Best and Worst purchases of 2016

Gary W. Graley said:
While not the most expensive I've ever owned, it sure is the sleekest I think and for me, best buy for 2016 for sure, arrived just in time for New Years Eve too !

IMG_6498 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2

as for the worst, my doctor says I should move past that and get on with my life, I should not dwell on such things ;)
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Which model is this? It's the first one that actually caught my eye.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
While not the most expensive I've ever owned, it sure is the sleekest I think and for me, best buy for 2016 for sure, arrived just in time for New Years Eve too !

IMG_6498 by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

G2

as for the worst, my doctor says I should move past that and get on with my life, I should not dwell on such things ;)
Click to expand...

This is the first WE to catch my eye. Which model is that? It's gorgeous.
 
Thanks, it is the WE 617A model, check them out at BladeHQ site, they still had some black bladed ones but not with the black G10
G2
 
Thank you I am looking now. Hope they have something close to what you have I love that color combo.
 
Best-Lionsteel KUR-might be my favorite knife ever (runners up would include ZT 0456, ZT 0808 and WE 604)
Worst-ZT 0801-my example has bad pivot issues and when I sent it in to ZT they put some blue loctite on it and sent it back. Still have issues with the entire pivot spinning (both sides) every time I flip it.
 
timnelson said:
Best-Lionsteel KUR-might be my favorite knife ever (runners up would include ZT 0456, ZT 0808 and WE 604).
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I must have had a lemon. Mine won't flip ever and open itself in my pocket. It has to be carried in a pouch, which I can't stand.
I like the general aesthetics and the great blade, apart from that this is one of my most expensive paper clip.
 
very impress with the Emerson mini comando like the knife a lot the grind on the knife is spot on . Really cool knife .
Not impressed by the Spyderco Positron . The knife does not flip the carbon fiber looks good but the fact that the liners are so thick makes the knife fat in your pocket ,blade shape is ok but the ZT 0770 is a way better knife . Big time disappointed .
 
I'm going to say that my XM-18 Skinner that I bought off of the exchange was my best purchase of 2016. Has the best action of any Hinderer I've ever handled, including the other 4 in my collection and all the shows and stores and stuff that I've visited. I love carrying that knife when I do.

Most disappointed was my Ferrko Mako. Broke the pivot on Day 1. Very tiny, tiny diameter pivot posts and bearings; detent ramp and double take on the closure of the blade was off-putting.
 
for 2016, only a single blade, a black digi camo paramilitary 2. Not much interest in any others since I bought a couple of CRKs in 2015.
 
whitty said:
Best purchases: Hinderer Half Track, ZT0456 and Fiddleback Forge Bishop.

Worst purchase: A customer sent back a Spyderco Para Military II and I refunded him before really looking at the knife. Once I took a look at it I realized it was a fake. I appealed to our credit card company but they were right when they told me I should have checked it out better before refunding him. Live and learn but I own that SOB now. Going to take it to the range and shoot it in 2017!
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You should post a thread of the knife with pics. Break it down next to a real PM2, show folks what to look for. I'd read that!
 
In 2016 my worst knife was also my best knife.

Worst knife: Böker Arbolito Hunter because it came with the most crooked uneven grind ever. Not only was it plainly visible with the naked eye, it was so pronounced even a blind man could see it.

As an aside. Every Böker knife I've purchased in the last few years that wasn't made in Germany had some glaring problem of some sort. I have resolved not to bother with any non-german Böker knives in the future. (Edit: well, I did buy one knife that might have been made in the USA that turned out really well, though).

Best knife: Böker Arbolito Hunter because I decided I would try and fix it myself as a complete super-novice when it comes to sharpening, and...it worked out really well. It's an awesome knife now and those few days of elbow were great practice! I feel like this knife has really helped me to learn how to sharpen better. (I still have a long ways to go, though).

See, it's all what you make of it.

Honorable mentions for great knives go to the Buck 112 and Buck 110 in stag I went to great lengths to acquire, but since they are both pretty much perfect knives that makes for a dull story.
 
Why did the Kur make your worst list? Did the pocket clip crack the coating on the scale? Mine did, Lionsteel did replace the scales and sent a Leather holster for free. The initial clip was way too tight...
 
WORST My worst purchase was also my nicest knife. WORST, in that it wasn't for me. I made a mistake buying it - the Andre Thorburn L19 flipper. It is/was a really flawless flipper - beautiful details and fit and super smooth as Thorburns are but just didn't work for me. It makes the worst category because I got creamed trying to resell it at my value. As soon as it was mine it lost $100.00 in value and no one wants to hear me cry. :rolleyes:

BEST - In part of the trade for the L-19 I ended up with a Chris Quayism Kwaiken -



This knife needs some work :) as it came pretty crude. Maybe one of his firsts customs - BUT - I can send it in for a spa treatment and in the meantime I have carried it every day as my EDC. Rugged work knife, OK flipper, easy in the hand, and I don't hesitate to use it for nearly any task. Never felt more confident with any EDC I have carried. 4" blade which makes this bigger than I prefer but surprisingly this one carries well. Far cry from a Thorburn but it is a knife worthy of note nonetheless 👍

Thanks for asking :D

Ray
 
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Best: Kizer Nomad during kizer's cyber Monday sale on the forums. Stunning blade with great hand feel and got a killer price on it.

Worst: SOG min-aegis, the assist and locking made me hate the knife but I wanted to like it because it carried so nice which made me hate it more because I wanted to like it so much I carried for a little bit but every time I used it I remembered why I hated the action of the knife. Maybe I didn't give it enough time, bought and then placed on ebay within a week (before I had a paid membership on forum).
 
Best: A couple of Maxace's-Cicada and Corvus.

Worst: Iv'e been lucky in 2016!
 
Best:
ZT 456
ZT 450CFZDP
ZT 999
Spyderco Nirvana
Dave Curtiss Slimline Cruze

Worst:
Microtech UTX-70
CKF Muscle
Emerson A100 and Super 7 (I keep wanting to love Emersons, but the QC is horrendous)
 
Rival1314 said:
Best:
Emerson A100 and Super 7 (I keep wanting to love Emersons, but the QC is horrendous)
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This is my experience with a nutshell. Love the look of some designs, but then I handle the knives and the gas station knife bin level fit and finish is too much to get over. I was at GPK one time and handled three or four 7Vs and every one of them had crappy F&F and lock stick to boot. Switch over to A100s, and find the same thing. Nope, nope nope-ity nope nope.
 
Best for me was my Rat Worx MRX. This knife is awesome!
No really "worsts" for me.
 
Best: Spyderco Phil Wilson South Fork. I'm mostly a folder guy (my fixed blades are just tools) but this knife is my ideal all-rounder knife. In terms of build quality, size, shape, cutting geometry, materials, the South Fork just ticks every box for me. I've wanted one forever and finally got around to picking one up in 2016--no regrets! :thumbup:

spydercopw01_zps3syod1cm.jpg

Spyderco Phil Wilson South Fork

Worst: Benchmade 530. I got on a dagger grind kick and added a 530 to an order. It's actually a good knife but I just didn't take a shining to it which was kind of disappointing. The Grivory is adequate but feels cheap; I would have liked my 530 far better in pretty much any other handle material. I knew that a 531 would be a better choice for me, but I wanted the dagger grind. A resounding meh... biggest disappointment of 2016. :thumbdn:

bm53001_zpsfzsxo0ky.jpg

Benchmade 530

-Brett
 
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