Anyone else not exactly feeling the Sharp By Design Mini Tempest?

C

Catermellons

Joined
Apr 11, 2019
Messages
131
After much hunting and horse trading I finally received what I thought was my grail knife( I'm not a man made of money so I keep my grails within reason) yet I feel sort of let down. I sold 6 knives that I really liked to fund this purchase and several of them were got for next to nothing as either add on purchases of other knives or outright super deals that I feel will not be repeated.

That being said I don't see the "awesomeness" or "amazing action" that most of the people I've spoken with about it have been raving about. To me it's just a really pretty knife that is very well made but I honestly prefer my WE 703b. I bought that knife for $50 and it was pristine but the Mini Tempest was closer to $400. The action is drop shut but I can't work the front flipper design very well due to my hands being crappy so they don't work properly. I guess I'm just a traditional flipper kind of guy?

Anyone else here feel that maybe, possibly, sorta kinda that these knives were overhyped due to the maker not producing a lot of them? Sort of akin to how the Spyderco Mule Teams start creeping waaaaaay up there in price once they've all sold out? Or am I just a blithering idiot who wouldn't know a good knife if it crept up and stabbed me I muh sitting muscle?
 
I suppose that for you, it was nothing more than a tempest in a teapot. ;)

Perhaps consider limiting yourself to the budget knife category. That is what I do. Too much collectors hype regarding the more expensive knives. In my opinion, of course.
 
Greggy said:
I suppose that for you, it was nothing more than a tempest in a teapot. ;)

Perhaps consider limiting yourself to the budget knife category. That is what I do. Too much collectors hype regarding the more expensive knives. In my opinion, of course.
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Lol that's a good analogy and I typically buy in the $100-$250 range as I like to use my knives. Wanted a few that might appreciate in value but were actually obtainable for me. I know $425 isn't a lot to most collectors but to me it is. I grew up dirt poor and $20 was a lot of money to me until I turned about 20 years old. Nowadays it's more a force of habit, I like to spoil my son so he gets the majority of my disposable money. He loves them $4 monster trucks so I snag him one whenever he's been a good boy.
 
kreole said:
That's in the normal price range for a Reate knife (maybe even on the low end), so I wouldn't say it's overpriced due to hype or scarcity.
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I know the price is normal, perhaps I didn't word what I was trying to say correctly. I was meaning more of the action and overall deployment and such. I was also saying that maybe people were talking them up due to them not being readily available anymore. The Spyderco reference wasn't about the price per say, just that sometimes they get super hyped and the price creeps up substantially because of it.

I have to learn how to communicate things better via text, it's my Achilles heel for sure as I suck at English even though it's the only language I speak fluently.
 
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I hate that you got rid of knives you enjoyed for one that didn’t live up to expectations. I don’t have any experience with any of the knives mentioned, so I can’t offer much to the conversation. I’m a creature of habit, I find what works for me and stick to it for long periods of time, so I don’t usually run into any “surprises” with new models. I only buy knives I plan to use and I will not buy anything over $150 because I know I will not want to use it.
 
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JWright214 said:
I hate that you got rid of knives you enjoyed for one that didn’t live up to expectations. I don’t have any experience with any of the knives mentioned, so I can’t offer much to the conversation. I’m a creature of habit, I find what works for me and stick to it for long periods of time, so I don’t usually run into any “surprises” with new models. I only buy knives I plan to use and I will not buy anything over $150 because I know I will not want to use it.
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I typically am exactly same way for the same reasons, I like to use the knives I buy. Figures that the one time I deviate from my typical price range I end up a tad let down. lol

Now my WE 703b was one that I didn't have lofty expectations for but absolutely blew me away. The fit, finish, and build quality was amazing considering I snagged it for $50.
 
I really agree with you. Those knives are all about having butter action. I think a Spyderco has GREAT action. Yes, my Ruike's are smoother. Yes, it is impressive. All my Spyderco comp locks still drop-shut though, every last one, and I have like, 12. Very worth it for a knife I can be proud of in my pocket. A Ruike isn't handmade, or rare, nor does it have love in the ingredients...
 
Catermellons said:
After much hunting and horse trading I finally received what I thought was my grail knife( I'm not a man made of money so I keep my grails within reason) yet I feel sort of let down. I sold 6 knives that I really liked to fund this purchase and several of them were got for next to nothing as either add on purchases of other knives or outright super deals that I feel will not be repeated.

