Opposite of most disappointing knife purchase, the pleasant surprises.

GermanyChris said:
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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That's funny I was reading along and came upon the last post about your AD10. I was getting ready to mention this folder when I seen your post. Out of all the folders I have this knife is the smoothest and slickest action I've had, great knife but like mentioned it's a tank but well made with the Demko Triad locking system.
 
Spyderco Para 3 Maxamet: my first knife over 200 (well, barely lol). This knife is just about perfect for anything except saltwater.

Maxace Petrel: most beautiful balisong I own, and flips like a dream.

Pretty much every Civivi, but if I were to narrow it down the Dogma and most recently this guy:
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Perfect in every way, I cant think of a flaw.
 
gamma_nyc said:
Fixed blades - My David Mary David Mary fixed blades were quite a nice surprise. I was drawn to unique style and really pleased with craftsmanship and no nonsense ergonomics.

Folders - Chris Reeve on the high end (for me) but great quality. On the more affordable side, I really like the Alox Victorinox line.

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I have a David Mary and agree. Same with the alox. Not sure yet with CRK. Haven’t broken in my Inkosi yet.
 
After hearing good things about Kizer, I finally got my first Kizer off the exchange. Kizer Begleiter is jade G10 and M390. My first blade in M390 to boot.

Saying it was a pleasant surprise makes it sound like I didn't high hopes for it which it isn't the case. Which makes this post kinda moot ....
 
gamma_nyc said:
Fixed blades - My David Mary David Mary fixed blades were quite a nice surprise. I was drawn to unique style and really pleased with craftsmanship and no nonsense ergonomics...
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I only have one knife from David (so far) but the ergonomics are excellent. There is a lot of attention to detail with the scales, wherein he created a situation of both high grip and high comfort with zero hot spots. Every edge, peak, and valley is gently contoured. The scales meet smoothly with the blade tang, pin, and lanyard hole. It wasn't really a surprise based on his reputation. I will say, having expectations met (or exceeded in this case) isn't as common as I'd like.

For instance, my TRM Atom was priced in the same ballpark and is more akin to a lot of $50 Chinese folders in this respect. The Atom has a lot of crisp scale edges that just aren't comfortable. It's nothing I can't fix in a few minutes with a little sandpaper or two grits of nail file during disassembly. Still, I expect a lot more for that kind of money.

(Edited for grammar and clarity.)
 
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Danke42 said:
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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I got in on the insane anniversary combo deal that BladeHQ had on the Swayback and Bradley Bowie a couple of weeks ago (it was virtually BOGOF). Both were knives I’d had no particular interest in, but both are keepers. The Bowie is probably the most useful general purpose fixed blade I’ve had from Spyderco, and the Swayback fits the hand much better than I’d expected, with a great EDC blade.
 
1) Opinel. At first I couldn't understand why someone would want a knife that looked so flimsy with all its querks and a blade that could rust if you got the carbone version. Bought a carbone no. 6 on a whim about 11 years ago and fell in love with how good they are at their soul purpose - to cut something. The querks became charms and the fear of rust became eagerly awaited patina. Since then Opinels have been one of my favourite knives

2) Not a purchase but rather a knife I made. It's a small drop point fixed blade knife with a 3.5 inch O1 tool steel blade. I heat treated it in a BBQ fire and kitchen oven. At first the edge seemed to roll too easily and I was upset that my heat treatment didn't work out, but it was done in the backyard so of course it wouldn't be precise. As I got to use the knife and sharpen it the edge no longer rolled and for some reason the knife now holds a very respectable edge for a homemade knife and backyard heat treat. I tested the edge retention on twisted sisal rope and got a number very similar to the number that Pete from Cedric and Ada Outdoors on YouTube got with O1. Not scientific, but good enough for me. It is a very useful blade. Does well butchering chickens, cutting through cartilage and bone with no edge rolling. So the first edge rolling might've just been a stubborn wire edge that initially wouldn't go away. It's also very easy to sharpen, so I'm very chuffed with it. It's a great work knife

3) Tramontina chefs knife. Cheaper than Victorinox and holds an edge a bit better than Victorinox in my experience. Very slicey blade. I gave it away eventually to a mate of mine who cooks much better than me. He loves it. I'd highly recommend Tramontina's kitchen knife selection
 
Brad Zinker Dogtooth, produced by Drop, manufactured by WE Knives. CPM S35VN, compound grind, flipper on ceramic bearings, deep carry pocket clip. Superbly executed by WE Knives. These two easily make it into my top 10 amongst my Hinderers, Microtechs, Koenigs, CRKs.
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I’m not sure why, but I was very anxious about receiving the Medford Praetorian Slim. I was pretty much prepared to not like it. However, it was smaller than I thought and very very smooth. I really really liked it. I hate say, I sold it fairly quickly to fund a Shirogorov, but I’ll definitely have another one.
 
I'm happy with all of these folders. Design, fit, finish, and workmanship are all top notch among two customs and the rest production knives. I also have many more fixed blades from my decades as a chef.

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From top left clockwise,
Chris Reeves Insingo CF, Trevor Burger LEXK CFL, Laconico EZC, Massdrop Laconico Keen, Cherburkov Strizh, Shirogorov HaTiOn Lite, Jens Anso Neo, Monterey Bay Knives EXL, Shirogorov F3 Elmax, Monterey Bay Knives EZC, Monterey Bay Knives EWC.
 
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Cold steel voyager. Never thought a 58 dollar knife could feel so robust and be this nice. Had low expectations but this thing really impressed me. Specially the 4” model. Just a great do everything knife for little money. I even ordered a second one I was so impressed.
 
Tuff Lite.
Bought one just because it was cheap, now I've got 3.

Kershuffle 2.
Same thing, and now I've got 3 as well. Well actually 4, but one of them died.
 
First and foremost by a wide margin was my old H1 SE PacSalt.
I was expecting a ho-hum knife whose only utility was being rust proof.
Man, what a great knife that proved to be! There was just something special about the size, shape, and balance. I used the crap out of the thing In all sorts of crazy ways. Sadly, it now rests at the bottom of the Flathead river. I replaced it wit a LC200N version, but somehow it’s not quite as special.

A moment of silence please....



Next, and fair distance behind the PacSalt, is the Spyderco Junction.
It’s a small fixed blade but I spent a night in the backcountry with it last year in an area that surprisingly permits campfires. I processed a day-and-a-half worth of firewood with it & battoned that sucker like it was a Busse. It laughed at the abuse! A few passes over a strop once home and it was like new. That PFS-27 is some tough shiz!



Lastly I’ll mention the SG Spidermonkey. Shabaz torched the knife when it first came out, and that kinda put me off. I finally grabbed one at a one-time discount. It’s awesome in every way—except maybe the pocket clip, but it’s a Benchmade pattern so easily swapped.

 
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