Knives that you were pleasantly surprised by

B34NS said:
Couldn't agree more. I have the 40022, but couldn't be happier with its years of service so far.
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These knives really need to be given more attention. I like my Mini Landslide better than my Mini Grip (slimmer handle, same size blade for the ML). That N680 never rusts. I am going to the ocean again tomorrow and one of these will (I bought 2 !) will be in my pocket.
 
My Spartan Akribis surprised me so much that I still own it six months later. :)
I don't have a good cutlery store nearby, so the only way I can sample new knives is to buy 'em first, and that means I cycle through a lot of knives.
I know for the price the Akribis should be a decent folder, but I've had several midtechs and customs that cost more and weren't as nicely finished. Highly recommended.
 
Yeah, the Kershaw Shuffle is an awesome little knife for the money. Solid, no wobbles, decent blade geometry. My first choice would be the Kershaw Lahar, though. I got it about a month ago, been my EDC pretty much non-stop ever since. The steel is VG10, which is great for its price.
 
MaximIsayev said:
Yeah, the Kershaw Shuffle is an awesome little knife for the money. Solid, no wobbles, decent blade geometry. My first choice would be the Kershaw Lahar, though. I got it about a month ago, been my EDC pretty much non-stop ever since. The steel is VG10, which is great for its price.
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Ooo -- where did you find that? (The Lahar)
 
They aren't my favourite knives, but I've been pleasantly surprised by my CRKT MyTighe and my Cold Steel Smatchet Machete. The MyTighe may look a bit silly, especially the handle, but it's a perfect fit for my hand, and it has held up to EDC for several years. The Smatchet may not have much in common with the original smatchet, but it feels exactly the way Fairbairn intended - just pick one up, and you'll know what I mean.
 
My nicest surprise was my kitchen knife by Waterstone Blades...
He makes them usually of 1084, and the bamboo grip has proved to be excellent.
That 1084 takes an edge which almost falls through a tomato due to the weight of the blade...it's THAT good.
 
After the avalanche of shit-talk threatened to forever bury my curiosity about Zero Tolerance, I decided to pick up a ZT 0561. There were a lot of positive reviews as well, and very enthusiastic Zero Tolerance supporters out there, so I didn't know what to expect. What I got was an immediate favorite; a tough, beautifully textured and 3-D contoured titanium frame-lock with a superbly stone-washed, razor-sharp Elmax blade. The fit and finish were excellent, and it still flips like it has a torsion bar, using either the light-switch or push-button method. It had an absolutely frictionless, glassy smooth action, and a super-tight, immovable lock-up. Everyone's got their own ideas about what a knife should do or be, but I still find the criticisms baffling. Every ZT I've had since has been exactly as advertised, but I'm no longer surprised by the level of quality. The same can be said for Spyderco, but my expectations were pretty high, based on the unwavering loyalty Spyderco inspires.

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re: Lahar
Funnily enough, it was sort of through eBay. I found one for sale there, by a local seller, then looked them up and found out it was a local knife shop at a big mall here just outside of Toronto, then ordered it through their actual site. I think they still have more in stock, too. I'd post the link but I'm still not sure if the rules are ok with me linking to their site here.
 
Mora light my fire knife. It's stainless, not my first choice for a fixed blade but holds a real good edge long and sharpens pretty easy. The ferro rod is short but throws sparks as good as some larger rods. It's not even a jack of all trades knife. Has a specific purpose and it makes tinder and starts fires fast. Last night I got a fire started on the first spark from tinder made with it. It moved up to the small detailed work knife spot for my woods knife.
 
I was shocked when I recieved my first Kizer.My first one was Ki401B3 a medium flipper. I have never owned a Chinese knife and could not believed how well made it was. F and F was superb. Knife is razor sharp and light wt. I liked it so much I bought a couple of more. The most recent was a Ki5414a2. Much bigger knife with a scary blade design. The price point of these knives awesome considering they have s35vn steel.
 
Quiet said:
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
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I'm really excited to try a Shuffle 2. Enclosing the bottle opener made it 100% better imho.
 
Chalk me up, too, as one who's tickled with the Mora Companion. I bought a regular and an HD, and both knives, simple and unassuming as they are, just keep going. For the price, I don't think there's a better knife out there that can do so much. In my mind, I keep thinking, "These things are going to fail soon because they're so cheap," and this knife has me eating my words.
 
The spyderco chapparel for me! I never would have bought one, but a friend had one and showed it to me. Great fit and finish with terrific action and ergos. I played with it all evening, and he ended up gifting it to me when I got married!! (Thanks again James!!!)
 
Agree w op, Byrd knives, particularly the Robyn and Cara Cara come to mind. The fnf on the g10 models is astounding for the price range. Also the cold steel tufflite.
 
MaximIsayev said:
re: Lahar
Funnily enough, it was sort of through eBay. I found one for sale there, by a local seller, then looked them up and found out it was a local knife shop at a big mall here just outside of Toronto, then ordered it through their actual site. I think they still have more in stock, too. I'd post the link but I'm still not sure if the rules are ok with me linking to their site here.
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Feel free to email me the link or message me if you get the chance, thanks for the info.

I'm also pretty happy about the shuffle 2. What a great idea, wish the made a shuffle 3 just a little bigger still. Even so, for such a cheap beater, can't wait to get mine. I wouldn't mind if it was drop point though...
 
Folder: RAT-1
Fixed: Mora Companion

Both of 'em because of their performance-to-price ratios. Excellent!
 
A cheap Sanrenmu 763 has impressed me the most for its quality at such a cheap cost. Great design, decent materials. Too bad they're discontinued.
 
riceboy72 said:
Chalk me up, too, as one who's tickled with the Mora Companion. I bought a regular and an HD, and both knives, simple and unassuming as they are, just keep going. For the price, I don't think there's a better knife out there that can do so much. In my mind, I keep thinking, "These things are going to fail soon because they're so cheap," and this knife has me eating my words.
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I have one Mora, the "All round Hq" or something similar. It's got a tan and red handle. The blade is carbon. I've used it for all sorts of cutting and it works great. It sharpens easily. For ~$15 I think it gives many knives a run for their money.
 
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