Most disappointing knife purchase?

KingMC said:
Benchmade Contego was the only purchase I really was disappointed in, and just because it was too big for me and had too much aggressive jimping to be comfortable. It wasn't a bad knife, just not the kind of knife I was looking for. (the 950 Rift I own is fantastic)
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I liked the jimping, but I dehorned every edge on those G10 scales. Now I like it a lot. A knife with sharp edges everywhere just feels cheap.
 
I was disappointed with how tight my Spyderco Ulize was out of the box. That lock spring is real strong. Trying to break it in now. Overall I like it, even if it is a two-hander.
 
crufflers said:
I was disappointed with how tight my Spyderco Ulize was out of the box. That lock spring is real strong. Trying to break it in now. Overall I like it, even if it is a two-hander.
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Could not it be loosened? I open and close my folders 200-500 times to get them opening and closing well.
 
Four-and-twentypence said:
Could not it be loosened? I open and close my folders 200-500 times to get them opening and closing well.
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The pivot is fine. Loosening it doesn't lessen the insane lock-back tension. Use may help. I got a Centofante around the same time as the Ulize and it is night and day. The Ulize is a seriously heavy-duty lock. If it wears in to one-handed open and two-handed close with ease, it'll be fine for me.
 
DPC said:
This one (obviously this is not my picture)

tops-steel-eagle-107c-large.jpg


I dont understand this knife.

Extremely heavy for the size (only 7 inches) , an edge so obtuse it hardly cuts anything even when shaving sharp, very (VERY) uncomfortable in the hand, and coated for rust resistance.... except on two absurd grooves on the blade.

Also, the saw works nicely, but is reduntant, since it is so ridiculously heavy you could chop with it.

Why? WHY?

Bonus super heavy points if you add a multitool in the pouch of the sheath.

I dont hate it because It was the best knife deal of my life, I got it for 28€, a bargain. I would feel extremely underwhelmed and depressed if I paid full retail though, in my humble owner oppinion, not worth it at all.

TOPS claims this was their first knife for "operators" but I honestly cannot figure out how anyone would carry so much weight for such a knife, much less professional badasses that abide by the practical over anything else sense. If I was military I'd choose a Glock or a even a Mora over this any day.
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All TOPS knives have ridiculously dull 25° per side edges, and they go on to worsen this with the low sabre flat grind... They can be improved...

In defense of these things I would say:

-Blade and grind straightness is exemplary for the price, even some Randalls feel a bit wobbly in blade straightness in comparison (my Model 18 is definitely askew at 3X the price)... I also had a BK-9 whose blade was heat-curved, and it is clear this won't ever happen with a TOPS...

-The edge can be re-ground thinner to a sharper angle, a real bear to do, but the heat-treat is excellent, and this definitely makes it worthwhile.

-The big groove on the 7" blade helps get the saw working, as the one flaw of these saws is the typical TOPS huge sabre grind, making a big flat side friction area that detracts from the saw's function. Having a sawback that actually works is not a bad thing if you want to save on the edge: The saw can be batoned with no issues...

-The Micarta finish claims to get grippier when wet, and somehow this seems to be true... I generally find their handle designs to be excellent, although this one is not quite as secure as the Hellion. The full tang gives out a bit of vibration when chopping, but that is the disadvantage of all full tangs compared to stick tangs, and it is nowhere near as bad here as on the BK-9: This TOPS knife you won't break batoning in any case...

-The paint finish is really, really tough, and the rough-pitted blade finish underneath absolutely should discourage you from stripping it... This paint holds up better than the Black paint on my Chris Reeves Jereboam, a much more expensive knife.

-The sheath is nothing special in appearance, but it is actually quite decent in function (except for a bit of plastic insert rattle on my Hellion, and that can be worked out): The velcro handle straps are often decried, but they offer the option of flattening themselves completely out of the way for snapless regular use, yet are far, far more secure than a snap if you use them (although slower and noisier): Again, the sheath on Randalls have these crap metal snaps that have no security at all, even when they are squeeze-bent to be tighter, and they don't hold securely at all in comparison...

-The 7" blade is not the best way to benefit from the bulk and weight, but this model's only alternative is 11"(!): A 9" model would have made more sense... Longer blades do give you sheaths with two pockets instead of just one... The TOPS Armaggedon has a much better grind design, but is exactly as heavy at 24 ounces as the 11" Steel Eagle version (I guess the wider blade hurts the weight: Even the Esee junglas is 22.5 ounces without sheath)... The Armaggedon has a sharply beaked handle that is apparently a problem when chopping, and the hard to sharpen recurved edge is a dealbreaker for me...

-Knife weight on the 107 is 18.45 ounces, sheath weight is 5.1 ounces: I agree this is very heavy, and not efficient for a 7" blade, but at least it is truly indestructible... The 11" version is 24 ounces (+5.5 ounces) with a 7.1 ounces sheath (the TOPS Power Eagle is 26.5 ounces, plus 7 ounces of sheath): For 7.5 more ounces (with sheath) on the 111 you do get a lot more, although the much bigger saw loses the efficiency enhancement of the blade slot (Why?)... A 9" version with blade slot would have made way more sense, with barely over 3 more ounces in weight...

The handle on these things is always superbly crafted: I hate the dullness of TOPS edges, but other than that they never felt like they were junk by any stretch...

