Opposite of most disappointing knife purchase, the pleasant surprises.

D

DMG

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Dec 30, 2005
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I have a had a few disappointments and even more pleasant surprises. My top 3 pleasant surprises in knives

Gayle Bradley 2. Great steel, slices like a champ and so far has not turned to rust
Carbon Fiber bugout. I don’t love the standard bugout. For some reason I love this one
Hogue Ritter. The Griptillian is an awesome knife but hogue did it better.
 
After reading all the Civivi comments, I took a shot on an Odium. Outstanding workmanship. Quality knife that won't bust a wallet. Customer service on an after-purchase question was great. Casting eyes on the McKenna now.
 
Al Mar Eagle Ultralight (the old, Seki City Al Mar, not the current iteration). Fit and finish was flawless, action is super smooth and fast for a backlock, the "outdated" AUS-8 sharpens easily and holds an edge for a surprisingly long time thanks to the geometry and heat treat. Surprisingly great knife.
 
So far my most pleasant surprise was the OD green Kershaw Bareknuckle. Nice and light with a super thin profile with a deep carry clip. Carries so perfectly in my pocket that I completely forget it's even there. I only bought it because I had a store credit and it was completely different from anything I own. I wasn't nuts over the pictures, but It looks so much better in person. Mine has drop shut action and this one fires flawlessly. Knife was SHARP right out of the box. I've been using it regularly and have only needed to give it a couple of quick 2 minute touch ups on the sharpmaker to keep it incredibly sharp. This is one of my cheapest knives but so far has been probably one of the greatest values.
 
I'd heard a lot about Civivi, and had experience with WE Knives, owning the Deacon and the Massdrop Gent Select. However, I was not prepared for how awesome the little McKenna is. The Damascus is gorgeous and perfect, the action is amazing, perfect detent. One of the best out of box experiences I've had. Thus far the 9Cr based Damascus is good edge retention, though the size of the knife does not dictate heavy duty use.

I've purchased a lot of knives off of the exchange. Spyderco Manix 2 foliage green CTS-XHP was probably the BEST I've purchased off of the exchange. The steel spoiled me. I love XHP. The ergonomics, style, etc made it the first knife I customized. I'm actually carrying it today for Manix Monday.

Now, here is an interesting twist on this topic and the topic of most disappointing.

The first Spyderco Southard I bought I was very disappointed with. Probably did not give it enough of a chance. For years I hemmed and hawed over whether I should give it another chance. I still hadn't made a decision and then it was discontinued. THis past March while perusing the forums, one came up for sale with a custom scale. I decided to try again, knowing I could sell it no problem. Well, its fantastic. I really really like it. Going from extreme disappointment six years prior to elation made it even more sweet.
 
Years ago I bought a standard Benchmade Freek with the rubberized handles. Well low and behold it was lost in the mail but luckily the retailer was kind and gave me a full refund since even the tracking number said it was lost and the postal service didnt have a clue what happened to it. Instead of getting another freek I opted to use my refund on a slightly cheaper knife at the time, a Spyderco Manix 2. I was one of those people that always thought the profile of spydercos were weird but I have large hands which the manix looked made for and it featured a lock closest to the axis lock of the knife I almost got previously. It has now been in my carry rotation for years, has aftermarket scales and I have never been happier to have a knife get lost in the mail.
 
Opinel

I had always poo poo’d them since they’re about as far as from my usual taste in knives as you can get but I finally gave one a try a few years back. Not only did it cut as well as everyone raved about but I found that there was just something really charming about it as well.
 
This one bought on a whim an not expecting much from CRKT but super nice.

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And this one, liked the looks but figured it wouldn't be a regular user. It's a top 3 pick.

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At the risk of sounding like a raging fanboy, my first CRK was a pleasant surprise - and due to the price a relief! It was my first knife purchase over $400; and I went all in with an Inkosi with micarta inlays. The first time I opened it I couldn't believe the smoothness; I had read about the "hydraulic" feel, but didn't know what to really expect. I think previous to that the most I had spent was on ProTech and Microtech autos - pricey but less than.

Once I burst through the $400 level, came Hinderers, etc; that Inkosi however was my gateway drug to higher end knives.
 
The Spyderco Autonomy 2 blew me away with its lightning fast snappy action, solid build and great handle ergonomics. Bonus for slicey razor-sharp LC200N blade. There was not one thing I could find wrong with that knife and it remains one of my top favorites of all time.

Also the Victorinox Alox series really opened my eyes again to the superb build quality and beauty of Victorinox SAK's. Being relatively inexpensive makes them even more fun to buy and own.

More recently, I was (and remain) super impressed with my Shirogorov F95 Slim Nudist. As high as my expectations were, it exceeded them. Similar to the Autonomy 2, it seems to be one of those rare cases where everything is right and nothing is wrong.
 
Wharncliffe Dragonfly - I always thought the Dragonfly would be too small. I saw a deal on the Wharncliffe version and said "what the heck". Now I am very glad I did. This little guy has been an MVP in its size class.

Harnds Talimsan - The older model in AUS-8 punched way above its grade. The action, ergonomics, and aesthetics were incredible for a $30-something knife. I recently picked up the new version in 14C28N. While the improved blade steel was a welcome change, they made a few other changes I don't love. The main thing is that I can't disassemble the new one. :(

Tangram Santa Fe - I got this guy for like $20 on a whim when they first came out. I didn't expect much. Then I started using it. Being cheap and being among the nicer cheap knives I had gave me a lot of cause to choose it, from beater tasks to grabbing on the go. The thinner blade also helped. A few years later, it's gotten a surprising amount of pocket time.
 
Cold Steel AD10---It's a big heavy SOB with a questionable pocket clip but it cuts extremely well, locks up solid, and has a good heat treatment. If I could cut 3ish ounces of weight off of it I'd carry it every day.
 
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