Do you have any dealbreakers?

Monofletch said:
For you guys that say Chinese or “overseas built” is that just a *USA all the way* thing (which I understand) or fear of quality? Because you are missing out! WE and Reate are killing it!
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Most Chinese knives are knives that used to be made else where or copies of knives made else where. My job experience tells me you can not trust Chinese steel to be what they say it is . Then there are safety of workers and environmental issues I won't support I would consider a traditional Chinese knife that has always been made in China I will use a piece of broken glass before I spend money on one of the old school American knife brands now made in china .
I use 4 brands of knives only one is American made the others are are made in Switzerland Sweden or France, with only my Beckers being American made
 
I don’t really have any deal breakers, but I shy away from overly thick blades. Blade geometry is the single most important factor in cutting ability, over and above the steel choice, heat treat, etc.
 
I do not want:

- Made in China
- Coated blades (except DLC or Cerakote. No truck bed liner crap.)
- Chisel grinds
- AUS anything
- 440 anything
- Stag handles (just a personal preference.)
- Rubber handles
- Uneven grinds
- Lack of an edge choil and/or poorly executed ricasso
- Finger grooves (never found any that fit my hand, prefer to add my own if needed/wanted)
- Billboard-sized blade etchings/stampings
- Combo edges
 
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No pocket clip
Less than 3.5 " blade
Black blade (I like blackwash)
Serrations
No finger choil/smooth handle
No lanyard hole
Pink, yellow, white scales
Over $125
 
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For me it's

Made in China
Any sort of bade coating
Serrated blades
Auto assist
American tanto blades
Flippers
 
Price over $500 (including tax & shipping costs, if any).

I'd rather spend any more than that on other things, including firearms and/or ammo.
 
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Newspeak FE bushcraft

china
snobby makers (or their customers)

bad ergonomics - but it's rather strictly personal
 
Therom said:
Bad ergonomics
Poor mechanical action
Complicated assembly/disassembly
Over complicated mechanical design
Gap between concept and design choice

I usually don’t like serrations
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Update:
Wire pocket clips
Wave opening (most of the time)
 
The good thing is, even after excluding all the crappy designs and makers, there are still more good knives left than we can ever get. :)
 
plumberroy said:
Most Chinese knives are knives that used to be made else where or copies of knives made else where. My job experience tells me you can not trust Chinese steel to be what they say it is . Then there are safety of workers and environmental issues I won't support I would consider a traditional Chinese knife that has always been made in China I will use a piece of broken glass before I spend money on one of the old school American knife brands now made in china .
I use 4 brands of knives only one is American made the others are are made in Switzerland Sweden or France, with only my Beckers being American made
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Rest is agreeable enough, but those first 2 sentences don't really mean much anymore. There are known and well loved brands now that are reliable, with proper steel and TONS of original designs.
 
Must reply in thread.
Text for pics.
Nope to both. If you won't sell via PM, or can't be bothered to post images, I'm gone.

F/F
If you request f/f payment, or post different prices for f/f vs g/s; not only will I not buy from you, I won't sell to you, either.
 
DrRollinstein said:
Rest is agreeable enough, but those first 2 sentences don't really mean much anymore. There are known and well loved brands now that are reliable, with proper steel and TONS of original designs.
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All of the old Schrade line is made in China most of Camillus , a lot of Gerber , Fiskars . 99% of rough rider knives are copies of traditional American pocket knives same with Marbles.
I have 8 years of experience in the auto industry, keeping the machines running that heat treat drive train parts. I have seen steel coming from China not be what it was supposed to be enough that I have no confidence in Chinese steel
 
1. Liner locks - sick of them, gave away all my knifes with liner locks and will never buy another
2. Knives that are flipper only - I want good thumb studs or holes or automatic
3. Assisted opening - got rid of those during the liner lock purge as all my assisted openers were liner locks as well
4. G10 or carbon fiber handles - prefer metal, micarta, or wood
5. Low end steel
6. Folders that don't open and close easily with one hand
7.Handle scales that have drillings for 4 possible pocket clip locations - hate all the empty holes at locations that I would never put the pocket clip - looking at you Spyderco, but I'll buy if there are after-market scales that I can purchase and replace the hole filled scales, which I've done.
 
I have a bunch of unreasonable biases that limit what I want in a knife:
1. No plant or animal parts in scales: no wood, no tooth or bone. Also no Micarta, FRN or similar plastics, aluminum, and mostly no G-10, unless it's a cheap knife. Mainly I just like scales made from carbon fiber, titanium, steel, and their alloys.
2. No autos
3. No non-locking blades
4. Grip length at least 3.7 inches or more, at the minimum. I can deal with slightly less for knives with short (<3-inch) blades, but not much less.
5. No wharncliffe blades
6. No thumb disks
7. No thumbstuds above the cutting edge
8. No thick grinds. I prefer thick handles but blades with thin edges
9. No pocket clips that cause grip discomfort
10. No blade play
 
Guards
recurved blades
sharp cornered handles
plastics (including clear coat)
non-fixed blades
coated blades
full tang
stainless steel
soft cutting edge
overly thick blade
Made in china
 
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