Medford Advice

dirc said:
personally... and this is just my opinion,

but I'd rather sharpen up a prybar & save the $400+ on a medford ; )
... (another way of saying I don't consider blade stock bigger than 0.15" to actually be a knife)

they just don't slice well... I don't see the logic
(just my opinion, to each their own)
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Well then there must have been something wrong with my Medfords then. My .187" Praetorian T has proven to be one of the best apple slicers I've had, no doubt due to the .014 BTE & hollow grind. The .26" Viper came sharper than anything I've ever owned too. When I see someone assert Medfords don't cut, I conclude they have never had first hand experience. Name another USA made maker that hand grinds blades to the tolerance MKT does? I don't think there is one.
 
dvldog5811 said:
Mornin all! Didn’t see a more specific forum for this so posting here. I need some advice from those who have experience with Medford’s. I’m still chasing my unicorn and while I’m guessing a Koenig would pretty much end my search, I don’t have that kind of play money.
So, I just bought an awesome Infraction from @jldavid and I really do love it. It’s an awesome knife and fits the bill for everything I want. Problem is, I’ve always had my eyes on the Proxima and now fighting with myself whether to part with the Infraction to get a Proxima or just be happy with what I’ve got.
So, anyone with experience on both that could help me with pros vs cons comparing the two?
Thanks all! Be safe
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I'd consider an On Belay, but I do favor big blades.

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The praetorian slims slice very well. They have a high hollow grind and are very thin behind the edge. Not all Medfords are tanks.
 
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With so many customs at this price range, why bother with this???

I may be late to the “fad”. This must be a fad brand right?
 
IGotStabbed said:
With so many customs at this price range, why bother with this???

I may be late to the “fad”. This must be a fad brand right?
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What customs would you be referring to? I can’t think of any true custom knives made by any respectable makers in the price range. I can make a custom folding knife for ya and sell it to ya for under $100 but that certainly don’t mean it’s worth a darn. Just because it’s a “custom” knife don’t mean it’s of great quality.
 
I've owned over a dozen Medfords. Love them all. Each blade thickness and grind has its own intended use. Find a size and design that fits you. For me..today..its this big thick razor sharpened prybay, boat anchor of perfection. .26".
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vwb563 said:
What customs would you be referring to? I can’t think of any true custom knives made by any respectable makers in the price range. I can make a custom folding knife for ya and sell it to ya for under $100 but that certainly don’t mean it’s worth a darn. Just because it’s a “custom” knife don’t mean it’s of great quality.
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Nothing but from voting members of the Knifemakers guild of course!

Not specific to this brand but in general the price of all these trendy Titanium frame locks go up rapidly and get closer and closer to price of customs which haven’t really been going up as much, really have to take a step back and consider.
 
I'm surprised so many have stated they have good cutting geometry...
I guess I should really try one to see, but forgive me for just looking at it and thinking there is no way these could slice well

when you're dealing with 0.175"+ stock chunkers, ... slicing well just doesn't come to mind

just out of curiosity, for people who say this, have you used a kershaw leek? or opinel to slice apples?
 
dirc said:
just out of curiosity, for people who say this, have you used a kershaw leek? or opinel to slice apples?
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Yes I currently own several Leeks. Never owned an Opinel but I have the Cold Steel version so yea. I also have several Victorinox pairing knives which will “out slice” any pocket or sheath knife if you are simply slicing up apples. My praetorian slims have relatively thin blades coming in somewhere around the .125 range and have fairly high hollow grinds. The praetorian slim will hold its own with a Buck 110 or similar in a slicing contest but would lose against a Spyderco Endura having a long full flat ground blade. It just all depends on what you’re cutting but as I said in my earlier post, not all Medfords are bricks designed to survive WW3 although my slims are built very solidly. I like my slims because they feel very ergonomic and solid in the hand. They run on bearings so they‘re very smooth also. I currently own two Medfords and both are built with precision almost on par with a CRK. All I can say is try one before you knock them.

ps - This not my knife but a pic I pulled from Google of a praetorian slim. It gives a good view of the high hollow grind and blade thickness of the slim.
 

