Knife flaws that bug you the most?

[Stays Sharp]

I cannot stand blade-play. A minute flex I can deal with but real blade-play AAAARGGHH! Usually I can adjust it out.

Slightly off center is cool, but when it passes 60/40 I get a little worked up and try to adjust it out also.

To some, this is petty YMMV just that knowing that there are examples of the same knife that has solid lockup and good centering makes me want those instead. There's only so many things for us to distinguish quality/att. to detail in a folder. Besides, it isn't too much to ask when knives in our hobby are priced the way they are.

 

[Stays Sharp]

I hate when I like something then see it's not made in the USA. That's a no go for me.

Like your phone, TV, jeans, shoes, car, jacket, pistol, coffee? I'm just bustin your balls man, it's just so hard to go made in USA-or-bust in this day and age and while I will buy our goods over foreign made every time when given the chance...I can't be hypocritical and have a firm position like that when it comes to knives only when up to 90% of the things we own are made in China, Honduras, etc.

 

[Penetration]

Just because it's china made doesn't mean that it's complete crap I mean yeah a USA made knife is better than a china made knife by far but not all china made knives are just completely useless a cheap china made knife that's decent is fine with me as long as I'm paying a reasonable price

 

[ninjarabbi]

Definitely bladeplay and dullness. I don't mind a little side to side but anything significant really bugs me. Dullness isn't that bad in general since I can just sharpen it but if its such crappy steel that its never sharp then that kind of defeats the purpose of it being a knife haha.

 

[Dcaggie06]

Off centered blades bug the crap out of me. I know that as long as there is know bladeplay and its not hitting anything as it opens, it doesnt really matter, my neurosis goes into overdrive when they are even slightly off. More my fault than the makers...

 

[RevDevil]

Factory edges that are sharpened to a point where it is apparent too much steel was removed from the base of the blade
Lock rock/blade play
Expecting absolute perfection from an item thats price does not command it.

I knew their was a cheap way to do it! I didn't know that because most knife collectors pick the most difficult ways to mod and fix a knife but I prefer a cheap alternative to fixing a knife

Common sense man.
Remove the clip,
Bend it with pliers wrapped in electricians tape
Reinstall clip
Finished
Elapsed time: 60 seconds

 

[harleyguy02]

Dullness. I don't like dull knives and I can't stand it if MY knives are dull. But fortunately that's fixable. (just like most tight clips)

I will never understand this.. Dullness is not a flaw!! It's a knife!! They are meant to get dull.. If they don't your not using them.. And isn't that the point?

It's like saying a car with less than a full tank of gas is flawed.. Learn to sharpen your knives and maybe it won't be such a "flaw"

 

[uofaengr]

I'm new to good quality knives so I've been pouring over tons of threads and searching for blades people like or recommend. I hate when I like something then see it's not made in the USA. That's a no go for me.

I assume you apply the same rationale when purchasing a computer or smartphone to post on internet forums with.

 

[Penetration]

Factory edges that are sharpened to a point where it is apparent too much steel was removed from the base of the blade
Lock rock/blade play
Expecting absolute perfection from an item thats price does not command it.



Common sense man.
Remove the clip,
Bend it with pliers wrapped in electricians tape
Reinstall clip
Finished
Elapsed time: 60 seconds

Well like I said before I don't really like to change how the knife was made so because I don't like the pocket clip, I still never thought of taking the clip off and purposely bending the clip and I've also never had a knife that the pocket clip bugged me to the point where I would bend it or replace it but if that happens then I would do something about the clip

 

[MassMatt]

I will never understand this.. Dullness is not a flaw!! It's a knife!! They are meant to get dull.. If they don't your not using them.. And isn't that the point?

It's like saying a car with less than a full tank of gas is flawed.. Learn to sharpen your knives and maybe it won't be such a "flaw"

No, dullness is most definitely a flaw, knives are meant to be sharp! Just because a knife will eventually dull with use doesn't mean a factory should SHIP it to you dull before you use it. It's especially annoying when companies market their knives' sharpness, or ease of sharpening, yet ship dull knives.

