Why the Admiral class earned its reputation

Were the Admiral-class battlecruisers overrated?

Their reputation had a basis in Hood's early superiority: ships able to catch her could not outfight her.

Hood's reputation reflected a period when she was among the largest and most powerful ships in the world. Ships capable of catching her could not outfight her. The wider Admiral design is also judged a promising basis for aircraft carriers, although that remains a design opinion.