Just a bump: Kershaw's new 2018 designs are in, and for a change, at least a third of them are manual folders instead of Speedsafe assisted.
On the other hand, CRKT is going deeper with larger knives (3.5" and above) and AOs. I like Matthew Learch's and Ken Steigerwalt's designs, but almost all the nice stuff from them in CRKT's lineup are AOs.
Why can't cutlery companies from anywhere in the world (even you, China) give us a suitable offering of manual folders with blade lengths < 3.3" that aren't also so fat and wide?
My ideal knife is one with a slimness similar to the Benchmade 940-1, but with the blade length chopped down to 3" - 3.2" and in softer 5cr13 steel so that it won't break the bank (about 30USD).