Keep it civil, and please keep it related to the knife itself. No Mantis bashing. Anybody OWN the knife to give opinions on it? I like the design and ergos, so that is nothing to worry about. Just would like to know if anybody has our has had the knife to give an honest opinion.
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Considering the Mantis Pit Boss
- Thread starter Cold Kill
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This is my opinion. I do not own the knife, so feel free to disregard what i am going to say. I would not buy the knife based on the fact that they lie about their alloys. there is no way that it could be 440V for 50 bucks. not a chance. if they lied about that, then they have no shame and will probably lie about the rest. also, disregarding the steel completely, anything 1/4 inch thick will be bad for slicing, making this a sharpened prybar. no thanks.
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Ergos, you really can't comment on that until you've held it in your hands. That said, I don't have any first-hand experience with the Pit Boss itself, and after reading about people's opinions on the knife and the company, I doubt I ever will. Logistics and history make the manufacturer's description and specs highly dubious, and is very likely less than what they tout it to be. It's a shame really, because I actually like the design and look of the knife. First and foremost though, the knife has to perform well, and I am one to use all of my knives. I just doubt it would hold up.
I just went and got a Kershaw Needs Work. You can get 3 blems from kershawguy for the same price as the Pit Boss.
I just went and got a Kershaw Needs Work. You can get 3 blems from kershawguy for the same price as the Pit Boss.
I actually had a chance to ask the owner, and he told me that the 440V is not the original (that was I believe made by Carpenter, feel free to correct me), but instead made by another manufacturer, and it is likely a Chinese conjugate. He did give me the chemical breakdown, though, and I was impressed. The steel he told me for $50 wouldn't be ridiculous, considering the short length of the knife. It would kill some profit margin, but it would not be a money pit to make.
One of the big things that drew me to Mantis was the warranty, though. I have seen quite a few reviews with people who had a problem, and many of them were resolved by the owner himself.
Edit: Thought I would just throw this in. I hate the Needs Work. It's not by any means a bad knife, just literally terrible for what I was wanting in every way. The blade is paper thin, even thinner with the tip, and the handle is like the thickness of my wrist, with a less than satisfying clip. Again, not a bad knife, just not what I was looking for.
One of the big things that drew me to Mantis was the warranty, though. I have seen quite a few reviews with people who had a problem, and many of them were resolved by the owner himself.
Edit: Thought I would just throw this in. I hate the Needs Work. It's not by any means a bad knife, just literally terrible for what I was wanting in every way. The blade is paper thin, even thinner with the tip, and the handle is like the thickness of my wrist, with a less than satisfying clip. Again, not a bad knife, just not what I was looking for.
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Well, if you have a good rapport with the company and they stand behind their product's technology and quality, then you should be ok. I don't have any of that info or assurance from Mantis though. I have held an Isosceles at the flea market, and the red "anodizing" actually started to come off when I rubbed it with my thumb. I hope that wasn't an indication of the fit and finish of all their knives, but after seeing that, it's better to be wary than to be suckered.
Well...I think they have consistently proven themselves to be the kinda stand-up company one can trust.
Every company, no matter how good or bad, has their dirty laundry. I have heard about the Mantis fiasco, hence why I am buying from a source with a return policy. I have a few of the Gerber knives that are "terrible", and in reality if you use them for the usual EDC tasks, they will actually perform pretty adequately. They take a *moderate* edge, and hold it well enough for the usual uses. That is exactly why I am looking at buying the Pit Boss, so I can give my honest review of it, because I could care less about the fiasco.
Does anybody actually have anything about the Pit Boss itself, or is this too going to turn into a Mantis bashing thread? I would like to know people's experience with the knife, because I refuse to make an uneducated purchase (again, just the knife, not the company).
Does anybody actually have anything about the Pit Boss itself, or is this too going to turn into a Mantis bashing thread? I would like to know people's experience with the knife, because I refuse to make an uneducated purchase (again, just the knife, not the company).
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I think you knew the answer to that before you started this thread.
