Choils can be hit or miss. I have had several that work great and some that don't work so well. I think something that is usually bad by everyone's account is a choil much larger than a sharpening choil but just too small for a finger to be comfortably fit for choking up on the blade. You get the worst of both worlds. Material can get caught in the choil stopping the cutting action, and you cant get any closer to the edge or fill the void with a finger.
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Knives that taught you “bad design?”
- Thread starter DangerZone98
- Start date
True, but that Guardian 3 handle is so darned small it's kinda not useable without the choil in my experience.
Absolutely. And that can happen when a really well designed knife is just sized down to a "mini" version without any thought, mini Bodega comes to mind.
In addition to that I probably have some controversial picks. First I think the design of the para3 lanyard hole which has been argued so much here is a design flaw. A knife of that size prioritizing a gigantic lanyard hole that 90% of users will never use makes a small compact blade carry taller and wider in the pocket than the big brother PM2 with the stock clip. It is a $130 knife that almost requires another 25$ spent on it out of the box with an aftermarket clip imo.
The spyderco Tropen is another example of bad design. I know it has some defenders but the fact of the matter is a sharpened portion of blade comes through the back of the knife exactly where your finger would be when actuating the compression lock. You can't tell me that is good design.
Finally a blanket statement for fixed blade sheaths that utilize cheaper material like glass reinforced nylon that has been shown to affect the edge while sheathing.
The spyderco Tropen is another example of bad design. I know it has some defenders but the fact of the matter is a sharpened portion of blade comes through the back of the knife exactly where your finger would be when actuating the compression lock. You can't tell me that is good design.
Finally a blanket statement for fixed blade sheaths that utilize cheaper material like glass reinforced nylon that has been shown to affect the edge while sheathing.
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I will go to my grave insisting that the Cold Steel Folding Bushman is not only a bad design but also a dangerous one. The RAM lock is solid, no doubt, but that thing is guillotine with a slippery, untextured raw steel handle. I have one. It works as is it is intended. I don't use it because I have had so many near misses closing that monster. I won't even sell it because I would feel bad putting someone else's well meaning digits in the ol' LT Special Projects Bear Trap.
So, I guess my "bad knife" designs in general would be folders with awkward/dangerous locking mechanisms and knives with uncomfortable/slick handles.
So, I guess my "bad knife" designs in general would be folders with awkward/dangerous locking mechanisms and knives with uncomfortable/slick handles.
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I do not understand the popularity of frame locks. If you grip the handle too tightly, it impedes opening the blade. The CRK web site even warns against this. The one exception I know of is the CRKT Fossil, which has an overlay on the handle that shields the lock bar.
And, of course, putting my thumb in harms way violates one of my fundamental management principles: Make it hard to make mistakes. Same applies to liner locks.
And, of course, putting my thumb in harms way violates one of my fundamental management principles: Make it hard to make mistakes. Same applies to liner locks.
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Wharncliffe - easiest way to snap off your tip, so it's better to go with sheepsfoot.
Rat tail tang.
Sharp corners where the tang starts or sharp cutouts on any other part of the blade (stress risors).
Slick handles.
No hand guard.
Slick handles with no guard are particularly common combo.
One of knives that combines 2 of those is a puukko. My friend had to undergo surgeries after his hand slipped on a puukko and even his tendons were severed and blade even cut into joint cartilage.
Rat tail tang.
Sharp corners where the tang starts or sharp cutouts on any other part of the blade (stress risors).
Slick handles.
No hand guard.
Slick handles with no guard are particularly common combo.
One of knives that combines 2 of those is a puukko. My friend had to undergo surgeries after his hand slipped on a puukko and even his tendons were severed and blade even cut into joint cartilage.
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Here's what I think of finger choils on a folder, as well as knobby handles with so many points and grooves to dictate hand position:
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It may have been mentioned already, but I'm not a fan of handles with finger grooves. As if one size fits all.....WRONG. I don't need a knife telling me where to put my fingers - you aren't the boss of me.
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Oh, should’ve clarified what I meant, haha. I like small sharpening choils too! I find that it sorta helps me have a more even sharpening job. Finger choils, I’m not too crazy about, but it won’t necessarily make me outright hate a knife. For instance, I’m quite fond of the Manix 2. A choilless Manix would be great though.Have to disagree, I like having options for grip position and a well done choil can do that. Also as a fairly amateur sharpener I don't mind a bit of a sharpening choil to keep from screwing up that ricasso area. I guess if the knife is really fit to your hand and you're better at sharpening than I am than I can see not liking a choil
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This is one of those things that’s in my subconscious but never really paid attention to, LOL. The giant hole is rather strange on a compact blade, but functionally, it never really bothered me.
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Agreed. I don’t like super aggressive finger grooves that much unless they fortuitously match my hands. And even then, they could morph into hotspots over time. Subtle finger grooves, I can roll with though. The Bushcraft Black is a great example.
Functionally if all you care about is having a knife to cut things with it doesn't hurt that function per se but if we are honest with ourselves, no one is spending $130 on a knife they just need to cut things you can accomplish that at a far lower price point. The lightweight models sold well and did so without a lanyard hole I am looking forward to more companies either ignoring lanyard holes altogether especially on 3inch blades or less or at least move to a less obtrusive solution as seen on some civivi knives.
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Yes, I have no use for such trifles either. I wish the Resilience didn't have a lanyard hole, then I would have more freedom to change the handle length. It would be nice to be able to go halfway between these two versions without leaving half a hole at the butt:
It's not really "bad design", but to me, unnecessary feature.
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Interesting take. I’ve been curious about owning a Pocket Bushman. The lock intrigued me, but that’s a valid concern indeed.
In line with that, the CS Kudu lock makes me kinda anxious too. A standard back lock would have been nice.
Its not always indicative of a bad design if done right. Here they have it set up in the middle of their pocket clip. Not my favorite but it doesnt really affect the pocket clip positioning that much since the mounting points kind of straddle the lanyard hole. What really bugs me is more like Para 3 designs where it is abundantly clear that someone at spyderco thought that it was paramount to not only include a lanyard hole on a sub 3 inch blade folder, but to have the exact same sized lanyard hole as the larger brother PM2 AND on top of that to prioritize it above clip positioning.
The result is a sub 3 inch blade that carries worse with the stock clip than the larger pm2. I of course went out and bought an aftermarket deep carry clip that fixed this issue but it is frustrating that it is almost a required additional 30$ purchase on top of a 130$ knife to make it competitive with other blades in its size range.