Shirogorov ..Good,Bad & the ugly. Need to know

mfm22

mfm22

Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Messages
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it seems that Shirogorov as a brand is held in high esteem . Quality flippers are found there
I may be ready to take the plunge (see what I did there) and go for one supreme knife instead of 4 or 5 good ones
I know not enough to drop 1k or more on this without being "educated" I've watched a few you tube vids - helpful but I'd trust members here to explain why. Or why not go Russian
How much better is the quality from a Chris reeeves ( not flippers but quality wise )
Or ZT. I understand that if you spend twice or even 4x the money the improvement /quality may not jump the same.
Looking forward to some first hand knowledge.
 
Not being a Shiro owner, this might upset some here.
I was at a local B&M knife shop here in the Los Angeles area and they had several Shiros under the case. I wanted to spark my curiosity about a $900 flipper so I asked to see one.
I wasn't overly impressed so I asked to see a second one (orange scales). Same flipping action.
I then flipped the ZT 0450, 0452 series and was blown away by how much better the action on these were.
Maybe I got two Shiro lemons by chance but, you wanted the ugly so that's my assessment. My knife buddy who was with me thought the same thing.
 
I have held several. I don't get it. I have 2 custom knife factory and loved them both. My next HE folder will be a rockstead. I see and feel the value in them. I could be wrong but above a Sebenza or hindered or CKF or other I don't see the extra cost anywhere on them
 
SoCalEDC said:
Not being a Shiro owner, this might upset some here.
I was at a local B&M knife shop here in the Los Angeles area and they had several Shiros under the case. I wanted to spark my curiosity about a $900 flipper so I asked to see one.
I wasn't overly impressed so I asked to see a second one (orange scales). Same flipping action.
I then flipped the ZT 0450, 0452 series and was blown away by how much better the action on these were.
Maybe I got two Shiro lemons by chance but, you wanted the ugly so that's my assessment. My knife buddy who was with me thought the same thing.
Click to expand...

Probably a fake Shiro.
 
mfm22 said:
it seems that Shirogorov as a brand is held in high esteem . Quality flippers are found there
I may be ready to take the plunge (see what I did there) and go for one supreme knife instead of 4 or 5 good ones
I know not enough to drop 1k or more on this without being "educated" I've watched a few you tube vids - helpful but I'd trust members here to explain why. Or why not go Russian
How much better is the quality from a Chris reeeves ( not flippers but quality wise )
Or ZT. I understand that if you spend twice or even 4x the money the improvement /quality may not jump the same.
Looking forward to some first hand knowledge.
Click to expand...

If you buy the older ones the tolerances will not be as good as the newer ones. The newer the better. Older ones are hit or miss depending on their individual history.

I’ve had over 30 Sebenzas from 2010 till 2016. I’ve had 12-15 Shiros between 2014 till very fresh ones that just landed. I only have one Sebenza left.

Shiro is to CRK as CRK is to Kershaw.

Shirogorov’s serial models are made by various people still so there are some small differences between them. But my worst Shiro was still better than my best of any other brand, CRK, Strider and Hinderer included.

The other brand and model that came close to a Shiro was a Grimsmo Rask. Not quite there but Canadian made and MSRP is cheaper.

I would suggest you buy new from Recon1 so you have a certificate of authenticity and a warranty.

Way too many fakes out there to be trying to get a good deal used if you don’t know exactly what you are doing.

Try a NeOn Lite. Price is good and I haven’t taken mine out of my pocket since I got it.
 
The Good - Shirogorov is the smoothest flipper I've ever owned. Granted, ZT's flip well, but that's due to the strong detent they have. I'm talking smooth, not fast. It takes little effort for the blade to fly out. Or you can flip it hard and the blade really snaps locked. IMO, they are equal to CRK in fit/finish, tolerances. The ones I have are full flat grind blades. They offer a good selection of handle materials. A lot of their steel is M390. The newer models have skeletonized frames to minimize weight.
Their newer models offer multi row bearings.

The Bad - Some of their earlier models have features that were propriety to other makers, i.e., the axis lock. You have to be careful buying on the secondary market. Clones have been sold as the real deal. It's better if the knife has the paperwork, you might get one on washers or single row bearings, thinking you're getting the latest release. The secondary market is really proud of them and over paying is common.

