Some Thoughts on Youtuber Nick Shabazz

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Guy McVer said:
Isn't that most youtube reviews? They all have affiliate links and promo codes to give out, so it's not like they're going to go out of their way tell you things that will make you less likely to buy the product. Any negative reviews (if they exist at all) tend to come from smaller channels that aren't necessarily being run like a business. You will see larger youtube channels giving negative reviews sometimes, but I don't think it's as common. Most of the reviews I see on youtube will either gloss over or completely omit the negative aspects of a product, and it's frustrating when nobody seems to call them out on it. Then you get people who have watched a ton of this positive review content and then they refuse to accept any information that goes against it.

That's one reason why I like Nick Shabazz. He's going to tell you when he doesn't like something. Sure he's obnoxious sounding, sure he spends like 0.005 seconds doing the size comparison, but at least he's not trying to whitewash the bad things about a product.
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Yeah knife channels at least the ones that receive products seem to overwhelmingly praise and never even critique the knife, Nick always speaks his mind which is definitely why he's a reliable source.

He also doesn't shell out 100 videos a week on every single drop from every manufacture he usually does the knives he likes and if something catches his eyes as far as what he receives to review he does it honestly.

Nick's one of the good ones.
 
Types of knife reviews on YouTube:-
- Unboxing - "Metal Complex" is usually informative.
- Assembly and disassembly - "Luv Them Knives" is pretty good.
- Actual cutting and/or durability testes - "Cedric and Ada" for cutting tests. "Joe X" for the craziest abuse to destruction.

Any of these types can be more or less informative and/or entertaining. I usually like the presenters who take more time and effort at planning and production of their videos. And I tend to dislike the ones who launch into commentary with just knife, a camera and no plan whatever. This type often repeats the same thing over and over, often making a half-hour video when it should have lasted about ten minutes.
 
One of the things I like about Nick is that he doesn't use any click-bait titles and thumbnails to lure you into his videos. He's very straight forward. One note to knife reviewers--stop with the unboxing videos. I don't want to waste several minutes watching you open a package and do the slow strip tease before revealing the knife.
 
You guys are outlining precisely why I don't know who this guy is or watch knife review videos. IMO, 99% of them absolutely suck. Very few people make good videos. When a review on BF is in the form of a video, I pass on it. It drives me crazy to waste 10 or 15 min of my life, when a well written review I can read in a minute or two, and it's much faster to review a written review then try to find it in a video. Not to mention search on words.
 
sodak said:
You guys are outlining precisely why I don't know who this guy is or watch knife review videos. IMO, 99% of them absolutely suck. Very few people make good videos. When a review on BF is in the form of a video, I pass on it. It drives me crazy to waste 10 or 15 min of my life, when a well written review I can read in a minute or two, and it's much faster to review a written review then try to find it in a video. Not to mention search on words.
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AMEN!
Give me a decently written paragraph or three and a couple of photos every time.
 
I like ol’ Nick when I’m looking for the skinny on a knife. He’s one reference point among many.

He has his hang-ups, some of them are hang-ups for me and some aren’t.
 
Metal Complex is about the "feels" but he covers a lot of knives and gives impressions that I find useful in deciding whether to investigate a knife further.

Nick S gets into more detail including the construction, which I like - his "good bad and ugly" criteria aren't the same as mine, but useful to know.

Erica's EDC covers fewer knives but she talks about actual on-the-job use, & sharpening - trying different grits and DPS - which I find very interesting.
 
sodak said:
You guys are outlining precisely why I don't know who this guy is or watch knife review videos. IMO, 99% of them absolutely suck. Very few people make good videos. When a review on BF is in the form of a video, I pass on it. It drives me crazy to waste 10 or 15 min of my life, when a well written review I can read in a minute or two, and it's much faster to review a written review then try to find it in a video. Not to mention search on words.
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You said you don't watch knife review videos, but somehow know that 99% of them suck? How would you know, since you don't watch them? Very narrow-minded.
 
Yeah, I should have said I quit watching them after seeing how many of them suck. I don't watch them anymore, that's for sure. Feel free to think I'm narrow minded, doesn't matter to me one way or the other.
 
When I’m looking at a new folder that I’m not familiar with, I look to see if Nick has a video on it. I like watching knife reviews and when a reviewer don’t know what he is talking about, I quit watching that reviewer’s videos. Nick has been a solid knife reviewer and his opinion has swayed me to buy or not buy more than once. I’m convinced he knows what he is talking about with folders. Nice to get a heads up on something before you click the Buy it Now button.
 
Razorsharp1986 said:
Guy barely uses the knives he reviews, and you can tell. If you want to see how a knife flicks and fits in pocket, and have SBH then he’s “good to go”, but if you use your knives then there are better channels out there.
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Good sir, what is SBH?
 
Every time he talks about "pocket peckers" I feel a rage boil up inside of me.

