Your Favorite Unpopular Knife?

I totally agree about the Wegner Mouse - I love mine, even though when I first got it I thought it was a homely little runt.

George
 
The old CRKT S-2. Ti framelock with ATS-34 blade, got mine for 30$ on a close out. A great little knife, if they had made a larger version it might have been more popular.

Outdoor Edge Magna, aluminum version, my first real tactical type knife. If you run across one in good shape, grab it. I pretty much quit buying tacticals after this, exceeded my expectations and needs for a reasonable price.
 
Just ordered a Spyderco Toad, a pretty obscure knife and a discontinued one at that, earlier this week. Not sure it's actually in stock as I've not heard back. AG Russell has them but at a higher price.

Bill D.
 
Beretta Busfields. I carry the small Micarta handle every day as a dress EDC. A poor man's AlMar Ultralight. I also have the G10 version, which is the equal in workmanship and construction to my G10 Rookie and Standard.
 
Tsme said:
Just ordered a Spyderco Toad, a pretty obscure knife and a discontinued one at that, earlier this week. Not sure it's actually in stock as I've not heard back. AG Russell has them but at a higher price.
Bill D.
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Bill-I bought a Spyderco Toad about a year ago on ebay and absolutely love the knife. The blade is thin and sharpens to a true razor's edge-It's so tiny and harmless looking that you can take it out any place and no one will bat an eye.(unless they make a comment on what a cool little knife it is) It would have been nice if the Toad had a little better steel, maybe VG-10 instead of AUS-8, but since it's not really designed as a heavy use knife the AUS-8 works out just fine.
 
Blade-tech pro hunter.

A knife that I would put up there with any production tactical. It doesn't seem to get much press, but is an awesome knife.
 
Fixed blade: Buck Nighthawk. Built like a freakin' tank, takes a wicked edge, has the most ergonomic handle of any knife I know of, and is dirt cheap. Might not be a Busse, but gives you 80% of one for 10% of the cost. (Before the Busse Army pounces: If you wanna pound your $400 blade like it's a $5 splitting wedge, that's your choice. But it's not mine. I've used my 'Hawk for batonning, and it held up just fine thankyouverymuch, but I wouldn't like to make a habit of it with *any* knife; I have a hand axe for that sorta work.)

Folder: CRKT Ryan Model Seven. Sturdy, deep-bellied blade that's not so big as to stampede the sheeple, excellent grip ergonomics, humongous choil and gripping grooves for safe handling, sharp looking design, clips nice and flat in the pocket, dirt cheap. I've beat the crap outta mine, and it comes back for more. Of course, mine is one of the originals in AUS8 steel, not that crappy 420J2; sure I'd pefer D2 or S30V, but it's easy to get sharp and keep sharp, even just using the little ceramic dog-bone I take with me when I'm roughing it. All the folder I really need for EDC or the woods, and at $35, I won't cry if it gets lost. (Err, unless I lose it before I find another AUS8 backup... :eek: )

Slippie: Imperial. Yeah yeah yeah, I know... stamped clip-on bolsters, hollow scales... but I had several growing up, so they're sentimental favorites with me. What they lacked in fit 'n' finish they made up for in kid-proof robustness. The blades were pretty decent high-carbon steel, better than what's usually seen on low-end knives; heck, it's tons better than Case's Tru-Sharp dreck, or the 440J2 that CRKT is switching to. I still have both an Imperial Kamp-King scout knife and Imperial Fish Knife that've been to Hell and back for over 30 years, and show it; they spent many, many hours cutting branches and wild grape vines in the woods, dissecting wildlife, plopping into muddy creeks, getting dunked in Great Egg Harbor, whittling about a cord of walking sticks, and a LOT of things they probably shouldn't been (mis)used for; and while they sure ain't pretty, they still work just about as well now as they did when I bought 'em. And the best part: I could afford to buy or replace them on a kid's allowance in the 70's; that counted for a LOT back then!!

SAK: Wenger, in general. Yeah, the polish isn't as shiny as Victorinox, the fit isn't quite as tight; but the only real technical innovation Vic has done since I was a kid is to screw a tiny screwdriver onto their corkscrew. Hoo-wee. Wenger has a better can opener, passive-locking screwdriver blades, vastly improved scissor design, slip-joint pliers, locking blades on some regular-size models (not just the big 'uns like Vic), and this year added both grippy neoprene scales AND ergonomic nylon scales that both improve on the slippery celluloid ones they've used since WWII... see the pattern here? They're No. 2, and they try harder. If only they would improve the temper on their backsprings...

Multi-Tool: The late, great Schrade ToughTool E2. Big, beefy slip-joint pliers, a full-size 1/4" bit adapter that takes bits you can get at Home Depot rather than some specialty bits, handles that are easy your hands, all-locking implements; compared to a Leatherman, SOG, Gerber etc, it feels like a tool from your toolbox that just happens to fit on your belt, rather than an over-grown SAK that happens to work as pliers. And despite it beefy proportions, it's flat enough that it's actually comfy on your belt, compared to the other big multis. Too bad the company went under before it had a shot... :grumpy:
 
re: Gryffin

Ditto your thoughts on the Bucklite. That's a heckofalotta knife for $40. I have two, both First Productions with display stands.

