What knives do you find overrated?

[mcg4248]

The griptillian, the skyline, and on some days, the PM2. I like them all, just for me there are better options out there.

 

[22-rimfire]

I'm not going to select any one 'company' or individual.

I find the claims of using the "new and improved super steels" in ANY knife to be overrated.

I also find custom knives, made from common materials, especially in excess of say....$300/$400......to be WAY overrated.

Large companies who employ the use of overseas workers...making "super steel" knives - and their corresponding price points - is ridiculous. These overseas workers aren't making the super steel....they are getting the products sent to them, shaping bulk steel or perhaps fitting pre-shaped parts together...and shipping them back here. IMO, looking at some of the costs of these "everyday/readily available" blades - it's absurd. It's a "fad" that IMO, is just playing to people's bank accounts while promising them bull hockey.

Likewise, a custom maker who uses 1095, 5160 or 01/D2 steels - commonly available in every aspect - charge a price like their knives were hammered by Hephaestus himself. Yes, I agree they spend countless hours in a shop burning through sanding belts, spent $3500 for a tempering oven and $1500 for a leather sewing machine and need to recoup that costs.....but damn......

Then there's this fuss over "G-10 handles." The difference between G-10 and Micarta is that G-10 is woven fiberglass + Epoxy.......where Micarta is "anything else" + Epoxy....paper...cloth...burlap...twine...whatever the customer wants. Big deal. I can get sheets of 5/8" thick Micarta that are 6" x 11" , made from my choice of material for about $30 a plate. Cheaper if I buy in bulk...and it's just as waterproof, shrink proof and as easily shaped as G-10. Wood? Eh...depending on the type can be expensive....but anyone "putting out" blades [in quantity/on regular basis] is smarter buying it in bulk to lessen the cost.

Now....let me be clear to the custom makers you see on this forum. Your blades are absolutely the finest looking items I have ever seen. I myself, could NEVER hope to produce the fantastic pieces of art you put out. In all honesty, I can absolutely concede that your blades might well be worth their price tags....it does not mean that I don't think it's not ludicrous. I [personally] can't see spending [let's say] up to $1000 on a custom blade that is either:

1. going to sit under a plate of glass to be simply admired, or;
2. get the shit beat out of it by anything and everything it's meant to take.

....but that's me. I know there are people who are going to lay into me for saying that and trust me - I don't mean any disrespect in what I said. I just cannot justify spending up to a thousand dollars on a knife that is either going to do 'nothing' or get so abused it's risking severe damage or failure. To me, it's like buying a VW Beetle and spending 10 grand putting a Maserati engine and drive train in it. Yeah it's got a great motor and trans in it but it's still just a Beetle....

{sigh}.....now waiting for the hateful responses........

Excellent post describing your general opinions and "feelings" on knives. I don't agree with all that you said, but I generally have the same feelings about knives and especially pricing. There is such a broad assortment of knives available today and it is all about selling product or consumerism, and consumerism and marketing has expanded exponentially since WWII.

I like custom or hand made knives, but I have great difficulty spending (or justifying spending) $1000 on one regardless of who made it. But there are many that feel $1000 is not a significant amount of money if you like what you are getting. With custom knives, is is all fit and finish and perhaps getting some details that are not commonly available with factory knives. The steels used change. Some would say that a handmade knife is not a custom unless you specifically ordered it to your specs. But I don't see it that way at all and have no problem considering something that is handmade a custom if it meets my needs regardless if the knife maker may make a lot of that particular design because it sells. It is still hand made. It is mostly terminology. If a tailor makes you a suit of clothes and you choose the fabric and design, that would be custom; but if the same tailor already has the suit made and modifies it to your size... then it's only handmade, right and not custom?

I have the same feelings about what people call mid-techs and their pricing. From a practical point of view, you can buy a knife for under $50 today and it could last you the rest of your life using it. So, big deal it's made in China?

It is all about companies (or individuals) providing a product that sells and meets expectations at the time regardless of price. What is over-rated is purely a feeling or belief and will vary with individuals and knife to knife. My older brother clearly believes that GEC traditional knives are over rated and would not spend the money for one over a Case. The same general belief applies to fixed blades. He is just not bitten with the hobby and consumerism related to knives and thinks only in terms of function.

 

[SaintZe]

Now for the Benchmade Griptillian. Dollar for dollar, show me a better folding knife for field use than the Griptillian, if you have to wear work gloves. Go ahead. Name one. You can't? I am not surprised.

