Do You Like Massdrop Knives?

Razor

Razor

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Dec 8, 1999
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I just bought a MD Laconico Keen from a member here and he said it was made by WE knives. I know I like WE knives. Do you all like the knives you have gotten from MD?
 
I got a Laconico Keen off the exchange and its absolutely the smoothest knife I have. No complaints from me. I have heard some people were unhappy with the shipping time from "the drop" though.
 
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Shipping time can be rough... But their collaborations like the Keen, Gent, and Dogtooth have some of the best quality to value of any knives out there in my opinion.
 
I bought 3 MD knives when they were just coming out and brand new --- a Buc, a Laconico Keen and a Gent. The Buc was a goofy impulse purchase, but the latter two were more prudent purchases. IMO the Keen and Gent are OK knives, but not really anything extraordinary. I bought the Buc as a gag gift for a friend because of that silly blade pattern. They were all modestly priced, so buying them didn’t bankrupt me.

The question is whether or not I like them all. I guess so, but not to any great degree. I thought they were hot a year or two ago but my taste in knives has moved on and upward. Now my 3 MD knives are just desk drawer fodder and my MD phase is definitely over. If I ever sell any of my knives, my MD's will be among the first to go.
 
Another Keen owner. The purchase experience is unusual/unpleasant. Absolutely love the knife. It didn’t come as sharp as other new knives I’ve purchased. That would be my only criticism.
 
"Do you like MassDrop knives" is a tough question as the range of designs has grown fairly diverse. I was an early adopter of MassDrop (now just "Drop") for their knives and was in on their first design, the Ferrum Forge Falcon. Prior to that I'd bought a few other production knives from them that were priced attractively or were sprint runs.

Initially MD was knocking it out of the park on designs. They brought us knives that otherwise might have never made it to production using the Group Buy process. The Falcon (despite some limitations), the Crux, the Gent and most recently the Keen were great designs in their own way. Unfortunately, their first several designs were marred by delivery delays and poor communication. After running off a bunch of customers, it's my perception that MD has improved at both comms and delivery...or maybe just better transparency.

Sadly, to me, most of their recent designs seem stale. They made the beautiful Eric Ochs Orca and then followed up with the almost identical but down-sized Lynx. Rather than follow up the Keen with another great knife, they revisit the Keen with new finishes. At first the MD designs that were unique to MD and couldn't be found elsewhere. Now if you can't get a Gent, go grab a CIVIVI Elementum for less cost. If you can't grab a Keen, grab one of the other Laconico offerings from Monterey Bay Knives (albeit, at a higher price).

I haven't been in on a MD produced knife since the Orca because everything I've seen was just kind of Ho-Hum.

In my opinion MD is missing out on a great resource. They have a very avid and active community of Knife Knuts but largely ignore them for design tips and concepts. I think MD would be a wonderful place for a community designed knife. To an extent the MD Group Buy has already become irrelevant. The sheer manufacturing capability of a company like WE means that it's easier than ever for a knife designer to work directly with the manufacturer and bring a creation to production. This really is a golden age for production knives.

So, after rambling on way too much, the answer to your question is two part. Since MD doesn't manufacture the knives they sell, make sure you know who's making it and determine if you like their work. Reate, WE, Ferrum Forge, Millit and their other OEM manufacturers are unique and each offers a different experience. If you like what WE brings to market, you'll probably like a WE/MassDrop.

Second, make sure you're prepared for the "Group Buy Experience". Be prepared to allow lead time for delivery. Be prepared that often the photos you see of a new design are of a prototype. Be prepared for manufacturing delays and slight changes. Don't be shocked and outraged when your knife arrives with a MD logo. I've had mostly good experiences and wouldn't hesitate to buy a MD knife in the future if one called out to me. Bring me a <3" Mordax and I'm all over it!
 
