the 9400 Osborne would be killer.

[@josiahsybrandy3089]

Not a fan of the compression lock its not very nice for lefties.

[@user-wn2tk5ox3u]

The buck 110 deserves to be on here considering how long it went unchanged

[@stephenbarabas6286]

Why? This is a most improved... Not a hasn't changed in 100 years video

[@b.rod36]

Anyone else notice all the tiny cuts on Seth's hands? It's like he works with knives.

[@Gee_Dub]

Benchmade 417 is great

[@glenngoins3100]

You know, I still like the police model and the chief.

[@maybefrank8345]

My $120 Native 5 lightweight with M4 steel and after market $80 aluminum scales calls out your $300 Native all day sir. All day😂