What was the worst most over hyped knife you ever bought?

My disappointment was a ZT0300, I like large-ish knives but that thing was way too wide when closed. Just didn’t like the weight or the width, I love my 0350 on the other hand.
Other disappointing knives were Bokers I was not impressed with any that I’ve received so I don’t buy them anymore. Also Kershaw is another I don’t pick up often, only one I enjoyed for a while was a nice leek.
 
Y'all are going to kill me but I'd add the PM 2 to the mix.
Now, on one hand I'd say that every man should have one, just like a good hammer or even pair of nice leather shoes, but on the other hand just as a hammer and nice pair of leathers, it is task specific.
I thought my pm2 would be my EDC, but it's a little big for my needs, plus the tip is frighteningly thin and I can't bear the thought of breaking it.
I will now turn in my bladeforums membership, it was nice knowing y'all!
 
There are many knives that sell for a premium over similar knives for a reason that is not clear to me. The only Emerson knife that I ever owned was not flawed in any way, but I couldn't see how it rated the price that it commanded. Puma, Böker, CRK, Benchmade, ZT...the list goes on and on. It's not that they're bad, I just don't see the value. On the other hand, show me the right knife and watch the money fly out of my hands. When the Buck 112 auto becomes available, I'll pawn the kids, if that's what it takes to get one.
 
Every cold steel I’ve ever touched, not that they were bad knives I just Loathe them as a company, and truthfully they glorify lock backs and I’m not that crazy about LBs... If I need a pry bar knife combo I’ll carry a fixed blade.
 
I'd like to add a new one to this thread.3 years ago I bought a folder online by ARS (Attack Rescue Survive) called the 'Utility Folder'...$380.

*It's biggest problem is the blade base was improperly ground.You can grab the blade jiggle it and it taps between the blade rest and liner lock a little...vertical blade play.It's functional but it's the sort of machining I remember in China's cruder years and still found on $7 gas station folders.Pissed me off a lot to get that on this price point that any $20 folder has better machining work done.

* I had to grind a lot of steel off to improve the bevel.The edge geometry was decent but the bevel was so thin like an old Western or Camillus slipjoint.Good lord if the man put the factory edge on this with a $75 Work Sharp belt sharpener he would have at least had a much nicer result...bevel was terrible.

*Very odd that the reverse side of the blade wasn't stamped BG-42 like older photos I've seen before purchase.It was definitely BG-42 from how dense it was but no harm in asking with clever clones out there.Alex Shunnarah did confirm that he 'just didn't' etch the steel type on those blades anymore.How cheap and lazy can you get.

I sent it back to ARS and argued with Alex Shunnarah (the maker) for about an hour on the phone.We went from arguing about replacing the blade yet he was unhappy about how much I had to sharpen it.Just when we came to almost an agreement he shifted the conversation to go on about the screw heads having oxidation on them.Yeah that will form if you bead blast them.I offered to have Alex ship it back to me,I disassemble the knife for him and return it to ARS,and he puts a correctly machined and better edged blade on...he absolutely refused.Alex dodged every way possible to fix the problem and I will never buy one of his knives again.

Lesson learned:
Not everyone who makes expensive knives possess both good heat treatment and excellent machining skills simultaneously.If your knife doesn't please you....send it back,don't try to 'make it work'.
 
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Kershaw Natrix since everyone (myself included) thought it would be an amazing budget folder...Kai still can barely get ones out to market that look anything like the quality they are typically known for.

The Emerson Commander was pretty disappointing too, totally useless blade shape, weird grind and steel so soft that it may as well have been Chinese junk steel and not a decent mid range (154CM).
 
O
miso2 said:
Like said above, Manix LW S110V for me.

I tried to like it, but the blade grind is just too shallow.
It does not cut well, even after reprofiling the edge to 13DPS.
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I feel this way about s110v steel in general. In general I was just "off" about what the properties/advantages of this steel offered to me.
 
SOG Flash II I bought one right around 2005 and way overpaid for it but thought it was the neatest thing ever standing at the gun show table playing with it. It was the first assisted opener I'd ever handled. Carried it about a year but the novelty wore off very quickly and it started to develop lots of side to side blade play after about of month of what I would consider fairly light use.

The final straw was when I played with a $30 Kershaw at the pawn shop and realised just what a pile of garbage the SOG really was.

Looking back on it I should have known better. And I think that particular knife played a major role in my extremely strong preference for USA made cutlery. Today I think most of their designs are laughable and belong in the novelty knife section.
 
Farid T-1000. Purchesed on secondary market, which was still waaaaay too much. I like beefy knives. I really wanted to like it.

Thumb-stud notch was basically non-functional (even for my narrow thumbs), which explained the use of a crudely ground-off allen bolt for a thumbstud. Gritty-as-hell opening. No sweet-spot on pivot tension, adjustment either produced blade play, or added to the aforementioned grit and grind on opening.

I purchased it "as new", and believe that was true. There was very little wear in the overly aggressive blasted finish, inside and out.

I went through with a thorough clean & polish (1/2" nylon tapered brushes with progressive lapping grits, around the washer bearing surfaces on blade & liners), switched the nylon washers for PB, and squared the visible ground ends on fasteners (along with chasing the threads on 2 liner holes).

After that, it was comparable to a mid-range BM.o_O Everyone has a bad one-off, but that left a really bad taste.
 
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I'll jump on this thread.

