In your opinion, what is the most OVERrated knife currently available for purchase.. and also list the most UNDERrated knife currently available? Why?

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While I like it overall, I'll say that the TRM Atom is overrated. I like the thin blade stock, but they didn't take full advantage of it by grinding it thin enough behind the edge. Slim carry and light weight are nice, but they made the liners SO thin that the knife feels a bit flimsy. To center the blade, TRM actually advises you to *twist* the knife in the appropriate direction and then tighten the body screws. Because when you take the scales off, you really can twist the liners very easily. The Quiet Carry Drift feels like a bank vault in comparison.
 
luethge said:
Respectfully, I’m going to approach this with caution 😂. I’m definitely a Busse fan. That said, when I reach for a knife to cut something, rarely, if ever is it a Busse. The Busse knives I own are definitely for chopping or smashing things. They are fun. They are also EXPENSIVE. I can see how they would be considered overrated.. but if you like the idea of a knife that will most likely never break, and if it does - it’s replaced or fixed without question, they are great. They have built a very loyal fan base with their knives, and excellent customer service. Their knives are an acquired taste I guess. They do make thinner stock knives that cut really well also.

I guess that might have had more opinion in it than I intended. ( yeah - I love Busse knives ). Big choppers are FUN, not so practical though.
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I agree... as such, considering the price, I would rate Busse as overrated...
an underrated 'poor mans busse' would be the skrama (80crv2) or even lower priced: ontario ct5 machete (1075) - both of those are just as much of a tank :)

for folders... underrated would be the $40 kershaw leek in 14c28n (now pricing has inflated to around $60), also plain rat in aus8 for tough/hard use, d2 rats for better edge retention, also plain old 420hc on almost any buck folder
 
I won’t mess much with overrated, although I agree with the poster who said “bricks”. The older & wiser I get, the more I appreciate slimmer, thinner knives.

Underrated:

Moki knives from Japan
Excellent quality, F&F - costs less than GEC without the hassle

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Enzo Birk knives are hand made in Finland. S30V flat grind; bronze washers; premium scales; excellent quality for the same price as most Spyderco models
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JK and KD folders from Poland. Both are full custom Titanium knives with hand rubbed M390 blade; ceramic pivots; titanium integral locks and clips. Thin, razor sharp and with tremendous flipping action. About $100 more than a micarta Sebenza. The sculpting on the JK is amazing and hard to appreciate in a picture

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VorpelSword said:
I wish I'd taken out a loan and bought multiples of every model of the CRK One-Piece line at retail when they were available. Now they are in the thousands.
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Oooh me too. Also Benchmade 42s. I was really into those for a while. I had five or six at various times, and let them all go in the $100-150 range when they were $150-ish new. Now Benchmade balisongs are $400+ new and the old BM42s are insane.
 
Ron Sabbagh said:
I won’t mess much with overrated, although I agree with the poster who said “bricks”. The older & wiser I get, the more I appreciate slimmer, thinner knives.

Underrated:

Moki knives from Japan
Excellent quality, F&F - costs less than GEC without the hassle

View attachment 1738220

Enzo Birk knives are hand made in Finland. S30V flat grind; bronze washers; premium scales; excellent quality for the same price as most Spyderco models
View attachment 1738221

JK and KD folders from Poland. Both are full custom Titanium knives with hand rubbed M390 blade; ceramic pivots; titanium integral locks and clips. Thin, razor sharp and with tremendous flipping action. About $100 more than a micarta Sebenza. The sculpting on the JK is amazing and hard to appreciate in a picture

View attachment 1738222

View attachment 1738223
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A lot of the eastern European custom makers are a fantastic value for price, you just have to accept that shipping will be 2-4 weeks.
 
in early 2004 I was walking through a gun show and spied a CRK Project 1 at a discount. It was "new-used" or open box, something that made it not retail new. I called our son at 29 Palms and asked if he wanted it . . .and he said no! So I passed it by; woulda-coulda-shoulda!
 
