Not sure where you get the idea that Chinese companies can crack down on knock-offs.
The only authority that can "crack down" on anything in China is the Chinese government.
And only if they want to.
-
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Changes in the Knife World over the last 10 Yrs.
- Thread starter Locutus D'Borg
- Start date
The only authority that can "crack down" on anything in China is the Chinese government.
And only if they want to.
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2013
- Messages
- 15,047
Actually, he did buy it for himself. It was only $155 back then. But it was only after seeing my collection, messing with some of them. He is a rare guy.K.O.D. , Different strokes for different folks, right? Just because you can use what ever knife you want and carry just about anything isn't as much fun as some folks might think. I didn't always carry large work knives, though. I did take a detour and work for a Savings and Loan for a few years to get their construction portfolio lined back out, and then I carried a tiny little Buck, model unknown that had an 1 1/2" blade. I loved it, and it rotated with a Kershaw Whiskey Gap and a Gerber Silver Knight. Back in the late 80s, those were my first gentleman's knives and they did just fine. I never carry them, but I still have them somewhere.
It is amazing to me how much some folks use their knives but never want to invest in them. I can tell you from experience ( I am 65 as well ) that most of the guys on site don't want to spend as much money for a knife like that Spyderco which is in the $225 range. What if they made a mistake? What if they didn't like the knife? What if someone stole it or broke it on site? Yikes! And put this in perspective; for a great deal of folks here it is apparent that money is of little concern when buying what they want. But as a "working man", you constantly need to replace or upgrade your tools. So, do you put $225 in a new knife, or put $199 into a compact driver and heavy duty drill set with two batteries and a charger with a lifetime warranty? Do you buy a new circular saw and a new hammer drill for the same money? How about a new Dewalt 10" miter saw for $225 or so, or a new job site ready compressor and a brad gun for the same $225? What would you get the most value from?
I got your Dad's buddy covered. It is a mind set, one that is deeply rooted in bang for the buck and actual utility value. I started out as a carpenter and made the jump to General Contractor many years ago. But I still do the more exacting or difficult tasks myself since qualified craftsmen are more rare than could be described these days. I am never far from my blue collar roots.
So good sir, good on you for giving him a great knife of that caliber. I would bet he would never have bought that for himself. I got a real charge out of how much he enjoys it; every craftsman enjoys using a good tool. And just think; one day he will retire and I would BET that knife will stay in his pocket.
dano
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 1,634
I'll add:
the significant amount of "Designers" and boutique companies..Quite a few claim US made, even though they are not.
Fancy steels that offer few performance advantages, other than variant collectibility.
internet "Experts" and video makers have exploded
etc.
the significant amount of "Designers" and boutique companies..Quite a few claim US made, even though they are not.
Fancy steels that offer few performance advantages, other than variant collectibility.
internet "Experts" and video makers have exploded
etc.
sgt1372
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2018
- Messages
- 8,341
Really? This is WAY off topic but . . .
I own a 2002 F250 7.3L Diesel that has given me very few problems in the 12 years that I've owned it. The only "problem" w/it is that the paint is peeling & flaking from sitting out in the sun all the time but I still get notes from people (mostly gardeners, I think) who say they want to buy it. LOL!
Have owned a variety of Chevys in my life; most recently an early 2000's vintage Yukon, a 2017 Chevy Bolt and a 2014 Z51 Vette. Never had any mechanical problems w/the Vette but I did have an issue getting it to pass smog before I sold it a month ago. The only Dodge I've owned "recently" was a 1990's vintage Durango which also never gave me any problems.
Same generally applies to the 2008 BMW 335i, 2012 MB ML350 and 2002 Toyota MR2 that I also still own.
The only car that ever gave me any problems was a 1963 Austin Healy Sprint that I owned in the 70's and a 2000 Porsche 996 that I just sold. The clutch slave cylinder kept going out in the Sprint (which required engine removal to fix), so I traded it for a 68 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.
The 996 had a lot of "issues' (some caused by its age and some by me) that cost a lot of $ to fix and I sold it (at not much of a loss) after I got everything fixed. Just too much trouble to worry about it. I bought the 2014 Vette to replace it.
