Are Mad Dog knives THAT special?

S

ShooterMcgavin

Joined
Jan 20, 2008
Messages
609
I have a friend who really likes Mad Dog knives. He has a bunch and suggests that I get one into my (non-)collection. I have read about the O1 steel, but I am not a steel expert. Can I hear some thoughts from people out there - what makes the Mad Dog knives so great?

Or maybe you think they are hyped? Let me know hear that too.

Thanks.
 
ShooterMcgavin said:
what makes the Mad Dog knives so great?
Click to expand...

There are many many knifemakers who can make an equally good knife. Mad Dog is famous for his perfect G10 grips. If you want to have one, you have to pay what the knifemaker asks, that's how the market works. Just because a knife is 7x as expensive as another doesn't mean that it's better or 7x as good.
 
With Maddog knives you also get years and years of controversy, multi, very-multi (maybe even universe wide) forum banishments, claims from one side that someone is lying about their background and claims from the "other" side that someone is lying about their background.

Maddog's knives are really good and I would rank his talent in the top 100 really good makers. The wait is probably down a little to 35 decades or so....
As for the prices; wow, too rich for me!!!!
 
ShooterMcgavin said:
Are Mad Dog knives THAT special?

I have a friend who really likes Mad Dog knives. He has a bunch and suggests that I get one into my (non-)collection. I have read about the O1 steel, but I am not a steel expert. Can I hear some thoughts from people out there - what makes the Mad Dog knives so great?

Or maybe you think they are hyped? Let me know hear that too.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Three questions, you ask.

1. Special? "Special" is strictly in the mind of the observer. To me? No. To your friend? Yes. To you? How could I know?

2. What makes the Mad Dog knives so great? See 1 above.

3. Hyped? Yes, as are other brands. Also attacked as few other brands are attacked.

Many makers create well-respected knives out of good steels for FAR less.
 
imho they are good knives, if ya like them and want one and can afford it go for it, if ya are expecting something that makes other knives obsolete or something which offers performance way beyond other makes/brands ya are gonna be disappointed.
 
I'm sure they are good blades but I cannot see the justification for those prices, especially with regards the use of O-1.

But of course if the demand exceeds the supply, then the price goes up accordingly.

But I believe there are plenty of other options out there that offer greater value for money.
 
When you get to a certain level, the name of the maker is worth as much, sometimes even more than the knife (materials + construction) itself.

Does a "basic" $4000 Bob Loveless drop-point hunter perform THAT much better than a $900 Dozier copy, or any number of ~$200 no-name clones?

IMO no, but then those other knives don't say "R.W. LOVELESS, maker" on the blade.


To answer your question, part of what is making Mad Dog knives so expensive, is the Mad Dog name.
 
No, they're not that special. Unless you absolutely must have the mad dog handle there's no reason to blow money on a md knife instead of commissioning a knife with a possibly superior blade from one of the many fine makers on this forum.
 
They're okay knives. You can get a better knife from many makes for far less.

The lines are good, the handles are excellent. They're over-engineered in some areas, which I dig. But again, you can get an as-good or better knife for less, from a maker who doesn't rely on a fabricated background to sell his wares.

Had my eye on a MD Panther at a local knife shop, but due to the asking price, $1,200, I decided to do some research. I got a Rob Patton knife in about five months for a little more than half the price. The MD is still sitting in the shop, so I've been able to do side-by-side comparisons. I like what I ended up with a lot better.

As far as the myth that they don't break goes, they do. A TUSK I believe, failed in a stress test against a Cold Steel and a Busse.

If you want one and you have the moolah, get it. You'll be happy. Just don't get it into your head that it's "magic".
 
I wouldn't waste the ducketts man, you can get a MUCH better knife for MUCH less. I understand the attraction for collectors but if you're going to get a knife to use.....you can get SOO much more much less.
 
H2H907 said:
... a maker who doesn't rely on a fabricated background to sell his wares.
Click to expand...
What is this fabrication? ...and what about the contraversy spoken of earlier?

I'm not looking for an essay answer, just the main gist of the supposed "scandal".

Thanks for all the answers. They look like very nice knives. I have seen my friend's knives up close and the handles are great. Do they have any weak points? I mean, my friend talks about them like they are god's gift to all who cut.
 
ShooterMcgavin said:
What is this fabrication? ...and what about the contraversy spoken of earlier?

I'm not looking for an essay answer, just the main gist of the supposed "scandal".
Click to expand...

