Medford knives criticism

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If you like them, cool....if not, cool. Some guys like traditional knives more than modern folders and vise versa. We like what we like. I personally would never get one, but a lot of guys would never get a Buck 110 or 112, which I have on my side everyday....one or the other, not both at the same time :thumbsup:
 
I have to say that the folks talking about Medfords not being able to cut anything candidly have no idea what they're talking about, and it's frankly getting kind of embarrassing (ignorance often is). The designs aren't for everyone, but the actual knives themselves cut quite well. I have a fullsize Praetorian in spearpoint that will do anything a smaller, thinner knife will. Sure, they're pocket bricks with a polarizing design, same with Greg. That "warranty" letter, I thought made his position quite clear: "If you screw around with this knife, kiss your warranty goodbye". I'm a big car guy, and I've modified every car I've ever owned knowing that this exact same situation was awaiting me if I ever needed to take it a dealer for work. I'm not going to blame the dealer if I break something. So, I'm not sure why Medford is denigrated for making clear that if you monkey with the knife beyond standard sharpening maintenance, it's on you. I wouldn't want to have to fix a knife broken by somebody screwing with my design either.
 
Ridiculous geometry, expensive especially for using D2 which doesn't even have high impact resistance. Plus he has been recorded saying he doesn't carry a knife along with unsavory statements. There's plenty to not like; do a search.
 
Fanglekai said:
... he has been recorded saying he doesn't carry a knife along with unsavory statements. There's plenty to not like; do a search.
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If it's true Greg Medford doesn't carry a knife then no one should carry his knives. If he's an unhappy man, he has no joy to share in his work.
 
I sold a few Medford’s i have spoken with Greg also with his wife when we needed a catalog, they were always very helpful. The people buying from us wanted a large knife so they understood what they were buying.
Never had any returned or anyone say they would not preform.
I have read where some have tried repairing their knives and damaged them,then they tried to have them repaired under warranty.
Medford just like Spyderco also Microtech have policies of not doing own fixing, this person should have called Medford and arranged for its return.
Medford has some great videos showing how their knives are Mfg.ed check them out.
Greg has many videos and some are funny and some I feel he would be better off letting Mrs.Medford do.
Any way Medford knifes are cool some are large not all they do have some smaller folders there costly but a lot of the work on them is done by hand so we should understand their high costs.
For my needs even the smaller Medford’s are to large but for others there fine.
 
Fanglekai said:
Ridiculous geometry, expensive especially for using D2 which doesn't even have high impact resistance. Plus he has been recorded saying he doesn't carry a knife along with unsavory statements. There's plenty to not like; do a search.
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Wow, just about everything you just posted is demonstrably false. Have you ever actually used (or even touched) a Medford knife?
 
Officer's Match said:
Wow, just about everything you just posted is demonstrably false. Have you ever actually used (or even touched) a Medford knife?
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Yep. As I said, ignorance is embarrassing, especially in this day and age when information is so easy to come by.
 
I'm not a fan because I find Medford knives look like Greg Medford took inspiration from a brick when designing them.

That plus the price, the oddly stubby hollow grinds, the needlessly broad blades, and the warranty policy.
 
There are a few Medford's on my radar. So far I have the USMC Fighter and it's a great knife.

I also like:
- Medford Marauder Folder
- Medford Bonfire - Black PVD CPM 3V Blade - Black G-10 - Black Kydex
 
Earlier this fall I was interested in a large folder, and the Medfords continued to come up. I had the money and decided to bight. I called the company to see if what I wanted was in stock, and ended up speaking with Amy Medford directly. She said that it was not in stock, but recommended several of their dealers who may carry it, and if not, that I could get back in touch and order through Medford. When I couldn't find the knife elsewhere on line, I placed a custom order with Medford. Amy called me back that night to thank me for the order, and made a point of saying that if I had any further questions I could contact her directly. The knife will hopefully be to me in the early spring, and as it will be my first Medford, I am holding off any judgement on their products until I have one in hand. A lot of the criticism of their knives here seems based on peoples reactions to it, and to Greg Medford, and not based on their experiences. I'm sure I could find contributors who have said they purchased one, found it to be lacking across multiple lines, and wont buy another. But there does seem to be some great offense taken by some that these knives and their maker have the audacity to produce them, and ascribe a higher price for them, and that is where I disconnect. It seems to go against so much of the ethos I generally find here, which would be more,"Get it if you like it, then please let us know what you think". Which is what I have done, and what I will do when I receive my first knife from Medford Knife and Tool. Thanks.
 
For the people saying they cut quite well, I have to ask, compared to what? I've seen the pictures of the food that they've cut and...that's not 'cutting well' by any stretch of the imagination. So I'm sincerely curious for those that own them, if both knives are sharp, what knives do you own that cut worse than a Medford?
 
Greg seems to have a super polarizing personality and is not shy about sharing his feelings on whatever. Full disclosure I like his personality; so for that aspect it's not an issue for me.

I'm tagged in all their social media so I see a lot of their stuff and I like the look.

I don't have any of their knives because prior to finding out about them I had a few very larger folders that I find are just too big for me to enjoy. So while they're not for me, they're still something I appreciate. Maybe sometime one of the fixed blades will fit my needs.

If you can find the chopping up the chair review by @stabman you'll see they cut very well.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
For the people saying they cut quite well, I have to ask, compared to what? I've seen the pictures of the food that they've cut and...that's not 'cutting well' by any stretch of the imagination. So I'm sincerely curious for those that own them, if both knives are sharp, what knives do you own that cut worse than a Medford?
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Not speaking for others, but I can tell you that my fullsize Praetorian is actually pretty thin behind the edge. Sure, it's a huge foot-wide blade, but then, I'm not trying to slice tomatoes I can read through. I can cut food items, and open packages, slash cardboard boxes up, and snip threads just fine, same thing all my other knives can do. I think sometimes people get wrapped up in this "OMG it has to be slicey!" when really, they don't have any, or any often-recurring cutting tasks that would need a scalpel. If you need cuts of that level of precision, I mean, I wouldn't use a pocket knife anyway because a $4 Xacto knife is going to do that job better than any Opinel or PM2 would.

There was a thread awhile back from another user who showed pictures of all the things he had cut and they were cut just fine, and people STILL acted like he couldn't possibly have done those things with that knife because everyone "knows" that Medfords can't cut. (shrug)
 
Quiet said:
Not speaking for others, but I can tell you that my fullsize Praetorian is actually pretty thin behind the edge. Sure, it's a huge foot-wide blade, but then, I'm not trying to slice tomatoes I can read through. I can cut food items, and open packages, slash cardboard boxes up, and snip threads just fine, same thing all my other knives can do. I think sometimes people get wrapped up in this "OMG it has to be slicey!" when really, they don't have any, or any often-recurring cutting tasks that would need a scalpel. If you need cuts of that level of precision, I mean, I wouldn't use a pocket knife anyway because a $4 Xacto knife is going to do that job better than any Opinel or PM2 would.

There was a thread awhile back from another user who showed pictures of all the things he had cut and they were cut just fine, and people STILL acted like he couldn't possibly have done those things with that knife because everyone "knows" that Medfords can't cut. (shrug)
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That's fair. I guess I think there's hyperbole on both sides of the Medford debate. I know about how well a knife with a grind like that will cut and, to be frank, it wouldn't be my first choice for just about any cutting task for a folder (if I batonned my folders more often, like @stabman I might feel differently;) ).

On the other hand, I don't doubt that they are capable of cutting things, but I would absolutely cite that geometry as one of my main criticisms and something that would keep me away from the brand.
 
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