Anyone else notice this about Tactical Knives

About the bad review part, Steven Dick explained in an editorial that you dont see bad reviews because if a knife does not perform or does badly in their testing that they wont post the review. He explained this further to me in person as well. Made good editorial sense to me.
 
I think the cover knife is chosen primarily to sell the mag at newstands, and secondarily to honor advertisers. Not too different from the rest of the magazine industry. TK is the best current knife mag, because they cover self defense & survival to at least a tiny degree. Mega-buck customs are not real-world useful to me.

I'd like to see each issue cover a state's knife laws, simplified but with links. They could start with big states like CA, TX, NY, FL, and work their way down.
I'd like to see each issue list true tales of knife self defense, like the NRA does in American Rifleman, because this could improve the image of those who carry knives for self defense. One long story plus a couple dozen shorter examples would make the point. It's more politically correct for me to carry a handgun than a serious knife.

I used to subscribe, then I used to buy off the newstands if the content looked useful, now I just read one or two articles standing at the newstand. Only takes a minute or two to read the good stuff.
Still, TK is the better of the usual knife mags today.
 
TK is the rag that makes my wife roll her eyes the most :rolleyes: especially the "it almost happened to me" part in the back. I like Blade the best, but the last issue of KI was a big improvement. I like the "Short Cut" pieces, I just think they need to be full page shots of the knives.
 
Originally posted by Steven Dick
Busse was on cover 2 of Tactical Knives.
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Don't want to start a pis*** contest but as the editor of a magazine I think you could have mustered more than 8 words.


Edited to add:

My response was short for a reason. I am normally long winded to a fault. I left my response vague and critical for a reason.

As a person reading this thread with a genuine interest in hearing what the editor of the magazine had to say I was pretty disappointed in his response.

I just feel that if I were here representing my employer I would do them and their customers the justice of more than a one line response.

It's been said a million times but in the day of digital communication people need to be more careful and cosientous of how they "speak".

 
Don't want to start a pis*** contest but as the editor of a magazine I think you could have mustered more than 8 words.
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How about trying a more polite response, if you don't wish to "start a pissing contest?" Perhaps something along the lines of, "Hey, Steven, could you elaborate on how you choose the covers for TK, and is there a specific reason TOPS has been on more than other knives?"
 
Crayola, cheers! Very interesting, once I get my fiscal situation sorted, I will get Tactical on you recomondation.

Thank you all for the advice, it is very welcome.
 
I can't speak for Steven Dick, of course, but I can tell you that alot of folk in the public eye either don't post here anymore or do so very carefully, because of either attacks,bad publicity,too busy, or because of the nasty attitudes that sometimes arise. Maybe they feel the chance of looking bad due to being attacked by computer commandos isn't worth it, or maybe they just don't have time for the immature crap that goes on when people don't have to talk face to face.
In the beginning we saw occasional posts here from Bob Terzuola,Al Polkowski,Steven Dick,Bruce Voyles,Mel Pardue, and more. Of course we're only guessing about why they don't post anymore, but I gotta believe the attitudes don't help.

Dave
 
Mr. Dick,
Are you saying that Busse was on the cover of TK twice or that Busse was on the cover of TK issue #2? Also, could you elaborate on how you choose the covers for TK, and is there a specific reason TOPS has been on more than other knives? (Thanks Razoredj)

Shawn
 
Razor,
I agree the sabre grip article was good, as is most of Bob Kasper's articles. What I didn't like was the headline on the front cover. The "sensationalism" angle.

Even though I get in some regular cutting pactice, I'm fully aware that I could very easily revert to the hammer-death grip when the crap goes flinging, the mouth is dry, and the hands are sweatty.
-Brian
 
Originally posted by cpirtle


Don't want to start a pis*** contest but as the editor of a magazine I think you could have mustered more than 8 words.


It's been said a million times but in the day of digital communication people need to be more careful and cosientous of how they "speak".
Click to expand...

His 8 words were eloquent enough. Your criticism was absurd.
If you crave more of Mr. Dick's words, buy his magazines and read his editorials and articles. He is not being paid to entertain you here. He responded properly to this thread, and now may choose to focus his attention elsewhere. I've seen too many fine people leave the forums because of crap like this.
 
Best knife rags ??? IMHO it's the forums - lots of good info and its interactive. Just my 2 centavos worth.
 
Just want to thank Rob Simonich for passing on the explanation Steven Dick wrote in TK. Interesting how many "readers" there are, who are bothered by "only favorable reviews" but didn't catch the clear, concisely stated reason Mr. Dick provided.

