Severely underrated knives

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c7m2p3

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I have seen underrated and overrated brands but here I just wanted to pull together a list of severely underrated knives regardless of price. Heres a few:

Everyone has opinions on flagship Spyderco models like the PM2, Para 3, Shaman but not enough time is spent on how good the Sage 5 is. Both standard and LW models.

Civivi has a lot of models that gets a lot of play with their Praxis, various button locks, etc but a discontinued model that still gets pocket time for me is the Incite. It is just so thin behind the edge and has an arguably more comfortable handle than the praxis.

I also want to bring up the Benchmade Presidio 2 fullsize. I really wish someone would come out with some aftermarket scales so I can really take it to the next level with micarta and make a perfect hard use knife but it really gets skipped over in their lineup with all the love going to the Griptillian, Bugout, Bailout, and Osborn series of knives.

Feel free to drop your underrated knives even those that aren't from well known makers. Fixed blades, traditionals, and autos welcome!
 
Blade Lab said:
The Spyderco Sage 1 is also terribly underrated -- particularly in Maxamet.

I'd throw in the Laconico-designed WE Esprit, too. It got some nice reviews when it first came out, but interest seems to have faded and it's still a near-perfect EDC knife.
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I have the Esprit as well! Fantastic knife and consistently beats out both the WE conspirator and WE Beacon for pocket time. Its very much underrated in their lineup
 
The Cold Steel Rajah III comes to mind for me. AUS10 and Grivory are solid performers, and if you're looking for a budget EDC-sized waved knife with a surprisingly practical blade (full flat grind + tall blade = good all-around slicer) all it needs is a couples minutes of sanding under the pocket clip and you're good to go.

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HJA said:
Ruike with folders in 14c28n at ~$50 USD
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Agree. My Ruike Hornet has edge retention comparable to S30V, maybe better.

Also, I never sharpened my KA-BAR Mule AUS-8A during 6 months of almost daily (light) use, and it is still sharper than most Benchmades and Spydercos out of the box. A friend lost his Mule one Pennsylvania autumn and found it next spring after the snow melted. He washed it off and it was good as new, not a speck of rust.
 
I don't own many "underrated" knives but here is . . .

My Spyderco Underrated List:

Amalgam
Tropen

These are both compression lock knives.

The Amalgam is about as good as it gets for a large EDC but it's never gotten a lot of publicity or a lot of "love" from the blade community. The Tropen is a knife few people understand. It got a lot of sh*t early on from people who didn't understand it. It's just a big a$$ SD knife and a good one at that.

The following "Value Folders"also are underrated because they're made in China and with 8Cr13Mov blades:

Efficient/Emphasis
Persistence/Tenacious/Resilience

You could live your entire life only with these knives and be quite happy.


My ZT Underrated List:

0350
0770

Which are underrated because they are "assisted." The 0350 also has a fat recurved blade that a lot of people don't like. Ken Onion's designs are timeless IMO but the blade design definitely looked better on the larger 0300 and on the modified 0360.

On the other hand, there is almost nothing better in the way of small compact "gentleman's" EDC than the 0770.

Both the 0350 and 0770 are OLD models that are still being sold by ZT after so many other "better" and/or more interesting/innovative models have since been discontinued. They're still selling them for a reason. ;)

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Note: I own all of the knives listed and I did not include any knives in these lists have been officially "discontinued," even though they may "out of stock" and may not be currently available from Spyderco and/or ZT (or their dealers).
 
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Dadpool said:
The Cold Steel Rajah III comes to mind for me. AUS10 and Grivory are solid performers, and if you're looking for a budget EDC-sized waved knife with a surprisingly practical blade (full flat grind + tall blade = good all-around slicer) all it needs is a couples minutes of sanding under the pocket clip and you're good to go.

dt3lXGV.jpg
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This! I got the BD1 version :)

Also the American Lawman might be one of the best pocket knives ever made
 
Dadpool said:
The Cold Steel Rajah III comes to mind for me. AUS10 and Grivory are solid performers, and if you're looking for a budget EDC-sized waved knife with a surprisingly practical blade (full flat grind + tall blade = good all-around slicer) all it needs is a couples minutes of sanding under the pocket clip and you're good to go.

dt3lXGV.jpg
Click to expand...

This! I got the BD1 version

Also the American Lawman might be one of the best/most underrated pocket knives ever made
 
When they were on sale I remember some ZTs being ridiculously inexpensive…. Like $200 for a 0630, 0804CF, even less for the 0909 and 0808 - which I think is the most underrated Zero Tolerance knife….full ti, S35VN, great action etc..for $200. I like the blade shape and the ergos on that thing much more than the popular 0450.
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All it’s needs is a deep carry clip ;-)
 
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The Buck 110 Slim Select is a good knife for around $30USD. I used mine for 6 months as my EDC with no problems. Also the Cold Steel Tuff Lite is another great knife. I prefer a large handle, but it works for me. The AUS10 blade is thin and very sharp. These are just my humble opinion. Your mileage may vary.
 
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