Mass drop knives

Guess what was waiting for me at home...
I'm uploading a video of my initial impressions. In short, I am impressed with the Falcon. It's been a while since a knife inspired me enough to make a video about it.

i.ashx

i.ashx
 
Another photo of the Falcon with my only actual Ferrum Forge knife (Pretium) and some other Massdrop goodies. I guess they kind of go together since that was their first mass-produced knife (if you can call 100 mass produced) and the Falcon was first in this line of collaborations.

i.ashx


I got to thinking about the video I did and decided that it was really stupid that I didn’t grab any other ball bearing flippers for it, especially my favorite, the ZT 0900. They are very similar in size (photo perspective skews it). I will be doing a follow-up video to do that.

i.ashx
 
I really hope Massdrop does another run of the Crux and Falcon with the QC issues sorted out, they both seem to be really popular, and aside from the handful that weren't perfect people seem really happy with them.

I ordered the 3rd one, the Gentleman or something like that, but I will have to wait until February most likely to get it! Mad I missed out on the Falcon, but I did not have the money at the time. Now that I have it, nobody seems to want to sell theirs, and the few that are sold here have been gone in minutes.
 
I really hope Massdrop does another run of the Crux and Falcon with the QC issues sorted out, they both seem to be really popular, and aside from the handful that weren't perfect people seem really happy with them.

I ordered the 3rd one, the Gentleman or something like that, but I will have to wait until February most likely to get it! Mad I missed out on the Falcon, but I did not have the money at the time. Now that I have it, nobody seems to want to sell theirs, and the few that are sold here have been gone in minutes.
The Crux hasn't even been shipped yet so I don't see how it can have QC issues.

I don't think many people outside of the first 500 received theirs yet so you're probably going to see more hitting the market in the coming weeks. I'd also expect that Massdrop will have ordered more so they can do another drop or they'll be doing another run at some point.
 
In short, I am impressed with the Falcon. It's been a while since a knife inspired me enough to make a video about it.
Impressed? I had the opposite when I got it. Even if the detent was good (it is not) I could not suggest or recommend this model.
 
Impressed? I had the opposite when I got it. Even if the detent was good (it is not) I could not suggest or recommend this model.

What is your issue with the detent? I looked back but didn’t see where you mentioned anything specific. I can only speak for my example (see the video):
  • It flips beautifully, effortlessly, and reliably. It flips very similarly to my Ferrum Forge Pretium which is great.
  • It opens easily via the hole.
  • The blade is retained well when closed.
I can’t ask for much more than that from a detent. Now I obviously can’t say that it will perform this well for a year or even a week. These are just my initial impressions. It compares very favorably to my ZT 0900, my favorite bearing flipper, though the actions are dialed in very differently.

I handed the Falcon to my knife last night and she wanted one. She was disappointed that they are not currently available. At best she is tolerant of my knife obsession and is typically pretty critical of anything I hand her. I wish I had done a video when I handed her an Emerson :eek:
 
What is your issue with the detent? I looked back but didn’t see where you mentioned anything specific. I can only speak for my example (see the video):
  • It flips beautifully, effortlessly, and reliably. It flips very similarly to my Ferrum Forge Pretium which is great.
  • It opens easily via the hole.
  • The blade is retained well when closed.
I can’t ask for much more than that from a detent. Now I obviously can’t say that it will perform this well for a year or even a week. These are just my initial impressions. It compares very favorably to my ZT 0900, my favorite bearing flipper, though the actions are dialed in very differently.

I handed the Falcon to my knife last night and she wanted one. She was disappointed that they are not currently available. At best she is tolerant of my knife obsession and is typically pretty critical of anything I hand her. I wish I had done a video when I handed her an Emerson :eek:
I think that the significant majority of opinions concerning the Falcon have been very positive. I like the knife and would only wish to change a couple of minor things about it.

For the large part the most vocal "haters" haven't done a very articulate job of describing and justifying the hate. I understand the issue that someone had with the clip; for such a small knife it really should be less "high profile". I can understand simply not liking the knife once in hand, but to attack the quality, fit and finish makes no sense to me.
 
I'm quite happy with my Falcon. Have had it for about 3 weeks now, no. 0090. Quality construction, perfect flipper détente action, and the blade finger choil and spine thumb jimping and choil design features accommodate a comfortable full four finger grip in the choke up positions for fine blade control. I've added a nice lanyard to extend the finger grip in the back handle holding positions. Really, a well designed and executed knife at its price point.

The only thing I'd change is having a carry clip made of spring steel. Nothing jimpy, like the Spyderco clips, but something a little beefier, perhaps with design elements, sorta like Steel Will's new similar Cutjack Mini. Aftermarket?
 
I like how I'm a hater because I don't like it and got qc issues with mine.
Mo2, I never intended to label you a hater. I apologize for minimalizing your complaint. We tend to have similar views on knives, so I never meant to belittle yours.

You complained about poor fit in your hand and a weak detent. Fit problems are purely subjective and detent strength is largely too. Neither should make a knife universally "suck".

You mentioned sending it back to MD to address detent issues but have never offered follow up. Did FF/WE/MD blow you off ? What has been their response to a service request?

I understand that fit and detent strength are a critical and highly personal item in folding knives, but what can you bring us to justify the general "it sucks" by your opinion?

I'm really curious because I've had one for over a month now and I still think it's a darn good knife for the money...
 
Mo2, I never intended to label you a hater. I apologize for minimalizing your complaint. We tend to have similar views on knives, so I never meant to belittle yours.

