- Joined
- Jul 20, 2014
- Messages
- 39
First off, yes i bought a $400 asymmetric trainer, it was a very idiotic decision and i am actually kind of impressed on the fact that i managed to do something this stupid, but let's stay on topic and ignore my stupidity, wasting $400 is punishment enough for a 17 year old anyways 
Okay so i bought a Microtech Metalmark Trainer online. Within two weeks i found rust spots on the 164 cm blade literally everywhere, tip, spine, even on the tang pin. Where i live is technically considered a desert, meaning that 164 cm steel probably shouldn't rust this quickly. Proof of that is in my Benchamde Griptallion, which has zero signs of rust. Both of these are kept in identical conditions and i have had this Benchmade for about 2 years. The handles showed no signs of corrosion.
Upon receiving the Metalmark Trainer i noticed the ball bearings inside did not feel entirely round, there were very obvious signs of jerkiness, so much so that the handles could stick in several positions like a dial. I suspected it was simply due to over tightening, but a letdown none the less as reviews on this knife really emphasized the quality and the attention to detail. After just under 2 weeks i decided to loosen and locktite the pivots on the metalmark to try and get some flippage out of it.
On loosening one of the pivots the screw head seperated from the cylinder that holds the threads. After loosening the other pivot i noticed there was no ball bearing system on the bite handle at all, along with no track for the ball bearings to ride on if they were there, something that was on the safe handle side.
Of course at this point i contacted the dealer and asked for some help, like a refund or something.
He pointed me to Microtech's RAF and said he could not refund the money, which is understandable considering it is not in resellable condition and i do not have the packaging (more like cardboard box with the knife taped to the side.)
At this point i am rather skeptical, but i go to the website and find that where there would be a serial number there are the words "FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY". I then browsed the website and found no indication that they offer a trainer balisong. Also, this trainer is not shown on any websites or forums anywhere on the web with the exception of one forum and one website, which was the retailer i bought from:
Retailer:
http://www.pvk.com/webcat/MicrotechMetalmarkTrainerBB.shtml
Forums:
http://www.jerzeedevil.com/forums/showthread.php/137383-Got-a-new-trainer-Microtech-Metalmark
The second post says "fake", the rest of the posts on there are pretty much mocking the idea of a metalmark trainer.
The swedge grind is also different from what is in microtech's photo, however many images on the web show this same grind, including advertisement videos for popular online knife retailers, so possibly no discrepancy there.
The no serial number and the crappy screws are a major red flag, but the workmanship is practically flawless. However the knife was very slightly beat up around the latch area (VERY slightly, the kind of slight you would get from normal use). It came with no blade play and all of the markings on this show no other discrepancies.
The trainer blade itself appears to simply be taken off of the assembly line early. Like most kitchen knives, it is ground only on one side, and identical grind on the other side would result in an edge. That said i do not believe grinding it on the other side would result in a point on the tip of the knife maybe a sheepsfoot style tip, but nothing as is advertised.
Lastly i did a small test to check if the steel is steel and the titanium is titanium. I held a magnet to the blade and as expected it stuck like, well, a magnet. Titanium isn't ferrous (magnetic) so doing the same on the handles should result in no sticking. I found that the magnet did indeed not stick. The magnet did stick to the latch.
I for one expect more from Microtech, not to say i am disappointed in them as i am almost convinced Microtech doesn't have a margin of error THIS big on their production knives. That said, the crappy copiers have really gone to huge lengths to make a titanium handled balisong that is not mainstream at all (a BM4x would be understandable) if they did indeed fabricate this.
I can edit and post photos if you all like, just please specify what you would like to see and i will take the photo accordingly. No hate on PVK though, Josh was very kind, quick and this bali is extremely convincing (if not, real) so i would understand why he would have these in stock.
