Does anyone USE Medford knives?? Please share your MKT user pics, reviews, vids...!

[JR88FAN]

Nice looking Praetorian

You miss G at all Mark?

I think considering what you do to knives (it's illegal in most states) and that you didn't keep such a beast that I am sorta certain even you couldn't break, speaks volumes to me about it's practicality as an EDC.

 

[Gizler00]

You miss G at all Mark?

I think considering what you do to knives (it's illegal in most states) and that you didn't keep such a beast that I am sorta certain even you couldn't break, speaks volumes to me about it's practicality as an EDC.

Hey bro.

I do find myself missing the G. I think about picking up another one sometimes. If I do, I will get a drop point blade next time.

There is no doubt that it would have taken tons of abuse.

 

[JR88FAN]

Hey bro.

I do find myself missing the G. I think about picking up another one sometimes. If I do, I will get a drop point blade next time.

There is no doubt that it would have taken tons of abuse.

Whan that time comes, make it a T.

It's worth the extra $....

 

[wjswiger]

Had two that were a customs from Greg......loved the workmanship but just couldn't find a way to pocket and use them. Sold both and found other options that fit better......nothing bad to say about Greg or his operation......just couldn't find a way to use his product!!

I just got a wicked sweet nearly new Medford 187 DP delivered today (gracias BF!) and it will make an awesome camping & car knife!:thumbup:

All of the Medfords that I see posted for discussion and/or discussion appear LNIB, and I'm unable to find videos or reviews by anyone other that MKT. Does anyone actually use and enjoy these beasty knives, or are they mostly collected and admired? Please share your reviews, hard-use pics, or videos PLEASE!

No need to bash them if you don't dig em- I have found plenty of that sort of review thanks.




My 100th post!

 

[Greggo]

I have a Praetorian Stealth on layaway with Steve over at Bladeswelove, ready to bring it home early next month. I intend to give it some very light rotation into my EDC routine but would not be afraid to go anywhere with just this knife. Granted, I am ex-military but now an urban lightweight for the most part so it probably won't ever see hard use. I don't expect it to be practical or to excel in any special way that I don't already have covered between a spyderco techno and an Al Mar SERE 2000, but I have decided to never buy a knife that gets relegated to safe queen duty.

I have no problem admitting that my interest is driven by the brand, the design, and most importantly to me the engineering and execution. Will add a Strider SMF to my collection someday and I expect that will be more practical still, but not take away from the pride of ownership and the occasional fun daily use of the Praetorian.

 

[JR88FAN]

I have a Praetorian Stealth on layaway with Steve over at Bladeswelove, ready to bring it home early next month. I intend to give it some very light rotation into my EDC routine but would not be afraid to go anywhere with just this knife. Granted, I am ex-military but now an urban lightweight for the most part so it probably won't ever see hard use. I don't expect it to be practical or to excel in any special way that I don't already have covered between a spyderco techno and an Al Mar SERE 2000, but I have decided to never buy a knife that gets relegated to safe queen duty.

I have no problem admitting that my interest is driven by the brand, the design, and most importantly to me the engineering and execution. Will add a Strider SMF to my collection someday and I expect that will be more practical still, but not take away from the pride of ownership and the occasional fun daily use of the Praetorian.

You will love the Praetorian, and I really like your taste in knives.

It's a great knife for an EDC rotation.
It is one of the very few knives that really stands on it's own and can't be compared to anything else on the market.

It will do just fine at everyday tasks, it's just not going to excel at any.
There is nothing wrong with that, and depending on what you do with a knife, it could easily handle everything.

The best way to describe it is to say that an SMF is a small carver compared to a Praetorian!

 

[Gizler00]

You will love the Praetorian, and I really like your taste in knives.

It's a great knife for an EDC rotation.
It is one of the very few knives that really stands on it's own and can't be compared to anything else on the market.

It will do just fine at everyday tasks, it's just not going to excel at any.
There is nothing wrong with that, and depending on what you do with a knife, it could easily handle everything.

The best way to describe it is to say that an SMF is a small carver compared to a Praetorian!

Very good explanation.

I carried and EDC'd a praetorian g for a few months. It was a great knife that took everything I threw at it. Only reason I got rid of it was to find another purchase. Otherwise, I would still be using it.

It is a hefty blade but definitely does almost every task with ease. I did a review thread with a ton of pictures, and it was going good until people were fighting in the thread over stupid crap. So it was closed down. You can search for it.

Damn...... All this Praetorian talk has me wanting another one!

