Your most disappointing knife purchase

[Karl H]

Fallkniven F1 - I found the shape of the handle so uncomfortable that I returned without using.

Native 5 LW - The Spyderco bidirectional texture is abrasive without adding any value and the edges were sharp, without rounding or chamfering. The spoon clip creates are bad hot spot. The profile of the handle is also such that you cannot get comfortable 4 finger grip behind the choil, despite that fact that the handle is long enough for a four finger grip behind the choil. I really like the REX45 blade and back lock, so I decided to keep the knife after removing the clip and heavily modifying the handle.

Gerber Gator Premium - Unfinished grind on one side. Not worth the effort to get it fixed. Hard plastic section was too slick. Sent it back.

Schrade SCHF46 - Edge immediately dulled by the sheath.

 

[tony281sc2]

Guess I’ll have to go with my Hinderer xm-18 3.0 tanto because of the price. I love the design but using the flipper I can only get it to open halfway. Very weak detent.
that being said, the Eklipses I own fire open like a Good ZT.

 

[Heirphoto]

Pretty much every Emerson I have owned was a disappointment. I should know better but every few years get sucked into the hype again and try one. New or used, all bad. No detent, no retention and rarely centered.

I also sadly have to say nearly half the second hand knives I have bought (here, the forums or eBay) have been disappointments as well. Good pics, detail descriptions of glowing attributes but once in hand for a few days the problems become apparent. Open one to clean it and find knackered washers, worn flat detent balls and cross threaded fasteners.

CRK is about the only 100% home run I have found new or used.

 

[353]

Spyderco LC200N Pacific Salt.

Just curious, have you tried just tightening the pivot on that?

Reason I'm asking is this knife has been my favourite knife purchase of lately, no bladeplay here.

Of course you can manipulate play easier on this then on the Endura models with full liners(with the added weight) if you really want to, but it is sturdy enough in the linerless Pacific edition IMO.

 

[Oklahoma Outlaw]

“The knife business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free and good men die like dogs.

There's also a negative side."

 

[spoonrobot]

Just curious, have you tried just tightening the pivot on that?

Reason I'm asking is this knife has been my favourite knife purchase of lately, no bladeplay here.

Of course you can manipulate play easier on this then on the Endura models with full liners(with the added weight) if you really want to, but it is sturdy enough in the linerless Pacific edition IMO.

Yes, there isn't enough meat in the tang to remove the play before the blade becomes impossible to open one hand. This wasn't uncommon for the first run if the comments on the Spyderco forums were any indication.

 

[not2sharp]

For me it was the Gerber Doubledown.

I bought it out of curiosity and haven‘t expected much from Gerber in several decades; but, it a US made knife, perhaps they were turning a new leaf? Anyway the disappointment was more with myself than with Gerber. I discovered that I no longer had the hand strength to operate this knife. The handle halfs have to be compressed in order to work the back latch and I was reduced to using a clamp to generate enough pressure to operate the latch.

n2s

 

[Murdamook]

I bought, then sold and an Emerson too. Soft steel. Ok action. Held together by a flathead Screw. I bought a Ritter Griptillian with the proceeds and have had it for around a decade.

Is one of your gripes actually about the fastener-type used? The Emerson pivot and body screws are actually part of why I love them. They’re easy to sort out wherever you are. I don’t need a torx kit to service the knife. Anyway, a slotted screw holds just as effectively as a torx screw. YMMV with the steel softness and the purpose for the knife being that way, but the slotted screw being a gripe is absolutely silly.

 

[not2sharp]

Yes, there isn't enough meat in the tang to remove the play before the blade becomes impossible to open one hand. This wasn't uncommon for the first run if the comments on the Spyderco forums were any indication.

It sounds like you are missing pivot washers. Have you had this knife apart?

n2s

 

[DMG]

Is one of your gripes actually about the fastener-type used? The Emerson pivot and body screws are actually part of why I love them. They’re easy to sort out wherever you are. I don’t need a torx kit to service the knife. Anyway, a slotted screw holds just as effectively as a torx screw. YMMV with the steel softness and the purpose for the knife being that way, but the slotted screw being a gripe is absolutely silly.

I own an auto repair shop and have been a tech for decades. Flat heads annoy me because they are the easiest to strip and don’t center the driver. They suck.

Also, hard use, ball bearings, soft steel so it won’t break or chip, crappy screws for field serviceability.

Which of those 4 things doesn’t fit with the others?