Other then that I like his stuff. Most of the knives he reviews aren't for me, but that's fine. I think Razorsharp is right about him not putting the knives through a great deal of use, but most people nowadays aren't, so that's fine too. Lets be real, most people get along without a pocket knife just fine, they're simply not as necessary as they used to be. Nowadays its mostly a lifestyle choice, or pocket jewellery. In others words; a way of expressing yourself. His reviews are perfect in that context.
 
His biggest plus, is taking apart the knifes. Not his general reviews. His disassembly videos show the hidden craftsmanship or lack there of. That's about it.


I believe he lives in an area, where a big portion of the knives he reviews, are illegal to carry in public.
 
"pocket peckers" i never felt a flipper tab act like this ever so this confuses me and sends a bad message to anyone interested in that knife : they might pass on it for this reason. Thats the kind of opinions that make certain knives look bad when they arent.
 
396 posts on thoughts on Nick Shabazz. Who'd have thought it possible?

Seems like a nice guy to me. Entertains and informs in equal measure. It's easy enough not to watch his videos if they aren't your thing. I tend to look at 'em when I'm interested in a particular knife and would like a bit more info.

I don't see the man as controversial or in any way detrimental to knives in particular or general. He has opinions, as do we all.

Can't wait to see the next 396 posts.
 
Shabazz has his quirks and I mostly over looked them as you at least get a run down of the knife and his disassembly videos I watch with the sound off. They are useful sometimes.

He lost me as a viewer though when he reviewed the A.G. Russell Light'n Bug. It is probably my favorite small knife. I was fine with him not liking it (he was wrong btw, great knife). Where he lost me was not knowing who A.G. Russell was as a person or a company. Wondering aloud whether it was a fly by night company farming out knives to China. Yet some how self published blades by other designers are somehow ok???

That review pulled the curtain back for me. He has an audience that he performs for, nothing more nothing less.
 
Kevin W. said:
Shabazz has his quirks and I mostly over looked them as you at least get a run down of the knife and his disassembly videos I watch with the sound off. They are useful sometimes.

He lost me as a viewer though when he reviewed the A.G. Russell Light'n Bug. It is probably my favorite small knife. I was fine with him not liking it (he was wrong btw, great knife). Where he lost me was not knowing who A.G. Russell was as a person or a company. Wondering aloud whether it was a fly by night company farming out knives to China. Yet some how self published blades by other designers are somehow ok???

That review pulled the curtain back for me. He has an audience that he performs for, nothing more nothing less.
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I met A.G Russell at bladeshow, shook his hand. I didn't speak to him long, but I carried one of his stings 7 years earlier before I was a knife nut on bladeforums. I thought it was cool to meet him.

I think people attribute more than 2 cents to people's opinion because they make youtube videos when really many of these youtubers aren't even close to knowledgeable about the topics they cover. Their opinions are worth less than the average 2 cents in some instances. While I don't think nick ever claimed to be knowledgeable, it probably wouldn't hurt to know what your talking about when speaking on it publicly.
 
shinyedges said:
I met A.G Russell at bladeshow, shook his hand. I didn't speak to him long, but I carried one of his stings 7 years earlier before I was a knife nut on bladeforums. I thought it was cool to meet him.

I think people attribute more than 2 cents to people's opinion because they make youtube videos when really many of these youtubers aren't even close to knowledgeable about the topics they cover. Their opinions are worth less than the average 2 cents in some instances. While I don't think nick ever claimed to be knowledgeable, it probably wouldn't hurt to know what your talking about when speaking on it publicly.
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Especially when talking about one of the Titans of the industry.

I live near the shop so I was able to meet and talk with him several times along with Ms. Goldie. The knowledge and experience was just mind boggling.
 
Guy McVer said:
Isn't that most youtube reviews? They all have affiliate links and promo codes to give out, so it's not like they're going to go out of their way tell you things that will make you less likely to buy the product. Any negative reviews (if they exist at all) tend to come from smaller channels that aren't necessarily being run like a business. You will see larger youtube channels giving negative reviews sometimes, but I don't think it's as common. Most of the reviews I see on youtube will either gloss over or completely omit the negative aspects of a product, and it's frustrating when nobody seems to call them out on it. Then you get people who have watched a ton of this positive review content and then they refuse to accept any information that goes against it.

That's one reason why I like Nick Shabazz. He's going to tell you when he doesn't like something. Sure he's obnoxious sounding, sure he spends like 0.005 seconds doing the size comparison, but at least he's not trying to whitewash the bad things about a product.
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Like him or not, nutnfancy is more than happy to give a bad review to a product he finds bad.


As for shabazz? I have no use for his vids. We like different things, we work and live in different environments, and i find more than his affect fake about him. Ive met him in person. Hes not someone id spend time with there either. In general, youtube vids are worth exactly what you pay for them. His included. But, if it helps you find what you want? Im all for it!
 
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