Which Knife Has Disappointed You The Most, Which Has Pleasantly Surprised You?

D R E said:
Let me get this straight, you were running with the sheath strapped down and it moved forward to the front of your leg. The tension between your stomach muscles and the tension on the strap snapped the blade in half? Am I the only one who finds something unusual about this story? Just sayin . . . . :suspicion:
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Why would I make this up?

I was sprinting across a small valley to get a shot on a herd of antelope outside of Craig, Colorado (I was a kid, be gentle). The knife worked its way around to the front of my leg. When my leg extended, it created a pinch point and "folded" the knife in half. I have no reason to make this up, and it did happen. The Ka-Bar was my first higher-end knife that I bought with my own allowance, and I was heartbroken when I pulled half of a knife out of my sheath.
 
bwall85 said:
Biggest disappointment - Spyderco Southard - most overrated piece of Chinese junk I've ever bought. .
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I'm guessing you're a Nutnfancy fan? :rolleyes: Taiwan isn't China. If you didn't like the knife, I can't disagree with you, but at least have a clue as to what you're complaining about.



Disappointed:

Benchmade 930 Kulgera. Great blade shape, and the handles looked great, but seemed to be designed to be as uncomfortable as possible.

Spyderco Military. Not a bad knife, but it had all this hype behind it, and it just did nothing for me. I assumed that because so many loved it, I would to, and I didn't.

Benchmade 806 AFCK. Same as the Military. I traded mine a month before they discontinued it, after which the value practically doubled. Oops.

Kershaw Random Task II. I absolutely love the blade. It's the perfect shape for me. The modified wharncliffe/reverse tanto is extremely useful for me, and the thin, hollow grind slices like mad. But the knife is impossible[b/] to open easily without slicing your thumb open. It either needs a flipper, or thumb studs that are far more easily accessed.

A.G. Russell Collectors Club Hawbaker muskrats. I have 3 of these now. 2 in bone (one 3 3/8", one 2 7/8"), and one in stag 3 3/8"). They look great. They seem like they'd be the perfect traditional EDC for me. They have ATS-34 blades. But the blade snap is extremely weak and the blades like to hit the backspring, creating a flat spot. I'd resell them on eBay (where I got them) but I can't because they're now damaged, and I have this unfortunate thing called a "conscience" that prevents me from passing on garbage to another person. Probably my biggest disappointment, because unlike the others that I didn't like, I can't sell them off (the Random Task was a passaround), and I'm out a few hundred bucks.



Surprised:

Every Victorinox I've owned. Maybe not surprised, but definitely amazed that they can make knives in such numbers yet maintain such high QC.

Great Eastern Cutlery #47 Hayn' Helper sheepsfoot. I'm not surprised that I love this knife; I'm surprised that this knife exists. I found myself wanting a sheepsfoot blade in a sodbuster (which nobody made), and GEC practically answered my personal wishes.

My Benchmade 940Ti-01. I thought it would make the perfect EDC. I was wrong. It's too pretty to carry, and I never have. My 940D2CF gets that duty.

Any Byrd or Kershaw made in China. Great knives, original designs, good prices. I don't actually own any, but from my experience with them I don't hesitate to recommend them.
 
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Biggest disappointment...im not in the u.s. so i asked my dad to buy me a cheap folder for fishing. He picked up a Gerber paraframe...oof! P.O.S.! What makes it worse is he bought it at basspro, so he paid $30 for a $20 knife that's worth $10!

Most pleasant surprise...spyderco dragonfly salt. It took the gerbers edc and fishing roles and has become my favorite knife. Only $15 more than the Gerber, and 10x the knife! No more junk for me!
 
portlandreign81 said:
Most dissapointing. Every strider I have ever held or owned. I have had one sng cc and handled a Lego sng. Also owned 3 smfs. I wanted to like strider because I like the look of the knife and the kinda "attitude" of the brand and the warranty but they were all stiff and slow to deploy unless you make them so loose that there is blade play. Fit and finish is also crap. Ergonomics were good on the cc sng but bad on all others.

Surprised by the large sebenza 21. Unlike strider which I wanted to like but could not bring myself to do so I did not want to like the sebenza. I wanted to think it was boring and overpriced but its not. It is simple which is why I like the micarta but the ergonomics and the fit and finish and the way it carries in the pocket are all great.
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Which 'attitude' might that be?
 