The Ugly - There is only one authorized distributor in the U.S. If you buy one from elsewhere, you have to go through the return process without much help. They're in Russia. If there is an issue, the knife has to go back to Russia. It's gonna take a while to get a knife back. Some of the knives come with thread lock that makes it almost impossible to take apart without softening the thread lock. The take down tool they make is expensive. The bearings are not caged and will get lost if you're not paying attention.
 
I could save some $$ and live with my ZT 0450 ? Lol. It's a great flipper for the money no doubt
Just returned a small Inkosi - just couldn't deal with thumb stud position & opening
Picked up a small 21 here and sent it back to the Spa , just wasn't right ( way too stiff action)
It was preowned so who knows what was the issue. That said it is nice to be able to have manufacturers there to stand by product -

I can see the lack of factory support as a big Ugly . The Rask was another knife of interest similar size , shape and seemed to ooze quality. But the supply / demand thing is a total turn off
Guess that's half the fun chasing the rabbit down the hole
If it wasn't for the addictive nature of the 0450 smooth flipping action I'd still have my Ritter mini grip in pocket.
 
The Shirogorov I owned was probably the finest knife I’ve ever owned. I sold it because: 1. I just don’t need a $700 Knife. 2. I would hate to deal with sending it off to Russia for warranty service if it was ever needed. 3. I really do appreciate my CRKs and Hinderers just as much. Also flippers will go the way of spinners eventually... thank Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and all the seven saints that the many talented machinests of the world will have to make something worth buying.
 
mfm22 said:
I could save some $$ and live with my ZT 0450 ? Lol. It's a great flipper for the money no doubt
Just returned a small Inkosi - just couldn't deal with thumb stud position & opening
Picked up a small 21 here and sent it back to the Spa , just wasn't right ( way too stiff action)
It was preowned so who knows what was the issue. That said it is nice to be able to have manufacturers there to stand by product -

I can see the lack of factory support as a big Ugly . The Rask was another knife of interest similar size , shape and seemed to ooze quality. But the supply / demand thing is a total turn off
Guess that's half the fun chasing the rabbit down the hole
If it wasn't for the addictive nature of the 0450 smooth flipping action I'd still have my Ritter mini grip in pocket.
Click to expand...

If you're trying to justify spending the additional money over the ZT0450, Shiro might not be the brand for you. The 0450 is a great knife and I loved mine. But after handling a Shiro Neon, I sold the 0450 after realizing I never picked it up again. Same goes for my CRK Sebenza. For me, the 4x over the ZT and 2x over CRK was easily justified for the mechanical precision, out-of-this-world action, milling detail, ergos, and high-end steel. I never looked back. My edc knives are Shiro neon, Shiro 95R, Grimsmo Rask, and a spyderco PM2 (love that spyderco); I don't have any desire to carry or try anything else.

Cons:
-Expensive (but IMO there's value you get in return)

-Popular brand to counterfeit, so buy from known sources. Even Arizona Custom Knives unknowingly consigned a fake before it was pointed out.

-No US Factory (but I don't send knives in for warrantee/spa, and if I somehow destroy a Shiro, I'll just buy another)

-Non-standard hardware for maintenance (Please don't try using coins. People will say all day long that coins will work. But I can spot a Shiro from a mile away where someone tried that and the hardware is all marred up. If you buy a $600+ knife, buy the special bits too.)

-If you end up liking Shiros, it'll ruin your knife collecting for other midtechs and many other customs. Say bye to your ZT/Strider/Hinderer/Rockstead/CRK/etc.


You'll either love Shiro and stay with it, or feel meh and move on. If you can afford it, try a renewed model (has MRBS) from recon1 (the only authorized US dealer). Scratch that itch!
 
You don't buy a Shirogorov to compare it to other knives. You buy it to own one of the finest production knives in the industry.
You don't buy a Shirogorov for exceptional warranty service. You buy it because many are afraid to.
You don't buy a Shirogorov for cutting cardboard. You buy it to cut the shit.
You don't buy a Shirogorov for value. You buy it to experience a little opulence.

