Most over-rated production knife brand?

[strategy9]

Funny, it gets a ton of "over rated" publicity here.

And also gets a ton of "top 5 edc" love in another thread.


I'm torn... I'm in the class that never owned, nor handled one, so I have no dog in this fight, just a mindful observation I find intriguing.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Funny, it gets a ton of "over rated" publicity here.

And also gets a ton of "top 5 edc" love in another thread.


I'm torn... I'm in the class that never owned, nor handled one, so I have no dog in this fight, just a mindful observation I find intriguing.

Personally? I think it could easily be both. CRK makes knives very, very well. Thing is, the vast majority of the cost is going towards their legendary tolerances and, well, those tolerances don't really make it do anything in particular better than other knives.

 

[Cutlover]

X2 for this ^

CRK's get bashed by more people who've never touched them than any other brand. If all the CRK bashers actually owned one, there wouldn't be any left to go around for those of us who actually like them

Its ok for you to be a CRK fanboy.

I have a friend who actually got me into knives, and his knife is a regular Sebenza. I checked it out, pretty well made but nothing special. Solid feel and shape, but meh. I am sure it was cool 20 years ago when it came out, but it is just decent today. Not bad by any means, but average, plain Jane, knife.

 

[marcinek]

How....how do liners simply disintegrate? Elaborate please D;

No doubt the same way framelock lockbars bend like paperclips, which you have been claiming.

 

[UDIVER]

Used one extensively. Decent knife, absolutely nothing about it justifies the price for the end user.

I agree, I think CRK's would be awesome knives around the $200-$250 range, I've owned a few different models and they always get flipped.

Besides, for $400+ I think your money is better spent on an XM-18, but that's just me.

 

[UDIVER]

Most overrated to me is spyderco! Ugly knives, god awful blade to handle ratios and their fanboy club is "really" special!

Case. All their recent stuff is complete junk

^ Well said, it seems everyone praises Spyderco for some odd reason, I've had a lot of them and hated just about every one in terms of feel and blade durability.

I do like the Endura but it doesn't hold up to hard use at all.

 

[Muaddib1116]

Maybe we're conflating two things, overrating and overvaluing.

To me, CRK's are not overrated, but might be overvalued to some people. They are rated as the best manufactured production knives with the best F&F. This I think is true. But I can definitely see how these days, people see them as overvalued, because you can get the same or better materials for much cheaper, in a product that will cut just as well or better.

To me, Emersons are overvalued, but I have no personal experience to say they are overrated. I think that they cost too much for the materials and F&F you are getting (overvalued), but I think they have great designs and ergos, even if most of them are not to my personal taste (rated correctly). And as far as being the "#1 hard use folder", I have no experience to support or contest that.

 

[stabman]

Besides, for $400+ I think your money is better spent on an XM-18, but that's just me.

I have an XM-18, an Umnumzaan, and even the sure to draw haterz Strider SmF and SnG.

The XM-18 and Umnumzaan both feel worth the money; the Striders could go for about $150 less to be what I would consider accurate pricing.

All of them get used, I still have them all, and they aren't getting "flipped" to make way for new ones, ever.

 

[stabman]

I do like the Endura but it doesn't hold up to hard use at all.

Mine must be defective...it refuses to break no matter what I use it for...

Guess I'll have to get out the short handle 3 pound sledge and bash it through a brick; is that what "hard use" means these days?
So hard to keep up.

Most overrated to me is spyderco! Ugly knives, god awful blade to handle ratios and their fanboy club is "really" special!

When you feel the need to disparage the people who own a product in order to attempt to back up your point, you are losing it.
Step away from the keyboard, sir!

 

[UDIVER]

Maybe we're conflating two things, overrating and overvaluing.

To me, CRK's are not overrated, but might be overvalued to some people. They are rated as the best manufactured production knives with the best F&F. This I think is true. But I can definitely see how these days, people see them as overvalued, because you can get the same or better materials for much cheaper, in a product that will cut just as well or better.

To me, Emersons are overvalued, but I have no personal experience to say they are overrated. I think that they cost too much for the materials and F&F you are getting (overvalued), but I think they have great designs and ergos, even if most of them are not to my personal taste (rated correctly). And as far as being the "#1 hard use folder", I have no experience to support or contest that.

And that right there is the biggest issue with threads like this, the majority of people saying Emersons are "overrated" are people that have zero experience at all with them or they got one Emerson, it didn't look or feel like gold so they bash the whole company and everything they make.

Too many people rely on materials and specs they see on paper to make a conclusion, when in reality there's much more to a knife than some sparkly bits or whats printed on the blade.

 

[shqxk]

People who said CRK should cost $200-$300 obviously never own CRK.

No folding knife from any brand in this planet at that price range has the built quality of CRK... You can barely find any even in $1,000 price range...

F&F, tolerance and execution of CRK are far beyond most production safe Rockstead.

 

[UDIVER]

Mine must be defective...it refuses to break no matter what I use it for...

Guess I'll have to get out the short handle 3 pound sledge and bash it through a brick; is that what "hard use" means these days?
So hard to keep up.



When you feel the need to disparage the people who own a product in order to attempt to back up your point, you are losing it.
Step away from the keyboard, sir!

I mean, I've rolled edges and chipped blades on Spydercos by opening boxes and accidentally hitting a packaging staple....

I also chipped an Endura when I dropped it 3 feet onto some kitchen tile while the blade was open, and there are plenty of threads with people showing chipped PM2's and Endura's.

I understand these things can happen to any knife but for some reason it has only happen to the Spyderco's I've owned.

