Greco knives

Django606

Django606

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Jul 22, 2005
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My birthday is coming up, and I'm looking for some knives. I've read that John Greco's knives are very nice, for very little money. I'm looking at the MST MK IV. Does anyone have any personal experience with this knife, or with any of his other comparable fixed blades? I did some searching and found that many people consider them the best deal for a fixed blade survival knife.

How is the blade steel? Do they come sharp? About what angle does he sharpen them at? Finally, does anyone have any comparison pictures between the satin finish and the stonewashed finish? The lighting in the pictures on his website make it harder to tell the difference.

Thanks.

MST_stone_washed_finish_640_wide.png
 
Sorry but I do not have any experience with that knife, but I did place an order from John over the summer. He's a great guy to deal with and my hatchet came with in a matter of days. I would not hesistate to purchase something from him again.
 
django,
My only experience with his knives is that I handled three different models at a show about 3-4 weeks ago. These may have been fakes or seconds or something as all three had a Greco tang stamp and no Greco on the handle, but all three were pretty rough. Uneven grind lines poor fit and finish etc. I should note however that the seller badmouthed Mr. Greco the whole time I was looking at them and he also had a folder that was supposedly by a very well known and as far as I have ever heard well respected maker. The handle of this folder looked great, upon opening the blade though it looked like it had been finished on concrete. Deep scratches on the blade, very poor grinds and some kind of half assed hawkbill pattern also poorly done and not sharp at all. The "Grecos" were very sharp though. I don't mean to discourage you I just thought you should know.
 
I owned a Greco knife years ago. It was similar in appearance to the one shown in the link. It was A2 steel, probably 56-58 hardness, black finish, with I believe black Micarta handles and a simple black leather sheath. Mine had "Greco" stamped on the tang, not on the handle. It also had "A2" stamped on the other side of the tang. The pins on mine were much more subdued in appearance than what I see in the newer models. I think the newer 8670 steel is an improvement over the A2.

It was a handsome looking knife, and it was certainly a knife you could use for the price. I bought it from John at a Gun & Knife show back when I lived in middle TN. I recommend rewarding John for offering solid user knives at such a great price point. Buy one!
 
Thanks for all the info. Looking at different variations of the same model, the name Greco has appeared and disappeared from the handle several times. Once it says Greco, once it has a third screw where the Greco was, and once it only has two screws. I think he just changed it between different variations.

The F+F problems you noted do seem a little troubling though, but from what I've read during my search it seems as though people have said that they have a very high level of F+F, especially for such a cheap, handmade piece.
 
I own one of the MST Mk IV you are looking at buying. The f&f are good, not great like a knife costing three times as much, but the grinds are even on mine. This is a very stout knife with a thick edge. I bought mine knowing this as I wanted something cheap to beat up. The steel is 8670 which holds an edge well, about like 440C from what I have seen but it is extremely tough, I have only rolled the edge on mine even hitting nails, cement etc. with it.

If you are looking for a pretty knife to admire and show off to your friends you might want to look elsewhere. However if you want a tough cheap knife to use hard look no further the Greco's are top shelf in my book.
 
TIR said:
I own one of the MST Mk IV you are looking at buying. The f&f are good, not great like a knife costing three times as much, but the grinds are even on mine. This is a very stout knife with a thick edge. I bought mine knowing this as I wanted something cheap to beat up. The steel is 8670 which holds an edge well, about like 440C from what I have seen but it is extremely tough, I have only rolled the edge on mine even hitting nails, cement etc. with it.

If you are looking for a pretty knife to admire and show off to your friends you might want to look elsewhere. However if you want a tough cheap knife to use hard look no further the Greco's are top shelf in my book.
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I have two of those, one black coated and one satin blade, and they are great knives. Everything TIR said is dead on...Jim
 
I've got a hatchet like Marc123's. I've also got a couple of his folders. His knives are as tough as they come, and all of mine kept their edges a long time. The hatchet especially never seemed to dull when I was clearing some thorn bushes.

