Bob Terzuola

Rhesus Feces

Rhesus Feces

bombastic simpleton
Joined
Jun 9, 2002
Messages
11,876
So...

What do you think of Bob T's knives?

I know he has an excellent reputation, and you don't see a whole lot on the secondary market, which means they are "keepers" in their owner's eyes.

I'm in the market for a folder, capable of serving in a self-defense scenario if the situation were forced, but at the same time I'd like it to be refined/upscale enough to fit-in in an office/professional environment.

To me, Bob's knives are classy, and they definitely have great fit and finish, BUT, do they lockup and perform as well?

Thanks!
 
Rhesusdude,

Bob is the father of the tactical knife.IMO He has through the years,stuck with what works.
Yes his knives do lock up and perform well at all levels.
Great stuff.
Now he is offering some of his models with the" Gents" look.
Highly recommended.
Randy
PS I own one of his keepers.
 
Indeed a Bob T. folder is a keeper. I have one of the ATCF's with a 4" S30V blade, titanium bolsters, and carbon fiber scales. This knife just plain works! Lockup is flawless. Blade action is smooth throughout the entire opening arc. Fit and finish is a step above, with a lot of little things getting extra little touches. The best thing is how deceptively large it really is. The blade length as stated is 4.0", but overall length is only 8.5". That means Bob has put a four inch blade into a four and a half inch handle! The knife looks smaller than it really is.
 
Bob makes a great folder and he's been making them a lot longer than most of us. You can't go wrong with one of his.

Don Hanson lll
 
I've been carrying one of Bob's knives daily since the late 80's. I've bought 25-30 various knives (other makers) carried them a few days (in the off side pocket) but I've never found one that to replace the old warhorse. Sent it back to Bob once for a tune up on a Monday with a note requesting he please hurry & I had it back Wednesday afternoon. I lost a screw out of it last year & sent it back, this time he kept it a whole week (keep in mind, I didn't call first or anything, it was a surprise) but he refinished the handles, wrote me a note & didn't charge me anything. (I think I included pre-paid UPS labels to come back). I bought the knife used from Nashoba Valley in 1987. You can't beat Bob's attitude or knives. I can't recommend anything I've ever owned as strongly as I would one of Bob Terzuola's knives.
 
I have owned three of Bob T's folders. His quality is spotty for lockup and fit.

One had very poor lockup and would easily fail the liner lock with moderater finger pressure on the spine. The liner vs. blade ramp angle was not correct.

Second had liner lock that jammed and required two hands to unlock.

I have handled two (not mine) that had the blade tip exposed outside the frame when closed.

If you can personally inspect the knife and check it out, go for it, he has a following of fans and his knives are popular. Very nice designs and shapes, Bob T. is an inovator with liner locks.

Regards,
FK
 
Hi,

I have handled probably 25 Bob T. customs. I own 2. One of the early ATCF's that I got has an indexing problem with the detent ball. I have seen this problem with an awful lot of liner locks from many top makers.
I mentioned it to Bob when I saw him 3 weeks ago, he said "send it to me, I'll fix it". Simple as that. Bob stands by his work, the designs are refined and functional, and the prices are fair. Very, very few makers come close to Bob's work, as in using, tough folding knives that have excellent blade-to-handle ratio. I would not call myself a fan (I am a fan of Denise Richards(pre-Charlie Sheen) and of Krista Allen), but I would say that Bob Terzuola is an excellent knifemaker.

Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I find the ATCF uncomfortable and difficult to open, personally. It's due to the fact that the thumbdisk is so close to the pivot that you have little leverage. I also find that the narrow handle means that you need to bring your thumb "inside" your palm more than with other folders.

In my experience, slightly wider blades are much easier to open than such narrow blades, because you get better leverage on the thumbdisk / stud.

In my book, the J W Smith tactical folders are the best there is to get. Impeccable finish & locking mechanism, and very comfortable / easy / fast. As a disclaimer, I've never owned a Terzuola folder, precisely because I didn't like the geometry.
 
Joss said:
In my book, the J W Smith tactical folders are the best there is to get. Impeccable finish & locking mechanism, and very comfortable / easy / fast. As a disclaimer, I've never owned a Terzuola folder, precisely because I didn't like the geometry.
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Joss your right about JW Smith folders. I really like his folders and the ones I've looked at were flawless, great knives.

Don
 
Overall, very nice folding designs.

Liners are suspect as mentioned above. I have had two fail easily. Someone saying "send it in and I'll fix it" is just not good enough in my book.

Bob is/was an innovator and that has to be respected.

There are very few makers that consistently make a great liner lock, and Bob is not on my list of those that do it.
 
I picked up an ATCF a few months ago and it is my daily carry. I love it and the more I use it the more I realize the thought and effort put into the knife and design. The best I have owned, hands down.
 
I have owned and still own many knives ffrom Bob. They are built extremely well, and I have yet to have a problem.

You would be very happy with your purchase.
 
I have two of Bob's TTF-3As,(the 3.5" versions), one with CF scales, one with Ti bolsters and CF scales. They are right up there with my all-time favorite EDCs. I bought both of them at shows where I could handle freely before purchase. I am a very happy camper. Fit and finish is beautiful.

At the NYCKS next month, I'll raid his table again, no doubt. :cool:
 
Larry,

Really, I don't want to get into a flame war, but can you provide a little more information than "overrated"? Like what exactly do you think is overrated?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Larry,

Really, I don't want to get into a flame war, but can you provide a little more information than "overrated"? Like what exactly do you think is overrated?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

I don't realy want to get into it too much. I know alot of people like his knives. I 've owned about 7 of his knives. I found on about half of them the action and lock-up were sub par. I once sent one back to him to fix and he charged me $50.00 and I still had the same problem.By the way all the knives were new from the N.Y. knife shows.
Larry
 
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