Did CHEAP Knives Reel You In?

Yep, the difference is in the blade. The blade in the kit is an unpolished AUS 8. The one from Maxam is a 420. If the kit had a ATS-34 blade for that price, I'd go for it. But the kit is good for learning how these knives are built.

My 420 Maxam has seen some cutting and it's pretty good fer a five-dollar knife. I'd rather have the Maxam for five bucks than a CRKT 420j2 for $25.
 
even now i still have n use my $5 wally world machete. since i dont use it enought ill save the $$ for good knives and guns that i will acually use
 
yes I have had a good china experience! I am a case man all the way and I work my knives and they need to serve me in my job and the field. The china rough rider knives , deer slayer, elephant toe, and sleeve board sunfish compare equal fit and finish with my case knives, they hold a edge and sharpen easily. actually the rough riders sharpen better than my case knives! and look good too. scary from china whew! no longer will I worry about my favorite case knives when i can abuse cheap rough riders that kick ass!
once in my life china impressed me for $10.50
 
In some ways cheep knives are the best, no don't all kill me, there is truth in this. Yesterday I was taking apart an old camcorder to salvage the lenses. it was much harder than I emagined.

Guess what knife I used to hack though a lot of wires and plastic, my cheep and nasty £5.00 clone. The day before I bent the tip trying to remove an sharpening stone from a block of wood, just bent it right back.

The problem is the nicer your knife the less you uses it for fear of damaging your prized posession.

Long live crappy knives we love you.
 
icemancometh said:
yes I have had a good china experience! I am a case man all the way and I work my knives and they need to serve me in my job and the field. The china rough rider knives , deer slayer, elephant toe, and sleeve board sunfish compare equal fit and finish with my case knives, they hold a edge and sharpen easily. actually the rough riders sharpen better than my case knives! and look good too. scary from china whew! no longer will I worry about my favorite case knives when i can abuse cheap rough riders that kick ass!
once in my life china impressed me for $10.50
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You're correct about RR , I bought a Black MOP Large Stockman and a Stag Trapper, they are very good knives for the price.

The MOP knife is almost too nice to beat up.....

I'll probably pick up the large Congress or Muskrat in black or regular MOP.
 
My first knife was an M-9 Bayonet compliments of the US Army during the "ahem...liberation" of one Manuel Noreiga from a beautiful little country called Panama. Never once used the damn thing, and did not like it anyway. After returning stateside, our QuarterMaster handed out a few Camillus folders to the returning grunts. I loved that little knife with U.S. stamped on the side and the year 1985 at the base of the blade. Some REMF stole it and I still miss that knife to this day!
 
JPD1998 said:
You're correct about RR , I bought a Black MOP Large Stockman and a Stag Trapper, they are very good knives for the price.

The MOP knife is almost too nice to beat up.....

I'll probably pick up the large Congress or Muskrat in black or regular MOP.
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I was not impressed with the regular pearl r/r knives the pearl is kinda homely
but the black pearls are very nice!!!
 
i started with knives i found or got at fairs, crap for the most part

my first "decent" knife was a Gerber Gator, i loved that thing, but i lost it the first night i ever got drunk as my friends were hosing the contents of my stomach off of me :(

i bought another one a few years later, i don't carry it much anymore (basically replaced it on my belt with a Wave), but i'd never part with it

strangely, now i recently started buying nicer knives (Benchmades, Spydercos, looking at a Sebenza or Strider) but i also want to start learning more about maintenance, etc... so i'm thinking of picking up some flea market knives to practice sharpening on my Sharpmaker that's coming shortly

edit: hmm, i guess i had some Victornox SAKs before that, but it just doesn't feel the same. i seem to use the blades on those things least of all the stuff on them.
 
Yep, started off with all sorts of cheapo pen knives and chinese folders.

Moved on to Scharades and Wal-Mart Kershaws.
Then on to SOG after playing with a friends.
Now I'm all about Benchmades and Spyderco's (My Osbourne 943 S30V being my favorite so far)
Next is custom!
 
