Knives that barely missed it...

M

MrCookie

Joined
Mar 9, 2019
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381
I’m in the process of culling the herd. In the pile are a couple of knives the narrowly missed being good/great.

Gerber Air Ranger - great handle, good blade shape, fair fit & finish, poor materials.

What have you had that just missed the mark enough to bum you out?
 
Several of my ZTs. I really like the lines of some of them, but something was just a bit off. Probably the 920 is the most disappointing simply because it was SO close. In the end, the bare titanium handle just made it a knife I didnt carry despite it being a massive 4" blade and weighing next to nothing for its size.
 
The Winkler F3 folding knife. I thought I found the perfect folder, with maple scales to match my Winkler fixed blade. In hand however the knife definitely was an under performer: poor flipping action, relatively cheap feel, terrible looking clip. Not surprising that they have now retired it and are no longer making a folding knife.
 
Spyderco Street Beat : good steel (vg10, like!), great ergos, beautiful blade, perfect finish BUT... so much unnecessary weight (full tang / 0.16") and all in the handle. I want to like it, I really do, but it puts me off everytime I take it in hand.
 
Crimson Cloud said:
The Winkler F3 folding knife. I thought I found the perfect folder, with maple scales to match my Winkler fixed blade. In hand however the knife definitely was an under performer: poor flipping action, relatively cheap feel, terrible looking clip. Not surprising that they have now retired it and are no longer making a folding knife.
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Yeah, I bought one of those as well.
Not centered, lock was either shallow or all the way to the show side scale and stuck so hard it had to be pried open....only so I could get it back in the box to return it.
Lasted about 5 minutes in my possession.

Other than that, out of the several hundred folders I've had over the years I'm keeping 4.
That's right, four folders.
Currently in the process of selling the rest that didn't make the cut.
That's a lot of knives that didn't appeal to me.
 
herisson said:
Spyderco Street Beat : good steel (vg10, like!), great ergos, beautiful blade, perfect finish BUT... so much unnecessary weight (full tang / 0.16") and all in the handle. I want to like it, I really do, but it puts me off everytime I take it in hand.
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I really want a Street Beat with polished black linen micarta... but in Elmax with a tapered tang.
 
ZT 0808 and Benchmade Anthem. Haven't had the Anthem, but I have had the 0808... and the bearings run on the titanium :-/

Loved the 0808 except for that. Would love to try an Anthem - accept for bearings on titanium (it's integral, so I get there isn't much of an option...)
 
Dogdrawz said:
I'm getting there, I'm down to 17, but I haven't tried a Hinderer yet. OOO, look ones for sale! [*mouse click*]...nevermind.
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I had 2 or 3 Hinderers before the gen 6 and they were just too chunky and would rattle if I set the knife down too hard.
Yup, I'm finicky.
I had a M390 no choil Spanto reground by REK and it was awesome, totally should have kept that one.:(
But now with the gen 6 skinnies around I bet I'd find a keeper.
Maybe somewhere down the line when I sell some more... maybe.
 
herisson said:
Spyderco Street Beat : good steel (vg10, like!), great ergos, beautiful blade, perfect finish BUT... so much unnecessary weight (full tang / 0.16") and all in the handle. I want to like it, I really do, but it puts me off everytime I take it in hand.
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Agreed. The original Street Bowie is superior in every way and cheaper!
 
Barman1 said:
Yup, I'm finicky.
But now with the gen 6 skinnies around I bet I'd find a keeper.
Maybe somewhere down the line when I sell some more... maybe.
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I know all about being finicky. I once got rid of a piece cause it looked like a chicken. I'm looking at a Hindie skinny now. I know I'll have to do surgery on it cuz of the finger choil not letting you access the lock bar easily. $300+ on something I've got to make better? *sigh* But what if that's all it needed & it's a keeper? Dern this hobby! Dern it to all heck!
 
So many... KAI is the first to mind:

ZT 0770CF... No assist and this thing would be perfect.
ZT 0566... Ti and no assist and this thing would be perfect.
Kershaw Dividend... no assist and...
 
Graham Razel, love the knife, but the clip just doesnt work for me
Rockstead has a small and loose clip
Para 3 LW, as of now I dont like the steel
Smock, too square handles, everything else is great
 
Smock is a good example for me as well. So close, but something about those handles and the blocky pivot area, the massive but useless choil... Seems like it could have been a useful finger choil making room for the comp lock.
 
So I'm wondering how many knife guys are like myself and just kept buying knives trying to find the perfect EDC? You thought you had it, then carried it for a week and slowly found yourself not happy, so you searched the internet and forums for hours on end putting in late nights of research until you once again thought you had found it. And the cycle just kept repeating itself until eventually you wound up with 20 or 30 knives.
 
Jim Bob said:
. And the cycle just kept repeating itself until eventually you wound up with 20 or 30 knives.
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Make that 200 or 300... it's no longer a hunt for the PERFECT. Every new knife is a pleasure on its own. It lasts... or not. Anyway, can't have too much pleasure, right ?
 
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