Most Over-Rated and Under-Rated Brands of Production Knives

Who is overrating Emerson? Everytime a thread like this pops up it seems like Emerson gets bashed pretty hard. I think people have a pretty difficult time understanding what the terms overrated and underrated actually mean. Just because you think Emersons are overpriced doesn't necessarily mean that the resounding opinion of the company is negative. The majority of people who are into the knife world enough to know what an Emerson is, probably thinks they are overpriced for what they are-especially those people that frequent BFC, which is another point entirely. Those of you mentioning Hogue as underrated, here are some figures: a particular knife supplier sells a Hogue EX01 for ~160$, they sell a Mini Commander for roughly ~140$. Both knives are similar in size and both knives use similar materials-with the exception of the ti liner on the locking side of the Emerson. Many people may not appreciate the Emerson finish-the lack of polished liners, etc.-but the fit on the knives regarding blade tolerances are excellent. I have never handled an Emerson with loose lockup that couldn't be remedied by ~15 seconds of pivot adjustment. Many of these same people arguing over the materials of the Emerson are also die hard Chris Reeve fanboys. If we take into account the materials used by CRK, the same argument used against Emerson-in terms of materials-holds true in regard to CRK.

I am not angered or enraged at all, before you try to troll me. I am simply pointing out that very few people in this thread understand what the terms underrated and overrated actually mean.

p.s. Ask this question at another knife-centric forum and you will see an entirely different set of answers.
 
This thread delivers!

RNNUAK? That's pretty funny, actually. You must spend time lurking over there.
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Glad it got taken in the spirit offered :). The "OMFG an INFI KATANA!!!!!!!! I NEED one for my SAFE!" crowd is good for laughs too. There's some good people watchin' going on in there :).
They just seem to be geared more for collectors rather then users (just look at the exchange, and I know there are plenty of guys that use the snot out of them, but honestly they're vastly outnumbered).

Some of think it is a little more than a decent knife, but YMMV.
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They would be outstanding, but everything gets run through the cost/benefit analasys comparitor (wife).

In the really cold light of day, (to me) they just aren't worth their cost, and It'll be a cold day in hell before I put up with that kind of marketing scheme.
 
Underrated: Boker. some of the imports aren't that great, but a lot of Boker knives come out of Germany. Their catalog is a very interesting read. A magazine article two or three years ago sought to test production blade steels, to see which held the best edge. A Boker Trapperlock came out on top.

Overrated: Busse.

~Chris
 
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Overrated: Knives I can't afford.

Underrated: Knives I have that I don't see much pics of in the forums.


Oh, BTW... this is a tongue in cheek post notice for the ones who have the tendency for taking my posts seriously.
 
I think most people have bought knives that they paid too much for and found one later that was much more their liking and cheaper. I feel it depends on the buyer.
Overrated: Knives you paid too much for
Underrated: Knives that do the same job for less

Now talking brands;
Overrated: Benchmade - here is why I can get a Kershaw most times with very similar or same materials for less. Don't get me wrong I love Benchmade, my first knife was a Benchmade. Here again is the price issue.

Underrated: Ferhman - awesome knives, awesome warranty, awesome people to deal with. Yes you will pay more than Scrapyard, about the same or a little more than Swamprat, cheaper than Busse but a great knife all around.
 
We need to make sure the topic of discussion isn't other members of this site. This isn't Whine & Cheese. Some of you in this thread should know better and others might need a first lesson. Stay on topic or don't post.
 
Overrated - Production knives that cost $300-400, and don't do anything more (or better) for you than a $30-40 knife.

Underrrated - Production knives that cost $30-40, and do everything for you that a $300-400 knife can do (and just as well).
 
I'll go a little different way.

Helle makes fantastic blades but I've always been disappointed in their handles. The Bessegen was very so-so and there was a nasty flaw in the curly birch that always seemed like a possible point of failure. I had a Ny Fjording. That handle is a disgrace. Both blades were scary sharp laminate.

I think Rosselli is a little over-rated. They're neat. They're interesting. They're not as sharp as thay ought to be (always need a 30 degree Sharpmaker touch-up out of the box). They are not as fantastic on the fit an finish and you'd probably expect.

So I went with two very good knife makers that have some room to improve. Helle on it's handles, Rosselli on it's fit and finish.

This pains me a little (and will make others fume) but I must say the Becker is over-rated as s whole. Handle material is not the best (I was shocked to find them hollow), one of their "favorites" the Becker Necker is terrible in my estimation...that bottle opener digs into my hand and the blade geometry was terrible...had to work it over with a file to get in anywhere near serviceable. They seem very awkward. Sheaths are laughable. I have a BK7 that I like. Great big blade. Put the micarta handle on it and got a custom leather sheath. Gives the whole rig sort of a western, extra-large cowboy bowie look and feel which I like. But after the upgrades, I could have purchase other brands for the same amount of money. Again, good solid knives that I just think, as a portfolio are overrated.
 
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That's not true according to several makers who have told me that their prices are based on the price of the materials they use or you choose. You'll pay significantly more to buy a knife in Japanese blue steel with a rhino penis for a handle:D;) than you will for 1095 or 440c with micarta or g10, and with these new steels coming out that are supposed to be bigger, harder, sharper, bendier and whatever else they can list to make them sound 'super', you may see a price increase from the companies/makers who decide to use them. But the thing I think of when looking at the price difference of such knives is "why spend the extra $$ when 1094 w/ micarta has yet to fail me?"
Dan57 said:
I wish people would stop saying that knives are overrated or overpriced because the materials are less expensive than knives that cost less. The vast majority of the cost of a knife comes from the labor required to make it, not the materials used.
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I think as for the over/underrated I'll have to say:
overrated-Microtech and CRK
underrated-Boker, S&W, CRKT
These 3 companies make folders that are excellent for the price and most of the time much more. I have owned a few S&Ws but the one that I liked best was the S.W.A.T assisted opener I edc'ed for around 18 months, that only costed my about $40, and perfomed like a champ, and the a/o on those knives is one of the fastest and smoothest I've ever encountered next to ZT. Before buying the S&W I carried a Boker Kalashnikov auto which too was a great little knife that lasted long and way out performed it's price tag of about $45. Where else you gonna find a decent auto for that price? And as for CRKT I've handled several but haven;t yet bought one for myself but they all seemed up to snuff for a decent edc knife. They are cost efficient and look good, plus they have some many styles that I'm sure just about everyone could find one to fit their style. My next folder is gonna be a CRKT shenanigan by Ken Onion. The OD and black on is really slick looking IMO and that's enough to buy it for me so I'll just have to wait and see in the future how it does.

Oh and props to the person who posted Pohl Force as underrated cuz ever since seeing the article about their Alpha 1 I have wanted one but have yet to pull the trigger. But they are some bad looking mofo's though:D
pf_ao_007.jpg
 
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Under-rated: Green River Knives. I love 'em. Cheap, but high quality. Edge quality and edge retention are excellent. Good, simple, traditional knives.

Over-rated: Anything tactical. Bleh. The production knife market has gotten to the point where it mostly ignores us who prefer old fashioned traditional knives.
 
Overrated: Cold Steel, SOG, TOPS. Not highly overrated, but they're not all what the hype makes them out to be. I own a few of each and they're ok.

Underrated: Entrek, CRKT, Condor.
 
Under-rated:
CRK regular large Sebenza
Opinel
Victorinox
Skandi knives

Over-rated:
??? It's really all subjective.
 
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