Most UNDERRATED Knives, Folders and Fixed Blades

C

Confederate

Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Messages
2,826
Lately I've found a number of knives that have really surprised me, performance wise. Some have been surprisingly BAD and others suprisingly GOOD. The ones I'm most interested in are the underrated knives—knives that you may have bought on a lark and weren't expecting much of, then found were much better than you'd ever hoped. Maybe it was a fluke, or maybe you just found a sleeper.

Over the past two months, I've been carrying and using a knife I really expected to be a junk knife. It was under ten bucks and was recently on sale for five from SMKW. I didn't carry it much at first, but by and by I found myself carrying it more. Now I find myself carrying it most of the time.

The knife is one I've mentioned before, the S&W ExtremeOps Hawkbill. I bought two of them, one serrated; the other plain edged. The serrated spends most of its time in a drawer with other orphens. The plain edged version, however, is the one that's really impressed me.

It's a linerlock, and I generally don't like linerlocks. It's also a S&W, and we all know their reputations aren't always sterling. I've done some informal cutting tests using various types of paper stock, light and heavy cardboard, wood, nylong nautical cord and packages. I'm refraining from sharpening it and I'm still very much impressed with how well it's continuing to cut.

Ten dollars for two of them. Still can't believe it. When it gets warmer, I'm going to try to use the serrated version outdoors for cutting shrubbery and small branches, etc. Until then, I'd like to hear about some of your underrated knives, if you have any. Or maybe you got a cheap knife and it lived up to your expectations perfectly and crapped out on you.

Thanks!

SWHB.jpg


S&W ExtremeOps Hawkbill Linerlock; 4 5/8" closed.
440C stainless hawkbill blade with ambidextrous thumb
studs. Stainless handles with black G-10 inlays. Stainless
pocket clip. Surprisingly good.
 
I bought this one when you mentioned it before; turned out to be a pretty nice deal, especially for $5.

I got a few knives I've bought on a whim, and most have been great users. A Buck Mayo I bought was really good, and a Ka-Bar Series VII really surprised me with the quality and materials. I gave that one to a friend who was a former marine.

I think the imports are starting to really improve in quality.

thx - cpr
 
I would not exactly call it under rated, but i do not here much about the mcusta MC-1 on the forums and it is an awsome knife. It is still too nice for edc though :(.
 
I don't see them mentioned too often but the Camillus Heat is a pretty decent folder- think they've been discontinued though.
 
It's always a bummer when good knives are discontinued. There have been a number of knives that have been dropped simply to make way for lower quality crap.

I'm not sure whether the knives produced for S&W by Taylor Cutlery are improving or not. The Hawkbill and first-run magnesium knives were not originally to be sold for ten bucks. They were intended to go for considerably more. They just wouldn't sell for $40-$65. So after gathering dust on dealer's shelves for a long while, the dealers decided to dump them.

All this shows, of course, that once you have a bad reputation, it's almost impossible to turn it around. That's why I think Gerber and CRKT are taking awful chances by using junk steels like AUS4 and 420j2, which I think is only suitable for linerlock material and salt water diving blades.
 
Klein folders offer a lot of value and are overlooked by most folks who are not in the electrical trade or are unaware of the brand. Great knives, great value....
 
The Gryphon M35!
I have two: One in the ol' vehicle and another for my 'chore knife' around the house.

Good steel, comfortable handle, extended tang, long blade, great sheath, and much more!

Regards,
Mike
 
I think rough rider knives made in china are under rated...I've had the 110-hunter fake jigged bone knock-off ($12 shipped.) for several years and it is just as good as the buck knife made in USA. The fit and finish is excellent, and it holds an edge well.

Sadly, it must be discontinued because SMKW doesn't carry it any more (I wanted to get some as gifts to go with hand-made leather sheaths.) I generally prefer benchmades and spyderco, but this knife has been a user...people just can't get over the "made in china..." thing. Everything else is made there. I like it better than a few of the made in taiwan SOGs I've had.
 
I had an Edge (Pakistan) stainless clone of the Buck 110 once. T'was just as good as the real Buck in my drawer and lasted for years till it disappeared one day.

Cub Scout knife, blue handled, boxes labeled BSA885, locking blades by Camillus. Discontinued, but still found with Google, usually for about $25.

An early Kershaw folder, made with something they called Kai steel. Tortoise shell handles rounded corners and kind of dressy. 3" drop point blade. Also 'borrowed' by a friend decades ago, never to be seen again.
 
SAK Pocket Pal: I think this is an amazing amount of knife for the price. A great slip joint knife with high price "walk and talk". For that matter, almost all Victorinox SAK's I think are underrated; they simply can't be beat for the fit and finish at that price point.
 
Kershaw ET
Spyderco Street Beat, Poliwog
Benchmade Monochrome
SOG Tomcat 3.0
Cold Steel Voyagers/Vaqueros
 
I have a few that are surprisingly great knives for the money. The first is the Schrade Cliphanger. I bought several of these for under $10.00 ea. and found that they were really handy to keep clipped to my kayak, and in all the cars and motorcycles. They hold a pretty good edge, sharpen easliy and are quick to get to.

My next surprise was a Myerco Blue Racer (which I believe is simply a Spyderco Look-Alike made in China). The action is a bit tight for one-handed opening, but the blade holds a very keen edge and sharpens well. It is also very comfortable to carry and hold. I bought it on EBay for $3.00 + shipping.

Last but not least, I bought a plain, Sodbuster-style pocketknife at a flea market, and I had never heard of this brand...Kissing Crane. I payed $1.00 for it, took it home and polished the blade and was surprised at how good it cleaned up. It holds very near a razor edge, and sharpens well. It is a handly little knife to clean game birds and trout in the field with. It sharpens pencils really good, too. I don't know where it was made.

It reminds me of my old Case knife I carried from grade school (those were the days) until I left for the Marines. One of my grandsons has it now. I used it for everything from sharpening pencils, making new holes in my belt, whittling, to doing creative artwork on the wooden desks to impress the otherwise unapproachable members of the opposite sex.
 
The Kershaw Blackout and its sister the Kershaw Whirlwind.
Both are really terrific Ken Onion designed knives.
The only thing I don't like about them is the pocket-clip.
 
Just about any Victorinox knife. I remember the large Boker Sodbuster really surprising me; $15, slipjoint, carbon blade. I don't hear much about them. Also, the old Gerber EZ Outs (before the skeletonized blades).
 
I wasn't expecting much, but I was blown away by the action and lock up of the SOG blink that I bought about a year ago. Great little knife with plenty of kick.

One that was underrated by me was the Kershaw LFK that my wife bought me for Christmas. I don't usually carry tiny knives (the Blink is used as my money clip), but I'll be danged if this little 1.1 oz dynamo hasn't grown on me. I won't be building any shelters with it, but as a day in and day out user, it cuts what I need to cut, stays sharp, and locks up tight. The Mrs did a good job on this one:D:thumbup:
 
I've got 2 CRKT Falcon's. The larger ones and as a fine a finished knife as I have seen. The facets on the blades are nice and crisp and sharply done. Excellant lock up and just a very well thought out design. keepem sharp
 
I really like the CRKT Cruiser. Its fits my hand extremely well and is build good. Although many here do not like AUS 6M, Its only 20bux and I dont feel bad using it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top