This has been replied to death, but I feel obligated to say my part as well. I bought a full size Griptilian for use in work gloves. I returned it the next day. Switched through the Manix 2, Paramilitary 2, and ZT 0350 before settling on the PM2. Griptilian thumbstuds have nothing on a good round hole, and while I like the axis lock, it was difficult to operate in thick gloves. I personally believe the Griptilian/mini Grip to be overrated for the price, although the Ritter models redeem themselves through their upgraded steel and far superior blade grind.

 

[nick21]

When it was cheaper and the Endura was still sabre-ground, the Grip was the better knife for the money. Now that the FFG Endura is around $60 and the Grip hovers around $80, I'd have to say the Endura is the better knife (again, for the money). I'm going off of average Ebay price.

We're getting off topic as is usually the case when Benchmade and Spyderco fans disagree on something though, just wanted to add my two cents.

 

[marcinek]

I can 2nd that... I've seen far too often, (not just on the internet but in general), among the "knife afficianado" group, if it's a sub $50 knife or "made in China" then it's automatically "crap", but it is so far from the truth...

What I have seen often is that, in a " What knives do you like?" thread, if someone says X, and someone else says "That is so far from the truth...X is not good," then they are trolling.

But in a "What knives don't you like?" thread, if someone says Y, and someone else says "That is so far from the truth...Y is good," they are not trolling.

Odd thing.

And ZT is overrated.

 

[HwangJino]

I'm very sorry, but busse.

Yes they are extremely tough, but I feel as if this knife was made for a person who can't use a normal knife properly.

I'll still own one, just to say I do.

 

[GuyWithTheThings]

I'm not sure.

I used to think a $50 knife was overrated. I didn't understand what made them worth the cost. Now, however, I own a $410 knife, which is obviously a Large Sebenza. And, surprise surprise, I love it.

I don't really find a knife in of itself to be overrated. Instead, I find different aspects of a knife to be overrated, which collectively, CAN lead to me seeing a knife as overrated as a whole. A perfect example is Cold Steel knives. They're nothing special. The Tri-Ad lock is the most pointless thing I have ever seen in a knife. I don't need a folding pocket knife, intended to cut things, to stab through a car, blast apart a few cinderblocks, pry open the doors to Kim Jong Un's personal room, and then break the wall and throw him out the window. No, instead, I need a knife that's thin behind the edge that can actually cut.

So, I guess you could say that I don't find an actual knife to be overrated. I find folding pry-bars that call themselves knives to be overrated. (Cold Steel, Chaves Knives, etc.).

Everything really is relative though. Some could say that the Edge Pro or the Wicked Edge is overrated because you can put just as good an edge with freehanding on $12 stones as you can with those $200+ sharpeners. It's really all one big bubble of opinions.

 

[sabre cat]

This has been replied to death, but I feel obligated to say my part as well. I bought a full size Griptilian for use in work gloves. I returned it the next day. Switched through the Manix 2, Paramilitary 2, and ZT 0350 before settling on the PM2. Griptilian thumbstuds have nothing on a good round hole, and while I like the axis lock, it was difficult to operate in thick gloves. I personally believe the Griptilian/mini Grip to be overrated for the price, although the Ritter models redeem themselves through their upgraded steel and far superior blade grind.

Yeah, the Ritter model is the best of bunch when we are talking Grips. The one with the thumb hole comes in a close second. I would be happy with either model. I have found that I really like the Axis lock but the plastic scales on the Grip are not something to write home about. Maybe I will try after market scales on it sometime.

My first Griptillian had a small amount of the tip missing when I got it. Came from a REI used gear sale. I paid 19.93 + tax for it. Twenty bucks for a Benchmade is not a bad deal if you ask me. I retired my first one when I won my second one here on BF. I can't say that I would have bought one at the prices they are now asking.

I have played with the ZT 0350 some and the jury is still out. I like the PM2 handle but the blade tip is lacking, IMO. Considering a Manix 2 along with a DPX hest, LionSteel and few others. What I am after is something with a 3 to 3 1/2 inch FFG blade. S30V or better steel. Not in any real hurry on the purchase though. I have my Griptillian.

Now, for the Spyderco being superior with work gloves, it is a matter of opinion. Isn't it? Just like chocolate and vanilla.