The Vette was a lot of fun to drive but I decided that I really didn't need it (after checking it off my bucket list) and would rather have the $40k that I got for it (which was more than I paid for it) back in my pocket. It's still sitting in the showroom of the dealer who bought it from me over a month ago.
Waiting to buy an EV now but the ones that I'm interested in are all still "pending" release or, if they have been released, are no where to be found.
On my list of EVs to consider buying/leasing are the Ford F150 Lightning (would love to be able to use it as back up power for my house) and the Caddy Lyriq (that I just think looks "cool."). Will sell the F250 and/or the MB if I get either or both of them down the road.
Was on the list to buy a Lightning but asked for a refund when it they said I couldn't get one til 2023 and didn't put a deposit on the Lyriq for the same reason. Still have a Level 2 Charger installed in my garage to use on another EV, if/when I ever get one.
If you can't tell, I like cars. I have more $ in them than I do in knives but not by much. LOL!
--------------------------------
PS: Regarding knives, I've owned them all my life but before I started collecting them about 4 yrs ago, the only ones that I owned were a Buck 110 and a couple of SAK Explorers plus a Cub Scout multiblade slipjoint (similar to a simple SAK).
The 1st time that I spent any "serious" $ for a knife was in the 90's when I bought a black PE Kershaw Shallot 1840 CKT for about $80 at a gun show in the late 90's. Took me 20 years to get "into" the hobby; mainly because I ran out of guns to buy and buying guns just became too much of a PITA.
As for opening mechanisms, the only one that I DON'T like are thumbstuds because I just don't find them easy to use; often because they do not line up well w/my thumb (small hands). If it's not an auto or a bali, then flippers and blade holes (Spyderco and others) are my prefered opening "mechanisms."
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Locutus D'Borg
Platinum Member
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- Dec 1, 2012
- Messages
- 5,222
I had a 1999 996 but my townhouse parking space was outside, which was not an issue except one of the adjacent parking spaces was for guests so everyone and their brother would ding my car when opening their door. The stress was wearing on me so I sold it. Loved it, though.Really? This is WAY off topic but . . .
I own a 2002 F250 7.3L Diesel that has given me very few problems in the 12 years that I've owned it. The only "problem" w/it is that the paint is peeling & flaking from sitting out in the sun all the time but I still get notes from people (mostly gardeners, I think) who say they want to buy it. LOL!
Have owned a variety of Chevys in my life; most recently a early 2000's vintage Yukon, a 2017 Chevy Bolt and the 2014 Z51 Vette hat never gave me any problems. The only Dodge I've owned "recently" was a 1990's vintage Durango which also never gave me any problems.
Same generally applies to the 2008 BMW 335i, 2012 MB ML350 and 2002 Toyota MR2 that I also still own.
The only car that ever gave me any problems was a 1963 Austin Healy Sprint that I owned in the 70's and a 2000 Porsche 996 that I just sold. The clutch slave cylinder kept going out in the Sprint (which required engine removal to fix), so I traded it for a 68 Triumph Bonneville motorcycle.
The 996 had a lot of "issues' (some caused by its age and some by me) that cost a lot of $ to fix and I sold it (at not much of a loss) after I got everything fixed. Just too much trouble to worry about it. I bought the 2014 Vette to replace it.
The Vette was a lot of fun to drive but I decided that I really didn't need it (after checking it off my bucket list) and would rather have the $40k that I got for it (which was more than I paid for it) back in my pocket. It's still sitting in the showroom of the dealer who bought it from me over a month ago.
Waiting to buy an EV now but the one's that I'm interested in are all still "pending" release or, if they have been released, are no where to be found.
On my list of EVs to consider buying/leasing are the Ford F150 Lightinng (would love to be able to use it as back up power for my house) and the Caddy Lyriq (that I just think looks "cool."). And I still have a Level 2 Charger installed in my garage.
Will sell the F250 and/or the MB if I get either or both of them down the road.
If you can't tell, I like cars. LOL!
--------------------------------
PS: Regarding knives, I've owned them all my life but before I started collecting them about 4 yrs ago, the only ones that I owned were a Buck 110 and a couple of SAK Explorers plus a Cub Scout multiblade slipjoint (similar to a simple SAK).
