A Week with a Medford Praetorian.

[JR88FAN]

I guess a clearer way to ask is - what advantages does this knife offer given that it weighs almost 8.5 ounces and costs around $600?

The RAT-1 example is not necessarily a good one since for not much more money, you can in fact get higher performance that's noticeable and makes a real difference in carry and use. $70 more will get you a knife that's lighter, has a stronger lock, a longer blade, and a much improved blade steel compared to the RAT-1.

I hear you on the preference for big framelocks. A big framelock comparable to the Medford Praetorian G in materials is the Microtech Socom Delta in CPM D-2. That knife weighs just 4.6 ounces, but has a longer blade. Same materials - G10 and titanium framelock and D-2 steel, albeit an upgrade to CPM D-2. Such a Socom Delta costs about $285.

As far as how the knife's made and the quality level, there are custom knives comparable in price to the Praetorian G that offer parts that are also made completely in-house in the USA, yet are formed and finished by a single maker by hand, as opposed to cut by machine and finished by a team of employees in a shop. These custom knives offer materials similar or exceeding that of the Praetorian, including handle materials and blade steel. On top of this, they also offer the cachet of being handmade by a single maker (if you believe in such things).

I understand the thrust of your points but they don't seem to add up when taking other options into consideration. So if in fact there's an advantage that I'm not aware of that qualifies the extra weight and price I would like to know. That information will benefit me as well as anyone else interested in purchasing a Praetorian G.

I don't understand the point you're trying to make, or maybe I was not as clear as I should have been.

A owned a Microtech Socom Delta (Zombie blood fun) and it is in no way comparable to a Praetorian.
Is Elmax better than D2?
Not to me.

They are both big Ti Frame locks.
That's like saying a Lexus and an Acura are both cars.

Correct, but they are nothing alike, except they will both get you where you want to go.

It's about how YOU like getting there.

This whole material argument is a strange one.
You can spend $2K on a folder that has 'lesser' materials than a Praetorian because it's:

Hand made? Sometimes/Sorta (that's a real Grey area these days)
Because of hype, exclusivity?

I like big chunky frame locks.
They just feel and work the way a knife should feel and work to ME. I went through a ton of knives to figure this out.

I doubt I answered your question, but that's because I am very sure our tastes on what knife we feel comfortable using is different.

 

[Gizler00]

I had to cringe and the pictures of the squash and the tomato. Yeah, it cut them, I guess.

Into two big wedges with no juice

Maybe I should take a video for you. It sliced the tomatoes perfect. Did not smash them. The one on the left looked trashed because it was the end of the tomato. Lots of Juice, you cannot tell from the photo.

 

[somber]

If you're willing to do a video, I'd like to see a video of it doing a fine dice of an onion or perhaps a julienne. The weight of that hammer should do great in crushing the juices out.

 

[JR88FAN]

I had to cringe and the pictures of the squash and the tomato. Yeah, it cut them, I guess.

Into two big wedges with no juice

I think the point is, it can handle food prep.
Honestly, there are much better knives for this in your kitchen.
None of them would do very well at much else though....

Mark was simply trying to show that it can achieve this task rather easily.
I am looking forward to some harder use, this is where the geometry, ergo's, and weight shine.

 

[Mike45ACP]

Understood and thanks for the reply. It always surprises me what some people carry with ease and others wouldn't even consider trying. An interesting thread would be what makes knives easy to carry. I can carry long slender knives like spyderco millies or police md's with ease. But a Kershaw shuffle gives me fits.
As for guns I carry a Glock 19 IWB and have for so long I don't even notice it. Before glocks came on the seen (yes I'm old) I carried a full size 1911. Who knows!

Mike

Thanks,

I guess I should have made myself a little more clear in the post. I in no way think that the praetorian is in the same category as weight and pocketability as the military. I was simply making a reference to the fact that the knife came off as something that was to large to EDC. Just like the Military does for some people. I am also a very large person. 6'4" 240 and I have no issues carrying the Praetorian. Yes its much heavier than the millie and my SNG. I consider my G26 with a full mag on my hip to be heavy and noticeable every second im wearing it. Just for reference.

