What knife surprised you the most?

[Gary W. Graley]

As the title states, "What knife surprised you the most?" for me it is those times when a certain knife was just never on my radar due to style, size, make, steel, scales etc etc...and recently my friend @DocJekl had sent along this Case Muskrat as a gift, not a knife that I ever gave a second glance at when perusing those places that carry sharp steely items but when I got it I took and sharpened it up, as I am want to do with most knives that arrive, and was very pleased with how well it performed, Case notorious for softer heat treatment of their knives this one took a nice toothy edge and seems to keep it longer than most that I've owned. That's a good thing and the blades are very handy with they're slim hollow ground pointy narrowness and are able to reach in and cut when you don't have much room to wield a blade any larger. Thanks again Doc, it rides daily in my watch pocket!

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

So, what knife surprised you guys/gals the most?
G2

 

[Bob Denman]

Truth be told: Benchmade's 940-1 surprised me with how "small" it carried. I resisted buying one for years; and now I regret that huge waste of timer. It's a great knife that you can easily forget which pocket you put it in.

 

[1911bphil]

A knife that surprised me is the Cold Steel 4Max Scout. I read the description and knew the dimensions, but when I received it I was surprised at how big it is. I usually carry it when I wear jeans or some other heavy pants. I really like the handle. It is big, but my hand fits perfectly. Others may have different experiences though.

 

[sadmin]

the Manly City in s90v surprised me the most. Its a great knife with excellent stock geometry.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I've got three that surprised me in recent memory:

On a whim with some Amazon Fun Bux I purchased a Cold Steel Hold Out with a 6" blade. Just for spits and giggles, but it's actually pretty dang useful. Not what I pull out in public to cut a random thread, but it isn't nearly as cumbersome as my Voyager due to the very linear profile.

The next would be the Benchmade Shootout. I kinda bought this one to be a work OTF as I enjoyed carrying and using my Claymore on place of my Microtechs, but side openers are just a tad slow. The Shootout is crazy light, crazy tough, and honestly takes care of 95% of my OTF needs short of the Microtechs being "cooler".

Finally, the Higo No Kami knife I purchased to be something that I carry when I really don't want to have something that is "scary". The construction is solid enough, the finish is fine for a $30 knife, but it just oozes a form and function where there is nothing overly complicated about it (friction folder on a pressed pivot with no back spring or lock) and it simply is what a folding knife is supposed to be: something in your pocket that opens, cuts, and goes back in. Very, very old tech and fun to use....even if it will miserably fail a spine whack test

 

[rustinxcohle]

My first ever Benchmade, the Presidio II. Found it for a really good price compared to the 200 and up bucks it is usually in my country. I honestly don't know about other benchmades, but this one blew me away in every regard. Fit and finish is perfect, grip is amazing, factory edge is good an quiet useable, action is smooth and the lockup is as solid as it gets. Big plus is that despite it beeing a larger folder, it is nearly not noticed in pocket.

 

[chevyrulez1]

I was surprised by my Chris Reeve small Sebenza. I had looked at and even handled CRK at some shows and such, and honestly I thought they were just overpriced and overrated. My wife surprised me with one as a gift. I knew it's value and was EXTREMELY appreciative of it as a gift, but after carrying and using it for a while I can honestly say that I see the difference in quality and materials. I guess I have enjoyed it more than I expected, but I have to leave it at home sometimes to give the other items in my collection a chance . I can definitely see where these could be "the one" for alot of people.

 

[Win Heger]

I like to gift knives to some of my family and recently came across a made in the USA flipper from Justin Case Tactical. The price point is excellent, CPM 35VN, G10, flips with authority. Oh, and it came very sharp. Best part is it's named Mad Mike and my almost SIL is Mike. I'm not buying many knives lately but this really put a smile on my face.

 

[Another Shepherd]

the Manly City in s90v surprised me the most. Its a great knife with excellent stock geometry.

That Manly City is very tempting, especially since it comes in orange, my favorite knife color. But Amazon refuses to ship it to me. I guess "Unisex-Adult" things are banned in Florida.

I guess I should not post the link, but here is how it is listed:

Manly Unisex - Adult City CPM-S90V Orange Pocket Knife, 175 cm​

 

[OkQu]

bought Sebenza 21 after owning Seb 31 for sometime. guess which one got sold

 

[rlewpolar]

Here’s another one that surprised me, the Cold Steel SR1 Lite Tanto. The sheer size and toughness of this blade along with its build quality and low cost, really blew me away. Never knew that $35 on Amazon could buy you so much in the knife world

SR1 LITE - TANTO POINT FIXED BLADE

While not significantly lighter in weight, our SR1 Lite is indisputably lighter on the wallet! Made to mimic its big brother in every respect with the except

www.coldsteel.com

 

[Stelth]

I bought the CS American Lawman two years ago because I wanted to try the Triad lock. It was the first Cold Steel knife I ever bought. I liked it so much I bought a few more.

