Is Master Cutlery REALLY so bad? Low Budget Knives

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Kuszotke

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Hey guys. First off, i'm not sure if this is the correct place to post this in. Just move the thread please if anythings wrong.
Second, first post. New on the forums. Hello.

I wanna buy my first knife, with a pretty low budget. (100PLN, 25 USD)

I really want the Master Cutlery HK-2236B knife, but i heard the company is absolute garbage.

HOWEVER, user reviews of this knife at least tell a different story, and they don't go below 4 stars on a 5 star scale.

So the question here is: Is Master Cutlery REALLY so bad? I highly doubt that it will break after being dropped from the roof of a two story building (or maybe even a four story) - i mean, it's steel. Maybe not the best of the best but it is steel.

I tried asking this question on other forums but really all i got was a wave of hate, butthurt and people telling me to buy a Mora knife (which is not for my needs, absolutely)

I hope fellow englishmen (that includes Americans don't feel missed out!)

Also sorry for being a moron and making another "what should i buy is it good" thread. Forgive plz.
Sorry.
 
Welcome. :thumbup:

What reviews? The "unsolicited, unbiased testimonials" on the sites that sell the knives?

If that hollow handle survival knife of theirs "does" something for you, then buy it. It will probably cut stuff for a while, and won't explode or crumble into dust. Probably.

One could have fun playing with it. Nothing wrong with that.
 
I would recommend to stay away from United Cutlery, Master Cutlery and M-Tech for knives that will actually be used. They often use inferior steel and are known for breaking at random, I had one of those generic hollow handle knives and the blade broke off the handle while cutting through a small branch. They're okay for playing with, but don't rely on it. For a cheap-ish hollow handle knife that can be safely used, check out Schrade SCHF1.
 
My personal policy is- I only speak of the quality, or lack their of, of knives I actually have experience with.

Here is a tale of two knives-

Below are pictures of two knives I own. The first is a Wilson Tactical model 25, it cost $300 and was made by the same company that makes high-end custom 1911 handguns (Wilson Combat). Wilson Tactical knives were made-to-order, and they are very high quality. I carried and regularly used (abused) the Wilson for work for a decade (shipping dock, construction). I literally beat on that knife, and did a lot of hard prying with it. It has served me very well.

Before I get to the second knife, let me explain that part of the enjoyment of my "knife hobby" is to buy inexpensive fixed-blades that catch my eye and find out if they are any good for actual use.

The second knife is a Master cutlery MU-1132, which I purchased new from Amazon for $8.50 (that's not a typo, eight dollars and fifty cents). I really liked the design and dimensions of the knife, so I bought one and started putting it through it's paces, both at home and on a construction site, lots of cutting and prying, as well as battoning it through some heavy rope. I was so impressed with it's performance, and the edge retention, that the Master knife has replaced the Wilson as both my work knife and my daily carry fixed-blade.

I still have the Wilson, and it's still perfectly usable, but it gives me a certain satisfaction to "get the job done" using such an inexpensive knife. I'm not saying the Master is at the same quality level as the Wilson, but the Master is good enough for my needs.

If I let people convince me that Master Cutlery knives were garbage I never would have bought this knife. And considering how much I like it, and how well it serves me, that would have been unfortunate.

I bought a second one for myself (while the price was so low), and I bought a few more to loan to my employees (construction company). I can't speak to the quality of other Master Cutlery knives, only the ones I own. One of the nice things about inexpensive knives is- if you buy them and don't like them, you didn't lose much. But on the other hand, you might be pleasantly surprised and wind up with a new favorite knife like me.

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The Schrade recommendation is a good one. Not a Reeve but exponentially better that most of OPKs.
 
I've had a few cheap hollow handled survival knives and they're all the same, the tang of the knife is just a bolt welded on and the handles are attached with a nut which is not strong at all. If you do buy one you might want to fill the handle half way with jb weld, you'll be losing some storage space but the handles are never fully waterproof anyways and you'll gain some strength.

