HTM Gunhammer TI/Carbon & Kirby Lambert SNAP - Not good guys, not good

Yes, it is what it is. I am getting my Hinderer today and expect to be very pleased with it. Looking at a CRK Umma-whatever-its-called and i think i'll be really happy with that one too. Might end up trying to get a Gunhammer (not titanium though) off the exchange at some point - i love the design, and if i can get one from a member who's already owned it and verified it to be of good fit and finish, then i don't think i'm going to be risking as much. Plus the non-ti version won't have the bearing issues that the ti one has - i can't believe that there is no race there and that they are just loose - it makes for a horrible time to try to service the knife for any reason. and since they are open and greased, it's just natural that they will have to be re-greased at some point. oh well.... hopefully HTM/DDR gets the point at some time and decides to do right by all the people who have been screwed by the low-quality of their "high-quality" knives...*sigh*
 
007 Agent ZZero said:
I have read many reviews like this and at some point I think there needs to be some reason interjected.
Problem #1. HTM F/F, you have a paper trail. You did the research. Why not take this up with e man that gave you a guarantee? Early lock up that you don't like? Is there a chance that the lock is sticky? Probably. Did you put a touch of graphite on the lock face? You tinkered with the pivot tension which obviously caused the alignment and play to develop. My suggestion is simple, don't tinker if you are not certain about what you are doing and absolutely don't blame the manufacturer for issues you could have created. Also follow through with Darrel.

Problem #2: what is sharp to you? I agree plenty of companies do sharp well and poorly. Microtech does great edges. Some ZTs come spoon sharp, but it's not edge geometry it's the actual polish on the cutting edge . This is a problem that most knife enthusiasts are happy to fix. All my knives are reprofiled to my specs.

Problem #3. Looking to devalue. Where is the value of a knife? Top quality materials with tight tolerances capable of completing a tremendous amount of work, and or art/design/aesthetic appeal. Maybe I don't get it, but a knife is a tool to me. If this was an investment then yes, I would look for anything to whine about at would impact my future return. Then again if this is investment drive then why not just search out that Tony Bose or Cook Lochsa?! What knifes have perfect flipping action? Boguszewski? That's a $1500-2000 knife. Why would a $500 knife be held to those standards? And for all the CRK fans out there. It's the best tight tolerance production model on the market. No one should be comparing non-CNC driven models against them. It's apples to oranges. All CRK is can for summed up in tight tolerances. The designs are not revolutionary, the materials are not revolutionary, and very little changes. CRK is without a doubt e best at what they do.
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I just happened to come across this thread and read this, and thought I would mention something. To be as polite as possible, you are INCORRECT about CRK. You mention that they are just about tight tolerances, and that the designs are not revolutionary. Mr. Reeve invented the frame lock. I'm pretty sure that qualifies as "revolutionary" in the knife world, "involving or causing a complete or dramatic change," if we use that definition of "revolutionary." Think for a moment of all the knives that are based on or use the frame lock design. Thanks to Mr. Reeve. I won't even mention how many blades made of S35VN there are, another one of Mr. Reeve's contributions. Just because they have been around for so long, and we have become accustomed to them, doesn't make his contributions any less "revolutionary."

Sam :thumbup:
 
Simply eyeballing the picture of the gunhammer shows how ridiculously obtuse the edge is ground. It's the kind of edge I see on my Queen Cutlery knives where I need to regrind an edge with a 60 grit ceramic belt for 10 minutes.

I'm perfectly fine with such an edge on a $50-60 knife with decent steel and very nice handles(i.e. only downside being the blunt edge). There's really no excuse why a $500 knife can't even fulfill the task of being an overpriced letter opener, sans the other issues. The ZT 0560CF would give you more for less.

And while knife enthusiasts like to eventually put on their own edges, it's preferable not to unnecessarily remove metal in order to get the most use out of the blade, particularly for high dollar knives. My Andrew Demko custom is over 6 months old and still has the original edge on it. My Queen D2 knives don't get used until I regrind the edge, which I'm perfectly fine with since it's relatively "cheap" at around 50 bucks a pop:rolleyes:, plus I feel I'm getting a great deal with those(D2 tool steel, maple handles, great F&F sans the edge, brass pins, a mirror polished blade, AND Made in the USA). But again, at $500, I'd figure a usable edge isn't too much to ask for. If it can't cut paper, it probably can't do anything you might expect a knife to do properly.
 
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