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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Ever have a knife you just tried and tried to love, but just never took?
- Thread starter Hawk45
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2012
- Messages
- 4,177
For me it was the ZT 0560, I still can't quite put a finger on why I didn't like it. I love the 550... Oh, and the Lionsteel SR-1. I lusted over that knife for a long time and now that I have one I just don't carry it.
- Joined
- Jun 20, 2011
- Messages
- 7,528
I loved my ZT 0560, however, it was just too much to lug around and there were some things I didn't like about it.
Mostly the texturing on the titanium. I also felt like the blade tip just stuck out too far away from my hand. Carried and used it, but ultimately let it go.
Love the ZT 0550 but it was overall too thick. I didn't feel like it needed to be that thick. Still don't. It's an awesome brick of a knife, but there are things that I would change.
Finally found the perfect beastly hard use knife for me though. Not too big and not too small and fits the hand like a glove.
Mostly the texturing on the titanium. I also felt like the blade tip just stuck out too far away from my hand. Carried and used it, but ultimately let it go.
Love the ZT 0550 but it was overall too thick. I didn't feel like it needed to be that thick. Still don't. It's an awesome brick of a knife, but there are things that I would change.
Finally found the perfect beastly hard use knife for me though. Not too big and not too small and fits the hand like a glove.
I've had a few like that...
Benchmade 530 - Has several desirable characteristics, including very lightweight, Axis lock, good steel, and great slicer grind. I just could never warm up to symmetric, dagger-like feel to the knife.
Spyderco Tenacious - Often touted as one of the top value (price to performance) knives, it has several good features (3.4" blade, G10 handles, 4-position clip, and elements from Spyderco's infamously great ergos). The knife just didn't feel like those were implemented well.It was just a bit too bulky for comfortable pocket carry, the handle and thumb ramp contours didn't fit me well, and the lack of a ricasso led to a few near accidents of closing the blade on my thumb after disengaging the liner lock.
Spyderco Native FRN - Lightweight, good size, good steel, and often credited with having great ergos. For me, though, the ergos never felt quite right. It always felt a little awkward opening (with the hole being slightly recessed into the handle), and the choil for the index finger on a choke grip just wasn't very comfortable (compared to others, like the Sage or Dragonfly).
Benchmade 530 - Has several desirable characteristics, including very lightweight, Axis lock, good steel, and great slicer grind. I just could never warm up to symmetric, dagger-like feel to the knife.
Spyderco Tenacious - Often touted as one of the top value (price to performance) knives, it has several good features (3.4" blade, G10 handles, 4-position clip, and elements from Spyderco's infamously great ergos). The knife just didn't feel like those were implemented well.It was just a bit too bulky for comfortable pocket carry, the handle and thumb ramp contours didn't fit me well, and the lack of a ricasso led to a few near accidents of closing the blade on my thumb after disengaging the liner lock.
Spyderco Native FRN - Lightweight, good size, good steel, and often credited with having great ergos. For me, though, the ergos never felt quite right. It always felt a little awkward opening (with the hole being slightly recessed into the handle), and the choil for the index finger on a choke grip just wasn't very comfortable (compared to others, like the Sage or Dragonfly).
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2008
- Messages
- 252
ZT 560
As stated in a few previous posts, it just didn't feel right in the hand. The ELMAX steel is straight up tits, holds a beautiful polished edge. BUT.....I have some other Ti handled knives, and compared to them, the 560 is just so unbalanced with all the weight toward the blade. Combine that with what, to my hands, is an odd cutting angle. It just didn't work or me.
I actually just traded my ZT 560 for another BM710 ( I now have it in ATS-34, M2HS, D2, M390, M4 ) and a Contego ( seem to be a lot of folks who dont like this one, too. The jimping is a bit excessive, and the tip is not my favorite, but I like the thinness behind the edge, the shape of the handle is not too off the wall for me, and I do love the glassbreaker and that awesome M4 steel )
As stated in a few previous posts, it just didn't feel right in the hand. The ELMAX steel is straight up tits, holds a beautiful polished edge. BUT.....I have some other Ti handled knives, and compared to them, the 560 is just so unbalanced with all the weight toward the blade. Combine that with what, to my hands, is an odd cutting angle. It just didn't work or me.