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vwb563 said:
I currently own two Medfords and both are built with precision almost on par with a CRK.
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Precision on par with CRK and the multiple extra washer (oops, I mean thrust bearing) situation doesn’t exactly square up in my mind.
 
DrFish said:
Precision on par with CRK and the multiple extra washer (oops, I mean thrust bearing) situation doesn’t exactly square up in my mind.
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Opinions vary. And I never said on par, I said ALMOST on par. I’ve owned both so I can compare with personal experience. Have you owned both? I’ve read about CRK‘s with issues straight out of the box. Nobody’s perfect.
 
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Paratrooper06 said:
I think the slim midi and slim praetorian models are some of the best EDC knives in the game. Not all Medfords are chonky boys… but they’re all highly capable hard use knives.
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A Slim Midi in Magnacut and blue ano showed up here yesterday. I can confirm the build quality and action are high quality. This one is on bearings. This hting locks up with authority. It's also as advertised, slim. It's rock solid and the blade grind and edge are excellent. I also have a small Sebenza 31 (and have had several other larger models). I appreciate both knives but am not sure if I can carry the Mdi.

The big difference between the two for me is refinement. The Sebenza is easier to operate, stays in the pocket, and has chamfering in all the right places. The slim Midi has sharp edges on the lockbar cutout that are pronounced when the knife is open, the blade tang is slightly exposed past the handle slabs when closed, and the pocket clip does not retain the knife in the pocket well (fixable with a slight bend). Furthermore, the blade opening (looks like a fuller) is nice but does not have an edge on it like a spydie hole would. I opened/closed the thing about 50 times yesterday, one handing it was difficult at times. YMMV.

I am going to pickup a tanto Umnumzaan and run it side by side with the Midi before I make up my mind about keeping it or not.
 
Out of the blue, but I recently bought a Kizer Begleiter mini, and it has fantastic attributes. I'm guessing the regular-sized one would be up your alley. Built like a tank and really slicey. Here is the mini, with M390 hollow grind blade and Frag titanium scales and a milled 3D clip. For $139 on Amazon.

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Robocarullo said:
A Slim Midi in Magnacut and blue ano showed up here yesterday. I can confirm the build quality and action are high quality. This one is on bearings. This hting locks up with authority. It's also as advertised, slim. It's rock solid and the blade grind and edge are excellent. I also have a small Sebenza 31 (and have had several other larger models). I appreciate both knives but am not sure if I can carry the Mdi.

The big difference between the two for me is refinement. The Sebenza is easier to operate, stays in the pocket, and has chamfering in all the right places. The slim Midi has sharp edges on the lockbar cutout that are pronounced when the knife is open, the blade tang is slightly exposed past the handle slabs when closed, and the pocket clip does not retain the knife in the pocket well (fixable with a slight bend). Furthermore, the blade opening (looks like a fuller) is nice but does not have an edge on it like a spydie hole would. I opened/closed the thing about 50 times yesterday, one handing it was difficult at times. YMMV.

I am going to pickup a tanto Umnumzaan and run it side by side with the Midi before I make up my mind about keeping it or not.
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I actually like the comparison between the Slim Midi and a CRK (more specifically a Sebenza 21). I believe that the Sebenza is the more ergonomic of the two - or if not more ergonomic certainly more refined; however in my hand the Inkosi is actually more comfortable.

That said, the Slim Midi cuts like a laser beam; it is far more adept at fine cuts and while I don't typically like the term - it is "slicier." I don't know that the Slim Midi is the workhorse that a CRK is, but I don't believe that to be the objective or design of the knife.

I will completely agree about the Slim Midi's clip; it is the one and only weakness I find in the knife. I personally believe that Medford made an absolutely perfect knife with the Slim Midi, EXCEPT the clip. It would be far better served by not employing a scaled-down milled clip, but a simple spring steel clip (like say their M-48) would be a much better choice in my opinion.

I didn't say it is THE perfect knife - just that it is A nearly perfect knife; I want to make that distinction.
 
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