Mantis knives?

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rachet197

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I recently heard about their knives......
Wondering if anyone owns one.
BTW I'm looking at the Mantis BK-1 Wicked Boot Knife, Mantis MF-1C Con Brillo, and the Mantis Cyclops Black.
No comments about their history of spamming on this forum!

- Rachet
 
How about their history of using different blade steel than advertised?
That isn't just history, they are still doing it.
 
rachet197 said:
how do you know they did it?
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Well, they advertise a rare steel they have no way of getting and it would be economically impractical to use at that price point with a proper heat treatment. Then when pressed further they claim that it's an analogous Chinese version of the steel. But some of the literature they release lists the steel for a given model as one type, while other advertisements from them name a completely different steel. You don't need an X-ray diffraction or spectrometry analysis to know that they're complete liars when it comes to the steel they use.

Their knives are also badly made and have terrible designs. Although I'm guessing if despite the very bad reputation they have, you still felt the need to ask, no amount of reasoning will dissuade you from buying one. Go ahead if you really want, but you know what your money will get you.
 
Tsujigiri said:
Well, they advertise a rare steel they have no way of getting and it would be economically impractical to use at that price point with a proper heat treatment. Then when pressed further they claim that it's an analogous Chinese version of the steel. But some of the literature they release lists the steel for a given model as one type, while other advertisements from them name a completely different steel. You don't need an X-ray diffraction or spectrometry analysis to know that they're complete liars when it comes to the steel they use.

Their knives are also badly made and have terrible designs. Although I'm guessing if despite the very bad reputation they have, you still felt the need to ask, no amount of reasoning will dissuade you from buying one. Go ahead if you really want, but you know what your money will get you.
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I'm an aspiring Mantisologist & I missed the part where they broke & admitted it was something else "analogous" to the advertised steel. Do you happen to have a link handy? I remember they initially tried to say they scrounged the rare steel from machine shops & shipped it to wherever they make their knives. So Jared is tacitly admitting to have lied about that if he's changing the story.

And no Chinese analogs of CPM440V or BG42 exist, by the way. 9Cr18Mo is the highest grade stainless I'm aware of from over there & it's not analogous to either steel.
 
I have a friend that owns a knife shop and he has a few Mantis knives in stock there. He him self is quite happy to state that they are just rubbish. They are some of the lowest quality knives he has in the shop. The knives seem to be very badly though out, unless you want to set about your hand with a hammer to deform it appropriately I don't see how one can even use some of their knives at all. Add to that the fact that they seem to be using steel that hasn't even been produced or available for a good while, as well as the other nonsense about the steels they use, there are just too many ifs and buts for them to even be a ping on my and many other peoples knife radar.

rachet197 said:
I recently heard about their knives......
Wondering if anyone owns one.
BTW I'm looking at the Mantis BK-1 Wicked Boot Knife, Mantis MF-1C Con Brillo, and the Mantis Cyclops Black.
No comments about their history of spamming on this forum!

- Rachet
Click to expand...
 
jeffphansen77 said:
I'm an aspiring Mantisologist & I missed the part where they broke & admitted it was something else "analogous" to the advertised steel. Do you happen to have a link handy? I remember they initially tried to say they scrounged the rare steel from machine shops & shipped it to wherever they make their knives. So Jared is tacitly admitting to have lied about that if he's changing the story.

And no Chinese analogs of CPM440V or BG42 exist, by the way. 9Cr18Mo is the highest grade stainless I'm aware of from over there & it's not analogous to either steel.
Click to expand...

Here's the thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/890500-Considering-the-Mantis-Pit-Boss

Second-hand info, I know, but you could just try emailing Jared yourself if you want. I'm sure he'll be able to make up an equally unlikely explanation for you that no one has heard before. :p
 
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Tsujigiri said:
Here's the thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/890500-Considering-the-Mantis-Pit-Boss

Second-hand info, I know, but you could just try emailing Jared yourself if you want. I'm sure he'll be able to make up an equally unlikely explanation for you that no one has heard before. :p
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Thanks. I missed that one. I read that they lied about their steels months ago but I didn't really believe anyone would do that so I didn't run it down. It kinda' freaked me out when I eventually ran across it I spent a few hours wallowing in Mantis threads. One thing that gets me is that he could've slid a believable claim past everyone if he knew as much about blade steels as the average poster on here. It looks like he randomly came across glowing references to BG42 & 440V somewhere & just went with that. If those randomly chosen steels weren't so rare & unfeasible to be using in $50 foreign-made knives, the story might've flown.
 