Overrated: Maybe the Giantmouse ACE line in general but the two experiences I have are both the Clyde and the ACE Grand. Really didnt care for the Clyde. Despite being a small almost gentleman carry kind of blade it isnt ground very thin at all. The action is very mediocre and I have never been able to get it to flick. I like the Grand a lot more but the knife just seems to fall in a weird spot for me. Elmax and contoured Micarta screams heavy use but then the liner lock they are using is very thin with a very early lockup (another thing that seems present with other examples outside of mine) and the stop pin is similarly small. The blade shape, blade steel, and the scales are all set up to be a heavy user and then the liner lock and stop pin seem to be pulled from a gentlemans knife. All this and despite the size the lockbar is still difficult to get to.

Underrated: I will actually echo others here and say the Benchmade Presidio doesn't get nearly the attention it should and I really wish there was more aftermarket support for it. It is ground thinner than their more popular Griptillian line while still being a good value. The CF elite that it comes with scale wise is fine I suppose but I would really jump at a model in black canvas micarta and M4 or Cruwear. Would be an immaculate user. I am still desperate to find someone to make a set of aftermarket scales for the thing.
 
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Drop bear said:
Overrated. The becker BK2 in that it is just too much knife for most jobs most people do. You have this thing that can can open a car and you wind up mostly opening packs of noodles with it.

Underrated are any of those Swedish brands that are not moras. Bahco, hultafors those sorts of things.
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Hultafors isn't Swedish, it's a fake China-made Mora.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Having recently purchased an Adamas, I do have to agree. It's a fun knife, but it does stretch the utility of a folder. It's that catch 22: Big enough to handle most any job you need done even beyond reason, but so bulky and heavy that you could pack a comparable fixed blade and have more strength.

My controversial underrated pick:
Chinese-made slip joints/traditionals. Not going into the politics of anything, they are great values for the money. IMHO, I think that Rough Ryder knives are on part with anything comparable coming out of the Case factory. That is to say, I get better walk and talk from a $20 RR than I do from a Case Stockman coming in at $50-60 with no blade rub or buggered kicks causing the blade to hit the frame. You do have to settle on stainless steel with the RR, though. When you step it up to pay around $50, I have been really impressed with my Brother Cowfish. VG10, nice grinds, a little wobble on lock up but honestly not much different than from my low end GEC Missouri Trader. Certainly not the same level of quality, but I think it's a fair comparison.

While I am not one who collects or carries a traditional most days, I would say that your options are limited when you want quality better than Case but don't feel like playing the GEC lottery.
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I love to buy American (or basically, not Chinese where I can) but, admittedly, the cotton sampler (a pattern Case doesn't now offer) I got from Rough Ryder had better finish than my first Case I recently got, a Texas Toothpick, with a toothy rushed edge and a slightly dirty blade. Walk/talk well, both of 'em, but the Rough Ryder would have been the one I'd have expected to be American if I had the knives blind. Only other traditional slipjoints I have are a Winchester of excellent quality, an Old Timer Workmate congress that is good quality, and a very poor Imperial three-blade tiny boy. All are Chinese, I think, unless Winchester was making American knives, but I doubt it. I absolutely intend to buy more Rough Ryder. I do not know about buying NEW Case.

I actually really agree about the Chinese trads, but the thing is European trads appeal to me just one bit more than trad slippies, so I am happy being able to buy Mercator, Douk-Douk, Opinel, Higonokami, MAM... All that can be had for under 30 and quality.
 
Most underrated imo are carbon steel folded sheet metal folders designed from 1869 to 1929. Namely, the Douk-Douk, K55 Mercator, Opinel, Higonokami. To me, these knives are the bee's knees. Fifteen bucks for the base models of 'em, a bit more can get you pocket clips on things like the Mercator. That was invented in 1869, that was the original "Buck 110" for me! I feel like they came around a hundred years later and reinvented the lockback, it's so old it's new at that time.

All of these are superb cutting tools and I own them all, and intend to get their variations, too, like the Tiki Douk-Douk, Brass Otter Mercator, stainless versions, oh man, the Higonokami has the most variations of all of these, from basic carbon Aogami to Shirogami and VG-10, I would love to explore this knife further. As I continue into the worlds of wood and leatherwork, I will find more tasks for them. But boy, these are competent, affordable, and classic slicers. You can often find one of these knives on my person, with a slipjoint and a Spyderco. Mora is fixed-blade, but they could roll with all the above guys, Modele Depose and Otter and Opi.

