Medford Gigantes or CRK Umnumzaan?

It is pretty interesting to see how much dislike there is from some regarding Medford...
I really appreciate all of the opinions and recommendations folks! No worries about getting off of my three options, I am open to looking into other's recommendations as well! Thanks everybody.
 
mjpgolf1 said:
What kind of maintenance do you need to do to a frame lock open flow design that can't be done without tearing it apart? If the knife needs maintained Greg Medford welcomes you sending it in to be taken down and fixed. They have great customer service and they will get it done and back to you quickly. As for basic cleaning there really is no reason to take the knife down to clean it well. There are so few parts so if you need to clean it up just some soap and water along with some compressed air and it will be all good. There is nothing that the knife needs to be taken apart to do unless something is seriously wrong which in that case sending it back to Greg to have him take care of it is what they advise to do.

The comments and misinformation around Medford is ridiculous. They are big knives, but they do cut well and will handle probably 90-95% of any task that any other knife will do with the exception being maybe slicing a tomato or other detailed food prep, which it will still do, just not as good as a dedicated slicer. People really need to stop spreading so much poor info on this company and their knives.
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So if a knife is well made it never needs to be fully cleaned?
After I sharpen my knives, I take them down and clean them. I make sure none of the slurry or grit got into the opening mechanism.
It's why does CRK packs a cloth, tool and extra grease with their knives. Not for repair. It's for routine maintenance.
It's a knife, not a car. Chris Reeve knows his knives are so well made that he has faith that a normal human will be able to take it apart and put it back together perfectly.
 
Grandmaster said:
Id go for Hinderer too, kinda in the middle and you can make it your own
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^ +1 to this. Fits the bill as far as what you're looking for. XM-18 (3.5") or XM-24 (4") would be a great start for your high-end knife itch. If the 24 is too big for you then the 18 is a perfect alternate.

24 is about 9" open, 5.6" closed, 18 is about 8.25" open, 4.75" closed. Handle is proportionately a bit fatter in-hand for the 24.


mjpgolf1 said:
What kind of maintenance do you need to do to a frame lock open flow design that can't be done without tearing it apart? If the knife needs maintained Greg Medford welcomes you sending it in to be taken down and fixed. They have great customer service and they will get it done and back to you quickly. As for basic cleaning there really is no reason to take the knife down to clean it well. There are so few parts so if you need to clean it up just some soap and water along with some compressed air and it will be all good. There is nothing that the knife needs to be taken apart to do unless something is seriously wrong which in that case sending it back to Greg to have him take care of it is what they advise to do.

The comments and misinformation around Medford is ridiculous. They are big knives, but they do cut well and will handle probably 90-95% of any task that any other knife will do with the exception being maybe slicing a tomato or other detailed food prep, which it will still do, just not as good as a dedicated slicer. People really need to stop spreading so much poor info on this company and their knives.
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There's plenty of need to take a knife down and clean it from time to time, actually. It needs to wiped down and freshly oiled every so often, depending on your use...oil gunks up, dries out, attracts dust, etc...that stuff needs to be cleaned. Wiping down the outside and blowing air on it isn't sufficient if you're actually going to be using your knife. Most are very easy to take apart yourself as well these days. No need to send it in.

Not taking it down to clean it is like buying a car and not changing the oil filter for the life of the vehicle.
 
BilboBaggins said:
Sorry. Was probably overly snarky. For an actual "hard use" knife, I would want to be able to maintain it without fear of voiding its warranty.
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I wouldn't worry about the warranty being voided from a simple cleaning. I've seen Mr. Medford talk about it on a couple of occasions and it's actually pretty reasonable.

He stated that the reason the warranty is worded as such is to protect them when someone sends in a knife for warranty work after taking the thing apart, bead blasting it, then anodizing it, then sandblasting it, then etching it, then stonewashing it and then anodizing it again and is now unhappy because they have blade play or the lock sticks.

You can't reasonably expect the knife to continue to function as designed after modifying the surfaces that much, but they apparently see it all the time from the YouTube pimper sect. I doubt you'd run into an issue with a legitimate warranty claim if all you'd done was disassemble for cleaning. They rely on repeat customers like any business. Refusing a legitimate claim only hurts them in the long run.

I don't want to hang out at a barbecue with Mr. Medford and their knives aren't my cup of tea, but they are a solid product. The company wouldn't be as big as it is now if they made crappy knives.
 
