generic knife Buying advice

P

phantomknives

Joined
Mar 31, 2016
Messages
1,929
the point of this thread is to collect a lage amount of tips and tricks, please, add some of yours in the comments. Anyway, the most important element in deciding on buying a knife is brand, what do you do if you cant find recognizable brand markings? well, look for stamps on the blade indicating the type of steel in the blade, then hold the knife slightly behind the center of balance and bounce the tip on something hard, like glass. Then look for fit/finish issues, if it's a bayonet/fighting knife used in a war, expect some issues with this. These tips are mostly for fixed blade knives, now the only other thing i can think of is to look for pins in the handle that run almost all the way down the handle, this is to let you know if the tang of your knife is one of those cheap welded tang knives, sometimes, in the case of the carnivore Z, handle pins can hurt a knife, by making a weak point in the tang.
 
Last edited:
If someone isn't proud enough to put their name on a currently made knife. why on earth would you buy it?
 
i was just about to edit my post on that, it's to check the hardness. A harder blade will give a "ting" sound, while a softer blade will make dull, thud sound.
 
Ok let's see, you just woke up from a hangover and decided that knife collectors and knife experts on a knife forum needs advice on choosing a knife. That part of bouncing a tip on something hard isn't real wise, if it's a cheap knife you're liable to break the tip and now you have to buy it. Thanks for thinking of us.
 
and, yes, i'll break some cheap steel with the smallest possible effort. i said to hold it slightly behind the center of balance, so to let it tap a hard surface, not jab it into a brick.
 
Two things:

#1 The shinier the knife, the cheaper (cheap as in trash) it generally is.
#2 Knives with "fireman", "police", "USMC", "Navy", "Army" and/or "EMT" logos on the handle or blade tend to be garbage.

*Exceptions exist to these rules, but when it's in the "knife pile" at the sporting goods show/garage sale, they tend to hold true.
 
The most important element in buying a knife isn't brand. It is intended use. Everything else should flow from that starting point.
 
The only advice or guidance for the general person, is ask questions, listen, and read from people who have been around awhile, and research. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Generally stay away from anything made in Pakistan and very suspicious of those made in China (see advice about research).Educate yourself as much as you can. The bad purchase will happen, it happens to all of us eventually, but hopefully you know what makers to trust and by word of reputation. Now, some other things I watch for when I look at a knife (if the HT is done correctly), mainly fixed blades, is the grind, look at the shoulders to see if they are even, where is the balance point and the sweet spot for larger choppers, do you want it blade heavy or handle or is it falling out of your hand? What kind of tang is it? Lastly, the blade may be great but what about the handle, is it comfortable in the hand or too awkward and create hot spots in extended use. Are the pins flush or poking the hand? Overall fit and finish, any gaps or cracks, or glue exposed? Just my two cents. I am by no means an expert but this is what I look for.
 
I prefer much softer targets....like feral hogs....... just kidding. :)
 
Tips:

Buy what you like; Don't ever buy something just because everyone else says you should. Certainly get opinions, but don't buy it if you don't like it. Included in this, is Know what you need for the task. What steel, shape, size, opening mechanism, carrying method fits your needs?

Do your research; bladeforums.com for what to buy. , check the online auction sites and stores for prices, youtube reviews are good for some folks to get an idea of comparisons.

Know that you will make some mistakes. Learn from them, and move on. As a life-long hobby, you should have fun with it, overall.
 
Buy what you like
Buy what you can afford to use
Don't get in financial trouble for your hobby
Don't listen to the snobs
Brand does not matter
 
Buying for yourself. But what you want.
Buying for profit then read every thread on bladeforums to know about knives.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top