Their designs are innovative! has anyone seen the cyclops?
mantis-cyclops-3.jpg


SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length 3.50"
Blade Length 2.50"
Blade Material AUS-8
Blade Style Hawkbill
Handle Material Anodized 6061 Aluminum
Lock Style Frame Lock
Carry System Neck Chain
Weight 1.55 oz.
Special Features Neck chain with bailout key
STREET PRICE: $20-$30
I don't think their knives are too ugly!
He did apologize about the whole spamming thing! (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...rmal-apology-from-Jared-West-of-Mantis-Knives)
also on another post, he says he bought alot of this steel from a tool shop!
 
If you use the search function, you'll see a few threads on Mantis. They are lame to me, for many reasons.

Also, I find it interesting that every few months we have a new user that asks these questions? :cool:

SPECIFICATIONS
Overall Length 3.50"
Blade Length 2.50"
Blade Material AUS-8
Blade Style Hawkbill
Handle Material Anodized 6061 Aluminum
Lock Style Frame Lock
Carry System Neck Chain
Weight 1.55 oz.
Special Features Neck chain with bailout key
STREET PRICE: $20-$30
I don't think their knives are too ugly!
He did apologize about the whole spamming thing! (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...-Mantis-Knives)
also on another post, he says he bought alot of this steel from a tool shop!
Click to expand...

Dude, you really sound like you're invested in Mantis, like maybe part of the Mantis Army! Come on, admit it.
 
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If you like a knife, buy it. It shouldn't matter what other people say about it.

With that said, I dislike Mantis. Their designs and steel choice do nothing for me.
 
Yo Mama,

I pressed Ctrl+C to copy their specs.

Also I don't think you guys understand why I posted this!
I posted this because I was wondering about a new company I found.
Wondering about if anyone has any of these.

I am not a member of the mantis army.
in fact I would say you are a member of the cold steel, CRKT, Buck knives army!
If you have no info please do not do hate comments!
also about the 440v steel, if they did get alot of it for a good price, look at the knives with it in:
the pit boss has a .20 to .25 thick blade that is 2 inchs long(think micro or mini recon 1)
the privateer or wicked has a 2 inch blade(unknown thickness)
and the street price for these knives are 40-60
 
For a repeat of my response to the last Mantis thread - own one, that's enough. Poor finish for a $150 knife and abysmal ergonomics. There's just too many reputable companies putting out solid products for Mantis to be on my shopping radar.
 
It seems like you've already made up your mind. Buy them, use them, judge them for yourself. If it feels good in hand, gets sharp and stays sharp at all, and doesn't fall apart, then it's a decent knife.
If you want something dependable or you want the best for your money, look elsewhere.
However, my bet and what it seems like a lot of our fellow forumites are trying to warn you of, is that it won't feel good, won't get sharp or stay sharp, and will probably break and fall apart.
Also, innovative does not equal unique; the cyclops is unique, not innovative...
 
VictorKilo said:
For a repeat of my response to the last Mantis thread - own one, that's enough. Poor finish for a $150 knife and abysmal ergonomics. There's just too many reputable companies putting out solid products for Mantis to be on my shopping radar.
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Thank you for the mature and friendly comment!
I assume you are referring to the chaos folder correct?
Sorry for your bad experience.
BTW i've heard their quality control got a boost last year!
and the chaos folder is not the best ergonomics, but it could function in a emergency self defense situation right?
How's lock-up?
 
justsomedude said:
It seems like you've already made up your mind. Buy them, use them, judge them for yourself. If it feels good in hand, gets sharp and stays sharp at all, and doesn't fall apart, then it's a decent knife.
If you want something dependable or you want the best for your money, look elsewhere.
However, my bet and what it seems like a lot of our fellow forumites are trying to warn you of, is that it won't feel good, won't get sharp or stay sharp, and will probably break and fall apart.
Also, innovative does not equal unique; the cyclops is unique, not innovative...
Click to expand...

I will be purchasing a cyclops this or next month.
BTW from what i've heard no one here owns one of their folders or fixed blades excluding VictorKilo, also from the specs it looks like a solid knife for utility.
 
One I have is the Kunitza. It's sharp and locks up tight, it's just too uncomfortable to actually use so I can't speak for edge retention. As far as self defense, it weighs enough that you could knock someone out by throwing it at them. If you're willing to roll the dice on their products, go nuts. If you avoid every company that gets poked fun of here, you'll be saving up for customs just to have anything to carry.
 
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