Cheap Folding Knives =? Crappy Detents

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Sharperthansticks

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Sep 19, 2017
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I've only recently gotten into knives, and while I have a number of pricier ones, I like to buy cheaper knives because, well, you can buy more of them to compare and contrast (read "flip on your couch while watching T.V.").

I have noticed, though--and yes, I admit that I don't have that many data points at all, which is why the subject line is actually a question--that the cheapies tend to have crappy detents, and you have to fix them to have a good knife. I fixed my Kizer Vanguard Gemini (and now it flips like a champ), and now I have to fix my brand new Ruike P801.

Do others have this experience with cheap folding knives, or are these two just anomalies?
 
marcinek said:
Cheap knives are crappy. But inexpensive knives are not necessarily crappy. And I have never heard anyone call these brands "cheap."
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Just like bad slicers are bad slicers.

I'm glad you are having fun flipping knives on the couch while watching tv! That's cool.

But I am going to strongly suggest finding some excuse to actually cut things with your new knives. Make a fruit salad. Cut up a pizza box. Whittle the bark off a stick. Whatever. Doing actual cutting would answer many of the questions you are posing. :thumbsup:
 
Define crappy? Are those both tab flippers?

I don't know Ruike but I always thought Kizer was mid tier. I've had cheap Kershaws and a couple Byrd knives, I never had any detent issues.
 
I had a Rat 2 and a couple Kershaw's in the past, and they had excellent detents especially the Rat. Cheapest folders I've owned.
 
One knife costs $52, and the other costs $30, so yes, compared to a ZT 0562CF, which cost me $240 (or a Manix 2 back lock, which cost me around $120, I think), they are cheap--which refers, strictly speaking, to their cost. This claim of economic cheapness doesn't strike me as unfair, so my original question still remains.
 
Slight correction: My Kizer Vanguard Begleit er was $52; that is not the exact price of the Vanguard Gemini.

Marcinek, thanks for the recommendation. I use my pocket knives for a little bit of food preparation (cutting up an apple and/or cutting meat) at work each day, but not much more. But how would *using* the knives (as opposed to just flipping them) shed light on how well the detent is set up?
 
Sharperthansticks said:
Slight correction: My Kizer Vanguard Begleit er was $52; that is not the exact price of the Vanguard Gemini.

Marcinek, thanks for the recommendation. I use my pocket knives for a little bit of food preparation (cutting up an apple and/or cutting meat) at work each day, but not much more. But how would *using* the knives (as opposed to just flipping them) shed light on how well the detent is set up?
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Because they are quality knives designed to be actually used. They weren't designed to suit the needs of the "couch flipper."

And they should not be called "crappy" because they don't suit the "couch flipper"'s needs.

If you use them, and they did not suit those needs, then you may have cause to call them crappy.
 
I've had many knives under $20 with perfect detents , but logically you might expect better quality production and QC as you pay more . Not always the actual reality in my experience .
 
While I do think one should use their knives, I think he's just referring to the detent as being crappy. He could be referring to getting a "lemon" when it comes to recieving a knife with poor detent, or he could be generalizing a knife design as having a design flaw in its detent system. I would guess probably the first one, but who knows. People often mix up the words "cheap" and "inexpensive." Not that "cheap" is necessarily the wrong word to use, but "inexpensive" is a lot more specific in that it refers specifically to the price. "Cheap" is open to interpretation unless you specific state that you are referring to price.

But on another note, one of the benefits of an inexpensive lockback/midlock back knife is that you typically don't have to worry about detent issues. One less thing to worry about if you buy something like a Spyderco Delica, Buck 110, etc. I guess
 
cashville said:
While I do think one should use their knives, I think he's just referring to the detent as being crappy. He could be referring to getting a "lemon" when it comes to recieving a knife with poor detent, or he could be generalizing a knife design as having a design flaw in its detent system. I would guess probably the first one, but who knows. People often mix up the words "cheap" and "inexpensive." Not that "cheap" is necessarily the wrong word to use, but "inexpensive" is a lot more specific in that it refers specifically to the price. "Cheap" is open to interpretation unless you specific state that you are referring to price.

But on another note, one of the benefits of an inexpensive lockback/midlock back knife is that you typically don't have to worry about detent issues. One less thing to worry about if you buy something like a Spyderco Delica, Buck 110, etc. I guess
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Agreed ! And Cold Steel .
 
Marcinek still misses the point. The detent on both knives are bad. The knives are cheap in that they don't cost a lot of money. Talking about whether or not I should use them more is immaterial to how well the detent is set up. The topic is the detent--deploying the knife, not using it.

And people shouldn't take offense when I say that these knives are cheap, because they literally are; they do not cost a lot of money. A banana is cheap, too, but that doesn't make it bad.

People are getting distracted about my question as to whether or not there's a correlation between poor detents and the selling prices of knives. You'd think they personally manufactured what I'm talking about.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
Marcinek still misses the point. The detent on both knives are bad. The knives are cheap in that they don't cost a lot of money. Talking about whether or not I should use them more is immaterial to how well the detent is set up. The topic is the detent--deploying the knife, not using it.

And people shouldn't take offense when I say that these knives are cheap, because they literally are; they do not cost a lot of money. A banana is cheap, too, but that doesn't make it bad.

People are getting distracted about my question as to whether or not there's a correlation between poor detents and the selling prices of knives. You'd think they personally manufactured what I'm talking about.
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I guess what I'm asking is, how is it poor? Is it not holding the blade in? Is it too loose, too tight, not to your liking?

The closest thing i can think of is the Southard I had that didn't flip quite as snappy as my ZT0450, it felt like the blade opened with much less effort but this made for an incomplete flip, whereas the ZT needed more force but once you broke the detent it flipped open quite slick.
 
Sharperthansticks said:
Marcinek still misses the point. The detent on both knives are bad.
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Fine. You meant "inexpensive."

And I get that you find the detent poor for sitting on the couch flipping.

If you knocked off the edge with a cinder block it would be a great edge for sitting on the couch flipping.

See the point?

But again, in a similar vein to your slicers thread earlier, more expensive knives may be better built than less expensive knives. Like good slicers are better slicers than bad slicers.

That is all for actual use, not couch flipping.
 
lieferung said:
I guess what I'm asking is, how is it poor? Is it not holding the blade in? Is it too loose, too tight, not to your liking?

The closest thing i can think of is the Southard I had that didn't flip quite as snappy as my ZT0450, it felt like the blade opened with much less effort but this made for an incomplete flip, whereas the ZT needed more force but once you broke the detent it flipped open quite slick.
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Yep, does the blade easily come out when not intended? When you flip the knife, does the blade not fully flip into the locked position without flicking the wrist?
 
I don't own any knives from the manufacturers in question, so I can't speak to that specifically, But from what I've been reading over the past couple of years, the detent on a flipper being too tight or too loose seem to be quite subjective. Some like a nice loose detent and some prefer it much tighter. I think you have some nice "inexpensive" knives that you can use to learn how to make the adjustments properly!

As to people not understanding your OP. I think you need to work on the wording of the title a bit. You do kinda equate cheap with crappy in the title, and most people already usually equate "cheap" with crappy.
 
All mass produced knives can have detent issues. Even customs can have detent issues. If you buy it from some where you can send it back right away to get a different one (ask politely to have them check it before it ships). -or if it's been past the date for return, do a warranty.

The cheaper knives will undoubtedly have less quality control and may have more knives slip by. But that's debatable.
 
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