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5 knives you regret purchasing
- Thread starter knifertheworks
- Start date
- Joined
- May 21, 2011
- Messages
- 3,135
Same thing over here, just rides free in the pocket and air humidity is quite high all year around. No problems with rust on Opinel whatsoever. No problems with rust on any of my knives, in fact...
I somewhat regret every Benchmade I've ever purchased, and there have been a few. Guess I'm a slow learner. None of them have been complete fails, but none of them have been worth what they cost. I think the only reason I've had more than one is because every store carries them, and if I'm in the mood to buy a new knife and want a pocket clip, that's pretty much what's available locally.
Other fails: Kershaw boot knife...cheap Chinese junk.
Kabar LEO backup knife...completely useless design, poor steel.
Other fails: Kershaw boot knife...cheap Chinese junk.
Kabar LEO backup knife...completely useless design, poor steel.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2008
- Messages
- 5,911
This is me too. I had upwards of 90 nice production knives but had pared down to about 15 super nice knives that I have learned to appreciate and really don't need to increase the number much. I'll probably settle into about 25 after the ZT 0560/561/0777/LionSpy knives are out. The key though is that my current knives probably average at least 2-4 times more in cost per knife than the past collection. My point is, and Jim is probably meaning the same, is that after I finally learned what I like and want to keep, I look back at all the money and time it took to buy and sell the old collection.
As for those I still have, I'd have to say the HEST/F 2.0. It works pretty good right now but that isn't for lack of forcing it. I had to tweak it, disassemble it and bend the lockbar plus a few other adjustments before it locked up solid and had no play but it's still a fine line between too tight of a pivot or blade play for my taste. I carry it but I wouldn't care if I didn't have it anymore.
As for those I still have, I'd have to say the HEST/F 2.0. It works pretty good right now but that isn't for lack of forcing it. I had to tweak it, disassemble it and bend the lockbar plus a few other adjustments before it locked up solid and had no play but it's still a fine line between too tight of a pivot or blade play for my taste. I carry it but I wouldn't care if I didn't have it anymore.
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the negativity on the kershaw chive surprises me...hey, it's just a small pocket knife to cut string, tape and open envelopes; it's not a survival knife...i know many who have them and have never heard them voiced complaints on what it is and what it's suppose to do...you got to keep things in proper perspective...
i can understand about blade play, but not the absolute necessity about rapid blade deployment...bottomline, i will use 2 hands to get a folder to open if it doesn't "flick out" dramatically on its own...i want to use it when i need it and a dramatic fast opening is irrelevant on whether or not i like it.
i can understand about blade play, but not the absolute necessity about rapid blade deployment...bottomline, i will use 2 hands to get a folder to open if it doesn't "flick out" dramatically on its own...i want to use it when i need it and a dramatic fast opening is irrelevant on whether or not i like it.
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troll?
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2009
- Messages
- 1,062
My big regret is a Queen Copperhead in D2. The edge grind was so bad it was on top of the blade on one side. I have spent two years working on that thing off and on trying to get an edge on it, and I am just now getting it to the point where it cuts paper. The blade looks like I ran over it with a sandpaper covered steam roller now I have grinded on it so much. It is more than a matter of principal now than a desire to actually carry it. I WILL get that thing sharp before I die Dammit!
Second would be some Buck slipjoints and a small locking folder. Every Buck I have ever bought has had terrible fit and finish, but the slip joints have springs so weak it downright dangerous. I think I might be able to blow them shut by whistling at them.
For lesson's learned, it was mainly the CRK small Sebenza, nice knife, just a hair too small for 4 fingers, and it was so expensive I didn't really want to enjoy it. Always worried about screwing it up. Second would be a Spyderco Delica. I just don't like Spyderco's that don't have choils. The choils make up for the gigantic hole taking up so much space on the blade.
Second would be some Buck slipjoints and a small locking folder. Every Buck I have ever bought has had terrible fit and finish, but the slip joints have springs so weak it downright dangerous. I think I might be able to blow them shut by whistling at them.
For lesson's learned, it was mainly the CRK small Sebenza, nice knife, just a hair too small for 4 fingers, and it was so expensive I didn't really want to enjoy it. Always worried about screwing it up. Second would be a Spyderco Delica. I just don't like Spyderco's that don't have choils. The choils make up for the gigantic hole taking up so much space on the blade.