I don't know about your fixed blade, but the folders needed reprofiling to get really sharp. Very thick blades.
 
i have a greco recon which is similar to the pic, the F&F on mine was pretty darned good, esp for the price, actually i have seen knives costing 2X as much that werent any better FWIW.............

i dont like the greco folders myself, not that they arent perfectly functional knives mind ya, i just dont like the looks.
 
The folders are different. No clips, thin but strong steel framelocks. Good backup knife for the backpack, it won't fail you in an emergency.
 
I know, on eBay I saw a picture of the underside of one of his folders - the frame is about as thin as some liner locks :eek:
 
That thin frame is so stiff that many people have had trouble releasing the framelock. You can literally hammer with it.
 
I have 3 Greco knives, 2 folders and one fixed blade. The folders are 3/16" thick steel and are very burly and robust. The fixed blade is the Explorer model, which I don't believe he makes anymore. It is .20" thick and has been my only survival knife for the last 2.5 years.

The blade steel is 8670, which is a carbon alloy. It will rust, but not too easily. The denim finish that John puts on his knives, while not entirely foolproof, works pretty darn well. The 8670 steel is an industrial-use steel, intended for cutting I-beams and such with. It holds an edge rather well, is very tough, and resharpens readily. In short, I really like this alloy.

The knives that I purchased from Greco have been used extensively for anything and everything - opening packages, batoning logs, chopping branches, cutting cord, cutting up old blue jeans, even as a spatula on one outing! Their fit and finish are not perfect, but are certainly more than acceptable. For the price, as well as the intended use, you would be very hard-pressed to beat a Greco knife.

After using my Grecos for 2.5 years, I can say that I would have no qualms purchasing from John again. If you have quesitons, do what I did - call him up and pick his brain about the knives he sells. When I did so, he was friendly, straight-forward, and informative. I highly recommend Greco's knives.
 
TIR said:
I own one of the MST Mk IV you are looking at buying. The f&f are good, not great like a knife costing three times as much, but the grinds are even on mine. This is a very stout knife with a thick edge. I bought mine knowing this as I wanted something cheap to beat up. The steel is 8670 which holds an edge well, about like 440C from what I have seen but it is extremely tough, I have only rolled the edge on mine even hitting nails, cement etc. with it.

If you are looking for a pretty knife to admire and show off to your friends you might want to look elsewhere. However if you want a tough cheap knife to use hard look no further the Greco's are top shelf in my book.
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TIR hit the nail on the head. I am happy with mine. I also recommend Greco knives.
 
The Grecos I've owned have been 110% functional tools. Excellent bang for the buck.
 
aberg said:
These may have been fakes or seconds or something as all three had a Greco tang stamp and no Greco on the handle, but all three were pretty rough. Uneven grind lines poor fit and finish etc.
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There was a period a few years ago when Mr. Greco had a big sale and sold a lot of knives at great prices. I got one then, and it was pretty rough like the knives you describe, but functional. It was priced accordingly though, and I think the majority of them had good feedback but the QC was not quite as high on all of them. Maybe some of those are still floating around?
 
There was a period a few years ago when Mr. Greco had a big sale and sold a lot of knives at great prices. I got one then, and it was pretty rough like the knives you describe, but functional. It was priced accordingly though, and I think the majority of them had good feedback
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That's when I got my Grecos, too. I haven't had any of the QC problems that a few have reported. Greco had to quit making knives for those couple of years due to health concerns. He evidently got better :thumbup:
 
I bought a Dangler from him during his big sale and then another for my farmer sister. I love mine and she loves and carrys her's with her all over the place out in Ohio, using it for all kinds of horse farm chores. I also bought a Companion and I like it. Later, I bought one of his Searles style Bowies and have found it to be very well made. All of his knives are very sharp, very tough, and very durable. They may not be as finely finished as others, but they also cost rather less for a hand-made knife.

Finally, he is a real gentleman of the old school with whom to deal. He makes me think of my father and my grandfather, and that, sirs and madams, is a rare compliment. Give him a call and chat with him a bit, if both of you have the time. I swear that you will enjoy the experience.
 
I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Mr. Greco at Blade!! He truely is the epitome of the word gentleman!
 
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