Surfingringo said:
Biggest disappointment...im not in the u.s. so i asked my dad to buy me a cheap folder for fishing. He picked up a Gerber paraframe...oof! P.O.S.! What makes it worse is he bought it at basspro, so he paid $30 for a $20 knife that's worth $10!
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Whoops... I had forgotten about that knife. I bought one of those many years ago when they first came out, and that stands alone as the worst knife I have ever purchased.

It is the only knife I have ever owned that LITERALLY fell apart. When GERBER told me to send it in insured, I would have spent $9 shipping on a knife I paid $15 to buy. I wasn't about to add insult to injury, so I dropped it in the trash before it hurt someone.

Robert
 
Yeah, what a POS. I had a Paraframe after not having bought a Gerber in years. That utter POS didnt encourage me to run out and scoop up more Gerbers, thats fer cotton pickin' sure.
 
Surprised:

That would have to be the ZT 0550 Gen II, I bought it and the 0560 at the same time and ended up enjoying the flipper of the 0560 (great knife, very smooth action and very comfortable to use) so much that I hardly paid any attention to the Gen II 0550. My 0550 just sat on a shelf collecting dust for several months until I helped one of my son's move over a weekend and for whatever reason I grabbed the Gen II before leaving the house. Long story short, the knife was used a ton that weekend to cut string, heavy rope, double walled cardboard boxes...you name it. The more I used it the more I came to realize that the knife fit my hand incredibly well and was preforming just about as well as any knife I've ever used.

Normally I prefer knives just a tad larger than the 0550 Gen II yet after actually using the knife its now become my go to folder. The action of the 0550 just got smoother and smoother with more use and the lockup has stayed the same as the day it first arrived which is right at 30%. Both my 0560 and 0550 Gen II arrived with carbidized lockfaces and the blade tang of the 0550 looks to have carbidized from the factory as well. I'm pretty sure that this is the reason that even after so much use that the lockup hasn't moved.
 
Disappointment: Paramilitary. Doesn't fit my hand well, and feel cheap. Lockup is not great, but the blade is still difficult to flick open. This is my least favorite knife that I still own. Will likely end up here for sale.

Spyderco Gale Bradley. After all the raves about it, I tried one out. There wasn't much I liked about it other than the steel. I also couldn't get over the "Taiwan" stamp on it. FWIW, most people that reside in Taiwan now are ethnically Han(as am I), same as the majority of mainland China. So I wouldn't say the person who disliked the southard to be too far off.

Surprises: Spyderco Military. I didn't think I'd like it at all, but it fit my hand perfectly and was very smooth and centered.

810 Contego. I really did not like the looks of them at first but its grown on me. Everthing else about it is absolutely perfect.
 
Lennyo3034 said:
Disappointment: Paramilitary. Doesn't fit my hand well, and feel cheap. Lockup is not great, but the blade is still difficult to flick open. This is my least favorite knife that I still own. Will likely end up here for sale.

810 Contego. I really did not like the looks of them at first but its grown on me. Everthing else about it is absolutely perfect.
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Sell it to me, I doubt I will be disappointed!

With the Contego, do you mind the extreme jimping and texturing? Does the choil fit well?
 
Biggest let down, Hogue EX01, felt very cheap, no weight to it at all, and I carry a mini Ritter so I'm use to light weight...

Don't like to admit it but the Benchmade Mini Infidel, was real bad as far as blade play. That was my first and only experience with a OTF so I don't know if that's a common issue but I was very disappointed to say the least.

Did a solid for a fellow member in a trade and got a Fox Gun Hammer. Super impressed with over all quality, opened smooth as glass and that N690 was wicked sharp. Shoulda kept that one.

But my biggest suprise is this 0550 gen 2 I just got with a CF scale. Never cared for the looks nor attitude of some fans of ZT, but heck, I'll say it, IT'S A SUPER NICE KNIFE. It's the only knife left in my stable that doesn't have a butterfly on it, as much as it erks me, I think I'm keeping for a bit.


( Great thread BTW)
 
1/ Boker Subcom Titan: too much bevel on the blade to do any everyday cutting, poor construction overall.

2/ Spyderco Dragonfly 2: I had the H1 Yellow and after after opening cardboard boxes for a morning the blade was so dull I could see it with my naked eye, switched to Mini grip 154CM the problem went away.

