Knives that you were pleasantly surprised by

Quiet said:
I would have to say in all honesty, my first Kershaw Shuffle. All of my other knives, I have been good with, and they were more or less what I expected them to be, or to do. But this little Shuffle was a spur-of-the-moment purchase, and it ended up being great. 8cr sharpens up nice, and I've opened a ton of bottles with it. I usually have this Shuffle at the very least, tucked into my day bag. Well, I just recently purchased a second Shuffle, in this nice purple/blackwash combo they're coming in now, so that has taken its place for the time being.

Pics:

My original:

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New purple:

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I love the shuffle; bought one for my 15 year old step son as an EDC, great little knife. I'm stuck between that or a buck metro (I got one of those for the wife, and love it too), for myself.
 
This is one of those dejavu threads but I have to say for all the crap talk, all the CRKT knives I've handled have been good knives. The one I kept was the Heiho.
 
strategy9 said:
I love the shuffle; bought one for my 15 year old step son as an EDC, great little knife. I'm stuck between that or a buck metro (I got one of those for the wife, and love it too), for myself.
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You might be interested in the Shuffle 2 that they are releasing, then! I know I'll end up with one. The only downside will that they will only be available in a tanto blade (I personally think the blade is neat, though I know tantos have their valid detractors), however the design DID enclose the bottle opener on the end. Check this out:


http://kershaw.kaiusaltd.com/knives/knife/shuffle-ii-tan
 
I was really surprised with the kershaw cryo g10 and the Ontario rat 1. The kershaw cryo has the speed assist, which I didnt think I would like (hated it on my s30v blur, great knife btw, but I prefer knives with a bit more beer)
But I like the speed assist on it surprisingly. Although my pinky hangs off the edge for fear life, it still fits my hand comfortably. The Ontario rat 1 has been beat to shit. I've batonned with it like a jackass, it's been thrown around my car, it's gone through countless cardboard, and I used it the last 2 times when camping. Cleaning fish, and feather sticks, and sharpening sticks for the smores. (just because we're older doesn't mean smores are no longer the shit) and yea it's been through a lot And hasn't let me down. My most carried knife.

For fixed blades, I was shocked with my Mora bushcraft black. Didn't get the fire steel one because it's not worth it. Anyways, I used it mostly for kindling and prepping fire food, and occasional prying. Amazing blade
 
I remember one pleasant surprise like that was a Cold Steel Ti-Lite. I'd Jones'd for one online for a while. The first time I saw one in person it was MUCH more impressive than I expected. Just holding it you'd think it was a $2-300 knife. How it will run over the long haul I don't know but I was very impressed for an inexpensive knife. Still liking it too, it's a wonderful knife nearly alone in its category.

I agree with the RAT folder comments. I don't know of a better knife under $40 than the Rat 2. I like my Rat 1 also, but that RAT 2 is so nice.
 
In order of surprise: Ontario Rat 1, Cold Steel Recon 1, Opinel no 8, Kershaw Cryo 2, Benchmade 275 Adamas.

The Rat 1 is easily worth twice the price, I was amazed when I got it and it was so nice. Ontario in general has reasonable prices, and I've always liked the knives I've gotten from them. The Rat 1 was my first.

The Recon 1 was my first Cold Steel purchase, I only started after they came out with the Tri-ad lock. I had always thought CS was nothing special because their marketing is a little ehh, but it was a heluva knife.

The Opinel....no explanation needed. Great value.

The Cryo 2 was just a much more solid knife than I had expected. I carried it for a few months if I remember right, and it actually did pretty well in some abusive situations. I remember being surprised that they included certain features for that price -- PB washers, lockbar stabilizer.

The Benchmade 275 I bought randomly, without doing my homework. I already owned sveral Benchmades, but I didn't realize the 275 is a HEAVY DUTY knife. They beefed up the axis lock for it, and it's bigger than I had imagined (thing is thick). Just a solid, solid knife.
 
The last knife that surprised me was the Camillus Hustle. $25 at wally-world, smooth action, tight lock-up, and for AUS-8 sharp as all get out... :D
 
I was very surprised at the quality of the $10 dollar Enlan Bee EM01 - G-10 scales, came razor sharp, locked up tight as a drum, and the fit & finish was equal to many knives costing $50-60 bucks more.

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Kizer KI403A2. Not a cheap knife, but made much better than it's price would indicate.
 
I have to say I'm really surprised at how good this 3.75" Case Lockback is.
It was less than $15 delivered.

It's a stainless steel clip blade in Zytel handles. Very thin.
Weighs next to nothing. I actually forget I'm carrying it.
Locks up nice and gets very sharp. Sheeple friendly and made in USA.

Must get more!;)

 
JDX said:
I was really surprised with the kershaw cryo g10 and the Ontario rat 1. The kershaw cryo has the speed assist, which I didnt think I would like (hated it on my s30v blur, great knife btw, but I prefer knives with a bit more beer)
But I like the speed assist on it surprisingly. Although my pinky hangs off the edge for fear life, it still fits my hand comfortably.
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I bought a standard Cryo a while back and was also very pleasantly surprised. The flipping action doesn't work nearly as well as on the smaller Scallion, but it works well enough, and the knife was comfortable in hand. Edge retention wasn't too impressive, but perfectly acceptable considering the knife's price point. I wound up liking the overall design so much that I just bought a ZT 0550, and I may pick up a 566 soon too. Likewise, I'm hoping to pick up a Cryo 2 for a beater knife, since the Cryo is just a tad smaller than I prefer.
 
I've been presently surprised by the Survive Knives. I have Bark Rivers, Benchmade, Fallknivens, and Swamp Rats, so I decided to see what all of the hype was about regarding Survive! I will say that for the money you get some serious amount of quality CPM3V for a fraction of the price of many other brands. They are on the "Higher" price point than many knives, but I think they are worth what you get in quality.
 
CRKT Minimalist. I was skeptical about the funky handle, but it turned out to be comfortable and practical.

Becker BK15. Bought it 'cause it was discounted and I didn't have a Tweener yet, but I wasn't sure how useful the blade shape would be for me. The more I use it around the yard, the more I love it.
 
Hands down the Spyderco Resilience, such a wonderful beater camp knife, takes a ton of abuse and preps food like a chef's knife.
 
I'm not into anything "tactical". In my life all knives are used as tools, never weapons.
So, I purchased the Spyderco PPT sprint run just to add it to my collection because it was a sprint run, even though it's not really my style.
It turns out...the thing is a much better EDC than I ever anticipated. The blade shape is incredibly useful with it's low point and thin profile flat grind. The handle is great with the curved back-end that helps you put the knife tip into the surface without bending your wrist excessively. The solid steel back-spacer gives it some heft and a very solid feeling.
The PPT definitely exceeded my expectations and then some.
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