Shirogorov knives: background info needed

Ok, they are great knives that are way overpriced. If you want one buy one, just know that more than likely a year from now they will be half priced.
 
Gregory Poux said:
For those unfamiliar with the maker, Shirogorov is a Russian knife company operated by the Shirogorov brothers. There isn’t a ton of info on the company (at least in English), but this is a growing manufacturer focusing on high end production and custom knives. They might be categorized as pioneers in the recent trend of high end production knives coming out of Russia and Asia. They are known for sleek designs, fanatical attention to detail, and exceptional fit and finish.


The 95 is one of their more popular models, and the 95t is a full titanium handled version with their signature “turtle” pattern (hence – a 95 “t”). This review has been a long time coming, and I’m pleased to finally be able to share some thoughts on this exclusive knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Steel
The 95t has an overall length of 8.75″, a 3.75″ blade, and it weighs 5.2 ounces. This is a large knife, and is not well suited for my style of every day carry (EDC). To me this is more of a self defense knife or large utility knife. Given how expensive it is, it has largely remained a collectible for me, but I did carry and use it a little. Mostly for purposes of putting this review together.



The 95t’s drop point blade is about as simple of a shape as you can get. Just 3.75 inches of flat ground and lightly tumbled steel. Of course, the devil is in the details, and the 95t has some nice ones on its blade. The edges have been slightly chamferred up by the jimping and the plunge lines are very clean. I wasn’t able to examine the factory edge on this particular knife (the previous owner attempted to sharpen the knife on a Wicked Edge), but as it stands it cuts very cleanly. The finish is very fine and the knife glides through cardboard.

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My 95t came with Elmax steel for the blade. Elmax is a higher end stainless steel by Bohler Uddeholm. Shirogorov offers the Model 95 with several other blade steels as well, including S30V. I’ll be the first to confess that this 95t has not been a real heavy “user” for me. First of all, at $700+ I have plenty of less expensive knives to beat up on, and secondly, with a near 4″ blade the 95t is well outside my normal range for daily carry – even on evenings and weekends when I’m not working in an office. I will say the 95t tracks through paper effortlessly, and opens boxes with the best of them. Anecdotally, the full flat grind and finely finished blade seemed to aid with slicing performance.

Handle, Egonomics, and Pocket Clip
The 95t has a full titanium handle. As previously mentioned, this particular model has Shirogorov’s signature “tortoise shell” design carved into it – hence the 95t. The handle really is a thing of beauty. The titanium has been masterfully milled. The edges are contoured and the single stand off is sunk into the titanium frame. There are a number of nice details to explore, from the “channel” behind the flipper tab for your finger to fall into, to the polished edges of the custom hardware. Speaking of custom hardware, while the slotted hardware is pretty, it easily mars if you try to adjust the pivot or remove the clip. The titanium itself has been given a thorough tumbling. This helps hide wear and contrasts nicely with the bright stainless blade and accents.

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The 95t is a large folding knife and it feels very good in hand. There are no sharp edges to speak of, save the cutting edge of course, and the simple handle shape allows your fingers to fall in place. There is a short run of jimping on the spine which reminds me a little of a Sebenza, but isn’t quite as sharp. The turtle pattern provides some additional traction without being overbearing, and the stonewashed titanium has a texture of its own. This simple handle will fit most people well.

img-shirogorov-95t-04.jpg


The pocket clip is a 3-D machined piece of titanium, and is a miniature work of functional art in its own right. Drilled and tapped for right side tip up carry only, the clip compliments the lines of the knife. It also works well, affording secure and reasonably deep carry. The pommel just peeks out over your pocket when in place. The 95t is a large knife, but carries nicely considering. It has some heft to it, but isn’t over the top heavy. It carries well for its size.

img-shirogorov-95t-05.jpg


Deployment and Lockup
The 95t flips fantastically. While it isn’t as much of a rocket launcher as the Zero Tolerance 0454, it’s still a pretty damn good flipper. The action is crisp and the blade kicks open easily with the push of a finger. My particular knife runs on a single row bearing system, however, I know that Shirogorov also offers knives in a fabled multi row bearing system (MRBS). I have never handled one of their MRBS knives, so I can’t comment on that feature. I can say this single row bearing knife is very smooth. The blade shoots open and falls closed easily.

img-shirogorov-95t-06.jpg


For lockup we have a frame lock with a steel insert. Lockup is early and extremely solid. There is no play in any direction, and the lock is easy to disengage. Blade centering is perfect.

Shirogorov 95t – Final Thoughts
I have had the privilege of checking out some damn cool stuff over the years. So far I have largely resisted the temptation to venture in to mid tech and custom knife territory, but the Shirogorov was too hard for me to resist. I am very happy I got a chance to check this knife out. It’s beautiful and amazingly well executed. Every aspect of the knife has been meticulously considered, and the end result speaks for itself. This is one heck of a knife, and if you have the money and desire to own one, I do not think you will be disappointed.



I won’t deny that this is an expensive piece. I am unsure what these retail for exactly, as they don’t stay on the retail market for long. I would guess anywhere from $750 to $1000. Either way you are paying a lot of money for this knife. So certainly this is not a knife anyone “needs”. I’ll never be able to answer for you whether it is “worth it”. Only you can make that decision. When I compare the 95t to a large Sebenza or a Hinderer XM-18, I think you are getting something more for your money. I’d have a hard time deciding between this and the ZT 0454, but I think the 95t is made just a little bit better.

