knives that surprised you..........

B

B.B.M

Joined
Dec 3, 2009
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So what knives have you guys bought that surprise you in quality or function? maybe they were cheap or bought on a whim or a gift.
For me it was rough rider slipjoints they are very well made for the price, fit and finish is very nice for a $10 slipjoint. also my cold steel true flight thrower it's an excellent bushcraft/survival knife it cuts very well for a 3/16 blade and makes some crazy fuzzsticks. and i know a lot of people don't like gerber or BG but my BG scout has been an nice little edc i really like the clip design and the edge holding on it is pretty decent also its so light weight i hardly notice its with me.

so what knives have surprised you in quality or function?
 
Been a few. The Ontario Retribution 1 was one that really wowed me with it's overall quality and construction. Another has been the Hammer Brand slipjoints ( China )and I have been carrying one going on the second month, a 4-bladed Canoe pattern. And then there has been the Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt. It just oozes with quality!
 
CRKT M60. The steel is much thicker than i anticipated. Also the handle is very sturdy and well cut. It fits in the hand well.
 
Boker Action 2. Got a first production run for $15 off that auction site. It has a much better blade and ergos than I suspected.
 
Cold Steel American Lawman. Given the pretty awful quality of some of the other Cold Steel products I owned or used, I didn't expect much from the AL.

I was surprised to find out that it's a pretty damn good knife - well made, well designed, and features decent materials. I definitely don't regret buying one of these suckers. :thumbup:
 
Ontario Ranger RD6....was my first fixed blade knife and man was I amazed with the thickness, heft and quality of that beast.
 
The kershaw ener-G 2. that knife flips faster than any other knife I have ever held. it is crazy fast. the rest of the knife is underwhelming, but that part is downright awesome.
 
Case Sodbuster CV. Only paid about 20 bucks for it. Well made usefull knife. Takes and holds a great edge.
 
Wow, Quite A Few On That List! Ontario RAT 1, Kershaw Skyline, Kershaw Black Gulch, Enlan EL-02B, Meyerco Catch Dog, Ka-Bar K2 Gila, Ka-Bar TDI Folder, Ka-Bar Dozier, Rough Rider, Timber Wolf, Case Sodbuster, Mtech Twist Balisong, Spyderco Tenacious, Spyderco Resilience, Spyderco Persistence, Spyderco Native, And Probably A Few More I'm Sure.

Oh And Swiss Army Knives! I'm Addicted And They're Amazing, Great Quality, And Awesome Useful Knives.
 
A few years ago I got this unexpected bonus knife when I bought an item from Therion Arms. It's a little all-stainless folder of unknown origin with his website engraved on the handle. The blade is wickedly sharp with a very well done convexed edge and the lock is very crisp and solid. I'm not big on folding knives and usually not a big fan of stainless steel, but it's a very nice little knife.


Another one would be the first Green River knife I bought on ebay for about $8 years ago. I liked it so much it began my interest in old fashioned frontier style knives, and changed what I thought about what an "outdoors knife" should be. It also was my first of many Green Rivers I've bought over the years, and I'm still buying them... often for others who use one of mine and want one of their own.
 
I got one of those winchester bowies that are sold at wally world and other stores. It is a limited edition one with full tang and wood scales. It didn't cost much at all and it performed really well batoning and held an edge far better than I expected. I thought it would snap as soon as I used it for any kind of rigorous activity.
 
I recently had to either pay shipping or get a Walther Mach Tac 1 machete and get free shipping so i basically ended up getting the knife for free.

Its actually suprisingly decent, the handle sucks and the guthook is stupid but the steel and general chopping ability are really really good. I actually chopped down a 3-4 inch wide tree in a very short amount of time without sharpening it and the edge didnt dull at all. Not bad for basically free is it.
 
Knives that suprised me in a good way:

Spyderco Native: I bought it a few years ago, it was in the $40 range at a sporting goods store. I thought it would be a cheap, plastic knife, but was so surpised at its quality that I bought a Delica 3 shortly thereafter, and the sickness was on from there.

CRKT M21: I carried this knife everywhere in the mid 2000's, I batoned with it, threw it, hammered stuff with it, and generally beat it to death. I wouldnt carry a CRKT these days, but when I needed a good knife for that role, it fit the bill.

Emerson Super Karambit: Other than the weak tip, that was a hell of a knife. Sharp, quick to deploy, and SHARP.

Knives that surprised me in a negative way:

Emerson CQC 10 and Mini Commander: Poor quality, poor construction. Other than the great ergos of the 10, I hated those knives and promptly sold them at a small loss.

SW Ratmandu: I hated the blade coating, it shipped dull, and the scales were too slick.
 
I would agree with the Rough Rider folders. I got a congress pattern for $13 that is very nice.

My Izula also really surprised me. I had no idea how nice of a design the knife in general was just in cutting. Nice full flat grind blade just glides through stuff. It's hard to leave it at home.
 
Leatherman E33L and a couple of the SanRenMus I own (710, 763, 738). Value way beyond the price I paid for any of them.
 
CRKT M16-03S I bought this knife for carry in areas where it might be confiscated or lost easily because it was priced under $20.

This thing is stout. Thick blade that holds an edge well, easy flipper with good lock up, light in the pocket. My only complaint is that the handle is a little thin making it somewhat uncomfortable to use for extended periods.
 
Opinels - I was in the market for an EDC food knife (ie. when eating out, as an alternative to the often-lacking restaurant cutlery), and this looked like it might fit the setting well just based on appearance. It was very different from other knives I've owned (round wood handle, ring lock), so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Once I started using it, though I was pleasantly surprised at its slicing prowess.

Mora - I had read a lot of positive reviews of these, and I was interested in a decent inexpensive camping fixed-blade knife. When I first got it, my initial impression was that it felt and looked cheap (unfinished spine, light plastic handle). Once I started using it, though, I was very impressed at how well it cut and at its toughness.

Sanrenmu & Enlan knives - I have a couple of Sanrenmu and Enlan knives I picked up out of curiosity. Based on some of my experiences with other cheap Chinese products, I expected these locks to fail, screws to fall out, and overall poor fit & finish. The ones I got were very well constructed: razor sharp, smooth opening/closing, secure lockup, no blade play, and flawless fit & finish. I EDC'd a couple of them for a little bit (SRM 763 and 710) and never had any knife failures.
 
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