Build quality/Looks wise, I'm pretty SHOCKED by this ten dollar (or less) large Folder!

H

HARDBALL

Joined
May 6, 2001
Messages
930
Hi all,

Let me say right up front, I am NOT up to speed with (especially) today's new/newer crop of Folding Knives (especially) Knives made "Off Shores". That being said, today, I visited a "Junk Shop" and found a good size (Assist Open) Folder that (upon quick inspection) looked/felt/operated beautifully! I had somewhat of a recollection of the Brand name. Man, this Knife is SOLID and HEAVY! In fact (once home) I weight this Knife against my ZT-0200 and this (IN-expensive) Knife weight even more than the ZT 0200. I was "hoping" Lightning would strike again and that my "Junk Shop" would turn out to be another USA Knife score (as was the case with my ZT 0200). Alas, such was not the case. I was overly excited when I saw the letters USA on the Blade however (only after closer examination) did I see DESIGNED in USA. Uggggh, think I.
Yep, sure enough, in very fine print where the words "Handcrafted in China". Ha! The jokes on me. Lucky for me I didn't pay much for this (what appears to be a brand new/never used) Knife. Once back in my Car, I started "flipping" the assist open Blade open. Wow! (thinks I) this opens fast, smooth and positive. I then checked the Blade for any signs of being loose and it was as solid/tight as could be. So, pray tell, is this Knife considered a "decent quality" budget Knife ? Mtech MT-A896 "Spring Assist Open". As I mentioned, the "feel/quality" of this Knife is surprisingly amazing considering how budget a Knife.
I wonder if perhaps this is one of the "early" released MTech Knife Models which may have been of higher quality ? Again, it sure feels like a solid/well built Knife. I can't even wrap my Head around the fact that this Knife is being sold (in some cases) at LESS than ten dollars! I only wish the 440 Stainless Blade didn't have all those funky "cut outs" as it might be problematic/weaken the Blade ?
I suspect this was done for "speed opening" or perhaps just for aesthetics. All in all, for seven dollars, not too bad a knife/deal if for nothing else, a "fidget" toy!


MTech USA MT-A896SW SPRING ASSISTED KNIFE 4.75" CLOSED Item #: MT-A896SW Spring Assisted Knife 3.75" 2.8MM THICK BLADE, STAINLESS STEEL BLACK STONEWASH PLAIN BLADE 4.75" CLOSED STONEWASH STAINLESS STEEL HANDLE INCLUDES POCKET CLIP






HARDBALL
 
Last edited by a moderator:
A buddy of mine recently gave me three Chinese made knives, all worth less than 10 bucks a piece. I graciously accepted them, and I must say, not terrible. I don’t carry them but I honestly expected much worse. They deploy quickly, but closing them is another story.
 
Hi T.J.
Normally, I wouldn't purchase a Folder such as this one. I got fooled! Nevertheless, I am seriously pretty darn shocked of (what appears) to be a VERY well built Knife.
Of course only time will tell if this "budget" knife holds up. I dear say, this budget Mtech "Assist Open" Blade opens as good as my new Kershaw "LEEK".

HARDBALL
 
Sometimes you can get surprised. I have so many high quality pieces that I’ll probably never carry the Chinese ones. Nevertheless, they were not the junk that I thought they would be. Still far from even an Ontario Rat, but still solid enough for a beater.
 
it might feel solid - but anything from mtech I believe has to be questioned in terms of heat treatment

... when you make bargain basement knives you don't bother to do proper heat treating and tempering
I've never owned one, and never will... too much mall ninja history, they pretty much define the genre
 
any company that can come up with this abomination should not be trusted - qed
1_11__71413.1571860910.190.285.jpg
 
If you are happy with your purchase, that is all that matters. I prefer to avoid Mtech, Ganzo, and Firebird among other brands. That is my particular choice and each person has the right to spend their $ as they see fit.
 
Hi gazz,

Yea, I hear what you are saying. As a general rule, I don't purchase cheap Knives. In this case (due to my ignorance) I purchased (what I thought) was a USA made Knife. Surprise, surprise, surprise! So, this purchase will serve/be a reminder to me (and perhaps others) to not let emotions rule the Brain! I was thinking I had (again) found another screaming deal like I did two Summers ago when I found (at an outdoor Flea Market) a FANTASTIC condition "Zero Tolerance 0200" (mixed in among a box of cheap Chinese Knives). That ZT 0200 cost me FIVE dollars!

