I believe this single picture can determine whether a Shirogorov might be for you.

I'm a big fan of Shirogorov knives. They have great aesthetics, wonderful ergonomics, and immaculate fit and finish.

But in today's knife world, it seems like a lot of other companies have caught up, to the point where Shirogorovs are commonly considered "overrated" and "overpriced." I've seen and heard stories by plenty of people who received a Shirogorov, excited to experience the legendary Shirogorov action on its proprietary multi-row bearing system, only to be let down by the fact that they've experienced knives with similar or better action.

But I don't think it's the action that sets Shirogorov apart. Most Shirogorovs have wonderfully smooth action, but, as many other knives are, the same knife model can vary from "guillotines shut" to "drifts shut." And which of these one prefers is just opinion.

I think, rather, that it's attention to detail that sets Shirogorov apart from its competitors. Shirogorov puts a lot of work put into areas of the knife that really don't need it. Yet it's exactly this extra work that I want to see when I'm dropping $1,000+ on a knife.

I've posted a picture of the back end of my F95. Just plain, ho-hum S90V and titanium. But I've zoomed in on the back of the clip, backspacer, and lanyard hole. Look at how fine the micromilling lines are on the clip and lockbar base, and how they curve with and around the curves of the knife. Look at how the lanyard hole isn't just drilled in or cut out; rather, space has been scalloped out on both the scales and the backspacer in a way that reflects the quasi-steampunk aesthetic of the whole knife. Look at where the tip of the knife points directly at where the backspacer ends, which ends in a taper rather than a blunt cutoff. Notice how they've chosen to expose the parts of the screw that prevent it from being free-spinning rather than hide them inside the hole. It's an artistic masterclass in design and engineering. Nothing is overdone, nor is anything an afterthought.

There are other knives that have super-cool milling work. I own some such knives—Skiffs, Hermans, Hog House—and I love them dearly. But it's one thing to cover a knife in milling lines, and another to carefully consider placing every single line in a way that accentuates the knife's lines rather than making the milling the knife's entire personality. Adding a clip in Timascus is fancy, but so is crafting a clip that seamlessly integrates into the lines and design language of the knife. Anyone can throw paint at a canvas to cover it, but only true artists know how to use their paint judiciously to highlight what they want people to see. It's only when you get up-close that you realize how much work has gone into it.

Shirogorovs aren't for everyone. Some people just want a tool, in which case a $50 Civivi Elementum will knock it out of the park for you. Even as the price goes up, you can definitely find knives at half the price of a plain-titanium Shirogorov that have perfect milling, or use expensive Zirconium and Timascus in their handles. But if you're the sort of person who wants to examine your knife with a magnifying glass and places value in artistry and craftsmanship, a Shirogorov will take you on a roller coaster while nearly every other brand will stop in the parking lot.

A good number of Shirogorov's knives don't do it for me. In particular, I don't actually recommend their "budget" (sub-$800) line; while all Shirogorovs are good knives that carry extremely well because of their optimized blade-to-handle ratios, I don't think the less expensive ones exhibit enough of the aforementioned detail work to set them apart from other knives in their price range, and are legitimately overpriced. I'd rather pay the extra cash to get something that demonstrates what Shirogorov is capable of achieving that very few other knifemakers seems to do with any regularity.