UPDATE PLEASE READ: Microtech itself has confirmed the trainer is authentic, i would like to say that i apologize to josh and PVK for any negative publicity this post may have given him. Once i figure out how to fill out a RAF with no serial number i am going to send it in to Microtech for repair. Thank you all for your help. (I knew those titanium handles didn't add up)
Okay so i bought a Microtech Metalmark Trainer online. Within two weeks i found rust spots on the 164 cm blade literally everywhere, tip, spine, even on the tang pin. Where i live is technically considered a desert, meaning that 164 cm steel probably shouldn't rust this quickly. Proof of that is in my Benchamde Griptallion, which has zero signs of rust. Both of these are kept in identical conditions and i have had this Benchmade for about 2 years. The handles showed no signs of corrosion.
Upon receiving the Metalmark Trainer i noticed the ball bearings inside did not feel entirely round, there were very obvious signs of jerkiness, so much so that the handles could stick in several positions like a dial. I suspected it was simply due to over tightening, but a letdown none the less as reviews on this knife really emphasized the quality and the attention to detail. After just under 2 weeks i decided to loosen and locktite the pivots on the metalmark to try and get some flippage out of it.
On loosening one of the pivots the screw head seperated from the cylinder that holds the threads. After loosening the other pivot i noticed there was no ball bearing system on the bite handle at all, along with no track for the ball bearings to ride on if they were there, something that was on the safe handle side.
Of course at this point i contacted the dealer and asked for some help, like a refund or something.
He pointed me to Microtech's RAF and said he could not refund the money, which is understandable considering it is not in resellable condition and i do not have the packaging (more like cardboard box with the knife taped to the side.)
At this point i am rather skeptical, but i go to the website and find that where there would be a serial number there are the words "FOR TRAINING PURPOSES ONLY". I then browsed the website and found no indication that they offer a trainer balisong. Also, this trainer is not shown on any websites or forums anywhere on the web with the exception of one forum and one website, which was the retailer i bought from:
Retailer:
http://www.pvk.com/webcat/MicrotechMetalmarkTrainerBB.shtml
Forums:
http://www.jerzeedevil.com/forums/showthread.php/137383-Got-a-new-trainer-Microtech-Metalmark
The second post says "fake", the rest of the posts on there are pretty much mocking the idea of a metalmark trainer.
The swedge grind is also different from what is in microtech's photo, however many images on the web show this same grind, including advertisement videos for popular online knife retailers, so possibly no discrepancy there.
The no serial number and the crappy screws are a major red flag, but the workmanship is practically flawless. However the knife was very slightly beat up around the latch area (VERY slightly, the kind of slight you would get from normal use). It came with no blade play and all of the markings on this show no other discrepancies.
The trainer blade itself appears to simply be taken off of the assembly line early. Like most kitchen knives, it is ground only on one side, and identical grind on the other side would result in an edge. That said i do not believe grinding it on the other side would result in a point on the tip of the knife maybe a sheepsfoot style tip, but nothing as is advertised.
Lastly i did a small test to check if the steel is steel and the titanium is titanium. I held a magnet to the blade and as expected it stuck like, well, a magnet. Titanium isn't ferrous (magnetic) so doing the same on the handles should result in no sticking. I found that the magnet did indeed not stick. The magnet did stick to the latch.
I for one expect more from Microtech, not to say i am disappointed in them as i am almost convinced Microtech doesn't have a margin of error THIS big on their production knives. That said, the crappy copiers have really gone to huge lengths to make a titanium handled balisong that is not mainstream at all (a BM4x would be understandable) if they did indeed fabricate this.
I can edit and post photos if you all like, just please specify what you would like to see and i will take the photo accordingly. No hate on PVK though, Josh was very kind, quick and this bali is extremely convincing (if not, real) so i would understand why he would have these in stock.
UPDATE PLEASE READ: Microtech itself has confirmed the trainer is authentic, i would like to say that i apologize to josh and PVK for any negative publicity this post may have given him. Once i figure out how to fill out a RAF with no serial number i am going to send it in to Microtech for repair. Thank you all for your help. (I knew those titanium handles didn't add up)
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