Hope that clarifies things a bit. This thing is a wide knife but easier to carry than say an SMF. The way the handle is designed on the Praetorian, its thinnest near the butt and increases in thickness as it moves towards the pivot. Where as with the SMF/SNG, they are at their thickest point at the Butt of the handle and thinner as you make your way towards the pivot. THerefore, for me at least, makes it hard to get my fat hand in my pocket with a strider in it.

 

[asdf12345]

I don't understand the point you're trying to make, or maybe I was not as clear as I should have been.

A owned a Microtech Socom Delta (Zombie blood fun) and it is in no way comparable to a Praetorian.
Is Elmax better than D2?
Not to me.

They are both big Ti Frame locks.
That's like saying a Lexus and an Acura are both cars.

Correct, but they are nothing alike, except they will both get you where you want to go.

It's about how YOU like getting there.

This whole material argument is a strange one.
You can spend $2K on a folder that has 'lesser' materials than a Praetorian because it's:

Hand made? Sometimes/Sorta (that's a real Grey area these days)
Because of hype, exclusivity?

I like big chunky frame locks.
They just feel and work the way a knife should feel and work to ME. I went through a ton of knives to figure this out.

I doubt I answered your question, but that's because I am very sure our tastes on what knife we feel comfortable using is different.

I'm referring to the model in CPM D-2, not the model in Elmax. If you believe D-2 to also be superior to CPM D-2 then that's fine.

So which framelock is the Lexus and which one is the Acura? The Microtech's locking bar has a steel insert, the whole locking bar is replaceable, and the locking bar has no cutout, which many consider a weak point of a framelock. If the Medford is in fact a more refined framelock or improvement of the framelock in some way, then I could see it being advantageous. If it is, please tell me as I haven't heard many comments on how Medford's framelocks compare to others.

I'm not saying that more expensive folders are necessarily better than the Praetorian, nor am I saying price should be the end-all, be-all when it comes to choosing a knife.

But when you have a knife as heavy and as expensive as the Praetorian that doesn't owe its cost to its materials, the cachet of being handmade or exclusive, or other attributes that give it advantages in carry and use, you sometimes wonder what the consumer gets in return for those limiting factors of weight and price.

 

[Gizler00]

If you're willing to do a video, I'd like to see a video of it doing a fine dice of an onion or perhaps a julienne. The weight of that hammer should do great in crushing the juices out.

How about a video of me using the breaker on a car window?

It cuts great for a large knife. I think some people are missing the point. I was not using it to prep dinner because its better than my kitchen knives, I was simply curious to see how it performed as I am with all the knives I own.

 

[Gizler00]

Understood and thanks for the reply. It always surprises me what some people carry with ease and others wouldn't even consider trying. An interesting thread would be what makes knives easy to carry. I can carry long slender knives like spyderco millies or police md's with ease. But a Kershaw shuffle gives me fits.
As for guns I carry a Glock 19 IWB and have for so long I don't even notice it. Before glocks came on the seen (yes I'm old) I carried a full size 1911. Who knows!

Mike

I can totally relate. I hated to carry the first Gen Paramilitary. I had such a hard time with that knife in my pocket. Every time I would put my hand into my pocket to try and retrieve something, it would get raped by the jimping and knife itself. I had similar feelings with the kershaw blur. Definitely funny how different.

I carry my 1911 from time to time. But usually in the winter time when its a little cooler and I have a little more cover to hide things under.

 

[somber]

How about a video of me using the breaker on a car window?

It cuts great for a large knife. I think some people are missing the point. I was not using it to prep dinner because its better than my kitchen knives, I was simply curious to see how it performed as I am with all the knives I own.

I use my knives for cutting and my hammers for bashing, so a video of it smashing a car window in doesn't do me any good. I don't smash car windows very often, any way.

 

[JR88FAN]

I'm referring to the model in CPM D-2, not the model in Elmax. If you believe D-2 to also be superior to CPM D-2 then that's fine.

