There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
I also like my two Spyderco Byrd knives, but Ganzo has a knife that is like the Meadowlark (and Delica) but with 440C steel, which is more rust resistant than 8Cr13MoV and holds an edge longer (less maintenanc). The Ganzo actually has a smoother action than both of the Byrd, colors (I got an olive green), it’s my most carried knife right now. However, I have had two Dragonfly 2s of different colors, and those have had the nicest fit and finish, neat design touches, VG-10 steel, and have been carried the most years cumulative of any of my knives.
CRKT puts out TONS of budget knives and I own a few (Ripple, Tac Two), but the Spyderco (And spyderco-like) knives are more ergonomic and slice better; I think CRKT often makes knives meant more to appeal as objects to look at and play with (fast bearings on the ripple, button lock on the Tigh Tac Two). They seem to have a few budget “hits” here and there, but others like Tangram (Kizer), Steel Will, and Real Steel are stealing the limelight and might be making a stronger value proposal.