Most disappointing knife purchase?

Thomas Linton said:
We need a video, as we would if you claimed that you can flap your wings and fly.
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I don't have anything that would take a video with enough resolution to show it. It's not like big pieces are flaking off, but with a magnifying glass you can see that the sharpened edge actually breaks away. Micro chipping, if you will.
 
clampdaddy said:
CRKT M16. Absolutely the worst piece of steel I've ever owned. You can spend all the time you want trying to put an edge on it but as soon as you drag your thumb across the edge to see how sharp you got it, the new edge actually chips off.
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Yep. I had the M16-12z. It went from partially serrated to fully serrated in under an hour of use. Only knife I've owned that had the lock fail.
 
Sunyata said:
This plus scary lock that requires a second lock because its shady as hell
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I had to check their website to see what you meant by the secondary lock. Yeah, mine doesn't have that second lock. If I were to guess, I'd say mine is probably 15 or so years old. I don't have any way to verify that I am the original owner but think I'll try to find it and send it in to see if they'll replace it.
 
ZT0560CBCF...Don't get me wrong! It's a keeper. I got mine new for $280 and it flips stunningly, locks up absolutely perfectly, and cuts nicely enough with my scary edge. The size is perfect for me and the overall design is good, it's well balanced and quite light. Super low maintenance. The hand feel during use is great, especially after just a touch of sanding, despite the innumerable horrible reviews out there. The finish is near perfection, and it's beautiful. Unfortunately it is terribly off center and there is nothing to be done. It doesn't rub and I actually got over it a long time ago despite my detail orientation. I was disappointed to learn it was only hardened to 59 RC but it still holds it's edge extremely well, and I never shy away from cutting with it. What really disappointed me was learning the hard way that I really, really prefer a thinner blade. Oh well, I could have it reground for $50+ but eh, I'll take it for what it is.
 
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By far was the DPx HEST. Held on to it for a week to see if I could warm up to it. It developed vertical/horizontal wobble. Really disappointing considering it was my first "high end" folder I ever bought.
I started giving more credence to reviews and skeptical of hype/fanboys after that.

After that was Winkler Neck knife, came dull, blade rust, and uneven grind lines.
Next was the Ray Mears Bushcraft knife. Really wanted to like it, but it needed much thicker scales that shrunk.


Never bought it, but any knife bought at a South American Indian market. They managed to find some of the cheapest Chinese knockoffs out there lol
 
Probably not the most disappointing, but a recent disappointment was a Hinderer XM-18 skinner. The detent was so weak that the blade would easily shake out of the handle. That's a safety issue, as far as I am concerned, not a user preference issue. But RHK refused to do anything about it - "detent strength is not a warranty issue" - so back it went to the retailer.

I have two other XM-18s that were manufactured this year with the stronger detent, and they are fine (although expensive for what they are).
 
Fubijar03 said:
For me, my XM-18. I just don't get it, I guess.

My BM 300 was a big disappointment as well.
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I am in the same boat on the XM-18, while I won't say it's the most disappointing, I will say I didn't get it and promptly returned it one day after purchase. I did the same on a Strider SNG. Now the punch line, I am now waiting for an XM18, Eklipse, SNG, and SMF on the way and expected by end of week. We'll see if these versions invoke any buyers remorse.
 
Surprisingly, the Paramilitary 2. I have plenty of other Spydercos and honestly can't remember the last time I carried a different brand of folder. But this perfect, grail Spyderco showed up and just seemed like too much handle for the blade, uncorrectably off center, and not nearly as smooth as I wanted it to be. As much as I tried, I never really connected with the knife and sold it off. The frothy hype and crazy aftermarket prices of the sprint runs turn me off a bit too.

Maybe I will revisit the design later on, or handle a better specimen some day.
 
