What Knife Has Pleasantly Surprised You the Most?

Benchmade 531. On paper, it was too light and it didn't look all that tough. I bought one, hesitantly. Turns out that I really, really like it. One of my favorites, so far. The only issue is that it has destroyed a pocket already. Ha.

On the flip-side -

Benchmade 556. Reviews are great, it's a great seller, etc. I was surprised to find it my least favorite of my collection.
 
The PM 2; only tired it due to the internet hype. It's a pretty good slicer; even bought CF scales for it later.
 
CCK Cleaver. Ugly, not great fit and finish, unknown steel and hands down my favorite knife in the kitchen. I went from underwhelmed to a complete convert in an amazingly short time.
 
Benchmade 51 morpho. I picked one up just before the msrp price hike. I always enjoy balisongs but I had doubts - would the hardware constantly need to be adjusted / tightened? Was it going to be too light to flip? It ended up being the most flipped bali in my collection, hard to imagine life without it. The blade is very utilitarian as well.
 
Most surprising knife?..especially for the $...would be the Esee Avispa...I hope to get a review up before long, but in short...if you are a frame lock lover, it is the best I have had..search my prior posts and you'll see the magnitude of that statement..pce
 
Buck Vantage Select Force. Great ergonomics, nice manual flipper, made in the USA.
 
Vic Alox soldier. If any normal person wants a knife for everyday, this (or pioneer/farmer) is it. The Vic compact is even better for everyman, but not as mainstream.
 
I am surprised by how much I really like my Benchmade Small Summit Lake. It's very well made, locks up solid, and came super sharp. There is nothing I don't like about it.

 
The Southern Grind Bad Monkey blew me away. Not sure what I expected, but its awesome in every way. Its sebenza smooth and for its size it is quite slim and light. People complain about the steel, but after using the knife, it has been exceptional. People complain about the pocket clip, but after using it, it has been exceptional. The whole damn knife is exceptional. Here is some eye candy...





 
That Small Summit is good-looking indeed. If it were a bit larger I might have to try it!

Great knives everyone else too!
 
As far as sheer utility... The Survive Knives Necker in CPM 20CV. I figured Ide gve it a try. It was $60. I keep one in my man-drawer in my kitchen and find that I reach for it all the time. I was not sure how it would grip, but have discoveredthat the thing can be held so may ways. I added the lanyard and titanium bead.


 
The good ol' Case Sodbuster Jr.
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Sharpness wise, that's easy: None. Fixed blades only ever matched my expectations in sharpness at best, though the BK-9 did very well in sharpness for its price (very close to a Chris Reeves one piece), and then had to ruin everything by having its spine slightly curved...

The EK Warrior bowie was the only one I ever owned that was surprisingly sharp, then had to ruin everything with a crude unfinished handle and a rickety guard...

The Boker Apparo surprised me with its high quality and sturdyness, but displayed a sharpness that can only be described as slightly different from that of the flat of the blade... Razoredgeknives fixed that, thankfully, as did Savage for the sheath.

Even daggers, for which sharpness is less an issue, often come ground assymetrically, even badly off on a Al Mar Shadow IV I have, a high finish knife which should have known better (Junglee Waterloo on the other hand: Great!)...

Far more endlessly stunned disapointment at what is considered "an edge" these days, no matter what the price or origin... Judging from recent knives, it has only gotten worse... Professional sharpeners must be doing brisk business...

The only knife I have had complete satisfaction from, straight from the box, no sharpening, was a recent G-10 Spyderco Civilian (bought two, one was loose vertically exactly as expected: The very reason why I got 2, hoping for a good one, which I got...). I have owned many folders, and though they are usually much sharper than fixed blades, they are just not my thing.

Gaston
 
Bought a CRKT Ripple on a whim because it was cheap. After getting that knife, to me there is no excuse for a knife that doesn't flip well. Another more expensive surprise was the ZT 454. I only bought one because my girlfriend was out of town the night it came up for sale, and I had nothing better to do than sit on the couch and hit refresh. The design didn't look like my style at all, and I figured it would be a quick catch and release. As soon as I opened the box I knew I couldn't let it go :D

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For a folder it was the ZT 561. I was a ZT skeptic for a long time. It arrived flawless. Couldn't even find something to LIE about. Still can't.

Fixed blade would be my Gryphon M-10, purchased after seeing a reference to it here on Bladeforums. Just a totally sweet fixed blade with the best handle ever.
 
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RedLynx
"One of me is the Cold Steel Tuff Lite. It's been a very useful little knife."

i couldn't agree more!
The buck paklite was another
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Couldn't be more happier.
 
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