That said, it is easier to sharpen a dull knife than remedy bad fit and finish. I would rather have a dull knife with good FnF than a sharp one put together poorly.

 

[Pointshoot777]

A Nailbreaking slip joint. Wish companies would QC this better before sending them out.

I can relate to that. I have a Great Eastern Cutlery that I got several years ago and its backspring was so stiff that it was like prying open the jaws of a croc to open it. It was impossible to open with a thumb nail. The end of the blade is square too (half stop), so it comes to an abrupt stop as its opened. Cut myself several times doing so. I learned to not dare open it without putting leather work gloves on. Its loosened up quite a bit, but at first I didn't use it because of that backspring.
If I recall, people complained and they don't make them so stiff now. It is a gorgeous knife though, with stag scales on it. Super sharp from the factory (as my thumb found out a few times) and takes a nice edge.

The other thing I don't like is when a knife comes super dull from the factory. Yes, I'm going to sharpen it myself when I get it and I don't expect most knives to come the way I like them (unless its a custom). But, imho a really dull knife shows a lack of attention by the maker.

 

[s_f]

I will never understand this.. Dullness is not a flaw!! It's a knife!! They are meant to get dull.. If they don't your not using them.. And isn't that the point?

It's like saying a car with less than a full tank of gas is flawed.. Learn to sharpen your knives and maybe it won't be such a "flaw"

By using premium steels and occasional maintenance (stropping, resharpening) it is possible for me to continuously USE a knife that is sharp enough for me. And of course I have different expectations for the accepted sharpness of folders (premium steels) and large fixed blades (mostly high carbon steel).

 

[RamZar]

All knives should come with blades that are well-sharpened and centered!

 

[McVeyMac]

You know you can fix that for free too right, just bend it however you want it. I like mine extremely tight so the first thing I do with a new knife is take it off and bend it more to increase tension. To loosen it you don't even have to take it off.

The thing I hate most is when a knife is poorly designed so that after sharpening it several times the point is no longer below the handle, particularly the spyderco ladybug, once that happens it catches pulling it out of your pocket and "waves" open.

CK, no need to do that on a Recon 1.

 

[McVeyMac]

I will never understand this.. Dullness is not a flaw!! It's a knife!! They are meant to get dull.. If they don't your not using them.. And isn't that the point?

It's like saying a car with less than a full tank of gas is flawed.. Learn to sharpen your knives and maybe it won't be such a "flaw"

My father was a carpenter, and born in 1925. He was a master sharpener, and when he was looking to buy a knife, he would always check sharpness. He would always say that if the manufacturer could not sharpen it, he could not sharpen it. We all know that that is not true from a metallurgical standpoint, but I saw him put many a knife back on the rack shaking his mumbling "dull."

 

[Penetration]

Lets put it this way when do you expect a shirt, pants, phone, gun etc to be their best? When it's brand new

 

[Pointshoot777]

The only time I got a new Mora that was not quite sharp out of the box, was when I bought another Mora 2000. (I have several of them). It was like a butter knife. It was determined to very likely be a fake and got returned. Fakes are one reason I don't accept super dull knives, especially with dependable brands. Fakes don't have good edges that stay sharp.

 

[dkb45]

For me it is a multiple way tie. I cannot stand a good knife being made completely unfriendly to a southpaw, through lack of clip drilling when the design would allow it or the thumb stub or hole being completely unusable from the left side (like the Techno). I also hate knife with bad factory grinds, like an edge arriving as over 40° inclusive. I also hate vertical play, if the knife either rattles or the lock is unstable. I also hate coated blades, unless the coating is DLC or another PVD coating... Anything else just flakes off (but I haven't tried all coatings yet).

Lastly, I hate liking so many knives but not being able to win the lottery to afford them all. I hate how products have to cost money.

 

[Ernie1980]

Bad centering and/or blade grinds bother me since I can't do anything about it. But number one would be a badly designed knife that after a sharpening or two (or sometimes out of the box) the tip is proud of the handle. Simply unacceptable and unsafe!!

 

[mrdabble]

Off center blades and blade play...things that potentially can't be repaired easily or at all.

Loves me a tight pocket clip