Hackenslash said:
Sadly, to me, most of their recent designs seem stale. They made the beautiful Eric Ochs Orca and then followed up with the almost identical but down-sized Lynx. Rather than follow up the Keen with another great knife, they revisit the Keen with new finishes. At first the MD designs that were unique to MD and couldn't be found elsewhere. Now if you can't get a Gent, go grab a CIVIVI Elementum for less cost. If you can't grab a Keen, grab one of the other Laconico offerings from Monterey Bay Knives (albeit, at a higher price).

I haven't been in on a MD produced knife since the Orca because everything I've seen was just kind of Ho-Hum.
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I have that MD Orca as well marble CF/ Mokuti clip/pivot collars , reate manufactured. Going for 250ish 2nd hand market. There was some deals on drop recently for under 300.
Just an insane value. I have the CF gent as well which is also nice and a good value
 
I haven't been using (Mass)drop for long. Recently bought a watch from them, was pleased with how it went.

However, the assortment of knives they offer is just bad. Most of them are flippers. Out of all the knives I see on there right now, only one (1) has a reversible pocketclip. It's like they forgot lefties exist. Almost all of them are in a variation of modern design. A lot of them look like each other. It's actually kinda pathethic given the so-called 'roots' of the company.
 
I dont like the wait time: i ordered a lambert Raine knife made by Reate: i ordered it in july 2019 just got it 2 weeks ago . Its a nice knife but no knife is worth waiting 7 months for although they do have shorter lead times as well, i need it to be in stock and recieved in a week. That said , im not ordering from them anymore its not worth the wait ....
 
I have quite a few massdrop knives; all have been great except for the thresher which almost all come with a little lock rock, and the crux is imo the best flipper I own.
 
I suppose this is a two part question. I have three blades from MD. The Gent, Laconico Keen, and the Falcon. All three of the blades hit a good niche, are good buys for the materials, and the action is almost universally praised, at least on their flippers. Each had an odyssey of a time getting to me though and that is what makes buying from them a gamble. For both the falcon and the Keen, I waited well over a month to actually get the knife in hand for ostensibly 'in stock' items that were NOT part of a 'drop'. If these were items that were using the drop system where they all ship at the same time they at least could have an argument that this was done to keep costs down and provide product at rates no one else can. As it is, its kind of a gamble. You have to buy a knife and then wait as it makes its way from China, using a shipping company based out of the Netherlands, all the while hoping that it gets to you without issues because going to get your credit card company to do a charge back well after you have paid that statement is going to be a hassle to say the least.
 
I bought a Keen. It’s a nice enough knife, a bit out of my wheelhouse, but seemed to be a good value. The buying process has no appeal for me, and nothing else there has caught my eye.
 
I picked up a Shwarz Perpetua. Seems nice enough.
 
They've come out with interesting folders at a great value point, I just don't like their branding on the knives. "Drop" isn't much better than "MassDrop", would've been much more acceptable if it was a subtle insignia
 
Alsharif said:
They've come out with interesting folders at a great value point, I just don't like their branding on the knives. "Drop" isn't much better than "MassDrop", would've been much more acceptable if it was a subtle insignia
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I know they used billboard "Massdrop" on their blades, but the last two I received had nothing more than designers name on the blade and a stylized "D" on the pivot. Doesn't get much more subtle IMO.
 
Yeah Massdrop or as they're know now Drop can have a frustrating wait for the more interesting stuff. Compounded if you live outside the US.

They do make some interesting knives in house and have some other intersting collaborations with big makers. The inhouse designs I have liked the most have features that are kinda red flag for our customs folks so I haven't tried my luck.

The stuff with Brad Zinker and Tashi Bharucha stuff is great looking and the models they do with Bob T are great looking too.
 
I was really excited by the initial MD knives and bought the Falcon, Crux, and Gent. They’re ok knives, but if you listened to the hype you’d have thought they were touched by the finger of God somewhere between China and New Jersey.

MD is hype driven. I’m over it. Except the occasional (very rare) belt.

My Falcon sits new in box (someday I will sell/trade/gift it), my Crux is a truck knife, and the Gent is my travel knife because while it’s handy, if it gets lost, stolen, or TSA’d it won’t overly upset me.

Stumpy72 Stumpy72 nailed it in post #6.
 
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