I still think they make a great product and I respect them as a knife company, I just don't get this "Knife to end all Knives" thing that most Spyderco lovers make them out to be.

 

[Muaddib1116]

And that right there is the biggest issue with threads like this, the majority of people saying Emersons are "overrated" are people that have zero experience at all with them or they got one Emerson, it didn't look or feel like gold so they bash the whole company and everything they make.

Too many people rely on materials and specs they see on paper to make a conclusion, when in reality there's much more to a knife than some sparkly bits or whats printed on the blade.

I never said I didn't have experience with Emersons, just that my experience could not support or contest their hard-use claim. And I don't think anything I've ever said about Emerson knives has been bashing the whole company and everything they make.

I have owned 4 A100's (2 large, 2 mini) and I think it is willfully obtuse to argue that they have good F&F. The build quality is perfectly acceptable for making them very functional knives, but I can't think of another brand that has as rough grind and surface finishes on the liners, nor as un-flush fitting scales/liner/backspacers as Emersons.

 

[UDIVER]

People who said CRK should cost $200-$300 obviously never own CRK.

No folding knife from any brand in this planet at that price range has the built quality of CRK... You can barely find any even in $1,000 price range...

F&F, tolerance and execution of CRK are far beyond most production safe Rockstead.

I've owned 5 CRK's from the 21 to the Zan, they're great knives but not $450 great, sorry.

Its a knife with a "cult" following, nothing more, nothing less, just leave it at that.

And to be honest, this thread is useless, its going to be fanboys vs fanboys, just buy what you like and be happy but you have no right to bash any brand that you haven't owned or experienced firsthand.

 

[UDIVER]

I never said I didn't have experience with Emersons, just that my experience could not support or contest their hard-use claim. And I don't think anything I've ever said about Emerson knives has been bashing the whole company and everything they make.

I have owned 4 A100's (2 large, 2 mini) and I think it is willfully obtuse to argue that they have good F&F. The build quality is perfectly acceptable for making them very functional knives, but I can't think of another brand that has as rough grind and surface finishes on the liners, nor as un-flush fitting scales/liner/backspacers as Emersons.

No no, I didn't mean YOU, I'm saying a lot of people get on here and bash a brand just because "they can" not because they have had firsthand experience with it.

 

[shinyedges]

Oh really, how do you know who owned what knife? Multiple people in this very thread spoke from first hand experience.


Apparently you have the ability to know what knife each and every person in this thread has ever owned... Oh wait you don't? Then your assumptions are just that assumptions

And that right there is the biggest issue with threads like this, the majority of people saying Emersons are "overrated" are people that have zero experience at all with them or they got one Emerson, it didn't look or feel like gold so they bash the whole company and everything they make.

Too many people rely on materials and specs they see on paper to make a conclusion, when in reality there's much more to a knife than some sparkly bits or whats printed on the blade.

 

[stabman]

I mean, I've rolled edges and chipped blades on Spydercos by opening boxes and accidentally hitting a packaging staple....

I also chipped an Endura when I dropped it 3 feet onto some kitchen tile while the blade was open, and there are plenty of threads with people showing chipped PM2's and Endura's.

I understand these things can happen to any knife but for some reason it has only happen to the Spyderco's I've owned.

I still think they make a great product and I respect them as a knife company, I just don't get this "Knife to end all Knives" thing that most Spyderco lovers make them out to be.

Packaging staples are not the friend of edges. I've had time where edge damage from such things had to be sharpened out with various brands.

The "Knife to end all Knives" things is common to most brands it seems, really. "World's sharpest, strongest knives", "#1 Hard Use Knives in the World", etc.
Reality, perception and marketing are all separate things that only rarely intersect with one another.

 

[UDIVER]

Oh really, how do you know who owned what knife? Multiple people in this very thread spoke from first hand experience.


Apparently you have the ability to know what knife each and every person in this thread has ever owned... Oh wait you don't? Then your assumptions are just that assumptions

You have to agree with that on some levels, a lot of the people bashing Emerson or any brand for that matter haven't owned them, all I'm saying is , if you had firsthand experience with a brand and had an issue then say it, don't come out and say

"THEY HAVE LINER LOCKS AND LOOK POOPY AND THERE ISN'T ANY BLUE STUFF ON THEM, EWWWW NO THANKS"

that's normally what you get from most people that have 0 experience with a brand.

 

[UDIVER]

Packaging staples are not the friend of edges. I've had time where edge damage from such things had to be sharpened out with various brands.

The "Knife to end all Knives" things is common to most brands it seems, really. "World's sharpest, strongest knives", "#1 Hard Use Knives in the World", etc.
Reality, perception and marketing are all separate things that only rarely intersect with one another.

Understandable, but I'm saying with experience I've had more issues with Spyderco's FG blades then anything else.

I know we are all fanboys to some brand or another and that's why this thread in reality is pretty useless.

 

[shinyedges]

Wait.. Hold up stabman... You mean the marketing isn't 100% factual truth?!?

Lol people actually believe because the box said "number 1# hard use knife" it can take more "hard use" than every other knife on earth.

Or because it's " the worlds sharpest" surgeons use them for open heart surgery.

Sigh.. The gullible.

Packaging staples are not the friend of edges. I've had time where edge damage from such things had to be sharpened out with various brands.

The "Knife to end all Knives" things is common to most brands it seems, really. "World's sharpest, strongest knives", "#1 Hard Use Knives in the World", etc.
Reality, perception and marketing are all separate things that only rarely intersect with one another.