- Joined
- May 24, 2005
- Messages
- 2,261
Not really regretted but disappointed. SOG folders in the Pentagon series, Kershaw Cyclone and Mini Cyclone, ZT0301,ZT0551. Oh, and a Sebenza. Fortunately, they are all easy re-sells.
Ka-Bar Hobo knife - looked like it'd be a handy for camping. The one I got (w/ red handles) doesn't come apart (I thought I had ordered the other model which did). So, you can only use one utensil at a time. And, it's that much harder to clean if you get food in the pivot or liner.
Enlan EL06 - really bad horizontal blade play that could only be eliminated by tightening the pivot to the point where you can't open/close the blade. Detent is so weak you can shake the blade open with minor effort (even with the pivot reasonably tight). I think I just got a lemon, as my other Enlans are all very well constructed.
Enlan EL06 - really bad horizontal blade play that could only be eliminated by tightening the pivot to the point where you can't open/close the blade. Detent is so weak you can shake the blade open with minor effort (even with the pivot reasonably tight). I think I just got a lemon, as my other Enlans are all very well constructed.
Leek, it's nice but the overall design of the knife makes me go... what?
1. It needs a lock because it opens easily
Yeah, unlike the OSO Sweet, which is $20 cheaper and the tension bar actually keeps it closed as well as open, unlike the leek where the bar only assists in opening the knife rather than also keeping it shut.
2. The fragile tip
Just, what the hell, Kershaw? Why? Why?
3. Heavy for its size
And that's stainless steel for you.
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Don't get me wrong. I love Kershaw. The Skyline and OSO Sweet are two of, if not my two favorite knives. The Leek and all related to that series just make me cringe with "What-were-they-thinking?"-ness.
1. It needs a lock because it opens easily
Yeah, unlike the OSO Sweet, which is $20 cheaper and the tension bar actually keeps it closed as well as open, unlike the leek where the bar only assists in opening the knife rather than also keeping it shut.
2. The fragile tip
Just, what the hell, Kershaw? Why? Why?
3. Heavy for its size
And that's stainless steel for you.
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Don't get me wrong. I love Kershaw. The Skyline and OSO Sweet are two of, if not my two favorite knives. The Leek and all related to that series just make me cringe with "What-were-they-thinking?"-ness.
1.) Benchmade 51. Other than possible corrosion problems with d2 where I live, it opened up the world of balisong addiction for me 
2.) Smith & Wesson M&P5s. I don't know what I was thinking. It's massive and heavy and the heat treat on the 440 is subpar.
3.) Kershaw Leek. I have no doubt the leek itself is an excellent knife, but it was way to delicate feeling for my use. I always felt like I was going to break the tip, and that was without any abuse on the knife.
4.) Benchmade Mini-grip. Just felt too cheap in my hand, and the axis lock gummed up on me a couple times when I needed a knife. Hooray for back ups.
5.) Spyderco Paramilitary 2. I know I'll catch a lot a flak this one. Loved almost everything on this knife, but the one thing that I could not stand was how the knife rode in my pocket.
2.) Smith & Wesson M&P5s. I don't know what I was thinking. It's massive and heavy and the heat treat on the 440 is subpar.
3.) Kershaw Leek. I have no doubt the leek itself is an excellent knife, but it was way to delicate feeling for my use. I always felt like I was going to break the tip, and that was without any abuse on the knife.
4.) Benchmade Mini-grip. Just felt too cheap in my hand, and the axis lock gummed up on me a couple times when I needed a knife. Hooray for back ups.
5.) Spyderco Paramilitary 2. I know I'll catch a lot a flak this one. Loved almost everything on this knife, but the one thing that I could not stand was how the knife rode in my pocket.
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2010
- Messages
- 919
The three SOGs I've purchased all let me down. The first was a Trident, which rubbed the handle when closed, had play, and felt like cheap plastic. The 2nd, a Pentagon Elite ($100+) Felt just as cheap, had play, and had uneven cutting marks down the spine of the blade, which looked retarded. The third is a tigerstriped Trident which I still have. This Trident is better than the other two SOGs, but it still feels flimsy...
