Your Opinion on Bear MGC knives

cowhorse01

cowhorse01

Joined
Nov 24, 2006
Messages
244
I have been collecting these knives for some time now. I just wondered what the community opinion is on these knives. USA made and sometimes somewhat plain on fixed blades but I truly like the india stag knives. What do you all think ?
Thanks
Cary
Stephenville , Texas
 
Their butterfly knives tend to be a bit fragile. Those are the only Bear MGC knives I've handled.
 
The best Bear MGC pocketknife I have held, was adequate at best.

Consistently I see them with horrible grinds, flaws and tool marks and other signs of just really bad quality control.
 
I see the value of my stash of Bear MGC cratering like my 401K with a doom and gloom future in a Obama administration, haha just kidding.
 
I have three Remington branded knives manufactured by Bear ( two Damascus swinguards and a bullet trapper).

The trapper is made pretty well, but the swinguards are a little "rough around the edges". As mentioned above they have a "rushed" look about them , very sloppy QC.
 
Thanks for the reply. I will watch more closely. I am new to collecting knives and am rather tight on dollars. I have been trying to buy as many USA made knives as I can and can afford. I guess that explains why they usually are not all that expensive. Many collectors must feel the same way as you. In your opinion what is the most reasonable knife for the money that is still made in the USA ?
 
cowhorse01 said:
Thanks for the reply. I will watch more closely. I am new to collecting knives and am rather tight on dollars. I have been trying to buy as many USA made knives as I can and can afford. I guess that explains why they usually are not all that expensive. Many collectors must feel the same way as you. In your opinion what is the most reasonable knife for the money that is still made in the USA ?
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If you are interested in traditional knives , I would say Case is probably a safe bet at reasonable prices.

Of course there's never a guarantee you will pick a pattern/handle combination that becomes collectible. I generally buy whatever I like. I try to stick to a particular pattern, but then get distracted by all the other knives I see. :)

I bought the Remington swinguards to round off a swinguard collection.
 
Anything is collectible. If you want a collection that will appreciate in value, that's where a crystal ball might come in handy.

As for USA made knives, there are a few good and reasonably priced ones available. Some Bucks, Case, Kershaws, Spydercos, Queen make the list. And among those, not all are made in USA. Buck, Kershaw and Spyderco make significant numbers outside the US. If it matters, Kershaw is owned by a Japanese company. I also like Leatherman knives, though the company makes no bones about using foreign made parts if necessary.

As for collectibility, Case seems to cater specifically to the collector market. The other companies have varying collector bases. Leatherman seems least collector oriented, which probably makes sense. I figure they view themselves as more of a tool company.
 
cowhorse01 said:
I have been collecting these knives for some time now. I just wondered what the community opinion is on these knives. USA made and sometimes somewhat plain on fixed blades but I truly like the india stag knives. What do you all think ?
Thanks
Cary
Stephenville , Texas
Click to expand...

Look at Queen and Case knives
Enough said???
 
I have handled a couple Bear MCG knives and owned at least one and I wasn't very impressed. The knife I owned was a lockback (I don't recall which model), similar in construction to Buck lockbacks but without Bucks fine fit and finish. Bear MCG knives are better users than collectors imo, but YMMV. Cheers.
 
Well for starters no matter what you spend on the balisongs, they will not warranty them.

I like my nice one, least until the scales fell off within a week.
 
I have a couple of older Bear MCG knives, and have fondled a few others. Most are not great; the best ones are on par with Case, the worst ones are junk.

B-I-L had a serrated Bear MGC lockback that he used to clean a deer - the serrations actually folded over, as if there was no heat treat at all.

I've been tempted to buy one of their fixed blades. They look nice and are sometimes found at heavily discounted closeout prices.
 
+1 on the Case and Queen brands.
Can't go wrong with either of them. Very collectible AND perform VERY well as 'user' knives, too.
 
Bear MGC knives are confusing, to say the least. I've seen their pocketknives(440A blades) with MOP handles that rivaled the finest custom pocket knives. Wobbly actions, mediocre blade steel and they use pearl that belongs on mega expensive custom folders. ???
 
Danbo said:
Bear MGC knives are confusing, to say the least. I've seen their pocketknives(440A blades) with MOP handles that rivaled the finest custom pocket knives. Wobbly actions, mediocre blade steel and they use pearl that belongs on mega expensive custom folders. ???
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That too was my impression, especially with one of the swinguards I bought. Damascus blade, mammoth ivory scales , but wobbly blade and mediocre F&F.
 
Go to a knife shop or store that has some Case's and Queen's, Moore Makers,Great Eastern Cutlery, Canal St. Cutlery etc and handle them and you will see the difference in the Bear,s--KV
 
I purchased thier copy of the gerber tac 2. Can see some of the shortcuts they took.
 
I have a half a dozen of them or so. They are not bad quality at all for the price. They don't look like a 300 dollar knife but for twenty -thirty, they are worth the money.IMO
 
It's strange to hear about the QC problems of BearMGC products when Victorinox had an interest in it.
BTW, the company is now named Bear and Son Cutlery.
 
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