 

[bayouace]

Little bit of money, big bang for the buck to me is my Civivi Baby Banter. Excellent all-around EDC.

 

[MolokaiRider]

I bought my first Tuff Lite on a whim to get over the hump for free shipping one day. Not the prettiest thing, but turned out to be one of the more handy and useful knives I own. It”s with me all the time. Second would be the venerable Case Sodbuster. Nothing really special about it, but for some strange reason I like it much more than I ever expected. Third would be the Mora Pro C. Another impulse buy that rang the bell.

Yup, the Tuff Light rides in my left pocket more often than not, and compliments a larger folder quite well.

Another surprise for me was the Svord Mini Peasent. This thing rides next to my larger folder in the pocket all the time. It's so darn useful that it gets most of the cutting work done that I need. Love it!

 

[Alberta Ed]

Every new knife, really. That's why I buy them.

 

[runscott]

My L.T. Wright Large Northern Hunter surprised me because it is flawless in every respect. Then I bought a Bark River, which surprised me because it cost twice as much and the finishing wasn't even comparable to the L.T. Wright. It's a good knife but the pricing should have been flipped on the two.

I've since ordered another L.T. Wright.

 

[jeffbird]

Very obvious answer for me, a 2019 Case Bose collaboration knife in 154CM. Tried it just for the sake of saying I tried it. Did some rope cutting on 3/4” Manila rope and the edge retention and build quality surprised the heck out of me. Been carrying it along with a Hinderer in M390 ever since. They make a nice combo.

 

[Greggy]

Kizer Horn. The ugliest knife in my stable. Also, the liner lock is less than perfect. But the blade is the best, a really nice wharncliffe. N690 steel works for me.

 

[Jcsixx01]

Are we talking good surprises or bad surprises?

I dislike the majority of the Pena X-Series designs. The handle’s on most are wayyyyy to thick for my tastes.

I picked up the Micro Apache off the forum bc it was at a great price. The thing is awesome and is a lifetime keeper. It probably isn’t a surprise that a knife that retails for $274 is a good knife. It is the ergo’s & usability of a really tiny knife.

The Benchmade Bugout & Ferrum Forge Stinger also fit the bill as surprised and ended up all time keepers. Quiet Carry IQ was a design that was really meh until I held/used one.

Although I recently sold my Giantmouse Riv, that little knife punches way above its size & price. It made several small custom folders by Olamic x2, Hoback, Zieba expendable.

Ferrum Forge Gent maybe the best $100 knife I’ve ever seen.

I’m going to state straight up that Hinderer knives do nothing for me. The ZT 0562 is they best Hinderer out there pound for pound. Action, function, clip, materials, price all fall to the ZT. The Hinderer only checks the boxes for customization & toughness. Let’s be real though…the ZT is a monster too. It has a stop pin and blade stops masquerading as thumbstuds.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Well, it was intended to be 'Good' surprises but as that line in Jurassic Park said, "Life, uh, finds a way" and so this thread has found both branches of Surprise which is fine as that happens way too often I'm afraid!

As for Pena, I've had a couple, but this limited run just works so great for me, smallish size, strong back spring slip joint and colour combination is a nice folder and cuts exceptionally well...

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

No clip, so a belt sheath totes it around for me so it is very handy even sitting down to get the knife out to use.
G2

 

[007 Agent ZZero]

Excellent thread Gary!

I am reading this as knives that surprise in a manner consistent with impressing or exceeding expectations. This is critical as knives like a Sebenza, should impress. It shouldn’t be a “surprise” if a Scott Cook Lochsa makes you go wow. On to the list!

Beretta Loveless hunter, if you don’t own one buy one. It handles like a custom hunter but costs like a couple moras. This was a wow for me and continues to be every time I use it.

Ancient Spring, the budget JE Made slip series. This Lanny’s clip delivers everywhere. Well made, good materials, solid action and snap, good grinds and $55!! I take this regularly over my other folders l because it punches so high on the value ladder.

Artisan Biome, $30 and it’s outstanding! Light and tight, well made with a thin grind. This is my back pocket backup that is my go to for whittling. My only gripe is I wish the spring was stronger. Can’t have it all, and it delivers way more than I ever imagined.