(I haz eet)...
opulence-i-haz-it.png



Finally, you don't buy a Shirogorov for a secret password to an underground Speakeasy run by the Russian Mafia. (I'm still waiting)...

You buy it to share your own pics and post your smug opinion in Shirogorov threads with certified authenticity.

38004356861_78b367c5ab_k.jpg
 
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I haven’t owned any production Shiros. Only custom division and collabs, which are essentially the same quality, and I would imagine a bit better than production. But what I can tell you is, there really isn’t a custom knife out there that beats the CD Shiros for smoothness and overall mechanical perfection. That’s not to say there aren’t Knives I like as much or more, but as far as mechanics, they’re virtually impossible to beat by anyone at any price.
 
I haven't carried any other knife since I got my Neon, sold my 450 and other EDC knifes because I don't need a safe full of used knifes that I have no interest in carrying. In the past 12 months I have ordered one knife and still waiting on it to be delivered it is a cleaver style "Orbit" by Serge Panchenko with a Hawk lock. I hope it can live up to the quality of the Shiro. For me the other Shiro's are a bit large for EDC but were all different the 3.25" blade is just where I need to be and wish they had some different models in that general blade length.
 
I had the fever for a Shiro a year or so back. Was able to snag a CKF MILK for well less than half the price, and it completely scratched the itch for me. Not saying it is the same, but I am totally saying it has blown away every single person that has flipped it. Forgive the crappy iPhone4 video quality, but this is mine right out of the box. I've dialed it in to be just slightly less free-falling since then, but it practically feels like it is mind controlled. Detent is not nearly as strong as XT's and recent XM18's, yet it is really impossible to break detent and fail to fully deploy - there is essentially no perceptible friction in the pivot.

In the end, I have been around higher end knives enough to know you are getting something for your higher price in a Shiro as compared to my CKF MILK. I'm just not sure the differential is, for me, perceptible. I cannot imagine objectively better flipping action, and with a nearly sterile (only a small "M390" on the tiny flipper tab) hand rubbed blade of M390 (with 4.21" cutting length) in a 4.3 ounce titanium framelock that is .433" wide, my Russian desire is satiated.

 
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While I do like the Shiro I have handled, the fact that Recon1 is the only US dealer is a massive turn off to me.

If I see a used one a fair price I might pick it up.
 
What is the issue with Recon 1? Did you have a bad experience? I ask because I have considered picking one up in the future.
 
After owning a few I'm over them, to be honest. They're mechanically excellent (though I did have to stiffen up the detent on one of mine), to be sure, but IMO they're just way overpriced even second-hand. They're not as bad as Hinderers were a couple of years ago (that was a full-on beanie baby level of nuttiness), but the prices are just way out of whack with what you get for the money.

That said, they hold their value well. If you buy one used you can easily sell it for what you paid for it, in most cases.
 
Officer's Match said:
I had the fever for a Shiro a year or so back. Was able to snag a CKF MILK for well less than half the price, and it completely scratched the itch for me. Not saying it is the same, but I am totally saying is has blown away every single person that has flipped it. Forgive the crappy iPhone4 video quality, but this is mine right out of the box. I've dialed it in to be just slightly less free-falling since then, but it practically feels like it is mind controlled. Detent is not nearly as strong as XT's and recent XM18's, yet it is really impossible to break detent and fail to fully deploy - there is essentially no perceptible friction in the pivot.

In the end, I have been around higher end knives enough to know you are getting something for your higher price in a Shiro as compared to my CKF MILK. I'm just not sure the differential is, for me, perceptible. I cannot imagine objectively better flipping action, and with a nearly sterile (only a small "M390" on the tiny flipper tab) hand rubbed blade of M390 (with 4.21" cutting length) in a 4.3 ounce titanium framelock that is .433" wide, my Russian desire is satiated.

Click to expand...

I agree completely, so much so that I unloaded my Shiros but kept my Milk. I actually prefer my knives not to be so free swinging that they fall closed, but the Milk's action is so good that even with the pivot cranked down insanely tight it still falls closed half the time.
 
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