I don't know what you'll be using this knife for, but if it's for a general camp type knife you'd be much better getting a marbles Bowie machete which costs about 15$ here in the US, it's full tang, made of a better quality steel, and made in the condor factory in El Salvador ( condor is a maker of woodcrafting blades known for they're quality and affordable price )
 
Like you said, it's steel, so it'll cut. But I highly suggest against getting a cheapo hollow handle knife. Get a full tang knife from them.

And welcome to bf
 
That's the problem with those knives, the quality greatly varies from model to model and seeing as the OP has a limited budget, I would imagine that they don't want to spend money to find out that the model they got isn't one of the good ones. Cheap hollow handle knives are notorious for failing under any sort of remotely hard use, even when whittling. Besides the Schrade I would suggest to look into Condor or Cold Steel, like the Cold Steel Bushman or Condor Matagi, those are very sturdy designs and still give you some ability to store stuff inside the handle (stuff a ziplock bag in there, etc) or to use them as a spear.
 
The hollow handle is absolutely unnecessary by the way. I just need a cheap but good tac knife. Condors are super hard to find here in Europe, or at least my region.
 
Kuszotke said:
The hollow handle is absolutely unnecessary by the way. I just need a cheap but good tac knife. Condors are super hard to find here in Europe, or at least my region.
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In that case I'd recommend something like the Cold Steel GI Tanto. I don't have one but I've handled a few of them, they're nice and cheap (under $30) and very sturdy. Schrade also has some decent options in that price range like the Schrade SCHF series.
 
Apparently Europe has it more expensive. Both those knives are almost twice my budget.

Finding and picking a knife is way harder than i thought.
 
Yeah the tariffs and shipping tend to add up. I'd suggest to check local stores or that big auction site, may be able to find a lightly used one.
 
My experience is similar to that of Killgar.

I've bought a few Master Cutlery products, mostly to practice mods and regrinds with my 1x30 belt sander. I also thought they would set a baseline for "poor" performance to compare my higher end knives against.

In my experience, the fixed blades I've used are pretty decent. I personally wouldn't by a hollow handle knife from them though. I think the risk of failure is too high for that design on a low end knife. I would maybe look at the MTech 151 instead.

Here is a MU-1130 I reground a while back, I literally paid under $9 shipped for it:

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They are garbage, as are United Cutlery knives & M-Tech.

You can go to the lower cost line of Spyderco, which is their Byrd line, and get a decent knife.
 
Kuszotke said:
The hollow handle is absolutely unnecessary by the way. I just need a cheap but good tac knife. Condors are super hard to find here in Europe, or at least my region.
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Does the knife have to be tactical ? If not you could always go for a mora or shop around at second hand stores / yard sales for an old hunting knife or carbon steel kitchen knife .
there are loads of high quality fixed blades to be had for a very low cost you just have to be prepared to sacrifice unnecessary style points or to recondition something old and neglected.


BTW I looked up the particular knife that your interested in, and saw that it happens to he the same exact knife my brother bought from the local army surplus store. It was a horrible piece of crap and the tang snapped the first time he tried to chop into a 2x4 piece of pine, luckily I convinced him to wear my cowhide work gloves or he would've needed stitches.
I'd definitely save yourself a hospital trip and buy something else.
 
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Kind of. The mora has a profiled handle and a pretty short blade. I heard it's light too. That's why i'm going for tacticals. I'll look at Glock FM78 prices for a while, maybe they drop down. But suggest me anything you can and give me your opinions about MC knives.
 
T.K.C. said:
They are garbage, as are United Cutlery knives & M-Tech.

You can go to the lower cost line of Spyderco, which is their Byrd line, and get a decent knife.
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my mtech balisong has held up strong for over a year with obsessive compulsory flipping. also have a kbit from them that has symmetric grinds and holds a decent edge.

they're not great but far from garbage IMO. does byrd even make fixed blades?
 
I'm not sure how they're priced in the UK, but I have a Glock Field knife in my toolbox that I've beaten the snot out of. I've used that knife in every way a knife shouldn't be used (pry bar, lever, scraper). The blade coating looks like crap but the knife is still sound and ready for more. I once sharpened it in a pinch with a rat tail file. :eek:

I've seen them as low as $30USD, not sure how that translates.
 
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