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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UNBLF said:
Recently I saw a Japanese free diver / spear-fisherman / Youtuber using a BK2 as a diving / fishing knife.

In a fishing "survival" challenge.

I was shocked. Shocked beyond words.

I feel I have to share the vid here. So you can all feel what I felt. The only plausible explanation I can come up with is he's using the knife as a diving weight.

(to be clear I love his vids. Really good content.)

The BK2 comes in at 9:20.

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That was a neat video, thanks for sharing that.

I had to really sit and think for a bit about the use of a BK2 in that environment.

A few thoughts:

Maybe due to how being underwater changes how things feel and behave, having that Becker handle ergonomics and heavy blade helps maintain a sense of control?

Definitely agree with your idea about the weight being a factor. Lead belts help negate buoyancy which in turn means less exertion.

A heavy and thick blade will survive prying and poking, which is common when harvesting a wide range of game.

At any rate, it definitely makes me appreciate how designs I would normally right off as having a narrow field of use, can cross over into different roles and perform just fine.
 
luethge said:
100%!!!
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Someone get flytanuim on the phone. This blade would be a great fit for their Lotus line of scales they have made for the bugout and the PM2. 2 or 3 micarta and G-10 color options and then throw a full Ti one in the mix for those that are looking for that kind of thing and I would pick up a Micarta option tomorrow. Too nice of a knife to have to be stuck with the CF elite.
 
Murdamooktemp said:
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.
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MrStabby7 said:
Glad they changed that... guess I'm a little behind lol.
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From their website: "Spyderco’s knives are assembled to exacting tolerances by trained technicians, so we discourage end users from disassembling or adjusting our knives. If a knife has been disassembled and reassembled correctly—so as to maintain its proper mechanical function—this warranty remains in full effect. However, if a knife has been disassembled and reassembled in such a way that, in Spyderco’s sole determination, the proper mechanical function of the knife has been compromised, it is no longer covered by warranty."
 
I'll bite... Now this is "over rated" not just over priced or over valued per se...

over rated for me would be Medford's because of how chunky and clunky they are, and IMO there are just better thick folders out there that are both better knives and better values; followed by the PM2, not because it's a "bad knife", but because any time anyone asks for a suggestion, it seems 17+ Spyderco fan boys are recommending the PM2 as the best knife ever, and it's just not IMO, it's a good knife, and that's it.

Underrated; I would say small keychain knives like SAK classics, Leatherman Style CS/PS, Buck Metro etc... having an extra funtional little blade on a keychain, with added functionalty of scissors, bottle openers, etc. just seems so overlooked...

Everything else mentioned I feel gets pretty much the respect it deserves; rats for their value, crk for refinement, CS for lock strength (though I fear that may change), axis/able locks for ambidextrous, etc.
 
Hashishiin said:
What was the incident, if you do not mind sharing?
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I had a guy manage to kick backwards as I was cuffing him and dislocate my patella and rupture my medial retinaculum. I fell to the ground, smacked my head on the concrete, and he got on top of me and grabbed for my gun. I had to hold the gun in the holster with my right hand. I wasn't able to deploy the flipper blade on my ZT0560 with my left hand. Fortunately an off duty officer showed up a few moments before I blacked out. An OTF just needs a thumb push to deploy the blade and 4" of space. No sandwich grip needed or fine motor control.
 
Thedude315 said:
I had a guy manage to kick backwards as I was cuffing him and dislocate my patella and rupture my medial retinaculum. I fell to the ground, smacked my head on the concrete, and he got on top of me and grabbed for my gun. I had to hold the gun in the holster with my right hand. I wasn't able to deploy the flipper blade on my ZT0560 with my left hand. Fortunately an off duty officer showed up a few moments before I blacked out. An OTF just needs a thumb push to deploy the blade and 4" of space. No sandwich grip needed or fine motor control.
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First off, wow, what an experience, glad you made it through, and that UC was around! Thanks for sharing, as real instances of what happens in the real world, what can fail in stress, are always helpful to learn from.

I have been trying to "stress test" myself by walking as I normally do with heavy leather jacket/jeans, then I start rapidly backing up, and simultaneously trying to wave something like a Matriarch or Espada XL and try to solidify my aim, control, flow, normally aiming to slash thigh area of a 6-foot man, turn, run. Even this small and paltry training with no resistance makes me realize how messed-up your senses can get in an emergency and what practice and fine motor skill one even needs to get a knife out and into the fight fast enough. I do hope I never know, though, and I hope my Matriarch will only ever get used on mushrooms.
 
MolokaiRider said:
That was a neat video, thanks for sharing that.

I had to really sit and think for a bit about the use of a BK2 in that environment.

A few thoughts:

Maybe due to how being underwater changes how things feel and behave, having that Becker handle ergonomics and heavy blade helps maintain a sense of control?

Definitely agree with your idea about the weight being a factor. Lead belts help negate buoyancy which in turn means less exertion.

A heavy and thick blade will survive prying and poking, which is common when harvesting a wide range of game.