I don't have 5, but here are 3 that I regret.
* a Sog Flash
* a Sog Trident
* a Sog Seal Pup
All stank greatly. I'm not down on SOG btw. I like a lot of their other fixed blades, and I hear that the Seal Pup ELITE (plain bladed version) is a nice improvement to my mediocre Seal Pup. And, I found I've had pretty good performance from my X-ray Vision Mini, and my Pentagon folder. But the above knives were really poor QC.
Heh, just thought of one more.
Awhile back I bought one of those new "Tops/Buck" Nighthawk collaboration knives, and I stupidly overlooked (due to a rather misleading product photo with a dark background) the fact that the Nighthawk now has those idiot dot-dash-dot hole patterns that Tops puts in some of their Mall-Ninja blade designs. The Buck Nighthawk has been a perfectly good knife for years, and now they ruin it with this bit of idiocy. I promptly returned mine, and then I emailed Buck, praising them for their overall great quality blades, and asking them politely to restore the Nighthawk to its former glory.
* a Sog Flash
* a Sog Trident
* a Sog Seal Pup
All stank greatly. I'm not down on SOG btw. I like a lot of their other fixed blades, and I hear that the Seal Pup ELITE (plain bladed version) is a nice improvement to my mediocre Seal Pup. And, I found I've had pretty good performance from my X-ray Vision Mini, and my Pentagon folder. But the above knives were really poor QC.
Heh, just thought of one more.
Awhile back I bought one of those new "Tops/Buck" Nighthawk collaboration knives, and I stupidly overlooked (due to a rather misleading product photo with a dark background) the fact that the Nighthawk now has those idiot dot-dash-dot hole patterns that Tops puts in some of their Mall-Ninja blade designs. The Buck Nighthawk has been a perfectly good knife for years, and now they ruin it with this bit of idiocy. I promptly returned mine, and then I emailed Buck, praising them for their overall great quality blades, and asking them politely to restore the Nighthawk to its former glory.
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Knives I regret buying and even consider selling:
1. Boker Applegate-Fairbairn Boot Knife (2 ea): I don't like the blade cross-section, and the Kydex sheath is disappointing.
2. Benchmade LFK (prototype): Very cool and well-made knife--I just don't trust it.
3. RAT-3 (2 ea): Not a bad knife, but ESEE quality blows Ontario away and is worth paying for.
4. Cold Steel 21" Latin machete: I like Cold Steel, but you get what you pay for.
5. Cold Steel Mini Hunter: Sweet little knife, but a tad too "mini". I'm gonna give one to a 5 year-old as a first knife.
1. Boker Applegate-Fairbairn Boot Knife (2 ea): I don't like the blade cross-section, and the Kydex sheath is disappointing.
2. Benchmade LFK (prototype): Very cool and well-made knife--I just don't trust it.
3. RAT-3 (2 ea): Not a bad knife, but ESEE quality blows Ontario away and is worth paying for.
4. Cold Steel 21" Latin machete: I like Cold Steel, but you get what you pay for.
5. Cold Steel Mini Hunter: Sweet little knife, but a tad too "mini". I'm gonna give one to a 5 year-old as a first knife.
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I came about a rat's whisker from buying one of these myself, based on their (former) reputation. But I saw so many complaints about them, I'm glad I researched it a bit first. Sorry to hear yours didn't work out, but it fits the pattern.
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2011
- Messages
- 521
It seems to be
#1 - Cold Steel
#2 - SOG
#3 - CRKT
Don't mean a damn thing to me since the only pocket knives i use anymore are SAKS and traditionals. My fixed blades are usually about $30 and under.
#1 - Cold Steel
#2 - SOG
#3 - CRKT
Don't mean a damn thing to me since the only pocket knives i use anymore are SAKS and traditionals. My fixed blades are usually about $30 and under.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2012
- Messages
- 1,143
EVERY Gerber knife...
They are all severely overpriced and very poorly made.
They are all severely overpriced and very poorly made.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2012
- Messages
- 1,143
I agree with you on SOG and CRKT, they are pretty crappy. Cold Steel seems decent to me but a lot of their designs seem to be very mall-ninja-ish. They definitely don't make knives meant for cutting everyday with their AUS8 steel and their blade designs...
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