Knives you underestimated.

As others have said, the Rat 1. I actually made some G-10 scales for it (first foray into those projects) and I like them a lot, but I almost regret it because it was pretty great to begin with. As others have said, way nicer than the price would suggest. Also, the Opinel #8 is pretty darn capable for around $12.
 
mbkryan said:
These are knives that I purchased without much excitement or anticipation and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked their looks, feel, and performance.
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The Spyderco UK PK (S110V)
I just bought it to get another specimin of this steel to expiriment with.
I have really made friends with this knife. I LIKE it !
Deploys well, Is one handed dispite not having a fancy lock / release.
The steel is super durable and cuts very well meaning the grind is practical and well done and the blade is the perfect thickness for the blade size.





And the Ritter Griptillian in M390
I just thought I would like the handle shape and wound up with a knife that cuts super well and for a long time, is light and strong and comfortable and fun to fool around with.

 
I know there's more then a few, but first one's that pop up in my mind are Spyderco's Techno and Air. Pics do not do them justice and they felt and performed way better in person then i thought they would.
And Vic SAKs, i know they are nice, but always forget about how nice they really are until i handle one again. Their fit and finish is far beyond what little they charge imo.
 
Boker Plus Urban Trapper. I bought it because I liked the looks, steel, and dimensions but I really underestimated just how easy it is to carry at something like 1.8 oz and less than 0.35" thick. The factory edge was atrocious but once I went to work on it... wow, that thin blade slices like a dream.

I'm also a recent convert to the ways of the PM2; for a long time I thought there was no way I'd ever stick something that wide and goofy looking in my pocket. I've had the CF/M4 version for a week now and not only have I been pleasantly surprised at how well it rides in-pocket, but I'm also blown away by how natural it feels in hand. Starting to think it looks pretty cool, too.
 
As others have mentioned, the Buck Vantage Pro has been much better than I expected.
Also the Cold Steel American Lawman has such a fine combination of factors such as edge holding, light weight, strength, materials, and ergonomics, that it competes with my other favorite edc s for pocket time and currently may be leading that race. It changed me to someone who doesn't now consider a black coated blade a deal breaker. I m actually getting used to a black bladed edc!
 
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Knifeoholic said:
I was impressed with both the RAT-1 (as mentioned above), as well as my ESEE (BRK) Zancudo. Both are great knives for the price point! The AUS8 on the Zancudo seems to hold an edge better than any other AUS8 blade I've used to date.
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I was just coming in to mention my zancudo! Didn't have a need for a budget <3" folding knife for over a year of owning it till one day I gifted my usual small knife away so I dug out the zancudo (in order to not have to use my small Sebenza, my only other sub 3" folder) and I started to really like it so I decided to spend a little money on it; micarta scale and single-sided thumb stud and stone washed the blade and I absolutely love it now! Of course I > doubled the price but oh well...
 
Like others the Rat 1 and 2, and Real Steel H5. The Rat 2 I carry every day at work, and the H5 is a great flipper. Will add in the Svord peasant, the L6 steel can even handle abuse from someone like my dad who doesn't even take care of his knives. Also recent addition the Ruike P121 surprised me, for the price it competes above its weight.
 
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A couple guys have mentioned the BM Rift. The knife reminds me of a 940 on steroids and never gave it a second thought.......till Cutlery Shoppe introduced their exclusive. Caught my eye for sure!!
Called Jeff and ordered one.......great dude to deal with!!
I'm definitely a BM fan and have at least 30 of them and this one is flat out amazing!! Perfect build, perfect in hand, perfect action straight out the box and an edge that'll make your eyes bleed!!
In love with this blade!!!
Next......CRK. Never really even thought about getting one. Saw a KA exclusive 25 on the Exchange for a great price. Lucked into a major $ score at work and pulled the trigger! Same day my fave dealer, White Mountain, hit me up with an amazing price on a large tanto 21.....grabbed that one too.
All you've heard about the Sebenza is true. Both literally blew me away!!
Honorable mention......Spydie Advocate! Had to pick one up after hearing all the BS that the Sanctimonious Apostle started.
Know what??? That knife is 100% AWESOME!! Just a fantastic knife!!
Joe
No pics in this thread......horrible!!!
 