 

[M0NK]

After many years of collecting I find that most knives are seriously underrated, especially by people who should know better. We like to look down at the common knives that are carried by the big box stores, yet these knives can well outlive any of us and represent the kind of knives used by the vast majority of the population, including those who use their knives hardest, as work related tools. We are knife enthusiast and as such we enjoy looking at knives, reading about them and talking about them; which makes us that much more susceptible to marketing hype. There is nothing wrong with having a strong interest in a subject, but our natural desire to have the latest and greatest products, often causes us to let many good knives pass by. As for overrated, that would be all of today's popular knives. There is nothing wrong with them, but they do carry that extra glow (and extra price) which may fade when something else grabs our attention and exceeds their popularity.

n2s

This is the most objectively correct answer. And a pleasant reality-check
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE knives and the wonderfully diverse industry that has built up around our collective lust for them. But what is a knife after all? An object with a sharp edge. Could be something you got at Walmart or it could be a metal scrap that you rubbed on a cinder block until it was sharp enough to do the thing you need it to do. Or even a piece of obsidian "flaked" until it cuts right.

 

[whp]

The griptillian, the skyline, and on some days, the PM2. I like them all, just for me there are better options out there.

But are there better options for the price of these knives? (Can t necessarily include the griptilian with Benchmade s map pricing)

 

[JackstrawIII]

Withdrawn.

 

[whp]

What I have seen often is that, in a " What knives do you like?" thread, if someone says X, and someone else says "That is so far from the truth...X is not good," then they are trolling.

But in a "What knives don't you like?" thread, if someone says Y, and someone else says "That is so far from the truth...Y is good," they are not trolling.

Odd thing.

And ZT is overrated.

Interesting point.:thumbup:

Even though I have some older ZT s that I like well enough, I m having a hard time buying one lately. Whatever happened to hard use knives that are unassisted, non flipping, manual knives that can be opened with a thumbstud or hole, and dont weigh like a brick? Am I being too picky, or is that just a good basic knife?
ZT always has its outstanding customer service.

 

[sabre cat]

I've never really held a Kershaw that I liked. They all feel clunky, loose, and chintzy to me. Just my $.02

See! Chocolate and vanilla! I love my Kershaw Zing. It gets carried more that any other knife I own. The new version is AO, unfortunately. Don't really care for the AO "upgrade".

 

[Insipid Moniker]

There is a difference between 'overrated' and 'unappealling.' The first can at least rely on reasonable observation of facts; the second is too prone to being subjective.

How can one call a Reeve knife overrated when it is arguably the best folder out there within reason?

It can, however, be termed 'not my cup of tea" by those who don't feel drawn to it.

What is it the best at?

 

[straitr]

What is it the best at?

Working.

 

[@LeathermanGX]

Working.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Working.

So it cuts better? Or is it stronger? More comfortable? Will it cut for longer? Than anything else available? The Sebenza is a fine knife and I would bet money that it has the tightest tolerances of any piece of cutlery in the industry, though the benefits of that are debatable, but to make an unqualified claim that it's the best available folder is a bit much.

 

[straitr]

@Leatherman...

How much trolling are you going to do? You would think that a paying member would have a solid grasp of the site ROE, show some respect, and set some semblance of an example.

@ Insipid Moniker...

My response and pic was meant to be witty and entertaining, nothing more, nothing less. I'm not here to defend the Sebenza as the "best" anything, as I didn't make the claim nor do I care if it is or isn't. I have one, I like it, and I'm not worried whether other people approve or not.

 

[Krissig12]

So it cuts better? Or is it stronger? More comfortable? Will it cut for longer? Than anything else available? The Sebenza is a fine knife and I would bet money that it has the tightest tolerances of any piece of cutlery in the industry, though the benefits of that are debatable, but to make an unqualified claim that it's the best available folder is a bit much.

Sheesh you guys. This circular debate is getting mighty tiresome


For me the sebenza is the best overall because it fits my needs. I feel that it offers excellent cutting ability, about as good as any other similar knife, but also adds in a whole crapload of style. Beautiful aesthetics (IMO), perfect proportions, and a perfectly engineered design that is the result of decades of tweaking. Plus there's the added durability from the tolerences, the excellent warranty, and the exclusivity from the limited numbers being produced compared to other production companies. You can't honestly tell me its won as many awards as it has for no reason whatsoever. The knife may not suit your needs or fit your style, but it is undoubtedly one of the finest production knives ever produced. The bottom line is I thoroughly enjoy owning and using mine, and that is why its the best for me.

 

[Quiet]

Oh look, yet another thread where the word "overrated" is used, and the same old one or two folks come in to bash the Sebenza. Criminy.