 

[Topcatpt]

I owned a praetorian g awhile back. For the lock stick question mine was the worst lock stick I have ever experienced on a folder, and the action was really gritty. The blade had a coating on it that I cant remember what it was called. I will say this though after about two weeks the knife smoothed out tremendously and the lock stick went away. The detent ball eventually wore away that coating which is why the knife was gritty at first and medford no longer uses that coating. But overall I wanted to love the knife but just didnt. It looks cool and was well made, but did not cut how I like my edc knives to cut and the jimping was aweful to use without gloves.

 

[Sikael]

This is because the maker doesn't even carry knives, apparently he just likes making them. He says it himself in a video

So how would you expect him to make anything even remotely functional? It's like a sci fi nerd designing a NASA spacecraft.

Medford makes the finest folding prybars and blunt instruments on the planet. They're apparently also made for some kind of cutting task, but the ridiculously thick D2 'striking bar' only uses about one-quarter of the width for its tiny 'cutting edge'. This makes it completely ineffective for 99% of the slicing/piercing chores that might come up, so they obviously included the 'cutting edge' as a gimmick. Still, if I can't find some kind of dollar-store folder with superior edge geometry, it's slightly better than a butter knife for mutilating tomatoes and cucumbers.

Greg makes one hell of a 700$ 'tactical tallywhacker'; he's both the Medford and the Tool in MKT. I have no idea what 'K' stands for... klub? kubaton? klansman? Just kurious...

 

[Usagee]

These reviews are extremely important to me as I'm considering the Pretorian T and the 187 DP. I don't want to purchase a Pretorian T, wait a year after order due to backlog, and ultimately find out that the super sticky lock issue some were reporting refuses to subside after break-in. I loath (with a passion) bad locks on expensive folders!

Have the owners of the Pretorians who stuck with it for a few months experienced continued lock issues?

Everyone seems to have a consensus that the cutting-edge geometry is not suited for "cutting". Has anyone tried re-profiling the edge to a narrower degree? Has anyone who placed a custom order asked Medford to tailor the blade for EDC cutting/slicing?

 

[Dean Crail]

Mine does not show wear because of the "Terminator" tumbled finish on both the handles and blade. The edge has been re-profiled on my wicked edge to 40 inclusive with a mirror polish so it cuts very well for a .260 thick blade (its the fat daddy not the TFF1). The knife is super smooth and there is not any lock stick at all and it has a good 50% lockup currently. When you first get a medford it will be rough around the edges Greg makes them so they break in perfectly and not so the arrive perfect and break in with super late lockup or stuff like that. As to Greg as a person I have met him several times at Blade show and both him and his wife Amy are both stand up people.

 

[btinder]

I can't speak to the Prae T specifically...but, I own a 187 RMP and a TFF-1 and will share my experiences in the hope they help you make a decision.

187 RMP: I have owned this one for about 8 months, it is black with a vulcan finish D2 blade. It arrived very stiff, but perfectly usable, and took about a month to break in to the point where it is very smooth, with a crisp detent, no lock stick, etc. It locks up great and I have zero qualms with it's construction or fit & finish. There was some minor lock stick during that month of break-in, but it is completely gone now. My lock-up is about 10-15%. MKT makes the 187 line with very thick edges, so they are not the best slicers. I still EDC mine, but it won't cut as well as a SOG Flash II.

TFF-1: I bought this at Blade 2015, and haven't used it nearly as much, so it is still breaking in. Very early lock-up, zero blade play in any direction, nice mirror edge, etc. The TFF-1 has a noticeably thinner edge, and despite being much larger than the 187, slices better.

Summary: If you have some lock stick on your knife when you first get it, it will go away during the break-in period as the titanium wears to the steel blade during opening & closing.

 

[PSUJoe]

I have a Praetorian T. It is a beast. My taste in knives varies greatly...I can tell you there is something about the heft of this knife that I love. I enjoy carrying it in my EDC rotation. Yes there was some lock stick, but the tolerances on this knife are ridiculous. It did break in nicely.

https://vimeo.com/139415043

 

[HurricaneDiesel]

These reviews are extremely important to me as I'm considering the Pretorian T and the 187 DP. I don't want to purchase a Pretorian T, wait a year after order due to backlog, and ultimately find out that the super sticky lock issue some were reporting refuses to subside after break-in. I loath (with a passion) bad locks on expensive folders!

Have the owners of the Pretorians who stuck with it for a few months experienced continued lock issues?