HARDBALL
 
I gotta love all the BF resident "experts" , who can know enough about a knife, or entire brand, they never owned to nevertheless soundly condemn it's quality . o_O:p
 
If it works for you, use it without shame. Mtech makes a wide range of knives, and while they tend to be bottom end, they offer a lot of solid working knives. They are the kind of knives that would satisfy 90% of regular knife users. Yes, they are primarily targeted at flea markets, gas stations and the like; but, they are much better than what we usually found in the equivallent stalls during the 1970s and 80s. I use them as my gage for lower end knives.

n2s
 
Last edited:
overlook the bias and judge things
accordingly.
if it checks out great
a whole new world opens.
only unserstand that everyone
have different sets of standards.
and the opinions of a majority rules.
so no matter the brand,
a knife is still a knife
by any other name.
what mattes is ...
that it makes the cut time and time again.
i m happy for anyone who overlooks
branding and discovers the simplicity
of having a knife for knife's sake.
 
Assisted actions are apparently cheap to make. (MTech has offered cheap assisted action for decades.) Now that captured bearings have become common, you can get surprisingly decent manual actions on cheap knives too. You might even find one with reasonable fit and finish. (Getting those things right on a sub-$15 knife makes it look pretty bad when more expensive knives don't.)

The main place where these knives cheap out is the steel. For instance, MTech uses a lot of 3Cr13, unspecified 440, and "stainless steel". Performance will be similar to Walmart's Ozark Trail knives, which also tend to use 3Cr13 and can be had for the price of a sandwich. These steels make 8Cr13Mov look good. Just to help put this into perspective, Sanrenmu uses 3Cr13 as a handle material in stainless steel frame locks. In fact, their most recent release at the time of this post is such a knife with an 8Cr14 blade for just over fifteen bucks.

Things work differently when we're this low on the "curve of diminishing returns". You can get astronomical increases in quality for very little money. As a result, there are some surprisingly nice knives in the $20-30 range. The relative difference between an MTech and something like an Ontario Rat or Tangram Santa Fe is similar to what people here pay over a hundred bucks to achieve. Given that it can be achieved for the price of a fast food lunch, and can make the difference between pocket trash and a solid EDC tool, it's worth helping aspiring newbies to brown-bag it for a day or two.
 
Chronovore said:
Assisted actions are apparently cheap to make. (MTech has offered cheap assisted action for decades.) Now that captured bearings have become common, you can get surprisingly decent manual actions on cheap knives too. You might even find one with reasonable fit and finish. (Getting those things right on a sub-$15 knife makes it look pretty bad when more expensive knives don't.)

The main place where these knives cheap out is the steel. For instance, MTech uses a lot of 3Cr13, unspecified 440, and "stainless steel". Performance will be similar to Walmart's Ozark Trail knives, which also tend to use 3Cr13 and can be had for the price of a sandwich. These steels make 8Cr13Mov look good. Just to help put this into perspective, Sanrenmu uses 3Cr13 as a handle material in stainless steel frame locks. In fact, their most recent release at the time of this post is such a knife with an 8Cr14 blade for just over fifteen bucks.

Things work differently when we're this low on the "curve of diminishing returns". You can get astronomical increases in quality for very little money. As a result, there are some surprisingly nice knives in the $20-30 range. The relative difference between an MTech and something like an Ontario Rat or Tangram Santa Fe is similar to what people here pay over a hundred bucks to achieve. Given that it can be achieved for the price of a fast food lunch, and can make the difference between pocket trash and a solid EDC tool, it's worth helping aspiring newbies to brown-bag it for a day or two.
Click to expand...
Hi Chronovore,

Thank you kindly for your most excellent perspective!

HARDBALL
 
DocJD said:
I gotta love all the BF resident "experts" , who can know enough about a knife, or entire brand, they never owned to nevertheless soundly condemn it's quality . o_O:p
Click to expand...
to be fair, you don't need to be an 'expert' to call out a company for low quality...
history and consensus are actually well documented regarding mtech and you don't need to own one to have handled one... I've picked them up at gas stations & acquaintances

based on all that, I stand by my condemnation

(I do not claim to be an expert & amazingly I still have an opinion... and it's still valid)

you are free to have your opinion, if you love 3cr13 blades at 52 hrc, go for it : )
 
Although I've had a good experience with a very cheap ($8) fixed-blade, and put it through hard use on construction sites with no issues, I would never use a cheap folder for anything coming close to hard use.

My concern with cheap folders would be lock failure and screws spontaneously falling out. So I would only use such knives just as I would use a slipjoint.

I love folding stilettos, and I'm always on the lookout for a new one. Mtech makes a variety of them, but doing my research I've read several reviews where people said things like "Great knife! The lock doesn't always engage, but it's a great knife". I say "No thanks".

My general philosophy when it comes to cheap folders goes like this- A cheap folder might prove to be of decent quality, but I consider that to be luck. When it comes to knives, and the safety of my fingers, I'd rather bet on a brand that is well-known for consistent quality than bet on luck.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top