Knives That Take You By Surprise

[Glenn Goodlett]

I never liked the hole pattern in Zinker's Urban Trapper until I held it in my hand. Now I'm looking for another custom.

 

[Wowbagger]

CKF Morrf-5 (I keep repeating it )

Reminds me a little of the Sydiechef which has been on my mind of late. Trying to talk myself out of getting one.
The CKF Morrf-5 is sexier though. Very knice !

 

[Wowbagger]

I never liked the hole pattern in Zinker's Urban Trapper until I held it in my hand. Now I'm looking for another custom.

hahaha there for a while I had to make a self imposed moratorium on buying knives with round holes all over them. Think Cold Steel.
This year I lifted the ban and there was the Ti Urban Trapper still on the list saying "It's about dambed time !"
The surprise for me was the little light show the raw round holes put on.
The blade shape / size is perfection for me.

 

[Lapedog]

I never liked the hole pattern in Zinker's Urban Trapper until I held it in my hand. Now I'm looking for another custom.

I just handled one of those urban trappers, such a sweet knife! I wish they had one that was abit smaller. The urban T petite is microscopic.

 

[Wowbagger]

It isn’t a premium knife but I was surprised at the size of a Ontario Rat 1 I recently received in a trade. The Rat 2 almost seems too small and the Rat1 almost seems too big.

They’re great knives, especially for the price!

I totally agree!!!

+!
and how.
Blew me away with the build quality and the sound design not to mention the graceful lines and curves; no jarring notches and square corners visually or otherwise. The lock is a little stiff but I two hand my Gayle Bradley to close it so same dif. Speaking of the GB . . . everybody says how robust it is . . . the Rat even beats out the GB for placement and number of back spacers . . . look at that sucker !
The D2 is doing super well for me; I was finally able to dull it this week trimming hard rubber. Good stuff !

 

[Wowbagger]

I just handled one of those urban trappers, such a sweet knife! I wish they had one that was abit smaller.

Yes it is a good sized (largish) blade but it is still so light and thin I can carry it in a shirt pocket like a writing pen.

 

[ScooterG]

Reminds me a little of the Sydiechef which has been on my mind of late. Trying to talk myself out of getting one.
The CKF Morrf-5 is sexier though. Very knice !

If anyone can talk you out of it, it’s you

 

[Glenn Goodlett]

I just handled one of those urban trappers, such a sweet knife! I wish they had one that was abit smaller. The urban T petite is microscopic.

I wish they had one a bit bigger than the Urban Trapper Grand. Go figure.

I'm on the hunt for a UT with a 4+ inch tanto Damascus blade.

 

[GB940Rookie]

I must agree about the Rat1 folder. I never expected that good of a knife for that price.

Also, the Gayle Bradley folder. My first experience with Taichung fit and finish. No video review could do it justice.

I got the same feeling from my GB2, but I wasn’t surprised.

 

[Wowbagger]

OK . . . time to take this down a notch.
And Lapedog this might even be sort of what you are after. No lock or pocket clip but you could even add a pocket clip I suppose.

My newest and a pleasant surprise; the Case Slimline Trapper. Surprising because I thought it was just too skinny but it still WORKS for me. This has what I was looking for in the Texas Toothpick. Super minimal blade but enough length to EDC including some food prep but the stability of my two finger grip is much superior to the Toothpick. The Trapper handle shape has always been near number one on my list and the variation in the curve on the back (top of the knife handle) in relation to their full size two blade Trapper is a welcome thing.

I just ordered my second one in as many weeks.
The restrained use of polished brass with the black scales really does it for me visually (pins and liners).
This one in the photo is my dress knife and the layered black canvas handled one that is on it's way is going to be a beater (lightly tapped more like). I even have plans to add jimping and maybe some more texture to the canvas one.
This Trapper is a must have for me

 

[MolokaiRider]

I must agree about the Rat1 folder. I never expected that good of a knife for that price.

Also, the Gayle Bradley folder. My first experience with Taichung fit and finish. No video review could do it justice.

I got the same feeling from my GB2, but I wasn’t surprised.

GB1 is absolutely my favorite folder as well. I am fortunate enough to have pairs of the GB1 and GB2 before the price hike. Excellent materials and cutting power for the price.