Everyone seems to have a consensus that the cutting-edge geometry is not suited for "cutting". Has anyone tried re-profiling the edge to a narrower degree? Has anyone who placed a custom order asked Medford to tailor the blade for EDC cutting/slicing?

first off refrain from listening to people who speak out of their ass. I have a Praetorian T with zero lock stick. Greg explains in great detail if you do happen to get lock stick, which is not that often, take a pencil and draw a line on the part of the blade that meets with the titanium lock bar, open and close it several times and the graphite will smooth out the lock stick. The reason for his knives having early lockup is so that when the titanium settles after break in it will be less than 50% and wont have ever worry about it. Why would anyone want half or 3/4 lockup on a new knife? As far as his knifes not being able to do fine cutting tasks, again more stupidity with not knowing about the product. Early on when he first started making knives, he would put as he called it a big edge, meaning it was not meant for fine tasks utilitarian use, more for military field work. Things change as does makers techniques, he now puts what he calls a fine edge or micro edge, more suited for everyday civilian urban use. My one off Praetorian that I got from the Miami knife show had a retardedly sharp micro edge on it. I could use it for whatever I need to cut. I also have on order a custom Marauder with a CPM 3v blade and working with Greg to do some custom carbon fiber work on the presentation side. While nothing is perfect in this world, I don't agree with how expensive his standard knives are in plain D2 steel, and not a big fan of phosphor bronze thrust washers. But the upside is I am giving my money to a guy who in fact does carry knives, is a former soldier, hires mostly all vets and makes a precision product in the USA. His tolerances are ridiculous. It would be awesome if he did a zero or scandi grind like Pohan Leu does.

 

[Officer's Match]

I love MKT, and I have a lot of respect for Greg....he puts himself out there, is available to anyone, and goes out of his way to keep MKT manufacturing in America, while making a point to employ ex-Military personnel.
These are sound attributes in my opinion.

A wonderful guy just because he is aware of what it means to run a company that is enjoying success and growth and to continue to consciously share that growth with American workers. (He could have easily built his new plant for more production oriented folders in another country and increased his personal profit margins)

I own a Praetorian T, and while everything about this knife is so well put together and thought out, the fit and finish are superb, the ergo's have been carefully designed to work, I will be the first to admit that while I am a huge fan of big heavy hard use knives, MKT's do not make a good choice for an EDC in my opinion.

If you use a knife casually to cut a piece of rope every one in a while, maybe some cardboard, it works. The knife cuts.
If you use a knife a ton, the geometry of these blades, and the sheer size of the knives are far from ideal.

I love my T, but it's more from the standpoint of an aesthetic and engineering masterpiece, and less so from it being a great EDC.

First day I got it:

Nice Praet T.

 

[Gizler00]

first off refrain from listening to dick heads who speak out of their ass. I have a Praetorian T with zero lock stick. Greg explains in great detail if you do happen to get lock stick, which is not that often, take a pencil and draw a line on the part of the blade that meets with the titanium lock bar, open and close it several times and the graphite will smooth out the lock stick. The reason for his knives having early lockup is so that when the titanium settles after break in it will be less than 50% and wont have ever worry about it. Why would anyone want half or 3/4 lockup on a new knife? As far as his knifes not being able to do fine cutting tasks, again more stupidity with not knowing about the product. Early on when he first started making knives, he would put as he called it a big edge, meaning it was not meant for fine tasks utilitarian use, more for military field work. Things change as does makers techniques, he now puts what he calls a fine edge or micro edge, more suited for everyday civilian urban use. My one off Praetorian that I got from the Miami knife show had a retardedly sharp micro edge on it. I could use it for whatever I need to cut. I also have on order a custom Marauder with a CPM 3v blade and working with Greg to do some custom carbon fiber work on the presentation side. While nothing is perfect in this world, I don't agree with how expensive his standard knives are in plain D2 steel, and not a big fan of phosphor bronze thrust washers. But the upside is I am giving my money to a guy who in fact does carry knives, is a former soldier, hires mostly all vets and makes a precision product in the USA. His tolerances are ridiculous. It would be awesome if he did a zero or scandi grind like Pohan Leu does.

Very well said. I tried .....emphasize tried.........to make a review thread on my old G,but it quickly went south and got shut down due to all the arguing about edge geometry, cutting ability, etc..... Funny thing is....I actually used mine as a primary EDC for a few months straight, and let me tell you.....it cut great and excelled at everything I threw at it.

However my thread had a lot of people who doubted what I was actually doing while they have never actually used one of Gregg knives.