The 1st time that I spent any "serious" $ for a knife was in the 90's when I bought a black PE Kershaw Shallot 1840 CKT for ab out $80 at a gun show in the last 90's. Took me 20 years to get "into" the hobby; mainly because I ran out of guns to buy and buying guns just became too much of a PITA.
As for opening mechanisms, the only one I don't like are thumbstuds because I just don't find them easy to use; often because they do not line up well w/the size of my hand. If it's not an auto or a bali, then flippers and blade holes (Spyderco and others) is my prefered opening "mechanism."
Landshark99
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2007
- Messages
- 908
I have to admit that one of the things I love about my Jeep with rocksliders is that i do not have to park on the far side of the lot, like I use to do with my car toys. They ding themselves instead of me
sgt1372
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2018
- Messages
- 8,341
I had one of those too. A lifted and heavily modified 1999 redTJ that I used to run the Rubicon Trail from Georgetown CA to Tahoe.
Will try to find/post a pic of it later.
Joined up w/a tour operator who guided the group to the resting area below Cadillac Hill where he planned to turn around w/the group headed back to Georgetown. I didn't want to do that and tackled Cadillac Hill alone in order to get to Tahoe.
Had to get out of the jeep to stack rocks to climb a ledge near the top of the hill at a point called Morris Rock (or The Steps) and it was very difficult to stand up there because of the extreme angle of the hill. This is considered one of the MOST difficult obstacles on the trail.
When I think back on that it was just DUMB LUCK that I got thru that section of the trail ALL BY MYSELF w/o any problems.
I didn't know any better at the time and only later learned how lucky I was. LOL!
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- Joined
- Apr 15, 2012
- Messages
- 1,104
RE: Changes in the Knife World over the last 10 Yrs.
RE: Changes in the Knife World over the last 10 Yrs.1) Flipper knives (for the challenged aka Diamond Jim Skelton - LOL, you've come a long way!)
2) Bearing Pivots (because of 1 above)
3) Tip Up Clip Positioning (because of 1 above)
4) Fidget & Toy like features & colors (candy bar knives, etc.)
5) Boutique Steels (as if the steel [example: s30v vs s35v vs s45v in same model] is more important than the geometry and application appropriate heat treatment)
6) Knives as toys or status symbols vs. tools (1-5 above)
7) Distressed finishes on a new knife (1-6 above)
8) "Makers" who are fakers (amazing the number of ignorant buyers - Caveat Emptor)
9) Polished Bevels 'cause of looks
On the flip, there have been some positive advancements but many are obscured by the shear volume of options consumed by 1-9 above.
Steel alloying and heat treatment process advancements.
A greater understanding that geometry is more significant than most understand.
Huge array of sharpening options (fixed, semi-fixed, great variety of stone and media options).
Chronovore
Gold Member
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2019
- Messages
- 11,858
This is unfortunate. There are lots of knives in "super steels" that get mediocre or even bad heat treatments. A good question is just how recent a phenomenon this really is and I don't know. There have probably always been commercial knives that don't deliver on the possible performance of their materials. Other questions include how many people would even notice and for how many of those people it actually matters. Many people don't seem to notice it now!
Another big change seems to be the rise of nerd culture surrounding this. Larrin is doing the work he is doing. His scientifically informed ideal steel ratings have challenged the fuzzy, anecdotally informed "charts" that are still up in various places. There are a bunch of "cut testers" subjecting different knives in different steels to relatively standard testing, though most of it seems to focus on cardboard and rope. Some of these guys have done a good job in testing actual knives with the heat treatments they actually get. Some of those guys have also been sending random knives out for hardness testing. LTK has been sending random, mostly Chinese knives out for XRF testing to confirm whether or not the steel stamp on the blades is accurate.
It is from this kind of testing that some bad brands have gotten busted stamping "D2", "M390", etc. on 3Cr13, 5Cr15, etc. We've seen the schism between what D2 should be able to do on edge retention versus what a lot of it actually does in imported budget knives. We've also seen $40 Chinese knives in 9Cr18Mov with a great heat treatment that hold an edge about as well as much more expensive knives in S35VN or M390 with a mediocre heat treatment.