So which framelock is the Lexus and which one is the Acura? The Microtech has a steel insert and is replaceable. It's also got no cutout, which many consider a weak point of a framelock. If the Medford is in fact a more refined framelock or improvement of the framelock in some way, then I could see it being advantageous. If it is, please tell me as I haven't heard many comments on how Medford's framelocks compare to others.

I'm not saying that more expensive folders are necessarily better than the Praetorian, nor am I saying price should be the end-all, be-all when it comes to choosing a knife.

But when you have a knife as heavy and as expensive as the Praetorian that doesn't owe its cost to its materials, the cachet of being handmade or exclusive, or other attributes that give it advantages in carry and use, you sometimes wonder what the consumer gets in return for those limiting factors of weight and price.

You are digging really deep into this!
And that's great.

The problem is we are two different people, with very different priorities when it comes to what we want in a knife.

Weight is a non issue to me.
The Praetorian is built better and I like it much better then my El Patron, then my Andy Fitz, then my F3, then my etc.
The only knives I like as much are Striders. (Similar feel)

Why? (My Opinion)

It feels better in my hand.
It chops better. (I do a lot of this and yes, I expect a folder to do it, because I don't want to decide what knife to wear today)
It cuts cardboard just as well.
It Pry's very well (yes I do this a when I need to) no room for a pry bar in my pocket.
I can try to throw it into a tree and make my kids laugh, and it just keeps working. (I don't own or carry throwing knives)
It slices paper and food when I need to.

The point is. If I am going to carry one thing in my pocket to do all the tasks and stupid things I like to use a knife for, it needs to be as diverse as possible, while still inspiring confidence that it can handle all of that.
It also needs to have the right feel (ergo's) for my hands and the way I cut/chop/slice.

The price is a non issue. It's underpriced.
It does what I need and want it to do, and that's where I get the value from.
I have spent more and less on knives that couldn't.

I can't make this any simpler then to say, I have used a lot of knives.
I know the feel that makes me happy.
I can't put a price on that feel and comfort with a tool as a comparison point for materials/price/etc.

Maybe the only other way to explain it is to say that all of my tools I use at work are Klein.
There are much cheaper and much more expensive tools that do the same thing.

I can't use them. They feel wrong to me. The grip, the handle width, my trust in beating the hell out of them and they don't fail.

It's about as close of an example as I can give.
I apologize if it doesn't answer your question.

 

[JR88FAN]

I use my knives for cutting and my hammers for bashing, so a video of it smashing a car window in doesn't do me any good. I don't smash car windows very often, any way.

I wish I knew exactly when I was going to need to cut something, break something, pry something, etc.
But I don't.

I also can't carry every tool with me everywhere....

I guess it boils down to your philosophy, geography, and lifestyle.

 

[asdf12345]

You are digging really deep into this!
And that's great.

The problem is we are two different people, with very different priorities when it comes to what we want in a knife.

Weight is a non issue to me.
The Praetorian is built better and I like it much better then my El Patron, then my Andy Fitz, then my F3, then my etc.
The only knives I like as much are Striders. (Similar feel)

Why? (My Opinion)

It feels better in my hand.
It chops better. (I do a lot of this and yes, I expect a folder to do it, because I don't want to decide what knife to wear today)
It cuts cardboard just as well.
It Pry's very well (yes I do this a when I need to) no room for a pry bar in my pocket.
I can try to throw it into a tree and make my kids laugh, and it just keeps working. (I don't own or carry throwing knives)
It slices paper and food when I need to.

The point is. If I am going to carry one thing in my pocket to do all the tasks and stupid things I like to use a knife for, it needs to be as diverse as possible, while still inspiring confidence that it can handle all of that.
It also needs to have the right feel (ergo's) for my hands and the way I cut/chop/slice.

The price is a non issue. It's underpriced.
It does what I need and want it to do, and that's where I get the value from.
I have spent more and less on knives that couldn't.

I can't make this any simpler then to say, I have used a lot of knives.
I know the feel that makes me happy.
I can't put a price on that feel and comfort with a tool as a comparison point for materials/price/etc.