With that being said....I will own another MKT but want to try something different or possibly a drop point blade on the G

 

[Silvanus]

So I replied to this thread back in May and said I tried to like Medfords but couldn't. I owned 2 Praetorian T's and sold them both. However, I STILL can't kick the want for another Praetorian. In fact, I'd probably have another one if I had the money. I talked to Greg in person at GVII. He said that he's making a budget Praetorian model that should be out in the next 6 months or so. It's going to be a Ti liner lock with the same dimensions as the current Praetorian G/T. He showed me the one he was carrying and I liked it a lot. He said it will retail for about $350 or $400. I'm really thinking about getting one. I'm not sure what it is, but I just have a visceral feeling that if I gave them another chance I'll like Medfords

 

[Usagee]

I found a distributor with an array of Medfords currently available, settled on the Praetorian, and took delivery just recently. Like so many other blades in my collection it's enlightening to experience first-hand the rumors, criticisms, and accolades attributed to these blades after much research.

Upon first inspection, like many others have observed, this is a big knife. It dwarfs many of the prominent folders on the market today and pictures usually don't encapsulate this size difference. The Praetorian has a 3.75 blade, yet due to the handle configuration when held and height dimensions, it feels and looks as if you're holding a 4"-4.25" chopper.

HurricaneDiesel was correct in stating that Medford Knives, at least with my sample, comes with a very nice fine-edge that slices standard 8.5/11" paper with ease. This is my first D2 blade and must reserve comment on how well it hones an edge against stones.

The Praetorian is solid, as in there is no blade play/movement period! The blade remains steadfast in the open/locked position despite any attempt to torque the blade by hand with moderate-high force by hand thus mimicking the rigidity of a fixed-blade knife. Very reassuring.

The lock, which I inquired about earlier, developed some stick after a few hours of break-in. A touch of graphite to the tang has resolved the issue for now, but my aim is for this lock-stick to permanently reside without the use of graphite after the proper break-in period has concluded.

I fall into the camp that likes the new pocket clip design. The solid 3D clip with 1 screw is a good fit with the Praetorian T. The only complaint I can voice is that it's difficult to slip in the pocket due to the rigidity of the clip. The alternative benefit to this is that the knife won't pop out of your pocket easily when on the "move" which some of us engage in with our professions and/or hobbies. This feature is more of a plus than a negative for my needs.

All-in-all, the oddity of the Praetorian combined with its stoutness make it an attractive addition to someone's collection. It's a solid knife for sure. The only question for each individual is if its convenient to carry such a beefy folder. It works for my situation.

 

[Gizler00]

I found a distributor with an array of Medfords currently available, settled on the Praetorian, and took delivery just recently. Like so many other blades in my collection it's enlightening to experience first-hand the rumors, criticisms, and accolades attributed to these blades after much research.

Upon first inspection, like many others have observed, this is a big knife. It dwarfs many of the prominent folders on the market today and pictures usually don't encapsulate this size difference. The Praetorian has a 3.75 blade, yet due to the handle configuration when held and height dimensions, it feels and looks as if you're holding a 4"-4.25" chopper.

HurricaneDiesel was correct in stating that Medford Knives, at least with my sample, comes with a very nice fine-edge that slices standard 8.5/11" paper with ease. This is my first D2 blade and must reserve comment on how well it hones an edge against stones.

The Praetorian is solid, as in there is no blade play/movement period! The blade remains steadfast in the open/locked position despite any attempt to torque the blade by hand with moderate-high force by hand thus mimicking the rigidity of a fixed-blade knife. Very reassuring.

The lock, which I inquired about earlier, developed some stick after a few hours of break-in. A touch of graphite to the tang has resolved the issue for now, but my aim is for this lock-stick to permanently reside without the use of graphite after the proper break-in period has concluded.

I fall into the camp that likes the new pocket clip design. The solid 3D clip with 1 screw is a good fit with the Praetorian T. The only complaint I can voice is that it's difficult to slip in the pocket due to the rigidity of the clip. The alternative benefit to this is that the knife won't pop out of your pocket easily when on the "move" which some of us engage in with our professions and/or hobbies. This feature is more of a plus than a negative for my needs.

All-in-all, the oddity of the Praetorian combined with its stoutness make it an attractive addition to someone's collection. It's a solid knife for sure. The only question for each individual is if its convenient to carry such a beefy folder. It works for my situation.

Very well said. That's a great looking T! I really need to stay out of this thread. It's making me want to get another G very bad!!

 

[DollarTacticalSupply]

I have the Medford Praetorian PVD knives in coyote and black.
Some of my top knives I have ever owned.