3/ Bradley Alias 2: quality control was all over the place, sticky lock, waaay off center blade no matter how I adjust the pivot and the screws.
 
orixa said:
1/ Boker Subcom Titan: too much bevel on the blade to do any everyday cutting, poor construction overall.

2/ Spyderco Dragonfly 2: I had the H1 Yellow and after after opening cardboard boxes for a morning the blade was so dull I could see it with my naked eye, switched to Mini grip 154CM the problem went away.

3/ Bradley Alias 2: quality control was all over the place, sticky lock, waaay off center blade no matter how I adjust the pivot and the screws.
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Hehe, funny, I have the dragonfly in H1 and it is my favorite knife! Even though I completely agree with your assessment. It is extremely soft and has pretty awful edge retention. (At least its super quick and easy to sharpen) Mine however spends everyday in the ocean fishing from a kayak, so it's definitely a specialized purpose knife! I just have to hit it a few licks every evening and its shaving sharp in 30 seconds! I live in the tropics and it never leaves my side! H1 is as good as it gets for me! If I were anywhere else, I would be much happier with the vg10 version I'm sure.
 
Disappointment- Benchmade 810 Contego. The jimping was very extreme and made the knife uncomfortable to use. I wish they had a version with out the jimping. If they did I would get it again.

Biggest surprise has been my 561 with rival scales and 561cbcf. They fit my hand perfect and are really solid knives.
 
Can't say I've held too many knives (less than 15 LOL), being pretty new to the knife scene.. However

Dissapointments so far - Benchmade 940, Spyderco SS Endura (very old model)
To be fair, both of the disappointments were from previously used knives, maybe one of these days I'll ask a local dealer to show me new ones. But the 940 handle was simply too small for me (excellent blade lock up though...) and didn't have a full feeling when holding it.

The Endura was an excellent cutter, and the SS version was amazing to look at; however I had a little difficulty closing the back lock with one hand.. Perhaps over time it'll get better.


Surprises - Spyderco Tenacious, Benchmade 710
I didn't expect a 35-40 dollar knife to feel so well in hand as the Tenacious; the G10 felt great and the ergonomics on the knife were amazing. If only an S30V version existed...
The Benchmade 710 I didn't hold for long, but was surprised that a 3.9 inch blade could deploy so quickly and smoothly, as well as have such a slim profile. I might just buy one after I post this....
 
Surfingringo said:
Hehe, funny, I have the dragonfly in H1 and it is my favorite knife! Even though I completely agree with your assessment. It is extremely soft and has pretty awful edge retention. (At least its super quick and easy to sharpen) Mine however spends everyday in the ocean fishing from a kayak, so it's definitely a specialized purpose knife! I just have to hit it a few licks every evening and its shaving sharp in 30 seconds! I live in the tropics and it never leaves my side! H1 is as good as it gets for me! If I were anywhere else, I would be much happier with the vg10 version I'm sure.
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:)

I work in dry enviroments and you're right, H1 was really soft and not suited for my needs, I should have gotten the VG-10 or the ZDP version (over budgeted!)
 
Biggest surprise: SOG Seal Pup Elite! SOG is always kind of hit or miss for me (usually a miss) but the Pup Elite is a winner. Tough. Pretty easy to sharpen. Good edge retention. Great sheath(the nylon). Comfortable to work with. Cuts very well. Good asthetics even though I usually shy away from the "tactical" look. Affordable at around $65. I recommend the Pup to anyone who is looking for a good stainless utility knife built to last but doesnt want to spend alot. The steel is mediocre but the HT is very solid. My only complaint is that its made in Taiwan, but I can get over it. I gave just mine to my 12 year old nephew this weekend on a camping trip actually. He's starting to get into knives and the Pup seems like a great entry level blade. I'll get another at some point I'm sure.

Biggest disappointment: Everything I've bought from Bark River.
 
So far I am not disappointed in any of my knife purchases (well, maybe my kanetsune asobi was a little disappointing) but I absolutely love my Kissing Krane black bowie. I own Cold steel knives, Esee knives, Ontario knives, etc., and yet heavy testing of the kissing Krane really impressed me! By the way this is my first post, I hope this opened some people's eyes!
 
I was most disapointed by my s&w m&p lol. It was my first ever assisted opening knife and i got it when i knew nothing about blades. Needless to say, it was complete crap. My delica pleasantly suprised me. Its my first and only spyderco and i always thought i would hate them because of the way they looked. Now its one of my favorites
 
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