Maybe the only other way to explain it is to say that all of my tools I use at work are Klein.
There are much cheaper and much more expensive tools that do the same thing.

I can't use them. They feel wrong to me. The grip, the handle width, my trust in beating the hell out of them and they don't fail.

It's about as close of an example as I can give.
I apologize if it doesn't answer your question.

That's a very good case to make and I appreciate you taking the time.

My perspective may have been skewed towards lighter = better, since I find that carrying a lighter folder is more comfortable and allows me to carry more in my pockets, perhaps even another tool such as a small pocket prybar that can take care of a multitude of tasks so that my knife does not need to.

My perspective's probably also skewed by my constant focus on value and comparison of available options. Sometimes if I can't put my finger on any tangible (or intangible) reasons for a knife to be priced the way it is, I'll be dismissive of it.

But you're right that at the end of the day if we find something that fits us in a way comparable options don't, while meeting all our needs, other aspects become non-issues, or sometimes they aren't an issue in the first place.

 

[Gizler00]

I use my knives for cutting and my hammers for bashing, so a video of it smashing a car window in doesn't do me any good. I don't smash car windows very often, any way.

I was joking, as this knife has a breaker on the end of it. Greg has a video up of him smashing out a window with it anyhow.

 

[stabman]

I was joking, as this knife has a breaker on the end of it. Greg has a video up of him smashing out a window with it anyhow.

Humour will not be allowed in such a somber place!

As for cutting food with it, I did a similar thing last night using the TOPS Mini Tom Brown Tracker.
It was by far one of the worst knives I have ever used for cutting onions...took about 8 times as long.
But I persevered anyway, and in the end, supper was accomplished. :thumbup:

You can learn a lot about how well a knife will do at cutting various things, by cutting various things.
Weird!

 

[Quiet]

That's a very good case to make and I appreciate you taking the time.

My perspective may have been skewed towards lighter = better, since I find that carrying a lighter folder is more comfortable and allows me to carry more in my pockets, perhaps even another tool such as a small pocket prybar that can take care of a multitude of tasks.

My perspective's probably also skewed by my constant focus on value and comparison of available options.

But you're right that at the end of the day if we find something that fits us in a way comparable options don't, while meeting all our needs, other aspects become non-issues, or sometimes they aren't an issue in the first place.

Sometimes, it just boils down to someone seeing something they gotta have, and the price not being an inpenetrable barrier. I know that I've looked at the Praetorian more lately after Gizler started posting his pics, and the price seems fairly in line with what it is. Handmade, and it's nothing if not a unique piece. You won't easily mistake it for something else, really. And as others stated (more eloquently), your previous question about what does this knife offer for its price that others can't do cheaper...well, that could be used for pretty much any expensive knife.

It's not always about the price paid, ya know?

 

[Fanglekai]

An $8 Opinel would perform all the cutting tasks referenced in the original post better than the $800 Medford. Additionally an Opinel weighs significantly less. What does this knife really excel at?

 

[Quiet]

An $8 Opinel would perform all the cutting tasks referenced in the original post better than the $800 Medford. Additionally an Opinel weighs significantly less. What does this knife really excel at?

Being what Gizler wanted, I'd guess.

 

[stabman]

Being what Gizler wanted, I'd guess.

Most true answer possible.

It strikes me as a knife that isn't trying to excel at any one thing, but be capable of a bunch of different things.

Opinel fanboys will not like the thick blade.
Cold Steel fanboys will decry the "wimpy" lock.
Spyderco fanboys will be confused at how to open a knife without a hole.
Fanboys of all things cheap will get bent out of shape over the price tag.

 

[somber]

Fanboys who like knives that excel at knife related tasks will not like the thick blade

Just a correction suggestion

 

[stabman]

Just a correction suggestion

Except that it did cut things...just not the way some folks want, it seems.

Just goes to show you can't please everyone...which is good, because a world where we all agreed would be really, really boring.

Grrr, should have got your original edit suggestion quoted...you edited the suggested edit too quickly!