Feedback Needed: Dark Ops Stratofighter (Actual Experience Only)

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GunHand

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Hi All:

I just purchased a DarkOps Stratofighter and I have stumbled on this site. I did a search about this knife and majority are not happy w/ their advertising and most are not happy that it is a ER copy.

Setting those reasons aside, can the actual owners or someone who has experience w/ the actual DO Stratofighter, give me feedback on how well or not those knives are performing? How well does it compare to some high-end knives in the market? How well does the CTV2 steel holds up? How does it fit your hands?

Did someone actually perform some tests? I heard Cliff Stamp did some testing about this knife...Does anybody have the link?

I will be receiving the knife early next week and I will be performing my own testing. But until then, I need to get the info from the owners.

Thanks in advance!

GunHand
 
With all due respect I think you might have trouble finding anything good said here about there knives. If there Ad print was not 100% pure bull with no reasoning or even a second grade education worth of thought behind it, there knives have never been touted by anyone other than DO as bieng comparable with real working knives. RJ Martin and Rick Hinderer would be my go to people for hard use knives. Rick Hinderers XM-18 is with no doubt a much better knif without any hype involved. Same goes for R.J. Martins folders. They are tough and sharper than anything I have ever come across. I have held and handled a DO folder and was unimpressed. If the two guys above are out of your price range try Zero Tolerance folders. The 300 and 200 are easily the real deal version of what DO wishes they were. The ZT knives are designed by the best in the business and offer a variety of proven steels with incredible looks, fit and finish. I have a 302 and now edc it. Sorry I couldnt give you a first hand experience about DO, but not only have I found them unimpressive in person so has everyone else I have talked to about them. Just thought I'd bring it to your attention. I would have to be willing to buy a knife to give feedback and I would never spend that much on a rip off (they ripped there knives straight from extreme ratio) knife advertised to mall ninjas.
 
As I have often said, the knives themselves are not bad. They're not all their cracked up to be; but some of what they're cracked up to be is simply, scientifically, impossible. The knives themselves are not bad; but, for what they are, they are rather over-priced. You can get very similar knives that are just as nice and just as tough -- but without all the mall-ninja hype -- for a lot less from other manufacturers. If you like mall-ninja hype or you like over-paying for things, then Dark Ops is the perfect knife for you.
 
i can tell ya one thing they dont compare favorably to the ER's they copied, imho.

imho the F&F on the dork ops stuff varies wildly so its a good idea to handle them 1st, very much unlike the ER stuff, which is all top notch,.

the dorkops ads are infantile.

other than that they are wonderfull,
 
THank you Big Jim! I did not know DO is that bad so I thought I'd give 'em a try. I also have the ZT0301 which is quite similar to my Strider AR and I LOVE IT! It's just pure quality! I also have a couple of Strider SnGs which I use for my EDC. As you might see, I am a Strider fan and the reason why I bought a ZT was because it was a knife in collaboration w/ Ken Onion and Strider.

I will have the chance to return the knife once it gets here and after a close inspection. I'll update everyone.

Again, thanks for your feedback!

BigJimSlade said:
With all due respect I think you might have trouble finding anything good said here about there knives. If there Ad print was not 100% pure bull with no reasoning or even a second grade education worth of thought behind it, there knives have never been touted by anyone other than DO as bieng comparable with real working knives. RJ Martin and Rick Hinderer would be my go to people for hard use knives. Rick Hinderers XM-18 is with no doubt a much better knif without any hype involved. Same goes for R.J. Martins folders. They are tough and sharper than anything I have ever come across. I have held and handled a DO folder and was unimpressed. If the two guys above are out of your price range try Zero Tolerance folders. The 300 and 200 are easily the real deal version of what DO wishes they were. The ZT knives are designed by the best in the business and offer a variety of proven steels with incredible looks, fit and finish. I have a 302 and now edc it. Sorry I couldnt give you a first hand experience about DO, but not only have I found them unimpressive in person so has everyone else I have talked to about them. Just thought I'd bring it to your attention. I would have to be willing to buy a knife to give feedback and I would never spend that much on a rip off (they ripped there knives straight from extreme ratio) knife advertised to mall ninjas.
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I think the advertisement of these knives is what people don't like. I just read the website and figured it was based towards the people like law enforcement and military. I was not turned off by it at all. So I have one of these full sized folders. Its made like a tank with good stuff. Locks up solid as can be. It was not real sharp as its not ground at a steep angle. A few swipes on the sticks got it a lot sharper. Everything was tight and well finished. The inserts with the quartz crystals are exactly fitted as well. Was it worth 200 bucks? I think so its extra heavy duty. I have going on 60 knifes so I don't really care if its really not all that good, its just another knife on the shelf.
 