That being said I don't see the "awesomeness" or "amazing action" that most of the people I've spoken with about it have been raving about. To me it's just a really pretty knife that is very well made but I honestly prefer my WE 703b. I bought that knife for $50 and it was pristine but the Mini Tempest was closer to $400. The action is drop shut but I can't work the front flipper design very well due to my hands being crappy so they don't work properly. I guess I'm just a traditional flipper kind of guy?

Anyone else here feel that maybe, possibly, sorta kinda that these knives were overhyped due to the maker not producing a lot of them? Sort of akin to how the Spyderco Mule Teams start creeping waaaaaay up there in price once they've all sold out? Or am I just a blithering idiot who wouldn't know a good knife if it crept up and stabbed me I muh sitting muscle?
Click to expand...

Took me a while to get used to a front flipper...stick with it.
Now using thumb and index feels normal. Just need to get used to the leverage and hand position.
 
Hashishiin said:
I really agree with you. Those knives are all about having butter action. I think a Spyderco has GREAT action. Yes, my Ruike's are smoother. Yes, it is impressive. All my Spyderco comp locks still drop-shut though, every last one, and I have like, 12. Very worth it for a knife I can be proud of in my pocket. A Ruike isn't handmade, or rare, nor does it have love in the ingredients...
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The problem is that they don't and they're a $425 production knife from a manufacturer touted as the industry's best. Mine drops shut but opening is down right embarrassingly difficult, my WE's are much smoother on the deployment. I also have hand issues but even with two fingers this thing needs a solid thwack to get open and that's not something I want to have to do on such an expensive factory made knife. It should glide open with the slightest flick like practically every Spyderco I've touched does.
 
jideta said:
Took me a while to get used to a front flipper...stick with it.
Now using thumb and index feels normal. Just need to get used to the leverage and hand position.
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Mine has been lubed and cleaned but it's downright difficult to get it to open. Might be a dud or I might just not understand how to work it but I'll definitely take your advice and practice more.
 
Catermellons said:
Mine has been lubed and cleaned but it's downright difficult to get it to open. Might be a dud or I might just not understand how to work it but I'll definitely take your advice and practice more.
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I think you just have to build up a muscle that you haven't used before.
I had difficulty too, but I just kept working it, finding the right grip, flipping action, etc. There's a certain geometry/grip that needs to be used and you need to find it.
At first it felt like I was pushing a button that wouldn't move!
Now it's like a regular flipper.
Just need to find that sweet spot.
Don't give up on it!
 
jideta said:
I think you just have to build up a muscle that you haven't used before.
I had difficulty too, but I just kept working it, finding the right grip, flipping action, etc. There's a certain geometry/grip that needs to be used and you need to find it.
At first it felt like I was pushing a button that wouldn't move!
Now it's like a regular flipper.
Just need to find that sweet spot.
Don't give up on it!
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I appreciate the advice and I will work on it. Thanks!
 
If ya don't like it, sell it and buy a few that you do. It sounds like you'd have no trouble selling it. Just my two cents. Good luck!
 
Catermellons said:
Lol that's a good analogy and I typically buy in the $100-$250 range as I like to use my knives. Wanted a few that might appreciate in value but were actually obtainable for me. I know $425 isn't a lot to most collectors but to me it is. I grew up dirt poor and $20 was a lot of money to me until I turned about 20 years old. Nowadays it's more a force of habit, I like to spoil my son so he gets the majority of my disposable money. He loves them $4 monster trucks so I snag him one whenever he's been a good boy.
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Lots of people use $400+ knives and don't buy them just to collect. Also I hate front flipper knives.
 
I bought a front flipper once, just to try it.
Flipped it a few times and realized I didn't like it; so I put it away. Took it out the next and repeated...since I still didn't like it, I put it away again.
Maybe 8 or 9 months later, I remembered it. Took it out to take some pictures. Posted and sold the darn thing, and haven't looked twice at another front flipper since.
 
hhmoore said:
I bought a front flipper once, just to try it.
Flipped it a few times and realized I didn't like it; so I put it away. Took it out the next and repeated...since I still didn't like it, I put it away again.
Maybe 8 or 9 months later, I remembered it. Took it out to take some pictures. Posted and sold the darn thing, and haven't looked twice at another front flipper since.
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I think I'm going to sell it and buy either a WE 705B or try and track down a Deacon.
 
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