Recommendation? Massdrop X Ferrum "Gent"

S

SharperThanU

Joined
Oct 29, 2019
Messages
79
I'm thinking about getting the Drop x Ferrum Forge Gent in either Rosewood or Carbon Fiber. Love the look of both. Any insights?
 
SharperThanU said:
I'm thinking about getting the Drop x Ferrum Forge Gent in either Rosewood or Carbon Fiber. Love the look of both. Any insights?
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I had one, it was pretty cool. I got the massdrop keen first which was phenominal, but when I get the gent I was kind of disappointed. Action is OK, pocket clip was pretty bad. Blade had a nice finish though and worked well as a small edc blade overall.
 
R9MltBU.jpg

Picture for size comparison with an other great knife
the SG is more robust but I overall prefer the Gent
For an office EDC it is a very good option
 
stonproject said:
I had one, it was pretty cool. I got the massdrop keen first which was phenominal, but when I get the gent I was kind of disappointed. Action is OK, pocket clip was pretty bad. Blade had a nice finish though and worked well as a small edc blade overall.
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Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
 
I really wanted to like the knife but it just did not work for me. The choil was not comfortable and holding just the handle was too short for me. I like the lines of the knife but sold it.
 
Wow!
This is the first thread where I haven’t heard people go ga-ga over the Gent.

My personal opinion is it’s a decent knife that’s over hyped.

It’s a classic drop point with just enough blade to be useful for any EDC task while still being small. Blade thickness is about right. It flips reliably, like a flipper should, but magical unicorns don’t come streaming out of it. Jimping on the flipper tab would be an improvement—but still wouldn’t lead to unicorns.

Ergonomics for a small knife are ok, but only ok; nothing extraordinary. The clip looks like a cheezy afterthought, but it works pretty well in my experience.

I have a G10 version. The overall finish is fine, absolutely no glaring defects, but nothing particularly special either. Like many others, mine required disassembly and a drop of LocTite on the pivot (mine is a second gen, not sure if still an issue).

Yes it’s a drop point manual flipper with Ti, G10, and S35VN. Mathematically it adds up. But sometimes a knife is more than the sum of its parts, and for me, that’s where the Gent falls short.

It’s a good knife that I’m luke warm to because it seems more like a mathematical exercise than a knife with soul. That sounds like BS, but it’s my honest opinion. It’s my travel knife because I know it will meet all my needs but I won’t be devastated if it gets lost or inadvertently TSA’d. It’s not on my “must rebuy” list if that happens.

In the price range I prefer the Native 5 LW, miniGrip, or Bugout. They don’t have the same materials, but they have a “je ne sais quoi” that make them more enjoyable. For me. My personal opinion.

ETA: If you’re considering the supercharged Gent, there’s always the thought of saving more for a 555-1 miniGrip, a BM Valet, or heck maybe a Kapara or SG SpiderMonkey. All of those cream the Gent.
 
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4mer_FMF said:
Wow!
This is the first thread where I haven’t heard people go ga-ga over the Gent.

My personal opinion is it’s a decent knife that’s over hyped.

It’s a classic drop point with just enough blade to be useful for any EDC task while still being small. Blade thickness is about right. It flips reliably, like a flipper should, but magical unicorns don’t come streaming out of it. Jimping on the flipper tab would be an improvement—but still wouldn’t lead to unicorns.

Ergonomics for a small knife are ok, but only ok; nothing extraordinary. The clip looks like a cheezy afterthought, but it works pretty well in my experience.

I have a G10 version. The overall finish is fine, absolutely no glaring defects, but nothing particularly special either. Like many others, mine required disassembly and a drop of LocTite on the pivot (mine is a second gen, not sure if still an issue).

Yes it’s a drop point manual flipper with Ti, G10, and S35VN. Mathematically it adds up. But sometimes a knife is more than the sum of its parts, and for me, that’s where the Gent falls short.

It’s a good knife that I’m luke warm to because it seems more like a mathematical exercise than a knife with soul. That sounds like BS, but it’s my honest opinion. It’s my travel knife because I know it will meet all my needs but I won’t be devastated if it gets lost or inadvertently TSA’d. It’s not on my “must rebuy” list if that happens.

In the price range I prefer the Native 5 LW, miniGrip, or Bugout. They don’t have the same materials, but they have a “je ne sais quoi” that make them more enjoyable. For me. My personal opinion.

ETA: If you’re considering the supercharged Gent, there’s always the thought of saving more for a 555-1 miniGrip, a BM Valet, or heck maybe a Kapara or SG SpiderMonkey. All of those cream the Gent.
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Thanks for the solid feedback! I wasn't really expecting to get so much... "meh" from mentioning the Gent either. It seemed like people had been pretty into it. I'm definitely reconsidering now! Especially given the Bugout is going for $99 on BHQ for a few days...
 
SharperThanU said:
Thanks for the solid feedback! I wasn't really expecting to get so much... "meh" from mentioning the Gent either. It seemed like people had been pretty into it. I'm definitely reconsidering now! Especially given the Bugout is going for $99 on BHQ for a few days...
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That BHQ Bugout looks pretty solid.
 
abbazaba said:
+1. However, the Gent is a great knife if you want a flipper.
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Meh, not sold on needing a flipper. Just starting to build out my collection and the Gent caught my eye, but the Bugout has been on my list for a long time. It keeps getting superseded though, either for a sprint run from spyderco or a mnandi that pops up with an inlay that catches my eyes well. Always something it seems like. I'm limited to a knife per month or thereabouts haha.
 
I like my Gent well enough, but have just taken to carrying a bit more beef. If looking specifically for a light, thin knife for gentleman's carry, it's as good as many out there.

HwquSR9.jpg
 
SharperThanU said:
Meh, not sold on needing a flipper. Just starting to build out my collection and the Gent caught my eye, but the Bugout has been on my list for a long time. It keeps getting superseded though, either for a sprint run from spyderco or a mnandi that pops up with an inlay that catches my eyes well. Always something it seems like. I'm limited to a knife per month or thereabouts haha.
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Try the massdrop laconico keen if you can find one. They're very nice. Bigger than the gent though.
 
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