At any rate, it definitely makes me appreciate how designs I would normally right off as having a narrow field of use, can cross over into different roles and perform just fine.
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Haha the diving weight guess was actually half meant to be a joke. I'm not sure if free divers need diving weights like scuba divers. But the BK2 definitely excels at being a piece of weight.

If I was him, I'd grab my Spyderco MT-35 or anything Vanax or LC200N all day everyday. Using non-stainless in the ocean for me is kinda unthinkable. The edge will likely rust away quicker than he ran out of lung oxygen, and BK2's thick edge profile only exacerbates the edge retention problem.

Maybe he just Googled "best unbreakable survival knife" or something, which BK2 actually is.

But, after all, he is out there surviving and making great content, while I sit back and watch and enjoy his content, so who am I to judge.
 
Thedude315 said:
I had a guy manage to kick backwards as I was cuffing him and dislocate my patella and rupture my medial retinaculum. I fell to the ground, smacked my head on the concrete, and he got on top of me and grabbed for my gun. I had to hold the gun in the holster with my right hand. I wasn't able to deploy the flipper blade on my ZT0560 with my left hand. Fortunately an off duty officer showed up a few moments before I blacked out. An OTF just needs a thumb push to deploy the blade and 4" of space. No sandwich grip needed or fine motor control.
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Wow. That's the kind of story that really makes you think. I'm glad it had a good ending for you man.
 
Overrated based on price in the 2ndary resale market: The Spyderco Slysz Bowie

Underrated? Anything in Spyderco's Byrd line, which are ill regarded by many because they're made in China and are made w/8Cr13Mov steel.
 
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Hashishiin said:
First off, wow, what an experience, glad you made it through, and that UC was around! Thanks for sharing, as real instances of what happens in the real world, what can fail in stress, are always helpful to learn from.

I have been trying to "stress test" myself by walking as I normally do with heavy leather jacket/jeans, then I start rapidly backing up, and simultaneously trying to wave something like a Matriarch or Espada XL and try to solidify my aim, control, flow, normally aiming to slash thigh area of a 6-foot man, turn, run. Even this small and paltry training with no resistance makes me realize how messed-up your senses can get in an emergency and what practice and fine motor skill one even needs to get a knife out and into the fight fast enough. I do hope I never know, though, and I hope my Matriarch will only ever get used on mushrooms.
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Delta-v said:
Wow. That's the kind of story that really makes you think. I'm glad it had a good ending for you man.
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It was never something I thought to train for either. Im a very big muscular guy. It was very rare for people to want to fight with me. I think the wave feature would work if you trained with it under stress. I cant remember too much other than not being able to open it. I probably grabbed it with a ham hock grip. All that grappling training wasn't much help when my foremost priority was holding onto the gun. Using a knife for self defense is looked upon as "mall ninja" or "zombie apocalypse" larping in general, but I learned the hard way its no joke. Being the good guys means we will always be reacting. That puts us at a severe disadvantage. Things certainly aren't improving as far as safety. I now carry a Combat Troodon at all times just for this purpose. I think I'm going to grab a Scarab 2 Shadow to alternate. I carry a Delica for typical knife stuff
 
sgt1372 said:
Overrated based on price in the 2ndary resale market: The Spyderco Slysz Bowie

Underrated? Anything in Spyderco's Byrd line, which are ill regarded by many because they're made in China and are made w/8Cr13Mov steel.
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I rocked a tenacious for many years, and in ny experience, even Chinese D2 mops the floors with 8cr13mov (my least favorite steel outside of condors 1075).
 
Most overrated... The Hinderer XM-18 with Tri-Way pivot. Sorry, not sorry. The action is just ok, the blade geometry on the wharncliffe is just ok, the tolerances of the screws/sleeves on such an expensive knife are absolute crap, non-standard fittings, etc.

Great ergonomics and customer support though.

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Most underrated... The Spyderco Delica Wharncliffe.

Excellent ergonomics, excellent variety of steel choices, great aftermarket compatibility, reasonable price, great cutting geometry... I love the knife.

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madcap_magician said:
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.
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Man yea. I remember even when I left the knife scene for a while 8 years ago, BM 42's were even going for around $420, even then on the secondary.
 
so some of you guys are saying that the bugout is overrated, I love my bugout, when I’m doing something like parkour/freerunning etc... I stick it in my pocket and forgot about it (yes I wear gym shorts) and I feel it’s just a great little knife, so no I don’t think it’s overrated.
 
Bunker Hill Blades said:
so some of you guys are saying that the bugout is overrated, I love my bugout, when I’m doing something like parkour/freerunning etc... I stick it in my pocket and forgot about it (yes I wear gym shorts) and I feel it’s just a great little knife, so no I don’t think it’s overrated.
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I think it's probably a great knife for that purpose. Sticking it in my pocket as a light-use cutting tool and forgetting about? That sounds good, I'd use it for that purpose. But... some people talk about it like it's better than anything else. I guess that is the thing. You're talking about it in a quite reasonable way.
 
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