I think Medford knives are a good solid product. I personally haven't bought any but only because of personal preference I don't really like some of the looks, etc...I don't know why all the speculation and focus on Mr. Medford himself. He's allowed to have his opinions even if they don't fall in line with everyone. The way I see it is that I'm not looking to marry the guy or be his best friend. If he builds a solid product that fits my needs, and I like it, then I am going to buy it.
 
You seem to be a bigger fan of the Medford versus CRK, so take this as my opinion for alternatives:

- Chaves 228: borderline ridiculously sized, but they're in high demand and are certainly overbuilt. I once thought it was for me, but not so much. Seems to fit though as an alternative, and they're readily available on the primary and secondary markets.
- Grayman Dua: It's overbuilt enough to fit your desire (the full Ti/Ti), but sized appropriately enough to match the Umnum for daily carry. Comes in a great steel (20CV) and Mike/Sue Grayman are super nice people. I have this knife and I'm planning for it to be a top contender for my 2017 EDC.



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I heavily second the Grayman suggestions, they are overbuilt but the construction is similar to a Sebenza, so the action is silky smooth. Is so much knife for the money.
The Satu is one MASSIVE knife, even makes a SMF look small.
The Dua is beefy, but on the shorter side, I think almost as long as a small Sebenza.
I think the Satu is cheaper than a Strider, a Sebenza, and DEFINITELY a Medford!
Plus it's literally a ma and pop operation, and they have a 30 day refund policy if you don't like it.
 
Thanks again everybody, I am going crazy over here looking at all these options!! I certainly like some of the suggestions more than others, let me say that while I prefer the Gigantes over the Umnum that is based largely on size. The Unum tanto is one of the more attractive knives I have seen and if it had a 5" long .25" thick blade this wouldn't even be an issue for me. However, size is pretty important to me here. For example, I own a ZT 0452CF and while it is probably my favorite ZT, I hold it in hand and think to myself, "Well isn't that a cute little blade!?" I guess being 6'8" tall and having giant hands makes me long for more knife to hold on to. I am beginning to think that the answer is to get the XM-24 and modify the blade, then get the Umnum, and then when my wallet recovers, get the Gigantes anyway!:rolleyes:
 
You'll really love the 24 if you upgrade to the solid (one-piece liner delete) titanium presentation side scale. Gives that "indestructible" feel, and IMHO even makes the action feel smoother.

 
Alright so with further thought I think my surest bet right now would be the CRK Umnumzaan Tanto. I have loved the look of it since the moment I saw one and most CRK's seem to get high marks by the followers around here. What finally helped my decision was that 1) I am not ready to jump into a $1000 Medford blade that I can't justify and I hate the blade shape, 2) I already own a ZT 0560 (which I love) and is plenty big but that is a Hinderer design and I am more than satisfied enough with it to skip over owning anything in the very similar XM series of knives from Rick, and 3) when comparing the pertinent specs of the 0560 with the Umnumzaan, while they are very different knives, the lengths are pretty similar and only different by about a 1/4". Thanks again for the advice everybody! I hope I am happy with my decision:thumbup:
 
I think I am going to get one, get the scales anodized, and then get a mirror edge at 15 dps put on. I would also like to get a black DLC coating put on the blade but I can't find anyone who does it. Josh at REK said he was going to start offering the service but I am not sure when. I am just going to make the knife unique and mine:D
 
I highly recommend the "Norvox mod" if you don't use a lanyard, which is to remove the lanyard pin and add a second standoff and screws thru the empty hole (see my first and third pic in post #32).
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
I've got some bricks in the garage. I can tape a chisel to one and save you the trouble of paying for a Medford. Fills the pocket. Makes your pants fall down. Cuts stuff. Pries stuff. Same thing.

Of the two you've mentioned I'd take the Umnumzaan. It's a fantastic knife, overbuilt without feeling like it and doesn't require suspenders.

If you're entertaining other recommendations though, I'd recommend the Freeman 451 in Titanium. I actually can't speak for the Ti variant directly, but I've had the pleasure of handling the aluminum model and was really, really impressed with it. The button lock was also much nicer to use than any framelock.

TITANIUM_COLLAGE_1024x1024.jpg
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Well I don't know about OP, but I'VE found something I am very interested in! Thank you for pointing out Freeman!

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Old thread or not.

I handled every Medford model again at this years 2018 Nycks.

I would pay for an Umnum before accepting two free Medford Knives if that says anything.

I do however enjoy speaking to Greg . He is a very flawed human being like myself :). Just way more arrogant.
 
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