I actually just traded my ZT 560 for another BM710 ( I now have it in ATS-34, M2HS, D2, M390, M4 ) and a Contego ( seem to be a lot of folks who dont like this one, too. The jimping is a bit excessive, and the tip is not my favorite, but I like the thinness behind the edge, the shape of the handle is not too off the wall for me, and I do love the glassbreaker and that awesome M4 steel )
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2012
- Messages
- 1,066
PM2
For whatever reason it just doesn't float my boat. The quality was there.. I just can't put my finger on it. I love my GB and really like other spidies, just overall the PM2 wasn't for me. My small Insingo has nearly the same cutting edge, but makes the the PM2 feel huge in comparison. Different strokes for different folks
For whatever reason it just doesn't float my boat. The quality was there.. I just can't put my finger on it. I love my GB and really like other spidies, just overall the PM2 wasn't for me. My small Insingo has nearly the same cutting edge, but makes the the PM2 feel huge in comparison. Different strokes for different folks
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2012
- Messages
- 2,453
Wilson Tactical Rapid Response Folder
Way too much money for what you get. A flipper with a dual detent sytem that keeps it from flipping fully open unless you wind up and pitch it like a baseball. And the size was just awkward. Too small to be comfortable but too big to be small. Worst knife purchase I've made to date.
Spyderco Sub Hilt
Beautiful knife with as near perfect fit and finish as I've seen in a production folder but just too long and thick to be good in the pocket.
Way too much money for what you get. A flipper with a dual detent sytem that keeps it from flipping fully open unless you wind up and pitch it like a baseball. And the size was just awkward. Too small to be comfortable but too big to be small. Worst knife purchase I've made to date.
Spyderco Sub Hilt
Beautiful knife with as near perfect fit and finish as I've seen in a production folder but just too long and thick to be good in the pocket.
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2012
- Messages
- 1,729
Benchmade MPR. The pocket clip is more of a pocket clamp and for some reason mine won't hold an edge like my other M390 knives will.
On a blade that short the thumbstuds just seem to get in the way. I like the looks of it but it just doesn't get any pocket time.
On a blade that short the thumbstuds just seem to get in the way. I like the looks of it but it just doesn't get any pocket time.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2011
- Messages
- 3,006
Benchmade WARN Barrage.
When I tried the Barrage in the store, I loved the assist, and it felt like a fixed-blade on my hand.
Wasn't fond of the scales, and wanted better steel.
The WARN had G10 and a D2 blade, so should have been perfect.
In the end, I could not warm up to it: the Tanto blade shape; the D2 was came benchmade-dull and nothing I could do would get it hair-shaving; though it still felt great in the hand, it was just too big to pocket carry; and the axis axist is too hard to close one-handed.
I ended up trading it for a custom CF scale for my 0551 - now I'm a happy man.
When I tried the Barrage in the store, I loved the assist, and it felt like a fixed-blade on my hand.
Wasn't fond of the scales, and wanted better steel.
The WARN had G10 and a D2 blade, so should have been perfect.
In the end, I could not warm up to it: the Tanto blade shape; the D2 was came benchmade-dull and nothing I could do would get it hair-shaving; though it still felt great in the hand, it was just too big to pocket carry; and the axis axist is too hard to close one-handed.
I ended up trading it for a custom CF scale for my 0551 - now I'm a happy man.
For me it would be Spyderco Manix 2. Don't get me wrong, good size, feels good in the hand, I like the lock...I just cant stand knives with choils. If I want a knife with better control, I will use a smaller knife. Its a mental thing, I want a blade to handle ratio of 1:1, and by blade I mean cutting edge. I carry the Tenacious all the time, the Manix 2 sits in its box. One day I will sell or trade it.
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2009
- Messages
- 603
Spyderco Gayle Bradley. I've owned, sold, and traded a few. There's nothing I dislike about it but nothing I love either. Then I'll get an itch to give it another shot but end up only carrying it a few times before booting it from my rotation.
Today I thought about getting another one.
Today I thought about getting another one.
Kershaw cryo, well built, no blade play, great slicer, fast, very sexy, and most importantly it didn't fit my hand! I really did love it in every way except for the fact that it felt uncomfortably small in my troll mitts so i had to give it away.
I also never really took to the tenacious. I know its well built and can take a beating but every time i picked it up i got the feeling that i could break it even though the blade had no play what so-ever. Although i did kinda like the persistence though.
I also never really took to the tenacious. I know its well built and can take a beating but every time i picked it up i got the feeling that i could break it even though the blade had no play what so-ever. Although i did kinda like the persistence though.