I own an S30V EZ-out (x2), combo-edge Order, plain-edge Order, Sharkbelly, LMFII, Strongarm, Propel (x2), US-Assist, as well as a "BG Compact Fixed Blade", a Gerber Dime, and then I also own a couple of the older knives, namely the A425 & A475 armorhide fixed blades.
Those older knives are awesome - nicely formed handles, M2-tool steel with a hard chrome finish, FFG. My only complaint is how cold the handles get
The Strongarm and LMFII are both good fixed blades, but they are both designed for military personnel, particularly the LMFII. The Strongarm is probably a better pick for a civilian outdoorsman - it's lightweight and plenty durable with a very comfortable handle and a good sheath to boot. But both knives are good quality, durable, comfortable, and backed by a lifetime guarantee. Neither would make a good slicer as both are rather thick behind the edge, but that is made up for in the exceptional serrations which, at least on my examples, are thin and
very sharp
The one BG knife I own was bought for throwing, but it too appears well-made. It and the Gerber Dime are made in China. I actually sent back a previous Dime and received another because I tend to break things and the Dime is a
mini multitool, i.e. I used the pliers too hard and popped the back-springs that act as the pliers-stop. As a light-duty tool, the Dime is great, I like it much more than the Leatherman Squirt PS4, but I moved up to a Leatherman Wingman because of my tendency to use tools hard (I also have a LM Charge TTi but don't often carry it on my person because of the thickness and heft and my not regularly needing many of the tools on board).
Each of the folders is USA-made. Not every one of them came with an even grind (this is more true for the fixed blades, edge-grinds are often uneven, judging by what I have seen), but the Orders are wonderfully thin slicers and easy to maintain, exceptionally lightweight, and comfortable to use.
I only just purchased the Sharkbelly and have read that some experienced stiffness in the action but my example is excellent and will probably replace the Orders for me. I like the Sharkbelly handle and opening-hole, but I especially prefer the pocket-clip. I actually cut one of my Order pocket-clips down to ~half-size for more discrete carry and comfort in use. The Sharkbelly uses flexible wire set for deep-carry. I would prefer it to be more gray/dark so as not to shine, and one may note that it is easily shifted/twisted (unlike the thicker wire clip of the US-Assist or those found on Spydercos like the Caly3), but I have not bent it or had any other negative experience with it yet. The knife itself is nicely shaped and came very sharp.
I ended up buying two Propels because, once de-assisted, it is an excellent button-lock knife for outdoor use. This knife is not thin behind the edge outside of the serrations but it works well as a makeshift chisel or for piercing/digging into material, and the serrations work very well on roots and ropes. It is built
very strong (I'd trust it over a Hogue) and can handle a lot of abuse, and is easy to open and close one-handed (once de-assisted) just like an axis-lock. Again, I don't use these as general EDC home/office/kitchen knives but for rough outdoor work.
The US-Assist: this one I cannot recommend. The edge is not fully sharpened from the factory but comes with an unsharpened section near the choil, and the choil is excessively large (for just sharpening) without being able to accommodate a finger like the Order. The blade itself is rather thick behind the edge on the S30V version and has a stout flat saber-grind... The 420HC version is probably a better choice for most users, since it appears to have a higher hollow grind that should result in a thinner blade and edge = better cutting performance. The button-lock here is far inferior to that of the Propel such that there is slight vertical-play when the lock is engaged and the knife can rattle unless excessively tightened. The torsion-spring isn't as nice as the coil on something like a Benchmade Barrage, and I prefer it removed, but the tang of the US-Assist isn't ground to allow for this. On the Propel, the tang has a ramp that allows the button-lock to provide a detent without the torsion-spring in place, i.e. the knife remains closed even without the secondary lock switched over. There is no ramp on the tang of the US-Assist, the torsion-spring is what holds the blade closed. Without the spring, one can use the cross-bolt 'safety' to keep the knife closed (or opened) but again there is rattle since the cross-bolt is not (at least on my sample) machined to sufficiently tight tolerances. The knife is excessively fat and heavy - full steel liners and a thick (though plastic) handle on such a short blade?
The US-Assist is functional as a knife - the lock, while imperfect, does hold the blade open, the safety is functional and does hold the blade closed against accidental opening, the handle isn't uncomfortable beyond being a bit small and having that protruding pocket-clip, and the action is swift and smooth opening/closing. But the knife as a whole, given all of its little problems, is not really worth owning, IMO, and I would be happy to pass my example along to an interested buyer.
My final $0.02 - Gerbers
can be of excellent quality and well worth the $$. But it is advisable that you take an opportunity (e.g. at Walmart) to handle the ones that interest you to get an idea of whether or not they meet your needs/desires. I typically stick with US-made Gerbers, but the Fiskars/Gerber axes are great,
some of the Chinese-made stuff isn't bad (to judge by various reviews, I don't own many knives from China), and not all of the US-made stuff is of the highest quality for the price. Why buy it? because it is inexpensive and readily available and able to get the job done and inexpensive.