I was most disappointed with my Benchmade Bedlam Auto. The steel was super sharp and strong but the lock was pure crap. It would jam or deactivate in your pocket. One night on vacation I tried to remove the knife from my pocket the blade auto deployed on me in the bed. 20 cartwheels later, I was at the hospital getting sowed up. Last Benchmade I will ever own.
 
ZT 0560. All 3 I had bought had super weak detentes, and,two had super sticky locks that Kai couldn't fix as well. Bought a 0561 that is absolutely perfect in every way, go figure...
 
I had an M16 before I knew better. My brother and I bought them at a local sporting goods store when we were fairly young. We thought the little flipper was awesome! I later bought a friend the m21.

The steel is terrible in these knives. Several chips in the blade, doesn't hold an edge. They were a waste if money.

The ergonomics were decent enough, but the lock sucked and so does the build quality.
 
Manix 2. Really looking forward to it and it felt like a brick with a blade attached. Way to wide and heavy for me to EDC. I put it time out for about 4 months and am about to give it another chance to grow on me.
 
I'm trying to remember a second place to the 300SN, but not really coming up with anything. ZT 0700, maybe? Fine knife, but the blade shape just really didn't do it for me.
 
Thomas Linton said:
Did you consider that you are "reviewing" a counterfeit? Commonly faked. Paid $20.00. Worst looking "Mini Mamba" I have ever seen. Handle scales don' even fit - tang is proud of the scales. "Dull": Blackjacks came very sharp. Obviously "tinned" edge. Incorrect box. Marked "Made in China." Obvious fake. A little knowledge can be useful. You have defamed the brand. The good advise is do not buy obvious crap fakes.
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I do not mean this to be rude at all. You are right, a little knowledge is a good thing, because this knife is legit. It is one of the International (read: Chinese) Blackjack models. Seen a few in person, handled a few and while they sucked a lot less, they were what you would expect for a sub $30 Chinese knife from an unknown manufacturer (not brand, factory of origin).

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/BJ0...-mini-mamba-fixed-blade-black-micarta-handles
 
I should also contribute to the thread. I would say my worst that I didn't expect to suck was the Lion Steel Daghetta. Handle texturing was great, blade was a wonderful size, and it fit the hand well, but as a folding knife it was awful. The lock bar had nigh razor edges, thumb studs being only a little less sharp, and the springs had the tension of a Triad lock. Pocket clip was also mediocre at best. I don't want a brand new knife to require hours of work to fix out the box, that's something a lunatic does (NOTE THIS IS A JOKE, DROP THE PITCHFORKS). I wasn't too hot on the other knife I bought, so I returned both for a Fox Wilson Combat folder which is actually nice, and the handle texturing is just as cool.
 
Mine was a Benchmade 300-1 flipper. For me the handle was too fat, too short, and the clip was terrible. There was also not enough detent to make the flipper option work well. I also have a thing with flipper knives that if they have thumb studs I want to see them used as blade stops otherwise leave them off the knife.
 
I know I will probably catch a lot of flak for this but I gotta speak my mind.
Have had several Busse knives and kin. While they may be extremely tough, I have yet to be able to sharpen one to shave super thin paper. I know that is not a huge test of any knife. But I like to think that it is possible.
It may be the composition of Infi steel, large carbides of what ever.
I am pretty sure it is not my sharpening skills, as I have attain that type of sharpness with just about every other steel out there. I once sent a bear cub back to Busse to be sharpened, it came back to me pretty much the way it left me.
 
dkb45 said:
I do not mean this to be rude at all. You are right, a little knowledge is a good thing, because this knife is legit. It is one of the International (read: Chinese) Blackjack models. Seen a few in person, handled a few and while they sucked a lot less, they were what you would expect for a sub $30 Chinese knife from an unknown manufacturer (not brand, factory of origin).

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/BJ0...-mini-mamba-fixed-blade-black-micarta-handles
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This has nothing to do with rude. You have increased the sum total of information. Turns out the crapsters have the brand now and are pushing out what crapsters do. It's now a sub $20 POC.
 
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