Medford “production” Praetorian?

[Grayman1984]

So I’ve gained a new interest in Medford knives. The only one I currently own is the On Belay, that I acquired through a trade. The previous owner provided all the original packaging with it, including the notorious warranty letter, that reads more like a ransom note. Despite the unease that the warranty letter gave me after reading it, I’ve really come to appreciate this particular model, the fit and finish are absolutely outstanding, it handles just about every cutting task I’ve managed to throw at it so far, and I’m starting to believe that I’m never really going to have to worry about the warranty, this knife is built and designed well enough that I don’t see any reason for me to want to take it apart. Anyway, I’ve been looking at the Praetorian models now, and I see that Medford has been producing liner lock versions. I would love to own a Praetorian Ti, but budgetary constraints will prevent me from doing so anytime soon. Has anyone had any experience with these new “budget friendly” (LOL) models? Is the quality on par with the frame lock versions?

 

[unwisefool]

What's the warranty letter say?

 

[b00n]

What's the warranty letter say?

https://i.imgur.com/aEkP1xT.jpg (big picture, didn't want to link it into the thread, not mine, from reddit. But I think it's the "warranty" he refers to)

 

[jwh720]

I had one of the production praetorians at one time, the production praetorian didn't do it for me, it felt cheap compared to the regular model and was not balanced well imo. The blade was super heavy compared to the g10 handles. I would save up for the real deal.

 

[Grayman1984]

I had one of the production praetorians at one time, the production praetorian didn't do it for me, it felt cheap compared to the regular model and was not balanced well imo. The blade was super heavy compared to the g10 handles. I would save up for the real deal.

That’s what I was afraid of. I think they could have lowered the price just a bit more to justify the use of cheaper materials.

 

[snapshot2017]

Greg will take care of your knife it if ever it needs repair, just do as he says "Don't" try to take it apart yourself.
He has had a few others try and they ruin their knives so Greg is just warning people not to do it.

 

[jwh720]

That’s what I was afraid of. I think they could have lowered the price just a bit more to justify the use of cheaper materials.

Yeah even at a lower price it still doesnt fix the balance issues. It really doesnt feel right on the hand at all

 

[Jordan@DLT]

I had a production Praetorian and loved it, the quality was definitely on par with the full Ti. Balance/feel in hand is subjective, I thought it was great. I regret getting rid of that knife honestly.

 

[AJR576]

I acquired an On Belay in a recent trade as well. The previous owner attempted to adjust the pivot screw without using a spanner wrench and scratched it up. Other than that, it appeared to be in like new condition.

My OCD caused me to reach out and see if I could purchase a new pivot screw. After not receiving a response to my initial request, I exchanged a few texts directly with Greg (he provides his cell number on their website). He was nothing but apologetic / helpful and instructed me to request an RMA / send it in.

They replaced the pivot with one of their new "6 Gun" pivots (looks awesome btw) and checked the rest of the knife as well at no charge.

I believe that their warranty statement is simply to protect them from people that screw up their knives and request warranty service/replacement.

 

[b00n]

Greg will take care of your knife it if ever it needs repair, just do as he says "Don't" try to take it apart yourself.
He has had a few others try and they ruin their knives so Greg is just warning people not to do it.

Sorry but this is horse poop. I can take apart and put machines back together that are more complex than a frigging pocket knife and cost as much as a sports car, and he thinks I am not qualified to unscrew a knife and put it back together without voiding my warranty? Yeah, right. (And yes, I am purposely being hyperbole about it, and he explained that it's more about left handed dunces who don't know how a screwdriver works. But still, it's kind of a crappy worded warranty.)

 

[Grayman1984]

I think every post I’ve read here about MKT always ends up raging about the warranty. Lol I get it, it’s the most inflammatory warranty in the industry, but I just wanna know more about the new praetorian model!

 

[b00n]

I think every post I’ve read here about MKT always ends up raging about the warranty. Lol I get it, it’s the most inflammatory warranty in the industry, but I just wanna know more about the new praetorian model!

Well if the warranty is the only bad thing about their knives, they're doing quite well.

/If you like big beefy knives, you could take a look at PMP Knives as well (Berzerker and Beast)

 

[Grayman1984]

I acquired an On Belay in a recent trade as well. The previous owner attempted to adjust the pivot screw without using a spanner wrench and scratched it up. Other than that, it appeared to be in like new condition.

My OCD caused me to reach out and see if I could purchase a new pivot screw. After not receiving a response to my initial request, I exchanged a few texts directly with Greg (he provides his cell number on their website). He was nothing but apologetic / helpful and instructed me to request an RMA / send it in.

They replaced the pivot with one of their new "6 Gun" pivots (looks awesome btw) and checked the rest of the knife as well at no charge.

I believe that their warranty statement is simply to protect them from people that screw up their knives and request warranty service/replacement.

I find it incredible that despite how much his company has grown, the man still takes the time to answer customer questions and concerns himself instead of passing it off to a customer service rep. Huge respect to him for that.

 

[Grayman1984]

Well if the warranty is the only bad thing about their knives, they're doing quite well.

/If you like big beefy knives, you could take a look at PMP Knives as well (Berzerker and Beast)

Agreed! And I definitely will do that, I love a good overbuilt chunk of steel. Lol

 

[AJR576]

I find it incredible that despite how much his company has grown, the man still takes the time to answer customer questions and concerns himself instead of passing it off to a customer service rep. Huge respect to him for that.

I agree...I was surprised to see his cell number listed on their website, impressed by how quickly he responded, and happy that he offered to address something that was not warranty related (I offered to pay) at no charge.

Greg knew that I was not the original owner and someone had previously messed with the pivot. Despite that, his team replaced the parts, checked the knife, and had it back to me in less than a week...for free.

Based on my actual experiences/interaction with Medford, I'd say that they stand behind their knives and provide great service...again, the warranty warning letter is likely to protect them from people that ruin their knife and request warranty services or replacement.