High-end knives: what the extra money actually buys
Eight knives I own that usually cost $150 and up, grouped by what the extra money buys. A high-end knife and a budget knife are in totally different classes. It makes no sense to compare one to the next, so nothing here is measured against a cheaper knife.
By Mendy·Left-handed·8 knives I own
Published: Oct 2, 2026Prices checked Oct 1, 2026, at the makers’ stores and authorized dealers
Direct answer: my pick is the Kizer Varatas. I’m currently enjoying this one most. It’s a titanium frame lock, Lefty OK, and it usually costs $150–200. Every knife here is one I own that usually costs $150 and up. The extra money buys one of three things. Titanium in the handle: the Kizer Original 2, Varatas and Pioneer. The toughest steel on this page: the Spyderco Manix 2 and Para 3. Small knives built like big ones: the Spyderco Lil’ Native and McBee, and the Demko Nano-Shark.
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Titanium in the handle
The Kizer Original 2 and Varatas have titanium handles. The Kizer Pioneer puts titanium bolsters on Richlite scales.
$150–200 at the maker · My pick
Kizer Varatas Lefty OK
Blade
3.27 in
Steel
CPM S35VN
Lock
Frame lock
Handle
Titanium
Jacob Lundquist’s design, with a front flipper and a thumb hole. Mine arrived with a quality-control flaw. Kizer issued a partial refund and I kept the knife.
Both are Spyderco, both in CPM CruWear, a tool steel. On Larrin Thomas’s ratings, CruWear’s toughness is 8, the highest of any steel on this page, and its corrosion resistance is 5.5, the lowest, so wipe it dry after wet work.
$150–200
Spyderco Manix 2 CruWear Lefty friendly
Blade
3.37 in
Steel
CPM CruWear
Lock
Ball Bearing Lock
Handle
Canvas Micarta
In my hand: Spyderco put a ball-bearing crossbar lock on the Manix 2, and mine closes the same way in either hand.
Bought at retail
$200–250
Spyderco Para 3 CruWear Lefty OK
Blade
2.93 in
Steel
CPM CruWear
Lock
Compression lock
Handle
Canvas Micarta
In my hand: Despite how much I love it, the fact that I need to compress the lock on the back with my finger in a certain position makes me lose grip of the knife to some degree, which I do not like.
Bought at retail
Small knives built like big ones
All three have blades under 2.5 inches, the line my small knives page draws, in S30V, XHP and 20CV. Short blade, full-size steel.
$150–200
Spyderco Lil’ Native Wharncliffe Lefty OK
Blade
2.47 in
Steel
CPM S30V
Lock
Compression lock
Handle
G10
A Wharncliffe: a straight edge, with the spine tapering all the way to the tip. The wire clip swaps sides on my unit; I checked.
Bought at retail
$150–200
Spyderco McBee Right-hand only
Blade
1.52 in
Steel
CTS XHP
Lock
Frame lock (Reeve Integral Lock)
Handle
Titanium
In my hand: Spyderco built it for right hands, clip and lock, so as a lefty I should pass. I have not managed to. It is simply too good to pass up, and that says more about small knives than anything I could write.
Bought at retail
$300 and up
Demko Nano-Shark Lefty friendly
Blade
2.38 in
Steel
CPM 20CV
Lock
Shark-Lock
Handle
Milled titanium
A thumb hole to open it, and Demko’s Shark-Lock on the spine to close it, the same in either hand.
Bought at retail
On a budget? The thirteen knives I own that usually cost under $100 have their own page.
Knives I own that you can’t buy new from the maker or an authorized dealer are left off this page. They are with the rest of the drawer on my pocket knives page.
FAQ
Which high-end pocket knives work left-handed?
Three of the eight work the same in either hand, clip and lock: the Kizer Original 2, the Spyderco Manix 2 and the Demko Nano-Shark. Three are Lefty OK, because the lock sits on one side and I close them with my index finger: the Spyderco Lil’ Native and Para 3, and the Kizer Varatas. Two are right-hand only: the Kizer Pioneer and the Spyderco McBee.
Is every high-end pocket knife titanium?
Not in my drawer. Four of these eight have titanium handles: the Kizer Original 2 and Varatas, the Spyderco McBee, and the Demko Nano-Shark. The Kizer Pioneer has titanium bolsters on Richlite scales. The Spyderco Manix 2 and Para 3 are canvas Micarta, and the Spyderco Lil’ Native is G10.
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