Knives you would never buy again!

Years ago, I had heard that Gerber was on the rebound and had a new line of knives out that were pretty good. Since I had owned Gerbers in the very early 80s that were damn fine knives, I was glad to see them coming back after falling so far in quality.

I bought the Gerber Paraframe about 10 years ago. Worst knife I ever bought, hands down. The steel was so poorly ground it took some time to even the grinds. The good news is that the steel was so soft it was easy to sharpen. However, the steel was also so soft that simple exposure to air seemed to make it dull.

Then the screws wouldn't stay tight and the clip came loose constantly. Then the pivot did the same thing. I felt like I shouldn't have to Loctite every single screw on a brand new knife and chalked off the moving screws (all but one on the knife!) to poor tolerances. Then in less than a month, the knife started to come open in my pocket when I carried it. That finished it for me.

So to summarize: Lousy steel, lousy construction, poor quality materials, poor design and execution. I paid about $25 for that knife and it lasted about a month.

As a sidebar, I contacted Gerber about the knife and they told me I could send it in to them. They would only accept the knife if I sent it insured, so shipping and insurance was about $10, then my time to pack it up and get it to a shipper. Gerber told me that they would "assess" the knife, and if it needed no repair other than tightening screws and realignment, I would be charged a shop fee of $25, then I would have to pay them $12 to send it back to me.

No more Gerbers for any reason after that.

Robert

 

Cheap knives. I first got started buying knives after graduating from the police academy. I didn't know anything about steels or other materials, what brands to stay away from etc. all I knew was I needed a knife for work and where do people go to when they need knives? Wal-Mart of course. I bought a Gerber Paraframe. It was then a nice enough knife. It had a name I recognized (probably the only brand I would have known then) and a price point I couldn't complain about, something like $13.

Then I went on to buy a couple of cheap S&W knives that I thought were good deals at the time. I used those for a time but I could't get a good edge on them and they wouldn't hold it even if I could. So I started researching what i was doing wrong and I was introduced to higher production value knives made with higher quality steels and materials. I havent looked back. Now I don't even count the first few knives I bought as part of my collection.

 

Sog knives. I got a Twitch 2, and a slight breeze makes the blade wiggle.
Now, I beat the hell out of it for fun because I hate it so much.

Im very cautious when buying CASE knives because of the shoddy fit and finish, but I still like them.

 

Ontario Rat 5, too heavy to carry anywhere and not enough length to justify its pack weight. It is also very wide and thick, it just didn't cut well, traded it off for a bnib Buck Hoodlum with someone on kijiiji. Gerber LMF II, first real knife purchase. I thought it was awesome at the time but I grew out of the tacticool knife thing. Eventually the handle came loose so I sent it in, they replaced it with the same model but it was a few years later and the dip in quality was tremendous. The grind, materials, sheath and even the coating were not at all what I had sent in. Sold it off, never again Gerber, I'd buy Ontario again but not the Rat or Tak series.

 

Without diving into quality issues, I consider that most of my knives I would never buy again. I tried them, I used them (or not, for many reasons), I enjoyed them (or not, for many reasons) and now there are so many other brands and models to try ! Guess I still haven't found my ideal knife yet (but everyday I'm getting a better idea of what it could be !).

 

Kershaw leek. I like the knife a lot, but I broke the tip off of 6 or so. One of them even broke while I was scoring cardboard.

I am going to try to stay away from anything made of 1095. I have the inability to keep my knives from getting wet. I am also apparently too lazy and forgetful to dry them back off. I left 2 knives outside my tent in my chair and it poured down raining. I ended up spending days trying to remove surface rust and make them pretty again. I dont want to spend more time maintaining my knives than I do actually using them.

 

I too have owned a Gerber Paraframe and it was pathetic. I got stabbed in the hand everytime I reached into my pocket because the blade tip stuck out when closed.
Ive also had a terrible experience with Queen/S&M. Several slip joints with the worst F+F, grinds, and walk + talk that I've ever experienced. The Daniels family has only one way to go with Queen... And that is up.
Boker has also earned a spot in my "never buy again" list because I have a few of their slip joints stuffed in a drawer due to lousy quality control. One has such weak springs that there is barely any resistance in the action.

Spyderco and GEC have spoiled me.

 

I would have to agree with the Hinderer Collaboration statement. I have now had 2 Cryos and they both snapped the tortion bars, one within 2 weeks of owning it. They both got about as dull as a brick super fast, and from just normal everyday use. the QC was non existent, the blades didn't even have a ball detent hole even though the framelock had the ball. WTF?

Gerber, there are way too many sadness stories there to even begin. I have a filet knife from them, and when using it to filet a fish (the intended use) the darn tip snapped off. They are just crap, crap crap crap. Well, except for my really really old multitool from them, which has been through hell and is still great.

I've even had crappy experiences with Benchmade. I had a Mini Griptilian who's pocket clip would constantly be loose, even after locktiteing the screws. Then, my Mini Dejavoo somehow decided that it's pivot would become fused by some magical event and not open. Benchmade couldn't even figure it out so they sent me a new one. For the price tag of their knives. I by no means deem them worthy of that cash.


SOG= suck. plastic wiggly garbage


The only companies that have earned my trust are Spyderco, Buck, and CRKT. I have knives from all of them that have withstood some punishment and still remained strong and in great shape.

 

yeah, SOG Trident (tanto)... and SOG in general, never again.

 

Bought a knife called a guardian made by fiskars a few months back. The thing was so cheap that if you put some pressure on the blade the handle scales would bend. The blade was also dull straight out of the box. I took it back for a refund.

 

A strider with the old lockface. I am pretty sure they got blade play just from you looking at them wrong. For a several hundred dollar knife, that was unacceptable. The fit and finish was also unimpressive.

 

Ontario RTAK 2. Good: Well put together. Bad: Duller than watching MSNBC. Took 6 hours for someone just to put a workable edge on it. A big no, no for a new knife costing $100 plus.

 

Bradley Alias II. By far the stickiest frame lock I've ever had, I'd have to put such a ridiculous amount of force on the lock bar just to get it to disengage. And then on top of that, it was one of the easiest to over extend, not a good combo. Not bad knives, but I wouldn't own one again.

 

Buck (bantum) and Benchmade (Grips) can't seem to get their blades centered on their value knives. I hate rubbing. I'm done. Why take a chance when there are so many companies that consistantly get it right like Spyderco Ontario, CRKT and Cold Steel.

 

I know it isn't a specific knife, but I will never buy another knife that doesn't have a pocket clip and doesn't open one-handed. Obviously fixed blades are excluded.

If I ever get a hold of a lanyard clip, I might change the pocket clip part, but I will not get another knife to sit loose in my pocket.

I might never buy another Emerson, though. A relatively thin liner lock with a less than advanced steel for around $150? Doesn't sound like a deal to me.

 

Anything with SpeedSafe and no detent hole.
SpeedSafe is too unreliable for me.

 

The Speedsafe ZT knives aren't too bad. When I still had it, my 350 was a decent manual knife.

 

doesn't the kershaw blur have the speedsafe? i owned one for a short period of time before losing it but it felt solid but i didn't like assisted opening anyway.

 

Benchmade Griptillion. Don't like the handle, don't like the lock. The only thing I like is the blade.