Olamic 247
Good people at the company, mediocre knife that really isn't worth the price tag. But when they hit the target, it's a bullseye.

Most ZT's, although the customer service is great

Most spydercos. A lot of great designs with poor execution, higher than warranted price tags, and mediocre customer service.

Hinderers. Bad customers service and truly overhyped knives. Epitome of a patronizing company trying to soak every dime they can from customers.

Chris Reeve, outstanding customer service, great manufacturing, poor designs that are way too long in the tooth.

Now to add some positive comments.

Ontario rats of any shade. Worth everything they charge and more. Excellent value.

A lot of cold steel knives. Some wonky designs but they do them well at a very good cost, usually. Them stepping into the higher class steels was great, especially considering how well the steels perform compared to competitors. Love or hate the man running the company, he puts out some stuff worth considering.

William Henry. Way underhyped. Very nice knives. If you're willing to spend $1000 on a dyer or rockstead or whatever as pocket jewelry, consider a william henry instead.

Some ZT knives. I know i said that ZT was almost always overhyped, but that's really the rabid fanboys' fault. Some of their stuff is really damned good for the price. I wish the fanboys would shut the hell up and allow people to dislike the knives if they want to.

And finally, with so many wide ranging designs, if you can't find a spyderco to match what you want or need, you aren't trying. Spyderco is usually overpriced and they produce some real duds, but my edc is a pm2. The other knife sitting on my dresser waiting in reserve is a 204p military. They also support some really good causes and Sal is a really nice person. Once he's gone I don't see the company progressing much. I fact, it'll probably go the other way.

The collaborations I've received from Massdrop have been really great for the price. When they sell various knives at MAP, obviously there's no deal to be had. When they produce a knife manufactured by WE or Reate, hot damn. The price to performance ratio is untouchable.

Edit:

Oh. And protech. They made some outstanding spring assisted knives if that's your game. I rarely hear them pop up in discussions but they're a very good company making very good knives, depending on your wants.
 
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The only knife that comes to mind is a CRKT Folts Minimalist. It’s a great feeling tiny fixed blade, I love the wharncliffe and how easy I can pocket it. BUT the 5cr steel is akin to tin foil. No matter how much I tried to sharpen it, it just wouldn’t sharpen up nicely. Great feeling tiny fixed blade that excels at scraping stuff.

I definitely want one of the original Folts Minimalist wharnies, they’ve just been a bit tough to track down.
 
I hammered this here a couple times already. I got a good recommendation on a RealSteel S571 from a member. Great design, good ergonomics and excellent blade shape. Unfortunately a pin broke on the pocket clip. AD said email the maker. RealSteel is completely AWOL. Website contact page is non-functional and emails go unanswered. It’s a shame because it’s a good knife otherwise. So I bit the bullet, sprung for a Shirogorov F3 and haven’t looked at another EDC folder since. Lesson learned.
 
Definitely not "Worst" but probably the North Arm Skaha 2.

It was a nice enough knife but it just felt cheap to me. The G10 handles felt like plastic and the blade, while nicely done, felt feeble IMO. The action was very quick and reliable but it just never felt solid, if that makes sense? It felt like a brittle lightweight blade was being deployed from a plasticky toy knife. But again, it deployed very well. It's hard to describe but I just didn't get a good feel from the knife.

I'm not saying it's not a good knife and I'm sure it is. I just don't get the hype. Feels like a $75 flipper with good action. Albeit, weird action IMO.
 
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Someone1 said:
I'll jump on this thread.

Most ZT's, although the customer service is great

Some ZT knives. I know i said that ZT was almost always overhyped, but that's really the rabid fanboys' fault. Some of their stuff is really damned good for the price. I wish the fanboys would shut the hell up and allow people to dislike the knives if they want to.

Oh. And protech. They made some outstanding spring assisted knives if that's your game. I rarely hear them pop up in discussions but they're a very good company making very good knives, depending on your wants.
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I like my ZTs, but have to agree, both on the over-hype and on the value on some models. And, yes, I REALLY like Protech. Their range is anywhere from ~$125 EDC autos to $1000+ full-blown customs, and stellar execution throughout the spectrum.
 
Ok, here we go! I’m gonna get some crap for this. Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1. Looks incredible, just not for me I guess. It’s heavy, action isn’t too great, and the liner lock is pretty difficult to engage. I bought one last summer and got rid of it fairly quickly. I just bought another one about a month ago, thinking I’d give it another try. Same result. It is a beauty to look at though and wish I liked it.
 
80sKid said:
Ok, here we go! I’m gonna get some crap for this. Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1. Looks incredible, just not for me I guess. It’s heavy, action isn’t too great, and the liner lock is pretty difficult to engage. I bought one last summer and got rid of it fairly quickly. I just bought another one about a month ago, thinking I’d give it another try. Same result. It is a beauty to look at though and wish I liked it.
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And the GB2 is a dud also for the same reasons!! JMO!! John
 
80sKid said:
Ok, here we go! I’m gonna get some crap for this. Spyderco Gayle Bradley 1. Looks incredible, just not for me I guess. It’s heavy, action isn’t too great, and the liner lock is pretty difficult to engage. I bought one last summer and got rid of it fairly quickly. I just bought another one about a month ago, thinking I’d give it another try. Same result. It is a beauty to look at though and wish I liked it.
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I can see that. I have a GB2 and it is a fantastic knife.... except for that lock. Closing the knife is a chore to say the least.
 
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