Knife that didn’t live up to the hype.

FullMetalJackass said:
I've been waiting 5 long years to get it mine done, and this is one of the most perfect knife I own.
Maybe skipping the line was a bad idea?

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Maybe, but The Randall Model 14 that I got from an authorized dealer is a sad/poor example of a hand made knife. Like an apprentice, or a student made it. There are other makers of hand made knives out there that are stunning in quality and craftsmanship. I'm actually embarrassed to show it off to my friends/family because of the poor quality. When you buy a Randall sadly you are just buying a name.
 
Hurrul said:
SwampRat Ratmandu - purchased 2011 or so. Primary grinds varied on each side. One side started in the middle the blade and the other side started about a 1/3 of the way down from the spine.

Consequently, the edge bevels did not align either and the knife barely had a working edge.

Perhaps this asymmetry was on purpose, but it was not mentioned in the product description.

Did afford me the opportunity to re-bevel an edge for the 1st time.
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So, like a normal Busse then. Ah.
 
I had to reflect on this subject for a while before replying.

As an avid reader of this forum and others with regard to cutlery, I have not experienced too much in the way of knives that showed me something that I didn't already expect or know might be a foible.

That said, I will go with the Strider SNG - while not a bad knife, it really didn't seem like a great knife, and that is what the hyperbole might lead you to believe.

It was well centered and had smooth action, but it was blocky and not comfortable in my hand. It had good blade steel (XHP) but didn't endear itself to me, and thus was sold out of my collection.

best

mqqn
 
Quiet said:
So, like a normal Busse then. Ah.
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Too true.

I tried some Busse models, too. While none of them had the primary grind alignment issues, none of them had serviceable edges for what I would need them for. Granted, they might have been great for splitting rocks or turning a car body into scrap and what not, my overall experience was an education for me as to how a manufacturer could sell a knife with out a working edge (or a sheath) and claim it was a finished product. If this had been a single occurance, fine. But, this inconsistent edge finishing was consistent through out my experience with these two brands so as to make it appear as an acceptable practice of their quality control.

While I knew I was purchasing a blade with out a sheath, it grated on me a bit after the above circumstances. I tried one more Swamprat (Rodent Solution) and while the primary grinds were aligned, it was not a cutting tool until I reground the edge bevels.

Somehow, the Scrapyard Rodent 3 and 7 I purchased had even, serviceable edges.....out of the same manufacturing facility.

Go figure.
 
Emerson has already caught a lot of heat here, so I'll just say a company that rhymes with Shmemerson.

Part of it was my fault. In my teens I had a mentor/friend/martial arts instructor that carried an Emerson Combat Karambit and it was The Coolest Thing I Had Ever Seen, so of course I saved my pennies and picked up a CQC-8. Great ergonomics, fantastic blade shape, wave worked wonderfully, grinds were on point and stonewash was just dead on gorgeous. Nobody mentions it, but I think the do the best stonewash finish in the the industry.

Unfortunately, the lock stuck so bad you needed something to help leverage it over to get it to close, the scales were lopsided, the pivot screw backed entirely out within a week of use and it had extremely gritty action. I was legitimately crushed. A couple more times I gave them a try thinking I had gotten a lemon and neither one was as bad, but they certainly weren't good, so I gave up on them entirely.
 
The Bk9 was one for me. Great knife but it just didn't fit me quite right and I find I gravitate to either slightly smaller (7-8") or a lot bigger (12-14"). It was good, just not as impressive as the very high hopes I had for it. I think the Becker handle just isn't for me after trying a few now. The tweeners, 100% good to go.
 
Emerson was the first to come to mind. I carried the original Benchmade version of the CQC for years and loved it. When I lost it I was absolutely overjoyed to find out Emerson had started making production versions...what a hunk of crap those turned out to be. I tired 7 or 8 from 2010 - 2015 and everyone was worse then the one before.
Also Hinderer just was a disappointing experience for me but that wasn’t the knifes fault. Amazing quality just didn’t fit my hand well and I’ve found I’m not a flipper kinda guy.
 
TheTourist said:
Wow, I must have been out of the game for far too long! I never thought I'd read about negativity when it comes to cutlery companies like ZT, Emerson and even Spyderco. I just bought a new Spyderco and the bevel was straight, true and uniform--front to back and left to right.

As I stated, I have a very cordial relationship with the people I buy knives from. Is it possible that they "inspect" the shipments of folders and only mail out the best copies? Of course, that would entail shipping vast amounts of rejects back to the manufacturer.

Wouldn't all of us have heard about such a big dust-up before this, if that's the case?
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Well, I mean, you have not stopped talking about your Mini Tuff Lite, so I'm not sure you're someone who should be attempting to infer that the personal experiences of others are somehow invalid. Furthermore, people are posting literally all the time right here on this Forum about issues with fit, finish, poor design choices, and other issues with the knives they buy. I know, I know, it's crazy, right?
 
bikerector said:
The Bk9 was one for me. Great knife but it just didn't fit me quite right and I find I gravitate to either slightly smaller (7-8") or a lot bigger (12-14"). It was good, just not as impressive as the very high hopes I had for it. I think the Becker handle just isn't for me after trying a few now. The tweeners, 100% good to go.
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I could never see the use of the BK-9 in my world. I know it's a good knife. The handle is too fat for my hands unless I'm chopping and that goes for the BK-7 as well in terms of the handle. I do like the BK-7, but I hesitate to ever carry it in the woods. It just isn't "me". For chopping, I want something bigger than a 9" blade unless I'm just making do.
 
22-rimfire said:
I don't see much difference relative to the nail nick. I like Peanuts, but at this point in time they are still a little small for me when the Vic Small Tinker being just a little larger is much more useable and has the extra tools to boot.

The Kabar Becker BK-2 was the biggest hyped knife that I didn't like at all. Survival knife.... get a BK-2. Woods knife... get a BK-2. The knife just doesn't work as a knife for me.
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I didn’t like the BK-2 either...the blade is too thick for its length IMO
 
Emerson- I was so disappointed given the hype about how crappy they are. I bought one thinking that all the naysayers would be correct, and it turns out to be one of my favorites knives!

Sooooo disappointed (with all the naysayers that is- they just don't live up to the hype they think they deserve).
 
  • All benchmade models---The axis lock felt quite flimsy to me, and it also took painfully long to disassemble and clean compared to spydercos
  • Hinderer gen 6 xm-18---Solid feeling knife but didn't enjoy the ergos, and the detent was a bit too strong. Also, I didn't enjoy look of the knife particularly with one side being full ti and the other g10.
  • Northarms skaha 2---Thin liner lock paired with linerless g10 handles made the knife feel a bit cheap. Great action though.
 
Nothing ever lives up to the hype, not even Excalibur. That’s not to say that there aren’t excellent knives out there.

n2s
 
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