 

[S-3 ranch]

CRK 21 , was a major league downer , mine had soft spots In the blade and some washer problems, $450 knife should have better customer service, instead
it was very bad customer service, and arrogant attitude, luckily the dealer bought it back and I guess it’s a safe queen somewhere, dang shame

 

[Alberta Ed]

A Case whittler I ordered from the factory eons ago, before (gasp!) computers were available and the internet. It was a POS, ill-fitted, blades rubbing and I sent it back.

 

[Murdamook]

I own an auto repair shop and have been a tech for decades. Flat heads annoy me because they are the easiest to strip and don’t center the driver. They suck.

Also, hard use, ball bearings, soft steel so it won’t break or chip, crappy screws for field serviceability.

Which of those 4 things doesn’t fit with the others?

What part of a flat head is “easiest to strip”? The slot itself or the threads? Because if you’re claiming the threads on a slotted screw are easier to strip that the threads on a torx screw, I don’t think you have much evidence for that since the fastener tightening medium has virtually no impact on the actual threads. If you’re claiming the actual slot itself is easier to strip than a torx then that makes zero sense in terms of physics. I’ve stripped the heads of plenty of torx screws but I have never stripped a slotted screw. Again, silly complaint.

 

[Heirphoto]

What part of a flat head is “easiest to strip”? The slot itself or the threads? Because if you’re claiming the threads on a slotted screw are easier to strip that the threads on a torx screw, I don’t think you have much evidence for that since the fastener tightening medium has virtually no impact on the actual threads. If you’re claiming the actual slot itself is easier to strip than a torx then that makes zero sense in terms of physics. I’ve stripped the heads of plenty of torx screws but I have never stripped a slotted screw. Again, silly complaint.

I thnk most slotted head screw issues are from people not using a driver that fully fills the slot.

The hardware was one of the few thing I did like on my Emerson.

 

[Drop bear]

The Gerber? Fairborn folding dagger. That has this super weak lock on it.

 

[Smiling]

3V Mini Pendleton.

Came about as sharp as a spoon.
Gap on the handle.
Sheath was dulling it very fast after each sharpening.
Even directly after sharpening it held edge significantly worse than D2.
It picked up slight curve from use that wasn't even abuse.

100€ worth of disappointment...

 

[Insipid Moniker]

What part of a flat head is “easiest to strip”? The slot itself or the threads? Because if you’re claiming the threads on a slotted screw are easier to strip that the threads on a torx screw, I don’t think you have much evidence for that since the fastener tightening medium has virtually no impact on the actual threads. If you’re claiming the actual slot itself is easier to strip than a torx then that makes zero sense in terms of physics. I’ve stripped the heads of plenty of torx screws but I have never stripped a slotted screw. Again, silly complaint.

If you've never stripped a slotted screw you're either very skilled, very lucky or haven't used many. Cam out strips screws like crazy and it's very, very easy to cam out with a flathead fastener. Companies don't use torx screws as a cost saving measure or just for fun. Frankly, given that I've had two Emerson pivots back all the way out from day-to-day usage I'm extremely inclined to believe that any talk about field maintenance for them is BS to cover up the fact that they just use cheaper hardware to save a buck.

 

[Thunder47]

SMKW sold Marbles lockback...will not stay locked back.

 

[colubrid]

I am going to go against the grain here a bit and say Emersons were the knife that I was most happiest with and also the most disappointed with.

The Emersons that had weak detent and lock-slip (yes I make sure the lock works on a fighting knife by spine wacking). I sent back and they were fixed by Ernie. What I like about Emerson is te effort he makes into fantastic shaped blades and his grip ergos are great. I can’t find anything close to his designs in the knife world. Not even the colaborations he did are the same. He did a good job protecting his good designs if you know anything about Emersons. He should have stayed away fom flippers and bearings and kept his designs pure. They work for their intended pupose and the money one speands is for his Blade and his grip Ergos.

The most disspointing for me were Hinderers. I loved the look but the sharp flipper and the detents was no go. I was one of those who collected the early models and had quite a few before Rick started mass producing them. I also had issues with centering on Hinderers. I was in love with Hinderers but practically speaking they were of no use.


I’d say if you are just a general knife guy into modern folders for EDC get a Spyderco or CRK 21 Sebenza. Emersons are:

..... #1 for self defense. #2 great blade designs (and they do a fantastic job on them). #3 great grip ergos.

 

[marchone]

This sort of question pops up here every now and then. My answer is still the same. Realsteel 571S Pro. A pin failed that rendered the knife useless. Realsteel had/has no warranty or customer service available.

Luckily, I haven't gotten another lemon from anyone since. I won't risk another Realsteel, which is a pity since they have many good designs and steels in their catalog. Their manufacturing is poor.

My issue was exactly what Nick Shabazz warned about.