It was a Gerber that started me down the road to being knife rich and cash poor. I wanted a Multi Tool for fishing and the Gerber with the needle nose pliers seemed like the best bet. I picked one up at a Sams club / Costco type discount bulk store and it came with a free LST Jr.

I thought it was a nice knife 'til I tried a friends Spyderco Centofante. :rolleyes:

The rest is history. Now the Gerber sits while I debate on what to carry/use. The Benchmade? Spyderco? Bark River? Swamp Rat? :confused:
 
In the very early 70's I had a schrade old-timer muskrat, and a Herters humpback (can't remember the name) fixed blade. I still got 'em both. The Herters was the first knife I bought, and it was around 2.95. After that it was more schrades & gerbers pretty much.

I have bought only one or two chinese POS's. Nowadays I try to give as little money as possible to the "Peoples Republic".
 
My first cheapo reeled me in alright. I was about 7 years old, and I saw three bladed multi-tool at the barber shop, one of several on a cardboard display. Shiny chrome, constructed very much like the nail clippers on the neighboring display, I got my dad to buy me one. Probably cost about a buck back then (early 70s). The simple handle was folded steel, also serving as the backspring. the three blades, a small sheepsfoot knife, a nail file/cleaner, and a bottle opener, all pivoted on one rivet, hollow and large enough to accomodate a small ball chain. Everything finished in shiny chrome. Closed, the whole thing was about the size of a SAK Classic. I've been eyeing knives ever since.
 
If it wasn't for cheap knives, I would never have gotten into knives.

Thank you China.
 
Still happens :D

I'm a Spyderholic but always on the look out for a nice cheapy. Picked up a Steel Warrior trapper (thx to this board) and love it. Recently p/u a new S&W liner lock (Aluminum handles) on a lark and it's a very nice piece. Great lock-up and tight overall.

Love live the Cheapie ! ! !
 
Perhaps we should have a thread that's called: "Did EXPENSIVE Knives Reel You In?" Never heard of someone going from expensive to cheap. Normally it's the other way around. (Don't tell anyone, but I still carry cheapies every now and again.) MAXAM makes a huge folder with a 5-inch blade that fits very well into me back pocket. It's nice to have on night walks.
 
In one fashion I do think it's sad that alot of the big knife companies are continuing on a downward spiral when it comes to quality, but they are only giving the mass market what it wants. On the upside we the knife nuts now have such a variety to choose from in the custom maker realm that if one looks one will find something that suits their taste. I personally like the current knife market because as long as the big companies continue to turn out crap custom makers will continue to fill that ever growing void with a better made product.
 
Confederate said:
Perhaps we should have a thread that's called: "Did EXPENSIVE Knives Reel You In?" Never heard of someone going from expensive to cheap. Normally it's the other way around. (Don't tell anyone, but I still carry cheapies every now and again.) MAXAM makes a huge folder with a 5-inch blade that fits very well into me back pocket. It's nice to have on night walks.
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funny you should mention that, i was thinking about one of these

http://www.maxamknives.com/detail.lasso?it=SKJUMBO
 
Cheapies don't get the respect they deserve. Most of us started with cheapies and a few still share a spot in my EDC rotation with my Spydies and Benchmades. Let's be realistic it's better to dig in the dirt or scrape paint with a Gerber Paraframe than with a Benchmade AFCK.
 
I've never really been into the extreme cheap stuff. I started off with a Leatherman PST back in college then a Buck 110 and combo edge Endura (with molded clip!) while in the Army. The Buck 110 and Endura were fine to whip out in an Army motorpool in front of Tank Soldiers but I felt a bit over knifed in a packaging facility surrounded by 40 year old women. Later on I did buy a $12 Chinese made 2" automatic with a hawkbill blade to use at work on tape and plastic strap. I guess that's what got me into small utilitarian folders like SAK, Spyderco, and traditional slipjoint patterns. On the flipside I've never been into the expensive stuff ($100+) either.
 
The SKJUMBO looks pretty good, just because it's a giant. The one I like is the SKLARGE, which sports a 5-inch blade and, like I said, it fits easily into a back pocket.

SKLARGE_400px_72dpi.jpg
 
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