If you have bought the knife already, why do you want to read a review from someone else (particularly considering that it has been alleged that suspicious reviews have been created in the past)?
No offense, but why not just wait til the knife arrives, try it out and let it do the talking? That is going to be the best way to get accurate information about this knife and how well it will serve your needs.
Edit to add. I re read your post...it seems you have not yet decided to buy....I again urge you to buy it and see for yourself. Your fear is making an uneducated purchase, and I submit that the only way to get the education you seek on this product is directly from it.
Thinking I may have to just buy it and hope for the best. Just like my thread where I had good experiences with my 2 Gerber's, I did not see a single person post a single positive thing. That's what happens when you press on something that people have completely set opinions on. Just like when somebody says anything bad about Benchmade (none of the other companies seem to have such viciously aggressive fans), they get everything short of death threats.
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What about a Cold Steel Mini Tuff? 1/3 the weight and about half the price, pretty sure it will have better fit and finish also. Like a mini Voyager with the blade style you want.
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A chinese analog for S60V/440V.
Yeah. I believe that too.
But then why is he advertising it as S60v and telling people that he bought it cheaply in a going out of business sale?
Cold Kill, did he talk you into joining the "militia" and promise you could order knives with steels you want? That's an easy promise to keep if you are convinced you can call any steel you want whatever the hell you like and get away with it.
Have fun doing business with people like that.
Yeah. I believe that too.
But then why is he advertising it as S60v and telling people that he bought it cheaply in a going out of business sale?
Cold Kill, did he talk you into joining the "militia" and promise you could order knives with steels you want? That's an easy promise to keep if you are convinced you can call any steel you want whatever the hell you like and get away with it.
Have fun doing business with people like that.
He talked me into nothing. He was pretty straight up with me, and gave me no reason to believe the steel isn't what he said it is (well, other than the fact that the steel is a bit extreme for the price point). Personally, I think the steel trading is a cool idea, but I would be afraid that what you trade it for could literally be anything, because there is nothing but personal promise involved. At least with buying the knife as it is supposed to be you are under false advertising protection, but pursuing legal action for a $50 knife is a little ridiculous. So long as the steel works for what I barely use it for, and it takes a nice, sharp edge, I will be perfectly happy. If I am going to abuse a knife, I have cheap junkers I can do that with, I buy a knife for looks, and in the case of my Delica, steel.A chinese analog for S60V/440V.
Yeah. I believe that too.
But then why is he advertising it as S60v and telling people that he bought it cheaply in a going out of business sale?
Cold Kill, did he talk you into joining the "militia" and promise you could order knives with steels you want? That's an easy promise to keep if you are convinced you can call any steel you want whatever the hell you like and get away with it.
Have fun doing business with people like that.
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So you did join the "mantis militia" then, eh ? If you don't think he gave you any reason to believe the steel isn't what he said it is than you are missing the fact that he is backpedaling and admitting to being disingenuous in past statements about not only what steel it is, but where he got it from. The warning signals are all there. You choose to ignore them.
Let us know how that works out for you.
Joe
I don't get it. You like the guy and think he's straight up. You know the vast, vast majority here strongly disagree. It's been done to death.
So what's the point of asking? Did you honestly believe this thread would go any differently? Do you just enjoy going up against this vast cabal of mindless haters and bashers that you keep running into here? It's all just odd.
Buy the knife. If you like it, great. If you hate it, send it back. What you feel about the knife should be the only important thing to you anyway.
I honestly don't even know what the Mantis Militia is. I would think is like being a Beckerhead, but I honestly do not know. I know he has been... bad, to say the least, in the past. I don't particularly care what happened with him in the past, because I believe people can reform, and if you concern yourself with somebody's past, you can't be unbiased about them in the present. If I have a bad experience with them, then I will form my own opinion then, but if I have a good experience I (apparently alone) will praise them. I also kind of hope that when I get mine that something does go wrong so I can experience the customer service to comment on that. I will *try* to do a full review when I do get the knife (I am pretty bad at reviews, if it is good then I sound like an ad, and if it is bad I make it sound like it is the spawn of Satan).
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