Do you remember the ColdSteel/Strider-Mess? "Mad Dog" was involved. That's all there is to say.
 
Back when I joined the forums around 1999 we had something like dozens of threads about Mad Dog Knives. It was an old topic then. Basically some folks would claim that MD Knives could move the moon and stars and others said they were fairly ordinary. There were many claims about the maker's background and others claiming his background was myth and fabrication. Someone did an extensive hardness test on one of his blades to examine if they were exceptionally tough. This blade was differentially hardened, and was unusually soft in some areas (tough) and harder in others. It wasn't clear that the hardness distribution was optimal.

Anyway everybody got tired of the topic. My view is that they are priced too high and hyped too much.
 
I would humbly recommend that you get a Busse instead of a Mad Dog. You won't be sorry. If you really are interested in a "super" knife- one that will cut forever, and is truly indestructible, Busse is what you are looking for. Nothing- NOTHING beats a Battle Mistress.

Be careful, though. INFI is highly addictive.
 
moonwilson said:
I would humbly recommend that you get a Busse instead of a Mad Dog. You won't be sorry. If you really are interested in a "super" knife- one that will cut forever, and is truly indestructible, Busse is what you are looking for. Nothing- NOTHING beats a Battle Mistress.
Click to expand...

Busses are strong as crowbars, to be sure. They also look and feel like crowbars.

I guess you have to ask yourself what are your needs, what do you want it for? Busses are purely utilitarian, MDs are balanced between utility and fighting applications. If you want a knife that will not break under hard use, get a Busse. If you're looking for a fighter, there are plenty of custom makers here who make more suitable blades than either. If you just flat want a MD... um, that's your business.

As far as the controversy goes; old news, covered, covered and covered to death in several older threads on this forum as well as others. If you've already done any googling, there's no way you could've missed this.
 
I remember years back , I worked at a gun shop , that specialized in higher end firearms/knives/gear. I was not into knives at the time , all I knew is we had about 10-15 Mad Dog knives at any time , at the shop I can't ever remember selling one , but at larger shows like SAR or SOF , they always sold.
You have a dedicated group who are steadfast on MD knives.

You also have those that are steadfast on Strider ( like me ) , Busse ( never owned one , but think highly of Jerry ) , as well as others like RAT , TOPS , etc.

Best thing to do is do your research , set your pricepoint , handle whatever you can that you are interested in ( not as easy as it sounds I know ) , then make your decision.

I found them to be well made knives , but not worth the price to me. It is obvious they are worth it to those who like them as they sell fast on the secondary.
Now these could be collectors buying for a resale later , or they could be someone who just wants one and will pay the market rate to get one.

Personally I don't care for the maker himself , his knives although well made , don't overshadow his attitude and " everyone else sucks personality ".

If you want to know about the MD , PM or Email Parker here on the forums , he knows a great deal about them , and while he is a MD fan , he will also give you the straight and narrow on what may work for you , and he might even be able to toss you a lead on a few.
 
Thanks for all the responses.

I am pretty new to the knife "trade", so I don't know about the Mad Dog history or other conflicts between makers. I can search on it to find more.

I should mention... I did say that my friend suggests that I get a Mad Dog, but that certainly does not mean that I am headed in that direction. (He has 4 of them, including the ATAK 2) I find their prices to be outrageous, but I wanted to know if they had something that all/most other makers did not. I think I got my answer :)

I know a bit about Busse and I like that style a lot. The price for a Busse is still a little high for a knife that I will "use vigorously" ;) I am on the verge of my first fixed-blade purchase (total newbie, huh?) and it's looking like it will be a RAT RC-4P.
 
I don't know about the controversy, and I'm not up on the current prices, but I bought Mad Dog's ATAK Hunter five or six years ago when they were a little over $300. It was one fine knife. So much so that when a close friend, and distant relative, who was a Special Forces Captain (now Major) was on his way to Afghanistan, I gave the MD to him. He told me he like it alot, it performed all it's duties in an outstanding manner, and he employed it in the particular martial arts discipline he practices, to good measure.

Yes, it is O1 but with a very good differential heat treat and a hard chrome blade coating. The handle is exceptional in shape and supposed to be an electrical nonconductor. I am thinking of buying another but better get up to speed on current prices and ship time.

Special? Depends on what your requirements are. I think they are fine knives.

_______________________________

Wow, a day later and I checked their prices! The same knife I bought for $350 a few years ago has more than doubled! I guess I'll just be satisfied with the Randall I have coming in February!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top