Killin' the messenger .

DocJD

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Ever become infatuated on some new blade , based only on the available hyped up advertising and reviews that are essentially just more hype ?

So , you get emotionally hooked before being fully informed .

So when finally you get all the downside from an honest , thorough user review ...you get mad at the reviewer !

Yeah , you ought to be real thankful , but that's not how you feel . :mad:

Eventually , after 😭 you can accept it's better to have the bad news before you buy .
 
Ever become infatuated on some new blade , based only on the available hyped up advertising and reviews that are essentially just more hype ?

So , you get emotionally hooked before being fully informed .

So when finally you get all the downside from an honest , thorough user review ...you get mad at the reviewer !

Yeah , you ought to be real thankful , but that's not how you feel . :mad:

Eventually , after 😭 you can accept it's better to have the bad news before you buy .
More to your point though, I do read & watch reviews. I also have reached out to members here who have the same knife and have been instrumental in 👍 or 👎. I value that input more so than written or video reviews. Perhaps that is naive as well. 🤷‍♂️
 
More to your point though, I do read & watch reviews. I also have reached out to members here who have the same knife and have been instrumental in 👍 or 👎. I value that input more so than written or video reviews. Perhaps that is naive as well. 🤷‍♂️
I think it's very wise to tap any reliable source of information , especially before spending at the $1500 level . :cool:
 
More to your point though, I do read & watch reviews. I also have reached out to members here who have the same knife and have been instrumental in 👍 or 👎. I value that input more so than written or video reviews. Perhaps that is naive as well. 🤷‍♂️
I think it's very wise to tap any reliable source of information , especially before spending at the $1500 level . :cool:
huh?

are ya saying you're doing that or someone else is Doc?
Only if you back up that decimal point ! ;)

No , that's about "Outlaw" .
 
When the Peña front flipper trappers first became hot, I remember reviewers saying nothing but positive things. I got it and realized its...not very good. Mediocre action (Civivis make better front flippers), bad lock-micarta design (pinch your skin off), and an overall very unsatisfied purchase.

I might be a minority in saying this but I think looking at the people that gave a product low scores is more useful than the people that gave it high...and much more useful than youtube entertainers. I watch youtube entertainers purely for hand and size reference.
 
I am careful of any reviewer that will benefit if you buy it.
Yeah.....I've seen knives and liked the style only to find it's a train wreck.
If you collect knives it's going to happen.
I'll never be the guy that gets a knife from Home Depot or Walmart and think great price.....good enough.
 
When the Peña front flipper trappers first became hot, I remember reviewers saying nothing but positive things. I got it and realized its...not very good. Mediocre action (Civivis make better front flippers), bad lock-micarta design (pinch your skin off), and an overall very unsatisfied purchase.

I might be a minority in saying this but I think looking at the people that gave a product low scores is more useful than the people that gave it high...and much more useful than youtube entertainers. I watch youtube entertainers purely for hand and size reference.

Spot-the-f-on.

The Barlow, with the extended bolster area, solves this issue, but the other traditional X-Series front flippers all have the issue where if you're not careful enough, the lock can pinch your thumb.

That and the screws on the X-Series are some of the softest screws I've had the displeasure of working with... even being extra careful and using the correct T9 bit on the body/clip screws... it's so easy to mar and the drive depth is too shallow.

I still think the Barlow is pretty good, though, and it's definitely my preferred pattern out of the X-Series.
 
Spot-the-f-on.

The Barlow, with the extended bolster area, solves this issue, but the other traditional X-Series front flippers all have the issue where if you're not careful enough, the lock can pinch your thumb.

That and the screws on the X-Series are some of the softest screws I've had the displeasure of working with... even being extra careful and using the correct T9 bit on the body/clip screws... it's so easy to mar and the drive depth is too shallow.

I still think the Barlow is pretty good, though, and it's definitely my preferred pattern out of the X-Series.
I think it just cements the fact that most just take the knife out, pose a few shots, and start rambling.
 
…..
I'll never be the guy that gets a knife from Home Depot or Walmart and think great price.....good enough.
That is too bad, because a lot of the knives sold in the big box stores do offer good value. For me, you have to start with the idea of using the right tool for the job. Those basic knives are often acquired by people who use knives hard. If you try to use a top end production or custom knife in those roles, you will find that it lasts no longer than the cheaper knife while depreciating at a far faster rate. I doubt a CRK or custom will open more sacks of cement mix or cut more durock than a Buck 110 or Ontario Rat; but, it will lose appeal even faster when it gets all scuffed up and filthy with construction materials. There are places and uses for high quality knives, just as there is a place for basic and utility knives.

n2s
 
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It's why I always maintained a decent stash of budget or working finish style knives without being weird about the knives that just don't need to be subjected to those environments. No need to bring a purple anodized WE into a steel factory, and it has nothing to do with whether or not the knife can handle it. It's just a thing that's got more value to me than the raw cutting tool that it ultimately is, and why not respect that. Keep my shiny stuffs for days off.
 
I doubt a CRK or custom will open more sacks of cement mix or cut more durock than a Buck 110 or Ontario Rat;
For those tasks, and opening bags of garden/potting soil, sand, etc. I always used a Stanley Box/Utiity knife, like the 10-99, with tool-less quick change blades.
(I'm presently out of blades for it. I haven't had to open any bags full of abrasive stuff like concrete, sand, soil, etc., cut carpet, drywall, or fiberglass insulaton, in the last year or two. I might get some blades for it before 2022, "just to be on the 'safe' side".)

"Why mess up or sharpen to a tootpick the blade(s) on my "good" knife?" was my "thought". :)

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I am not one to watch youtube reviews or get super excited over the latest greatest generally speaking. The exceptions would be cars. I am the eternal skeptic. I've been disappointed enough times by what is the bees knees and that newest in new that I generally am not one to jump on the bandwagon. New products often have bugs that must be worked out.

This is less so in the knife world, but I used to be a major sneakerhead, and that experience soured me greatly on the newest stuff. So many times there would be a shoe that had that perfect combination of fit, weight, grip, and cushioning and then the next year's model would mess everything up. Sometime change for the sake of change does not equal progress.

I'll give some examples. There was a lot of hype over the Spyderco Ikuchi. So I bought one as soon as it came out. Turned out to be many problems with it, and returned it. Same with the Spyderco Smock. Oh its the greatest! Nope, not for me. I've decided that with the exception of automatics, I don't care for button locks. I prefer to be able to unlock a folder with either hand. I can unlock liner and frame locks left handed no problem. So, after anxiously awaiting a re-release of the Pro-Tech Malibu in blue, by the time I actually could get one, I was over it.

I always come here when I want a recommendation for a new knife. While I've been disappointed by some of the knives I've bought off recommendations from here, usually it is a problem with the example I got or its just me.
 
I'll see what the "experts" say; but my mind is already made up...
They always have something to sell, so I make my own decisions.
But I DO want one of Nick's ugly green horrible knives!
 
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