Photos A cool looking design from Ozark trail

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

Gold Member
Joined
Feb 11, 2016
Messages
18,864
Yeah yeah I know I know, but they're only 4$ and this one just spoke to me.
It's the " stag finish clip knife " with " 3 inch titanium coated blade "



First if all the fit and finish with the bolsters is obviously not perfect but I don't mind because it's only $4, I don't mind the Damascus style etch on the bolster that actually looks kind of nice imo, I'm not big on coated blades but just like my seal pup it reminds me if parkerizing and I do like it.
It's right handed as far as the stud goes, but I can still open it one handed as a lefty and certainly don't mine going two handed.
The detent seems decent if that matters, got two and both came decently sharp with zero blade play , and I think the lock up would be considered ideal though I'm not an expert in this realm.

Lastly, if you trace this knife on a piece of paper ( to forget about it's traditional style / flavor ) it is in my eyes exactly what I think a modern folder should look like

There is one curiosity though


Any idea what the reason for this folded tab inside the knife on one liner half could be ? My phone just wouldn't focus on it and I couldn't get a better picture of that tab.

Thought it looked cool, it's super cheap, and knew it would probably cut stuff.
I opened it to find out it's better than I expected so I'm going to try it out for the week. That's it.
Maybe a $4 knife can be semi ok, maybe not only a week will tell.
 
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shinyedges said:
A home run for cheap, poorly made, poorly heat treated pot steel enthusiasts.

Spend that 4 dollars on a sandwich.
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Have you had one of their knives before ?
In my eyes you're getting at least a $12 beater know for $4 and in my experience they hold an edge well enough.
Btw I would much rather have this because I don't buy sandwiches.
I also think the proper design itself is worth the $4 and would buy it again for that reason alone if it was just a picture of a knife.

Btw I didn't say this was a home run knife, but a home run design and ZT should pay attention.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Have you had one of their knives before ?
In my eyes you're getting at least a $12 beater know for $4 and in my experience they hold an edge well enough.
Btw I would much rather have this because I don't buy sandwiches.
I also think the proper design itself is worth the $4 and would buy it again for that reason alone if it was just a picture of a knife.

Btw I didn't say this was a home run knife, but a home run design and ZT should pay attention.
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ZT is doing alright considering they sell out in Minutes to days on knives 100 times that cost or more.

Bummer you don't buy sandwiches, some places make a mean sandwich.
 
Hickory n steel said:
Btw I didn't say this was a home run knife, but a home run design and ZT should pay attention.
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Hmmmm, I am not sure what ZT could glean from studying such a knife... Could you perhaps elaborate on that point some?

I don't like all of ZT's designs, but I certainly like many of them and am willing to pay what they ask for. Plus, I've utilized their warranty service and it is top notch.
 
shinyedges said:
ZT is doing alright considering they sell out in Minutes to days on knives 100 times that cost or more.

Bummer you don't buy sandwiches, some places make a mean sandwich.
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What I meant is that they don't make knives I think look good but if they made a knife with this exact shape I could no longer say that.
 
As far as the whole ZT thing goes, I pay attention to the outline of a knife, and ZT's designs are just too busy for me.
I don't know any other way to explain it then by saying that the outline of this knife is the simplicity I'm after.

This $4 knife could never compare to a ZT which I'm sure are great, but I love the way it looks and it will function enough for me to carry for the next 7 days.

I don't care if it's cheap, it will cut stuff and should be an easy blade to keep sharpened. You can turn your nose up at it of you want, I don't have super high hopes for it but will certainly get $4 of use and enjoyment out if it.
 
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If the outline is what you like, the Buck Bantam 285 or 286 is similar, has a drop point with swedge. The 285 cost under $20 from the same store and is US made.

Comes with a pretty stellar warranty I'm told. Never needed it myself. Lefty friendly too.
 
If you don't like ZT knives then why do you keep on about them? Look elsewhere. That's why there's so many quality brands available, so you have a choice.
 
Hickory n steel said:
As far as the whole ZT thing goes, I pay attention to the outline of a knife, and ZT's designs are just too busy for me.
I don't know any other way to explain it then by saying that the outline of this knife is the simplicity I'm after.

This $4 knife could never compare to a ZT which I'm sure are great, but I love the way it looks and it will function Eno for me to carry for the next 7 days.
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I suppose, in some sense, I can understand. If a knife doesn't look good to you, then so be it. It is doubtful though that a company such as ZT, who collaborates with many notable designers, is going to look at this less-than-marvel inducing design and say, "Hey! I like that, we should make one just like it!"

Honestly, I am having a hard time biting my tongue on this one. However, you posted this knife in a place that comprises the biggest knife enthusiast group in the world, I am not exactly sure what sort of responses and/or affirmation you are expecting, but I can be sure you won't receive much in the way of anything positive.

There are plenty of budget friendly knives out there, made by reputable companies, that will serve you far better than that particular blade. On one side, you can say, "It was only $4, if it breaks, oh well!" On the other hand, you could have put that $8 (you said you bought two?) into something more worthwhile... I can't say I understand your philosophy much.