I usually sell off many of the expensive knives that land in my collection. I’m not made of money and I need to do this to check out new stuff. I have been sitting on this 95t for at least 6 months now. I think the fact that I have stalled writing this review for so long says a lot. I am having a hard time letting it go, and just might convince myself to keep it. As someone who has had a lot of knives pass through his hands that’s about as glowing of an endorsement as I can offer.


Shirogorov 95t
From: BladeHQ

Occasionally Shirogorov knives find their way to BladeHQ, and I recommend purchasing them there. Please consider that purchasing anything through any of the links on this website helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. As always, any and all support is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much
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Thank You for taking the time time to write up such a solid review. The 95T is a folder I recently heard about and have been scouring the net to find info on them. You nailed everything about this knife that I have been able to find.

For those complaining about the price, CRK with damascus are up in this price range now. Also a few years ago, You could not touch a Hinderer XM18 for under $700-800. That bubble burst when he upped production.

From what I have heard from others and read about on my own, they are like a CRK, but on the next level. Being a huge fan of CRK, that's saying something. Hopefully one will come my way someday so I can see for myself.

Again, Many Thanks for a stellar review...!!!
 
I wouldn’t say that they’re particularly overpriced right now, any more than many other brands in that quality and price range.

Prices in North America were initially ridiculously high due to supply and demand but now that they have a US distributor prices for their regular production models have fallen to more reasonable levels approximating their prices in Russia where they have a very healthy following of their own. Really, the US market is a relatively new thing for them, in previous years they were concentrating solely on their domestic market and the only Shiros you could get were the odd few that people imported. Only in the last couple of years have they been paying attention the international sales and they now make special knives for their US collectors group like they do for their domestic collectors club.

In short, I don’t see prices for their knives dropping in half in a year because they have already fallen down to parity with their primary market (Russia). We aren’t their primary market so we don’t really set their price mark. A basic F3 goes for about 700 now at recon1. I don’t see that dropping to 350 any time soon.

Prices for Custom Division and Full Custom knives are still crazy high on the secondary market due to rarity and demand, and that seems unlikely to change. Table prices remain relatively reasonable by custom knife standards. (About 1300 for the models at the recent USN gathering which are now going for about 2-3k secondary). On the crazy high end look at the Vegas roulette models. Seven examples made, one sold on secondary market for 17,000 if I recall correctly. Call it crazy, but that’s what collectors are willing to pay for custom knives. Look at how much Rexford or Onion get for their limited models. Not that far out of line.
 
High prices? Wait for a decent used one to appear here or other places. Ford/Chevy VS Mercedes/Bentley analogy may be instructive. Buy and drive what you want, and don't complain about prices that other people pay for their pleasures. Be well, all.
 
While we're on the subject of attribution the second post in this thread is cut-and-pasted from Blade Reviews as you can tell from the watermarks in the pictures.

I have several Shiros that I bought from Recon1 the only authorized dealer and they are both overpriced and worth it.
 
Twitching the conversation back to product and resurrecting the thread, which model is the largest in the Shirogorov line? Largest by blade length.
 
sharp_edge said:
That being said, the blade profile of Shirogorov is absolutely THE best looking to me.
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I'll second that (most useful, most predictive, most natural in hand) and add the base F3 at Recon1 pricing is a deal today. The F3 is a full size knife at 95mm. Often when people say there are equal flippers at half the price the blade is a 3" pry bar.
 
SCBaldr said:
Twitching the conversation back to product and resurrecting the thread, which model is the largest in the Shirogorov line? Largest by blade length.
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The Canibas has a 4” blade , It’s a big knife , not sure if they have anything bigger
 
it is like the stock market suppy demand the it toy for xmas etc , all in like inflated stocks the prices will eventually
correct themselves sooner or later. i have stocks that are over priced bought low sell high,
but eventuall self correcting will
bring prices down to set levels . they are not gonna short run collectors and retire so that increases the prices . the more
they sell the better for everyone who gets one and the more made the prices will drop .all some great products have a niche somewhere
but eventually that will decrease .

buddy has one it is a nice blade , but these are not users they hold down the velvet in safes . great for people for hold on to knives for life
bad for people who are hoping for a big return down the road . in the knife world with every country catching up it just won't happen.

but they are nice i just dont buy over priced but thousands do and thats cool too. im just more thrifty . never had a safe queen , i feel better having knife in my pocket then in my bedroom IMO YMMV
 
I respectfully disagree. You are lumping all One, Two and Three Bear, and Custom Division models into one pile. One Bear releases are relatively affordable working knives that are not meant to be safe queens.
 
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pretty much all customs hold back production to inflate prices , if they made more the prices would fall . thats just how markets work.
i keep reading they are made in russia and someone has pics of the shop , but who knows where that shop really is . they are nice dont get me wrong but its 500 dollar knife at best
 
ericdraven said:
pretty much all customs hold back production to inflate prices , if they made more the prices would fall . thats just how markets work.
i keep reading they are made in russia and someone has pics of the shop , but who knows where that shop really is . they are nice dont get me wrong but its 500 dollar knife at best
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Don’t like the prices don’t buy them easy why people complain for something that the only thing to do is don’t do it we live in democracy you can choose to do it on don’t do it is so easy why complain about it
 
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