Underrated Cutlery Brands ?

Camillus... they once were legendary but then they closed and reopened under new ownership selling cheap Chinese made stuff..... as of late though, they have started to up their game again and are working with much better materials..... they have finally started to turn out REALLY great product again IMHO but the stigma of those bad years means most people have them written off as " Gerber all over again "
 
I recently purchased two bear and son slip joint knives. For the price tag of most of their knives I think this company is under rated. The blades are carbon steel and handles are g10. With a little sharpening and some dremel work to customize the handles these knives turned out to be great inexpensive users.
 
Taylor's Schrade line comes to mind immediately.

And Buck doesn't get the respect it deserves these days.
 
I've already doused myself with lighter fluid before posting this... Gerber
My Evo has been tortured and abused in every way imaginable for 4+ years and I've done things with it that it was never intended to do, and I've only recently sharpened it for the first time. The Chinese steel has defied science, and the hinge is just as tight and smooth as the day I bought it.
 
I think buck is fairly underrated these days. ( I just wish their slipjoints could be produced in the the US again ) they were able to bring the bantam back to the US and keep the 20$ price tag.
Bear & son is also a good one that I don't hear anyone talking about. They've got a few at my local ace that have impressed me during handling that I've just never pulled the trigger on, but I definitely plan on buying one at some point:thumbup:
 
The recent, high-quality Chinese knife companies. Although I will say that the hate has died down for the most part.
 
Southern Grind. They get a lot of grief from their steel choice on the Bad Monkey from people who are unwilling to give it a chance.
 
Buck, absolutely. I really can't believe that they aren't a topic of conversation more often.

Also Klotzli. I have one that I purchased used, and although the previous owner went a little nuts with over sharpening, but it's still a class act, and I think I can get it cleaned up quite nicely.
 
I believe the lack of respect for Buck today is somewhat warranted when you look at the big picture, they are after all, for all intents and purposes, thriving as basically the exact same knife they were 30-40 years ago... Not that they're a "bad" knife by any means, but in relativity, where they were a great knife in the 70's and even 80's, the game changed; great companies like ZT, Spyderco, Benchmade, raised the bar and took the reigns as the US production companies to beat, and Buck is now "just a Buck"... Entry level 420hc by the lion's share coupled with low end Chinese outsourcing (for an iconic American brand), and limited high end offerings, together leaves much to be desired from a legendary brand. I wish Buck had a full line of offerings the ZT/BM range, with spot on fit and finish, but the reality is, from a purely product standpoint, materials and fit and finish, they are more akin to a mere top tier entry level knife these days.
IMO, while enytry level and affordable 420hc is a staple for them, and should be, they should put more emphasis on expanding their Avid and Pro lines to offer "better" steel options, as well as expand their custom shop, across more models, allowing more Buck fans to build the Buck they want, for a price of course; also do a nice carbon line of fixed blades, (not 5160, maybe a2), and introduce a true premium line, Buck "antler" series or something, doing 3v fixed blades and more CPM/CTS variety folders... If Buck made the offerings on par with Spydie/BM/ZT/BRK and so forth, at comparable prices, they'd certainly get attention, and if the product quality was on point, theyd "earn" more respect amongst today's players in today's knife game... Right now though, they're a solid knife, okay for what they are, but they're being carried heavily by sheer legacy status, without all that much to stay at the top of today's production market. IMO.

Kizlyar Supreme is one I think is under rated after the 2 ive purchased.
 
strategy9 said:
I believe the lack of respect for Buck today is somewhat warranted when you look at the big picture, they are after all, for all intents and purposes, thriving as basically the exact same knife they were 30-40 years ago... Not that they're a "bad" knife by any means, but in relativity, where they were a great knife in the 70's and even 80's, the game changed; great companies like ZT, Spyderco, Benchmade, raised the bar and took the reigns as the US production companies to beat, and Buck is now "just a Buck"... Entry level 420hc by the lion's share coupled with low end Chinese outsourcing (for an iconic American brand), and limited high end offerings, together leaves much to be desired from a legendary brand. I wish Buck had a full line of offerings the ZT/BM range, with spot on fit and finish, but the reality is, from a purely product standpoint, materials and fit and finish, they are more akin to a mere top tier entry level knife these days.
IMO, while enytry level and affordable 420hc is a staple for them, and should be, they should put more emphasis on expanding their Avid and Pro lines to offer "better" steel options, as well as expand their custom shop, across more models, allowing more Buck fans to build the Buck they want, for a price of course; also do a nice carbon line of fixed blades, (not 5160, maybe a2), and introduce a true premium line, Buck "antler" series or something, doing 3v fixed blades and more CPM/CTS variety folders... If Buck made the offerings on par with Spydie/BM/ZT/BRK and so forth, at comparable prices, they'd certainly get attention, and if the product quality was on point, theyd "earn" more respect amongst today's players in today's knife game... Right now though, they're a solid knife, okay for what they are, but they're being carried heavily by sheer legacy status, without all that much to stay at the top of today's production market. IMO.

Kizlyar Supreme is one I think is under rated after the 2 ive purchased.
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Very spot on with the buck knife analysis
 
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