You complained about poor fit in your hand and a weak detent. Fit problems are purely subjective and detent strength is largely too. Neither should make a knife universally "suck".

You mentioned sending it back to MD to address detent issues but have never offered follow up. Did FF/WE/MD blow you off ? What has been their response to a service request?

I understand that fit and detent strength are a critical and highly personal item in folding knives, but what can you bring us to justify the general "it sucks" by your opinion?

I'm really curious because I've had one for over a month now and I still think it's a darn good knife for the money...

Yes, Mo2 Mo2 , I'm curious to know about your detent issues and the other reasons you would not recommend the Falcon. Other than the clip (minor; I think a bent, spring metal clip would have been better functionally) I don't see anything objective not to like, at least based on my example. Even the clip is really a subjective.
 
I got mine tonight and have looked it over. It's a decent knife with a few flaws that could be fixed fairly easily.

Good: Centered, no play, grinds look good. Nice flipping action. Most edges are chamfered in some way. Knife feels stout, definitely not a knife you should need to baby.

Neutral: The logos are not on the presentation side and, IMO, aren't obnoxious. Ergos seem OK for me but I would need to use it for a while to really comment here. Knife is sharp but not spectacularly so. Can't open it with the hole but that's what the flipper is for.

Odd: Why is there a screw hole on the presentation side that serves no purpose and is empty? Like wtf.

Bad: Jimping needs to have edges knocked off badly. Pocket clip design is not great - I could barely clip it on and off my PJs (hey it's 2am) and it sits the knife way higher than I would want, I can also see how it could bend. No cutout relief on presentation side to access frame lock - this is my first one so I may not have the mechanics of it down but my liner locks are a snap to close and this is far from that. Honestly it's a bit disappointing that FF designed it like this but the problems are fixable.

Other: Does the knife need to be so thick? I'd probably opt for standoffs vs the backspacer if it was an option. Both of these would lighten the knife although that might trade some of it's stoutness. Lockup on mine is ~20%, that's less than I would like to see but I gather on this type of knife that is normal and it will increase with useage. A slight relief on the blade by the flipper to allow the detent ball to more easily pass at the beginning of closing would be a nice tweak as well, I keep hanging up on the detent ball.

I will likely sell this off, it IS a nice knife in general but it really doesn't suit me at all - I knew going in it was tip up and that pretty much means I won't use it as an EDC but I had wanted to check out a Ti framelock flipper and SV35N and this seemed like a good opportunity. If not I will knock the edges off the jimping, find/make a different clip, and grind a relief on the presentation side to allow access to the frame lock... but at that point why not just get something else?
 
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I got mine tonight and have looked it over. It's a decent knife with a few flaws that could be fixed fairly easily.

Good: Centered, no play, grinds look good. Nice flipping action. Most edges are chamfered in some way. Knife feels stout, definitely not a knife you should need to baby.

Neutral: The logos are not on the presentation side and, IMO, aren't obnoxious. Ergos seem OK for me but I would need to use it for a while to really comment here. Knife is sharp but not spectacularly so. Can't open it with the hole but that's what the flipper is for.

Odd: Why is there a screw hole on the presentation side that serves no purpose and is empty? Like wtf.

Bad: Jimping needs to have edges knocked off badly. Pocket clip design is not great - I could barely clip it on and off my PJs (hey it's 2am) and it sits the knife way higher than I would want, I can also see how it could bend. No cutout relief on presentation side to access frame lock - this is my first one so I may not have the mechanics of it down but my liner locks are a snap to close and this is far from that. Honestly it's a bit disappointing that FF designed it like this but the problems are fixable.

Other: Does the knife need to be so thick? I'd probably opt for standoffs vs the backspacer if it was an option. Both of these would lighten the knife although that might trade some of it's stoutness. Lockup on mine is ~20%, that's less than I would like to see but I gather on this type of knife that is normal and it will increase with useage. A slight relief on the blade by the flipper to allow the detent ball to more easily pass at the beginning of closing would be a nice tweak as well, I keep hanging up on the detent ball.

I will likely sell this off, it IS a nice knife in general but it really doesn't suit me at all - I knew going in it was tip up and that pretty much means I won't use it as an EDC but I had wanted to check out a Ti framelock flipper and SV35N and this seemed like a good opportunity. If not I will knock the edges off the jimping, find/make a different clip, and grind a relief on the presentation side to allow access to the frame lock... but at that point why not just get something else?

Good points. I would probably recommend going a different direction rather than make the modifications. If the size suits you check out a ZT 0900. It’s my favorite all-around flipper. They are discontinued now but shouldn’t be difficult to get at this point. The 0808 would probably be my favorite if the flipper tab was designed better. For me, its shape often allows my finger to slide over it and not open the knife. I have to concentrate while opening it. The 0450 is another good option. The only issue I have with it is that it’s so slim that it’s difficult to keep my finger off the lockbar and it will not open with any pressure on the lockbar. All three can be found lightly used for around the price of the Falcon currently.
 
The only bad thing I have to say about the falcon is the jimping. I'm a big fan of jimping, and GOOD jimping at that, but on the falcon it's super sharp and I'm left asking myself why. Hoping that the crux and gent aren't quite as bitey.

As for everyone complaining and/or stating how small it is, all you had to do was read the specs to see how small it really is, shouldn't be a shocker. There were a bunch of other signs of its size, screw sizes and finger choil relative to the rest of the knife, etc.
 
Odd: Why is there a screw hole on the presentation side that serves no purpose and is empty? Like wtf.
I believe that hole is there in the presentation side so you have the option to reverse the pocket clip for a lefty.
 
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