Do you have any dealbreakers?

I also need to add assisted opening and double edge blades, since those are illegal here.

And possibly rounded handles.
 
PirateSeulb said:
In not particular order

1. Carbon Steel
2. Made in != USA, Germany, Italy, or Japan*
3. I cannot work it left handed ie standard compression lock
4. Assisted Open

*Some exceptions to #2 they mostly a case by case basis
Click to expand...
Adding:
5. Thumbstuds
 
Interesting.

I generally don't care where is a knife made as long as it's good quality for fair price and suits my needs.
 
You people are too damn picky.

the only dealbreakers for me are shoddy workmanship or poor customer service.

otherwise, I'm game to try anything. I might not purchase it, but nothing is a "dealbreaker" except shoddy workmanship or poor customer service.
 
I don't see myself as too picky more so I have learned there are some things that I don't want to deal with as well as features that I don't like. I do concede there is a part where I let my own ethics and politics also guide my purchases to a degree hence what it is noted as not being absolute.
 
Bad ergonomics
Poor mechanical action
Complicated assembly/disassembly
Over complicated mechanical design
Gap between concept and design choice

I usually don’t like serrations
 
Gaps (parts not being flush when they should), poor alignment and fit, off center blades, warped blades/scales/etc, poor machining, bad hardware, blade play in any direction when open or closed for folding knives, unchamfered/unrounded edges etc.

Anything that's handmade that I can immediately tell is handmade (in a bad way), or anything that's machined that doesn't have the precision I would expect (also in a bad way). The pinnacle of knife craftsmanship are handmade knives that could pass for being machine made - they're just that perfect. Knives that are largely machine manufactured can be good too, but they'd better be mechanically perfect.

All of this should come before any design choices, or things like finishing (colors, materials, coating, etc). I'd rather buy a well made tip-down carry, assisted, serrated, black-coated tanto knife from China than a a knife without any of those things but with poorly manufactured and fit parts made in the USA. Not that I'd actually buy either of those.
 
Bad pocket clips.
If they catch stuff easily, bend out easily, or get loose easily.

I don't care how nice the the rest of the knife is and tip up or down is fine, but if the clip looks or performs like crap I'm done with it.
 
I have to like it. Good or bad doesn't matter so much as a good knife I don't like and a bad knife I do are probably not wise choices for my few dollars. As for deal breakers past that: Company with probably shady dealings or beginnings, companies who abuse their supporters and sell on marketing rather than substance. Pre-order. At the end of the day, there are enough good honest people, trying to do good honest work, I don't need to look at those who are willing to scrape for every dollar, might have financed their start in shady ways, or are willing to put their name on work that is not their own. I don't even need to agree with the philosophy of the maker, so long as its come by honestly. There are plenty of guys I'm sure I agree with that I won't have the funds to buy their stuff, why worry about a simple quibble, if its the knife I need? But someone needs to remember that for all the bluster and stolen valor in this industry, there are a few guys with real skeletons in the closet, and deals done wrong that didn't need to be.
 
Anything without a steel lock-bar insert.
Bearings. I try to avoid bearings on hard use folders.
wharncliffes and clip-points
Anything I have to send out of the U.S. For warranty or sharpening.
 
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:confused: Price !

There are plenty of otherwise great knives out there that I'll never own just simply because they are overpriced IMO .

I love Cold Steel , because they usually don't limit production and they aren't too crazy strict with their MAP .

I can almost always get a bargain if I wait awhile (or longer) .

Waited 2-3yrs for their AD-10 to reach $100 . 10 minutes after opening the box , it displaced my regular old EDC that I'd carried for many years . :cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Full stop if the company steals IP or makes counterfeit products.

Not a dealbreaker, but I don’t like a weak detent. Kinda spooky when I drop a folder and it opens when it hits the floor.
 
I like bevels uniform front to back and left to right. In most cases, I have to "fix" the factory edge. If a hobbyist like me can make a uniform edge, why can't a factory trained craftsman?

DSC03031.JPG
 
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