Over-rated? I don't know... maybe one of those huge fat folders like a Strider? I have never fairly handled one, though, so I won't say for sure. I just know if I'm going to carry a big knife, it will probably be something with a Demko lock. I have so far thoroughly enjoyed all my knife purchases ever since my last BudK purchase in 2019 made me buy my first Ontario SP-1, Mora Precision and Opinel no. 8. Those were my introductions to the world of good knives! From that ill-fated BudK purchase, I have a terrible Paki F/S dagger, three neck tantos and two liner-lock daggers, one of which was the only lock to fail on me, and it did so while just opening, slipped to the show side. But I don't know if you could call them "over-rated". They are rated very low. I do have a sick 6" stiletto of classic looks, so that one is cool.
 
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Thedude315 said:
I was really having a hard time coming up with an "over rated" knife, but Emerson is in my opinion a perfect example. They always had a table at the SWAT roundups and alot of guys were so infatuated with them. The wave feature was excellent, but now its available elsewhere. I dont like liner/frame locks, but I certainly appreciate the beauty and function of CRK and Hinderer knives. I do think that Spyderco stove pipe is "over rated" in my eyes. I've got no issue spending 2k on some of the nice Marfione/Microtechs. They are like Rolex or Omega watches in my opinion. I appreciate nice things. Not too many people see the "value" in a 110k 4 door sedan making 650hp.
Underrated? I carry a little Spyderco Delica for any knife related tasks. I always carry a pocket candy fun knife with my Delica, but the Delica has never come up short. Should an unforeseen situation arise and I need a back up or retention device the big Microtech/Marfione is there. Thats happened one time in my life. That was during my LE career so I've got a better chance of winning the lottery
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What was the incident, if you do not mind sharing?
 
The most underrated knife is Southern Grinds Spider Monkey. It comes with S35vn, titanium liners, good handle to blade length ratio, thick blade stock, fits easy in the pocket and has a reasonable price. Excellent knife and it seems like no one ever talks about it...I have 3

Overrated: Probably the PM2. Its handle to blade ratio is awful and feels giant in the pocket. Also I don't like that if you take it apart it voids the warranty. Give me something I can work on.
 
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This is from my own experience (ergos and uses) and does not represent a bad knife, just one that hit well below it’s weight and one that hit well above it’s weight for me!

Overvalued: CRK Small Inkosi Insigo (black micarta), ergos for me were horrible, drab muddied look due to new bead blast fun at CRK. I reboxed and returned it the next day. For me, horrible ergos and plain finish for $475 was a deal killer.
Undervalued: Spyderco GB2, bought prior to recent price hikes. Incredibly tight finish and attention to detail, blade beautiful and sharp as hell. Taiwan plant kicks ass.

Great thread!
 
MrStabby7 said:
The most underrated knife is Southern Grinds Spider Monkey. It comes with S35vn, titanium liners, good handle to blade length ratio, thick blade stock, fits easy in the pocket and has a reasonable price. Excellent knife and it seems like no one ever talks about it...I have 3

Overrated: Probably the PM2. Its handle to blade ratio is awful and feels giant in the pocket. Also I don't like that if you take it apart it voids the warranty. Give me something I can work on.
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This hasn’t been true for nearly five years. Janich came out and said the warranty doesn’t cover damage that occurs during disassembly and that disassembly alone does not void the warranty. I believe Sal confirmed.
 
JLTX said:
This is from my own experience (ergos and uses) and does not represent a bad knife, just one that hit well below it’s weight and one that hit well above it’s weight for me!

Overvalued: CRK Small Inkosi Insigo (black micarta), ergos for me were horrible, drab muddied look due to new bead blast fun at CRK. I reboxed and returned it the next day. For me, horrible ergos and plain finish for $475 was a deal killer.
Undervalued: Spyderco GB2, bought prior to recent price hikes. Incredibly tight finish and attention to detail, blade beautiful and sharp as hell. Taiwan plant kicks ass.

Great thread!
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Just got my GB2 in today and by far the best bang for your buck from spyderco. Pretty impressed. Solid construction, m4 blade with great action and lock up.
 
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