GunHand said:
I also have the ZT0301 which is quite similar to my Strider AR and I LOVE IT!
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From my limited experience, you got a great knife in the ZT0301! :thumbup: It is on my short list. No experience with DO except seeing some at Blade last year and being unimpressed. 180 degrees from my experience of first seeing a ZT0301 there!
 
jill jackson said:
I think the advertisement of these knives is what people don't like. I just read the website and figured it was based towards the people like law enforcement and military. I was not turned off by it at all. So I have one of these full sized folders. Its made like a tank with good stuff. Locks up solid as can be. It was not real sharp as its not ground at a steep angle. A few swipes on the sticks got it a lot sharper. Everything was tight and well finished. The inserts with the quartz crystals are exactly fitted as well. Was it worth 200 bucks? I think so its extra heavy duty. I have going on 60 knifes so I don't really care if its really not all that good, its just another knife on the shelf.
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This is exactly the info that I am looking for...Thank you Jill!:thumbup:
 
I'm not going to get bent out of shape over a knife and argue about about it on here. Like I've seen in a thread or two. Its not near as bad as people act like it is. A few say its wildly promoted and call it dork ops then its the thing to do, Others join in. Wow its just a knife not my close kin so I'm not offended. I really couldn't see how the website was talking to me about this knife. It seemed to be a extra heavy duty piece for law and military use. I read brownies review and that sold me on it. Its got amazing grip. Its a pretty good looking knife IMO If others don't like it doesn't bother me at all. I buy a lot of my knives for their looks and never use them. I probably will never cut anything with it or 97% of the near 60 decent knives I own.
 
just what is said here thats so offending? A full size fighting folder built to the durability requirements of full-on, Spec-Ops combat! If you need a utility folder, this is not the knife for you. The StratoFighters feature Dark Op's proprietary RaptorLok™, a self cleansing double talon locking system that uses the entire length of the knife to support the opened blade. Unlike modern unproven and complicated locking systems, this basic principles of this design have been tested for over fifty years. Dark Ops' secondary CrisisCross™ cross-bolt locking system serves the function of preventing the knife from being closed while open. The pommel end of the knife offers an integrated emergency window breaker and paracord safety tethering hole. The scales are made of T6160 aircraft grade hardened aluminum, not porous materials that cannot be decontaminated from bodily fluids or chemical munitions. Carved into the sides of the scales are lateral control grooves that provide indexing points in darkness as well as additional control without increasing the width of the handle. Deep finger grooves orient the knife in the hand and add a third more grip area. Quartz impregnated inserts provide extreme circumstances grip enhancement and are replaceable should decontamination be required. The Pocket clip is reversible for true ambidextrous tip up carry. The finish on the blade is Carbon Black Titanium CarboNitride (TiCN) vacuum deposited finish and is designed to shed the micro-fine airborne sand of Middle-eastern deserts. The Blade steel is made from Dark Ops proprietary CTV2 steel, an exotic and expensive Hybrid of Chromium, Cobalt, Tungsten, Vanadium, Molybdenum, in an alloy of surgical grade stainless steel. Thorough hardened to 58 HRC Rockwell with a secondary cryogenic cutting edge hardening, it is a steel that is basically indestructible! A full quarter inch thick, it is one of the heaviest production blades in existence today. Production versions feature the StratoFighter Laser Engraving and CTV2 Steel demarcation. 100% made in America! Spear point blade styles available with half serrated cutting edges.
 
I wouldn't mind playing with the Auto version! Anyone know if Frank has made it available yet? I love my clickers.
And after all the intelligent conversation about the Strato I feel safe enough spending a few bucks on one. Bought a Trodoon just for the looks. It was not cheap either. But I have always been afraid to buy Dark Ops because of this forums bashing of their product. Fifty years old and still succumbing to peer pressure. Never learn.
Peace.
 
