What Knives Exceeded Your Expectations?

Strider PT : someone forgot to tell it that it is a small knife.

Gerber Torch1 : $20 lil flipper , great ergos for such a small knife , and flips well. great office knife ! Scored it at Shot and had it engraved by Rick Hinderer.

and one of my all time under-rated folders:
Kershaw Double Cross - the look of a slippy with double liner locks.
 
Folders, I'd have to say any Swiss Army Knife or Opinel.
Fixed blade, it would have to be a Finnish work knife that looks like a Mora.
 
My first out-of-the-box hit was an Emerson CQC-7 Mini-A. Love that knife still but I just can't get past his left handed grind.

The second is my current EDC, a Regular small Sebenza. I already had a large and an inlaid one but somehow, the basic small Sebbie has been my favorite since I took it out of the box.
 
The Benchmade 710 has really suprised me. If I could have only one knife, the 710 would be it (M2 or 154cm, please, D2 okay too - no ats34, though).

Another Benchmade, the Mini-Ritter Griptillian, has become my go-to "carry in the office" knife. Athough Grips are good and I recommend them to others due to price, I never really liked them that much. The Mini-RSK, though, is just great.
 
Byrd Robin in FRN.

I got it free from a company promo, and man this thing rocks! It sharpens up to hair-splitting pretty darn quick, it has nested steel liners, phosphor bronze washers, and I opened it up the other day to look inside, and, well, just the overall construction was pretty impressive for such an inexpensive knife.

Sure, it will never compare with some knives, but for an entry level little knife, this thing rocks.

Travis
 
joe90 said:
Amazingly enough I'd have to say the No.7 Opinal that I bought for £5 ($10) 2 years ago. Modified that blade and handle a little to suit what I wanted and never looked back. Cuts like the devil - I have all the hand scars to prove it (doh!) and is sooooo easy to sharpen.

The only thing I don't like is the wood surround without decent washers etc to stop it from seizing up. In fact, I've resorted to keeping it locked open. Was even considering how I might be able to braze/weld a tang onto the blade to make it fully fixed. Summer project perhaps (leave the blade vertical under water perhaps?)

Exceeded all my expectations - but then again, they were never really that high for a £5 knife!

I expect much more form the BM's etc that I have - given the amout of airplay and associated cost.

Summary: 10/10 for a cheap, sharp knife that you won't cry buckets for if it gets lost. (Just remember the opening limitations.)

Joe
Click to expand...

Soak it in mineral oil, the problem will be fixed.
 
BM Ritter Mini Grip
AG Russell Featherlite Quite a surprise for under $50
Bradley Mayhem
BRKT Northstar
SAK Farmer
 
Kershaw Speed Bump for me. I won one in a giveaway a few months ago, and it's been my primary EDC ever since. Before receiving my Speed Bump, I was leery of the blade shape.
 
Boker Wharcom.
For a cheap little knife, it felt really solid and was VERY sharp from the factory. Opened & closed pretty smoothly and felt pretty sturdy.
 
Where to start . . . ?

I've had many knives exceed my expectations. I've had many that were just what I expected, and a whole bunch that never got there. I've got high-quality pieces that aren't on this list for the simple reason that I expected them to be good, and they were. These here are the ones that really got my attention.

The highlights:

Mora knives, especially the Mora 2000.
Marttiini knives. Cheap, tough, sharp. Excellent value.
Tupperware. Yes, Tupperware made (makes?) a line of knives. Outstanding quality.
Swibo, by Wenger. Kitchen cutlery that just works.
Leatherman Wave. From day one, just a fine tool.
Schrade Uncle Henry 897UH. Secondhand, $8. Fine craftsmanship. It gets better every time I pick it up.
U.S. Classic Wharncliffe Half-Whittler. Cheap Chinese reproduction. Superb workmanship, excellent edge, fine fit & finish. Under $10.
Böker (Tree Brand) sodbusters. Carbon steel, excellent quality. Under $20.
Case sodbusters. Bought one "to try." Hooked.
Buck 174 Cutback. One of their Chinese imports. Way better than I expected. Sharp, tight, clean, smooth.
Kershaw Needs Work. What a surprise. Sharp, well-balanced, fits the hand, and begs to work.

But the one that stands out as "holy cow, that's amazing" is . . . Normark's American Hunter. That's also sold as the Super Swede in UK/EU. It's actually made by EKA, of Eskilstuna, Sweden, and sold under that brand as the Swede 92. It's an odd-looking blade, and I studiously ignored them for five years.

I picked one up (new/old stock) that had been sitting on the rack in a sporting goods store for 14 (fourteen!) years because it was only $17 and I figured I'd try it out. I went back the following week and bought the remaining two.

2008_0103-Normark-001.jpg



2008_0103-Normark-022.jpg



2008_0103-Normark-032.jpg

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If I could only grab one knife on my way out the door, knowing I'd have to depend on it for all my knife needs for a month, despite all my other brands, patterns, and styles, this one would be on my really short short list.

 
Smith and Wesson CK46BT Extreme Ops Tanto. It's a lot of knife for the $25.00 street price, and is built like a tank.

I hate to say it, but the Combat Folder made by Maxam is a hell of a deal too. It's also marketed as the "Fat Bastard" by Fury. They can be found online for $5.07. I stress tested one of these by trimming trees in my back yard for a weekend, it's a great chopper.

Pretty much anything in the Boker Plus lineup. I'm particularly fond of the Armed Forces fixed blade tanto (Still waiting for the spear point version to come out) and their new AK-101 folder. After getting the AK-101, I a effectively done buying folding knives, this one is just about as close to perfection as I have ever seen for a folder.

The Taylor made Schrade Extreme Survival SCHF1 and SCHF2 knives. Unfortunately they are knock off's of the CRK Project I & II. Taylor got the cloning process right on these, as they are some pretty good knives. They hold an edge very well, and are virtually indestructible. They also sell at a low enough price range ($50-$60) that I'm comfortable with actually using them as a tool rather than storing them as a collectible.
 
Time to bring this thread back to life.

There's a good review of the Schrade Extreme Survival SCHF2 here:

http://www.scrapyardknives.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=241281

The reviewer compares the SCHF2 to several other, more expensive, knives. He liked the Schrade but felt the handle was uncomfortable. Still, I don't imagine the CRK Project handles would be much more comfortable, especially for chopping.
 
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I posted in this thread back in March, but I have some new acquisitions since then.

Benchmade 550 Griptilian- I liked it so much that I modified it with the Wilkins G10 scales.

Byrd Catbyrd- a great framelock that is built like a tank.

Benchmade Rant- a solid and very ergonomic US-made knife that I only paid $35 for.
 
Spyerco Native. I actaully like this knife more than my Military which cost me 3 times as much

Clasic 21 Sebenza-nothing to explain.

All of my Emersons.
 
My Spyderco Delica. I bought it almost on a whim from Gander mountain. I couldn't hold it, it was in a clam pack. Being my first one hand opener and pocket clipped knife, I sure picked a good one. I felt like with that knife I could do anything, in comfort and style.

Mora and Swiss Army knives are AMAZING bang for your buck knives. But I sort of expected that when I bought them.
 
Benchmade Skirmish. I bought it thinking it would be a pretty little collector's item. It turns out that knife is as tank like as a ZT/STrider. I EDC it, and it eats everything on the job site.
 
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