 

[SW-EDC]

So I said to myself, "A Buck..an auto?, meh"
Then I pulled the trigger on an Impact.
Blew me away. Snappy smooth fire and feels like quality. Pretty happy with it. Feels great in hand too.

 

[BTGuy]

The biggest surprise for me lately was with a Ruike P801. Actually a very well-made knife for the price. Flips reliably using the flipper tab, has no blade play, and locks open solidly. Thumb studs, while placed nicely out of the cutting path, are not great for opening the blade. The ergonomics are decent, but could be helped by making the handle a bit thicker. Definitely one of my favorite budget knives.

 

[Tommy-Chi]

I have many knives and I love them all, but when I received my Neill Schutte 8 inch dagger this year I was floored. The design is so well implemented. Neill Schutte is a member of the South African Knife Guild and sent the knife to me after arriving in the US to attend the Blade Show.

The knife is inspired by Bob Loveless, and it is fantastic in the hand. It is so light and maneuverable it feels like I'm holding a #2 pencil in my hand. This knife feels like it is literally part of my body.

CLICK!
http://lmgtfy.com/?t=i&q=Neill+Schutte+Dagger

 

[GB940Rookie]

GB1 is absolutely my favorite folder as well. I am fortunate enough to have pairs of the GB1 and GB2 before the price hike. Excellent materials and cutting power for the price.

Yes, I think they were the best values out there before MAP. The GB2 is still a decent value.

 

[sabre cat]

It isn’t a premium knife but I was surprised at the size of a Ontario Rat 1 I recently received in a trade. The Rat 2 almost seems too small and the Rat1 almost seems too big.

I have to agree about the RAT sizes.

I have a RAT 2 in my pocket as I write this. It is just a little too small. Give me a RAT 1 and a half!
With that said, the RAT 2 is an amazing knife for the money. Mine came from the current PIF thread. I can see why people say good things about the RAT series.

I can't help but feel that a SAK Cadet, a RAT 1, and a RAT 3 would make a great basic set up for someone just getting started.

 

[TheEdge01]

I have to agree about the RAT sizes.

I have a RAT 2 in my pocket as I write this. It is just a little too small. Give me a RAT 1 and a half!
With that said, the RAT 2 is an amazing knife for the money. Mine came from the current PIF thread. I can see why people say good things about the RAT series.

I can't help but feel that a SAK Cadet, a RAT 1, and a RAT 3 would make a great basic set up for someone just getting started.

Absolutely!!! When it comes to the “best bang for your buck “ Ontario Rat knives fit the bill.

 

[MolokaiRider]

The Kershaw Knockout is another offering that surprised me. I enjoy the action and ergos. Plus the great belly makes this one a winner.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I saw this Bowie knife in a gun show vendor's display case a couple years ago. It did not have a price tag on it, and by the look of it, I thought it would be way out of my price range. Anyhow, I was not familiar with any of the Parker branded products, so I truly had no idea what the knife could have cost, and just stared at it for a while, before I just walked away. The next time the gun show was in town, I noticed the same knife was still being displayed in the vendor's display case. He saw me looking at it and asked me if I would like to handle it. I figured, ah, what the heck! He took it out and I loved it's overall look of quality. I also noticed the Made in Japan marking, and was a little put off by it. Even so, I asked him how much it was selling for. His response was, (if I remember correctly), something like $130 or $140. I knew nothing about it, but it definitely intrigued me. I wound up making him an offer of $100, and I got to walk away with it.
I got home and did some online research, and realized I had really scored a great deal on this mint in the box specimen knife. Apparently it was made in Seki Japan during the early to mid 1980's under contract of the Parker Cutlery Company. One thousand total were made.
The nickel silver handle hardware, mother of pearl handle scales, and the black scale liners, are all very well executed and show a level of craftsmanship that I was, and still am, surprised by. The blade's machining matches the handle's handiwork.
My having only paid 100 bucks was the icing on the cake, since I was running into similar mint condition specimens of this knife online that had sold for $250 to $350... It was a great find for my collection
After reading about Parker Cutlery Company knives, it seems they ran the gamut, from decent, (and sometimes gimmicky), to actually very good overall quality knives.

 

[MSchott]

For me the Benchmade 551-1. Perfect quality and a solid substantial knife in the hand. The only reason I let it go was the size. A bit large for me.