Lots of praise for these RAT 1's, and well deserved. I keep on getting them and now have three NIB and one RAT 2. I've given away a goodly number of these, but have never carried one. They seem to be loved by many users, and it fits my large hand very nicely. They come with a very good edge and can be resharpened, I'm told, quite easily.
My large Classic Sebbie would cry if I left it home, so I have to respect its sovereignty.
 
It is funny you should ask! I just started carrying a knife that fits this thread perfectly. One knife I bought kind of on a spur was the blackwash tanto kershaw blur. I was definitely a knife guy at the time but I have still have my moments of weakness and buy knives just because they look cool. I didn't expect the tanto to be the most effective blade shape and on top of that it was partially serrated. (not the good scalloped kind but the really sharp saw teeth kind) But boy am I glad I made that impulse buy! It quickly started to replace my manix 2 which costs twice as much. The blade is crazy thin and the tanto bites into whatever you are cutting, making this guy a great slicer even despite the serrations. Sandvick 14c28n is now one of my favorite steels. I have broken down hundreds of cardboard boxes at work with no trouble.
 
Spyderco Persistence
For a ~$40 knife, my expectations were for a decent blade I could abuse and not worry about. However, it handles very well, and out of the box, it was so sharp I had to try to shave with it. I only nicked myself a few times... It quickly replaced my Manix 2 as my primary knife for almost 2 years, and was only recently supplanted by a Guardian3. I still carry it when I can't carry the Guardian.
 
Another thread reminded me of the $4 Ozark trail walmart flipper I bought in a pinch. Turned out to be pretty decent, and I bout a pile to stash in every emergency bag and glove box. Gave a few to friends as well.

The mora is another. All of them really. I did not have much faith at $20 give or take.
 
I love my rift and had high expectations, but it took me a month to warm up to the axis lock. NoW I feel it is my favorite lock of all, but I only have the one.

Why did those that listed it not have high expectations? The only 2 things I dislike are the large choil or whatever you call it that catches things like a rope if you start cutting too far back, and the thumb studs that get in the way when cutting things like sheet plastic that needs to slide by them.

I need to just remove the studs because they cause it to wave open when I hip pocket carry.

Edit: and if I loosen the pivot enough to drop it open with the lock disengaged, there is a lot of side to side play.
 
Opinel for me. For years I thought of them as quirky french cheese knives, not good for anything other than a picknick in the park really.

Then a friend who I highly respect and who works out in the forest every day mentioned that he carries one, which got me thinking. I ordered the #8 in oak and love it - it has a firm place in my EDC rotation now, as it covers all the bases that are important in an EDC knife for me:
* easy to sharpen
* great cutter, even when a bit dull (due to an amazing blade geometry - thin stock, convex grind)
* super-simple and fool-proof design (consists of five parts in total, yet still locks up solid)
* extremely lightweight
* sheeple-friendly (I can pull this one out at work to cut up my apple and nobody gets scared)
* easy to mod (particularly the handle)
* unbeatable performance to cost ratio (no need to shed tears should I ever loose it)
* wooden handle (I can't help it, I just love wood)

Will I part with my other, 10 times more expensive knives? No way. But the Opi is a great little knife that has yet to disappoint me - I'm glad that I gave it a chance.

Here's the obligatory pic of the knife - its in my pocket right now:
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For me it was the busse steak knife. I figured it would be a nice knife but it undoubtedly the most used knife in the house.
 
For me, the Native 5 LW vastly exceeded my expectations. I had no interest in the knife but picked one up cheep, purely for gifting purposes. Now I regret giving it away! I think it's at the perfect spot on the performance-design-quality-price-utility curve. Amazing knife in all regards.

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The other is the SOG Zoom Mini. I bought this at the front end of my knife obcession. It still spends LOTS of time in my EDC rotation, even though it's now near the "lower end" of my collection.

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Some of the cheaper Kirshaws I've gifted have been way better than expected for less than $20, namely the Volt 2 and Zing SS (both Martin designs). I also keep a CRKT Drifter around solely because I'm amazed that (after a tune-up) so many things are done well at such a low price.
 
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For sure the Spyderco bi-fold. Liked the engineering behind the design but the factory blade shape did nothing for me.
However, as soon as I got it reground to a wharncliffe, everything changed. Now it's gotta be one of my most carried little knives

 
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