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Under-Appreciated and Overlooked Knives

F

FULCRUM

Joined
Nov 15, 1998
Messages
64
IMHO, the following knives are a few that don't get sufficent attention:

Terzuola's large folding fighter - workman- ship beyond repreach, a super 5/32 blade, and very strong.

Endura 98 - excellent steel, lightweight, ambidexterous and a bargain.

Gryphon Series - the large fixed Terzuola design is beautifully balanced and very strongly built. The unfortunately discontinued M-10 is a great boot and comes alive in ther hand.

AFCK - yes, the AFCK. This was the first truly modern factory tactical in my opinion. A tried and true design with great ergonomics. And now it is easy to find at a great price.

I could go on, but I'm curious about others. It seems that advertising and newness win out.

[This message has been edited by FULCRUM (edited 27 December 1998).]
 
When all is said and done, I still like my Kershaws, especially my liner lock. I love my old Buck 110 and am updating to the 110 Masters series.

Let's not forget the old style knives too, like pocket knives, whittlers , pen knives, jack knives and the old folding knife patterns. Where would the tacticals be if it wasn't for these old timers? Don't get me wrong, I love my Genesis & Spydercos but there is something really cool about holding an old Ulster boy scout knife.

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~Greg~
Kodiak Alaska
KnifeKnutt@aol.com



 
The first kife that comes to mind is the Syderco Moran.

Another one is the Cold Steel Mini pal. This 2 inch utility push dagger is a killer knife for starting conversation.

Sincerely,
Adam
 
I bought a BM Leopard Cub for the father-in-law's Christmas present. He ended up liking my new BM mini-Stryker even more, so I gave him that instead. After using it for a few days now, I've got to say that I like this thing a lot.

I think most of the time we tend to focus too much on the tactical side of things, and overlook great everyday designs like the Leopard Cubs. As a light-duty office folder, it would be hard to beat the Cub IMHO.

Kelly
 
GT Knives. Excellent manufacturing quality with tight tolerances, solid feeling with those aluminum handles. IMHO they are up there with some of the bigger companies. At first I was a bit leery of the handle, looking a bit funny with its humpbacked appearance. But that all changed when I saw the knife for the first time for myself. Very practical handle, matched with a very practical blade. And their button lock is one of the safest locks out there on the market.

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Dexter Ewing
Knife Reviews Moderator

"The keystroke is mightier than the sword"





 
REKAT's Pioneer series is a great product that nobody seems to know much about.
The manufactures list price is $130, however most sell for $70-$80.
Yikes !!! I'm getting into another thread here.
Bill
 
After Fulcrum posted this thread and I mentioned my Kershaw Liner Lock, I dug out my 2420 today. I'm glad I did since it's been a while since I carried it since I have gotten my newer, "sexier" knives (Genesis, Military, Buck Master series).

I blew off the dust, cleaned her up a bit, polished the blade, sharpened the bur that was there and then spent the afternoon admiring this inexpensive but very practical knife. I hope I haven't hurt this knife's feelings (knives do have feelings you know) by ignoring it.

The blade resharpens easily and feels like a razor blade. I accidentally sliced my finger and the blade was so sharp that I sliced just the outer layer of the skin and there wasn't a drop of blood! There is absolutely no blade play, I love the "fast" action when cycling this blade. There is a small bearing on the liner-lock bar so the knife locks via a two click method....sounds very nice when it does, the liner locks up very securely, the thumb stud is comfortable and the scales have a polymer inlay that make it very comfortable to hold. Top it off with a very secure 3 screw pocket clip and cast aluminum handle and you have one heck of a knife.

The price on the net for this knife is about $40 on the net.

I'm gonna take 'er out more often now.
smile.gif


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~Greg~
Kodiak Alaska
KnifeKnutt@aol.com




[This message has been edited by Kodiak PA (edited 27 December 1998).]
 
Definitely the Lakota series.
I only own the Pro Hawk folder but it is a very strong knife with an extremely ergonomic design. A real worker !

Bob Dozier's stuff gets an occasional mention by some of the more enlightened members....but not enough (IMO).
His knives may lack the eyecatching "coolness" exuded by some of the gear we see, but they WORK far better than many knives in the price-range



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Brian W E
ICQ #21525343


 
GT autos are one of the best production autos on the market. It is almost impossible for a GT auto to open in the pocket. The "funny looking" handle fits like a glove. The lock-up is very solid. There are cooler looking autos out there. However, these are the best made autos in their price range.

Joe Liguori
 
Case. Behind the pretty face and instant collector hype, they do build a solid knife.
Boker. Their folders are quite well made.
Schrade Old Timer. Carbon steel and priced right.

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A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined;
George Washington Jan 8,1790--There can be no doubt about the Second Amendment.


 
Buck "CROSSLOCK". I truly love this knife, If I wasn't a "knife guy" I think this might be a contender for my knife of choice. I have the Solitaire plain edge, I bought it right after they started production. 5yrs? Tough as nails, feels great in the hand, and oh that action. The slick action is what sold me, and to this day I love snapping that blade open. I've never felt a smoother action on any production knife.
Yes I'm sure there are drawbacks, but the only one I can think of is the clip. Many people say the blade is too short for the handle, but that makes it a great working knife. No, the steel isn't exotic but it takes an edge and holds an edge. This steel, 425m, is also the best steel I've found for use around salt water. Being in the Coast Guard I tend to value this quality a lot in a knife.
I'll get off the soapbox now. By the way, I've retired this knife every time I buy a new pocket clip folder and it always seems to find its way back into my pocket after a few months.
 
The Buck Crosslock mechanism is a DAMN fine one, but the 425 steel will wear pretty fast with heavy use. Light utility or "defense with a bit of utility", it's fine.

Some may recall a lady I knew who pulled the River Rafter version on two unarmed muggers, drove 'em off while dragging her kid in a stroller with her off-hand. Being able to confidently open that pup despite not being a "serious knife person" was a factor.

To me, the most overlooked Bucks are the Ti-coat variants. 425 as a core is tough enough, hit it with a Rockwell 80 coating for wear resistance and hell YES you've got something worth owning. The Ti-coat crosslock is around, what, $80 over the net? If I needed a very innocuous defense knife with superb utility functionality that'd be a TOP choice.

See also:
http://www.agrussell.com/buck/buckcote.html -
I'd take that Solitaire hunter to somebody with a diamond grind wheel and turn the tip of the guthook into a "wood chisel" type point, possibly at an angle away from the guthook to preserve as much of the hook's strength as possible. Does that seem practical to anyone else?

Buck is a very nice, very honorable company that deserves our support. Not all their stuff is the best out there, but there's few lemons and there's some REAL sleepers; the Ti-coat crosslock is killer example.

Jim March
 
The SAK "Classic"
 
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