Similar thoughts on the Imperials. My old ones have held up pretty well, especially the Impreial Barlow. I grabbed a couple of Imperial closeouts from SMKW. They aren't worth a lot, but they're worth much more than the $1.39 and $1.99 I paid.

-Bob
 
Schrade Cablelock. A knife that sold at walmart for $20 on closeout, otherwise $40. Quality control kept this from being up there with the BM AXIS.

KaBar Dozier. Well, it did win the Blade award last year for best inxpensive/cheap knife. For $20 a fantastic knife with rock solid lockup, and great fit and finish, and a reverseable thumb peg and clip. A spyderco for 1/3 the cost, but better.

Overlord in Colorado
 
Gryffin said:
Fixed blade: Buck Nighthawk. Built like a freakin' tank,
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I bought one of the Nighthawks when they first came out. First day I had it we went to an old pond to fish and needed to clear a path thru some pine sapplings. They were around 4-6 feet in height and 2" dia. My cousin held the top of one over and told me to cut it, I didn't want to cut toward the ground thinking I may hit a rock. He gave me a hard time so I cut it in one swing. I'll never forget his expression and he never asked again why I liked big knives. I never could understand why this knife wasn't more popular.
Danny
 
kitchen/ utitilty Buck Revolution. Mine is customized with a dremel to have a finger groove up front.

carry Paul Chen Citizen. Locks into my hand very strong.
 
Overlord said:
Schrade Cablelock. A knife that sold at walmart for $20 on closeout, otherwise $40. Quality control kept this from being up there with the BM AXIS.
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Cablelock? You mean the Spitfire? Had a lanyard that would release when you squeezed the closed blade?
 
Seki-Cut Little Blue Folder. Laminated Vg-10 steel, chice of scale material, low price. It's not engineered like a Sebenza or even a Chinook, but it's a great little knife.
 
a tanto serrated balde.

seems to be the ugly sister/friend no one wants.
 
allyourblood said:
Spyderco Scorpius. i know it's a Spydie, but no one seems to like this knife, and i personally think it's one of the most brilliant designs to leave the factory.

abe
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Ditto. Love mine.

Also liked my CRKT Mirage. Worked flawlessly and was $17.
 
Boozoo Chavis said:
Bill-I bought a Spyderco Toad about a year ago on ebay and absolutely love the knife. The blade is thin and sharpens to a true razor's edge-It's so tiny and harmless looking that you can take it out any place and no one will bat an eye.(unless they make a comment on what a cool little knife it is) It would have been nice if the Toad had a little better steel, maybe VG-10 instead of AUS-8, but since it's not really designed as a heavy use knife the AUS-8 works out just fine.
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I got my Toad finally. The place I had ordered it from at a good price apparently went out of business, so I had to get it from AG Russell at a higher price. Nobody else seems to have it. It's a cute little thing, though pretty heavy and bulky for such a small knife. I can't say it's a favorite for carry but it's a cool addition to my collection and really very pretty with its polished finish.

Among small folders I have, I think my Spyderco Calypso Jr. is my favorite. It packs a lot into such a small and unassuming package and has much better handle ergonomics than the Spyderco Toad or Dragonfly while weighing about the same as the Toad. It's discontinued (at the moment, anyway) so I guess that qualifies it as "unpopular".

I had considered getting a Ritter Mini Griptilian. However, the Calypso Jr. has a similar-length blade of excellent (VG-10) steel and a handle that allows you to choke up for great control and a very secure grip, while weighing less and being less bulky. It's going into my emergency waist pack for these reasons. (My pocket EDC is a Victorinox Super Tinker, not unpopular, but a useful choice for a daily lifestyle where cutting ability and a locking blade are less important than having a very minimal set of mini-tools.)

That said, I still prefer large handles which give me a much more secure feeling when using a knife. I have various good knives of this sort that hardly qualify as unpopular, but one somewhat obscure model I have is the Cold Steel Pro Lite folder. I have the clip point and drop point models. Cold Steel folders don't seem to be well-regarded. But these ones are a nice size, have ergonomic handles, and have halfway-decent steel (AUS-8), though some people may not like the blade shape. I originally bought them for camping and hiking use but have since upgraded to the full-sized Ritter Griptilian.

You can do a lot better of course, but these could be a good choice for an inexpensive large folder that you won't agonize over if lost, damaged, or stolen. Knifeworks is now selling them for $43, vs. $54 for the Benchmade Ambush (red class) which might or might not be considered to be in a somewhat better quality range.

One sentimental favorite of mine is my first-generation Bucklite, from way back in 1985. That original version had the same blade as the 110, but with a plastic handle that's easy to grip and is very lightweight. It's the first knife I bought and was my hiking and backpacking knife for many years. Heavy whittling during a survival course eventually caused the blade to loosen a bit. The newer Bucklites seem cheaper by comparison and the one I checked out had a blade that wobbled even though it was brand new.

Buck now uses 420HC steel. Does anyone know what it used back in those days?

Bill D.
 
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