He got a bit more specific in that editorial. He said that knives from major manufacturers and from big name custom makers reviews were killed by unacceptably low performance/fit&finish on the knives, etc. He said if you're wondering why so many big names haven't been reviewed, just think about what he had just said.

Jeff -- I too was frustrated by the loss of the material on a reply when one went back to check on some detail in a previous post. Have finally gotten used to just copying the whole thing every time I back out, even cutting it out, then pasting it back in when I return on the forward arrow. I agree, it was a large step bakwards for someone with so poor a memory as I have.

ALmost forgot. TK is my favorite of the 3 main mags. I subscribe to Blade. I buy all the TK issuesat a newscounter. Just somehow never can get around to sending in a subscription card. I buy about half the KI issues. Biggest reason is that I get frustrated with the many typos, misspelling, and especially the wrong captions on pictures.

I think maybe it has gotten a bit better in at least one area since Bud Lang left. I don't think they're publishing so many pictures of still shop machinery. In about 2 years, am sure I've seen dozens of Bader grinders, scores of Baldor whatevers, etc. I want to see pictures of knives. I'd go for pictures of makers actually doing something with one of their machines if it could be understood with a brief caption. But just machines? Puhleeeze!

The quality of editing in KI would get HS kids flunked if they put together a school newspaper so poorly, at least in the HS I attended. I don't care what the subject is, magazines are about communication, first and foremost. However well the staff at KI knows knives, they don't know/do the basic requirements of their jobs well enough to keep their jobs, IMO.
 
General,
Of the big three, Tactical Knives is the one to get.
That is the only mag I read from cover to cover because they write the kind of stuff that interests most knife users/collectors.
I look forward to getting the others, but TK is the one I long to see in a monthly format.

Folks,
I read from one of the editors (somewhere) that the reason you don't see scathingly bad reviews of some knives is because they don't print the reviews of the knives that really suck. If you see a bunch of ad hype about a particulr knife and don't see a favorable review (or ANY review for that matter) in the knife mags, well 2+2=....

That overpriced, plastic handled, poorly made piece of crap from Ancient Edge comes to mind.:rolleyes:
 
Tactical Knives is my favorite knife magazine. I have to admit that in the last 6 months or so that the editing has fallen off. Mainly for the captions with the pictures being incorrect.And I cringe everytime that I see a knife reviewed that has been out for a year and they say it is new. I understand why they don't trash review knives. However, if a knife fails from normal use, I want to know about it. I have purchased quite few new knives because of their reviews.
GCG199
 
I'm aware that a magazine exists to make a profit for its publisher and that it does so by selling advertising. From this viewpoint it makes perfect sense to quash reviews of bad products when those product's manufacturers are advertising in said magazine. At the same time, this self-serving approach does readers a disservice and is the reason why news organizations (and reviews of new products can certainly be considered news) are supposed to be independent of, and not beholden to, their advertising departments. Readers of product review magazines (like TK) are as much enlightened by "this product sucks" reviews as "this product is the best of breed" reviews. Indeed that is one of the reasons (ostensibly) such magazines exist at all, and that we subscribe to them!

Now one could say that if one doesn't find a review of a particular product perhaps one might conclude that the product is bad. It also happens, however, that products whose manufacturers do not advertise in said magazine (and TK's publisher is one of the worst in this regard) don't get reviewed either, good or bad. This says as much about the publisher's (not necessarily the editor's) journalistic integrity as does the suppression of bad reviews in the first place.

That puts the responsibility for journalistic integrity right in the lap of the subscribers who have much more to do with setting advertising rates than do news-stand purchasers. What would manufacturers do if the only media in which they could advertise their products insisted on publishing both good <i><b>and</b></i> bad reviews? Heavens! They might actually withdraw bad products from the market and begin to produce more good ones!
 
I am going to try an issue and see what its like. Thanks to cowardly newsagents, knife magazines are NEVER seen over here. Yet Guns and Ammo is:confused: ? Pass the red coat and shotgun... Powerfull lobby:barf:
 
Yesterday, I mailed-in my subscription renewal to Tactical Knives magazine. I think it's the BEST one out there...I just wish it came out EVERY month!.:).
 
I think I read somewhere that TK won't publish articles on knives that get bad reviews, instead concentrating on publishing articles on knives that got good reviews. So, even know it seems that they like every knife they test, such is not the case. We just don't hear about the bad ones.
 
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