Jill Jackson that is not the add print that people are refering to and I do not feel like searching for any, but if you search for old posts on DO knives you will get an earfull of exactly what I find offensive about there advertising. Anti UV coatings and designs for arterial spray control ect... its BS even for LEO's and soldiers as many actual LEO's and Military personel have pointed out again and again. They advertise to the chairborne ranger and in my opinion are amongst the ilk that gives anti knife people something to point at and say "see look, even knife magazines advertise these things as ultra high tek killing machines of DOOM!!!!!". The truth is a simple loveless style bowie and a good heavy duty knife from a respected manufacturer is a better tactical knife combo then a stratofighter and a "insert mall ninja name here" DO bowie thing with a can opener gaurd. Moreso when you consider that no military personel go into combat with the intent or desire to use there knife to do there killing with, it just makes there ads look more like what they are, hype. Then when I see there knives and the design is a dierect rip off of a well known and respected knife company my respect drops even lower. Extreme Ratio makes great knives, even though I dont like the design, are doesnt need DO to make a look alike. Finaly when I handle the knife and it is not up to the standards of $200.00 knives on the market from respected manufacturers and I will never ever buy one. So in short, no it is not the ads alone, they are simply a facet of the problem. You say you buy 200 knives with no concern wether they are worth the money, then I would say you are a minority. I also do cut things with my knives and expect them to proform to there cost. Anything that doesnt is taking food out of my families mouth. For the price of 2 DO folders you could have a XM-18. A knife that is exceptional in all regards and was designed and created by a masterfull knife maker. Thats says alot to me. If heavy duty is what you need, at least strider designs there own knives and have been proven to hold up well. When I see an overpriced, poorly adevrtised knife that doesnt impress me in fit, finish, materials or design, I dont mind saying so. When many of my friends whos opinions I respect about knives tell me they were also unimpressed I hold that as clarification of my own opinion. No, they are not 5 dollar junk knives from a gunshow, they are rip offs with decent materials. You can get better for less, thats sums it up for me.
 
Prince of Peace said:
I wouldn't mind playing with the Auto version! Anyone know if Frank has made it available yet? I love my clickers.
And after all the intelligent conversation about the Strato I feel safe enough spending a few bucks on one. Bought a Trodoon just for the looks. It was not cheap either. But I have always been afraid to buy Dark Ops because of this forums bashing of their product. Fifty years old and still succumbing to peer pressure. Never learn.
Peace.
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Strange reasoning for not buying a knife. If the lies and silly nonsense in the ads don't bother you, and you are comfortable buying a product that is a cheesy ripoff of a design from a reputable company, why would you hesitate because of what a bunch of people on the forums have to say?
 
Rat Finkenstein said:
Strange reasoning for not buying a knife. If the lies and silly nonsense in the ads don't bother you, and you are comfortable buying a product that is a cheesy ripoff of a design from a reputable company, why would you hesitate because of what a bunch of people on the forums have to say?
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Way to slyly insult the guy for no reason other than you disagree with his personal reasoning; honestly who cares and who says stuff like this? Completely unecessary. :grumpy:
 
So I collect knives and only cut with a few I own. Its something I picked up from my Dad who is the king of collecting stuff. (some good stuff at that) Its payed off for me to keep my blades mint as many are worth far more than what I payed. I don't really care what sort of passion Frank Miller has for his product or how he got or gets carried away. As for a rip off I've never seen that brand for sale anyplace hardly (Extreme Ratio). I don't really get excited over all this stuff its just a knife and it may never be worth more than I payed for it (maybe less) Then again they could go under and it is worth much more some day. I'm just not the type person to own a lot of knives and see the need to use more than a few. It certainly looks to me like the knife has been made with care and for hard use. I doubt any other brand would be any cheaper if they made a knife similar to it. 200 dollars these days is not a lot of money to me. I'd have to question spending that much on ANY KNIFE if it meant doing without food. After all you don't have to have a 200 dollar knife, thats more something you want. Theres a lot cheaper ways to get by as far as what most people use a knife for. I bought a Buck Strider for about 125 that seems to be a much worse rip off than this Dark Ops for 200. At least the D.O. locks up tight and feels like a strong knife.
 
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