Kind of reminds me of an old work buddy: He would buy screwdrivers by the dozen from Harbor Freight, his reasoning being that if they broke, he had a handy replacement. I informed him that I only needed to buy a single screwdriver from Klein, not only would it be unlikely to break, but if it did, the company would be there to square me away. Sure, my Klein screwdriver cost as much as a couple dozen from Harbor Freight but, guess what? He either broke or lost all of his, perpetuating an unfortunate cycle, but I still have my good old Klein, a decade or so later.

It is because of this that I have such a hard time supporting the purchase of cheap, poorly constructed tools. But in the end, it isn't about me, it's about you and what you find value in, I suppose.
 
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The blade shape on that looks very similar to a kershaw skyline. But i could not bring myself to buy a knife like that. I would spend a little more and get that buck bantam or the leatherman crater i think its called. To me a disposable razor blade is a better value for my utility knife because it has a good razor steel and i could even reshsrpen it. If a knife doesnt have a decent steel i just cannot spend my money on it. And by decent i mean at least 420hc. Plus i have economic objections to products like that coming to our shores. I am glad that you like it though, just not for me.
 
It's not an original design anyway. If you think the Chinese didn't copy it, you're wrong. I've seen knives shaped like that that dated back in the 1980's.
 
The knife doesnt have bad lines but either Im totally missing something or this is a ZT bashing thread more than an appreciation of your generic four dollar knife.

I simply dont get the ZT segway.

If you dont like ZT, just buy from a company, which offers more traditional knives in the vein of the one in the OP.

Heaven knows, there are plenty to choose from.

Personally, Im of the opinion, that you get what you pay for.

I dont currently own a ZT and have no opinion on that company one way or the other - so not my pig, not my farm.
 
I like traditional styling as well but that looks cheap and endorsing something like that on an enthusiast forums is questionable to me.

I am not a huge ZT fan either but the difference is that I do not ask them to change. Why did you single them out over all the other manufacturers of modern folders?

You don't seem to care for many modern folders and that is fine. Just stick to traditional designs. There are plenty of them out there.
 
Very well put brother and I think he’s getting the exact reaction he was hoping for.
Joe

Pàdruig said:
I suppose, in some sense, I can understand. If a knife doesn't look good to you, then so be it. It is doubtful though that a company such as ZT, who collaborates with many notable designers, is going to look at this less-than-marvel inducing design and say, "Hey! I like that, we should make one just like it!"

Honestly, I am having a hard time biting my tongue on this one. However, you posted this knife in a place that comprises the biggest knife enthusiast group in the world, I am not exactly sure what sort of responses and/or affirmation you are expecting, but I can be sure you won't receive much in the way of anything positive.

There are plenty of budget friendly knives out there, made by reputable companies, that will serve you far better than that particular blade. On one side, you can say, "It was only $4, if it breaks, oh well!" On the other hand, you could have put that $8 (you said you bought two?) into something more worthwhile... I can't say I understand your philosophy much.

Kind of reminds me of an old work buddy: He would buy screwdrivers by the dozen from Harbor Freight, his reasoning being that if they broke, he had a handy replacement. I informed him that I only needed to buy a single screwdriver from Klein, not only would it be unlikely to break, but if it did, the company would be there to square me away. Sure, my Klein screwdriver cost as much as a couple dozen from Harbor Freight but, guess what? He either broke or lost all of his, perpetuating an unfortunate cycle, but I still have my good old Klein, a decade or so later.

It is because of this that I have such a hard time supporting the purchase of cheap, poorly constructed tools. But in the end, it isn't about me, it's about you and what you find value in, I suppose.
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What do you think of the looks of the Lionsteel SR1, Hickory?

sr1_g.jpg


Not exactly the same outline but it has that sort-of tallish drop point blade and a pretty neutral handle?
 
Hickory n steel said:
What I meant is that they don't make knives I think look good but if they made a knife with this exact shape I could no longer say that.
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So ZT could learn something based off of one's opinion?

Cool!
I think ZT should give us knives free of charge!

I bet more people would agree with my opinion than yours. Furthermore, my opinion wouldn't cost them That much more! Hell, I'll pay shipping and save them a few dollars!
 
Rupestris said:
If the outline is what you like, the Buck Bantam 285 or 286 is similar, has a drop point with swedge. The 285 cost under $20 from the same store and is US made.

Comes with a pretty stellar warranty I'm told. Never needed it myself. Lefty friendly too.
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Don't actually like the looks of the bantam , got the Bucklite max 482 instead which I've loved for years.

Btw the point of this thread was to show a knife design / shape that I found and liked.
I didn't set out to find my new favorite EDC or alert the world of the latest and greatest budget knife.
it's a dirt cheap knife that I liked the look of and knew would take an edge and cut stuff.
I would rather have a knife I think looks cool on my workbench than a boring old jiffy cutter.
I do not have heavy duty folder needs and will not need a cheap cost excuse for it breaking or something.

I'm sorry for even mentioning ZT, it's just that I wish they would make some knives with simple straightforward shapes / designs along these lines so I didn't have to dislike them.
I didn't mean make this exact design just something with the same simplicity of form.


All I'm saying with this thread is "here's this knife , I think it looks cool
, it's only $4 , and it will get sharp and cut stuff.

I didn't intend to ruffle any feathers, just show a knife that happens to be dirt cheap and not necessarily look like a Tac-force.
 
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