Gaston
 
My most disappointing fixed blade is the FKMD Bellum, which is basically a fancy, made in Italy, 250 bucks ice pick in N690... no edge at all except the pointed tip... followed by Gerber Mark I Anniversary in S30V, very poor fit and finish, grind is uneven and bad edge, wondering if this is the workmanship on their "anniversary" limited edition blades, how crappy must their run-of-mill products be... Tops and OKC fixed blades come with poor edges as well...
For folders, Spyderco Calypso sprint run in VG-10/brown G10, the false edge is totally off center for a supposedly sprint run blade at a premium price... and another Spyderco, the Szabo, a total movie prop of a knife, imho, very poor design and ergo, though workmanship is good as with most Taichung-produced Spydies...
 
My most disappointing knife purchase: I would have go with my my Sebenza 21... Sooooo disappointing! :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:


















Hahaha, I'm kidding...












I don't even own one.















Please don't hurt me...
 
I just have bought the Honshu fighter dagger UC 2360. It's a copy of the CS Taipan. It's made in China, but looks great. I don't know whether it's a good knife - I think it's not too good - but it feels nice in the hand. Maybe someone has this dagger as well. But the sheath is an awful thing. It made out of a mix of cardboard, rubber and plastic. The knife doesn't fit into and it's nearly impossible to close the clip. Because of this poor quality I suggest the dagger isn't worth the money, here in Germany around 100 Dollars.
 
I think if you pay $30 on a Chinese made folder, your expectations shouldn't be very high. Sometimes you get a decent one, but more often than not, what you're going to get will be mediocre at best. Just look at CRKT and SOG, for example.

My disappointments, however, have been with some of the more expensive and reputable brands. More to the point, the drop in quality control as exhibited by Benchmade in recent times. I've been disappointed with Emerson, Microtech, Benchmade, and even some Golden, Colorado made Spydercos. My biggest disappointment has been with Strider. As much as they are hyped by the fanboys, they are no better than a sub $200 production knife. In fact, you're likely to get better fit/finish with a ZT, than a Strider.
 
CRKT M-16
Bought one of these before I started to buy better quality knives, and really expected more.
That autoLAWKS design sucked, flipper didn't work, liner lock would get jammed open.
What a POS.
 
Mine was an ESEE Izula 2 which came from an online vendor with a very bad off center irregular grind and problems with the scales. Even after a return trip back to Rowen the Izula still had an extremely poor grind on the blade. So the quality issues with the Izula were never really remedied. I was issued a refund for the Izula however. Not very pleased with how ESEE handled the problems. I would have much rather just had a replacement. My confidence in ESEE has diminished tremendously.
 
Kershaw/ Emerson CQC-5K unfortunately, nothing wrong with my example I just feel like they swung and missed on so many of the elements in the design. The knife overall is too small, way too heavy for it's size and the wave doesn't work most of the time. Maybe it's just me, but I am very underwhelmed. Fortunately I got a very good deal on it.
 
SOG Aegis x 2!! I ordered two after I saw Nutnfancy's favorable review (3-4 years ago). He must have gotten a good one, because BOTH of the ones I received were so off center on the blade, that the black coating was already starting to wear off from the blade rubbing against the liner. Neither could be adjusted to center, so I sent 'em back and haven't bought another SOG product since...
 
USS Worden 352 said:
My most disappointing knife purchase: I would have go with my my Sebenza 21... Sooooo disappointing! :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:


















Hahaha, I'm kidding...












I don't even own one.















Please don't hurt me...
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Hahahaha lol.
For me it was spyderco rubicon. For 300ish knife, it just looked pretty. Real pretty.. Carbon fiber wrapped around Ti..Wanted to love it soo much, but came up short. The inner lock, sigh... I usually do not mind the inter lock systems.. Really bad lock stick and the inner lock release was to flush with the frame. This would literally tear my thumb up trying to close this knife. The ball bearing system was far from smooth. This was a chore to close and the action left you wondering about the price of the knife. Perhaps the knife could have used a good break in stage, but I still had my doubts.
 
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Surprising to me- it was my Spyderco Sage 1

everything is great on the knife (centering, lockup, fit and finish) except for the EDGE on the blade- it is so small

I can't cut paper and can run it on my palm/skin without even feeling anything

I have considered sending it to Spyderco for free sharpening with $5 attached for return shipping- However, I need to contact them to see if it would be free still- usually they charge a little to have the blades re-grinded etc (usually if someone breaks a tip etc)

It has never been used and came this way from the factory so they should make it right- at least I hope so

Going to send an email before sending it in-- I really want to carry and use this one!
 
Spyderco Southard
Spyderco Nilakka
Every Benchmade I've owned
CRK Sebenza large bocote 21. I was underwhelmed.
ZT 0770CF (didn't work well de-assisted)
Brian Tighe mini Tighe Rod--didn't fit my hand.
 
Fish Boy said:
Paramilitary 2. I don't know if I just have supremely bad luck or some extra-sensory powers or something, but all of my PM2s have sticky locks.

I've sent them into Spyderco, I've added lubricants and graphite and Remington oil and turned the stop pin but all three of my PM2s have insanely sticky locks.

Other than that, the knife is nearly perfect. But I can't get over the sticky locks.
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I got excited when I first got my PM2, too, but not that excited.

sossj said:
Surprising to me- it was my Spyderco Sage 1

everything is great on the knife (centering, lockup, fit and finish) except for the EDGE on the blade- it is so small

I can't cut paper and can run it on my palm/skin without even feeling anything

I have considered sending it to Spyderco for free sharpening with $5 attached for return shipping- However, I need to contact them to see if it would be free still- usually they charge a little to have the blades re-grinded etc (usually if someone breaks a tip etc)
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I'm not suggesting that you should have to buy extra equipment to have an edge you're satisfied with—by all means, send it back—but if you're buying and using knives in that kind of price range, it's surprising that you don't have a sharpening system of your own. My factory edges have had to be touched up sometimes (in fact, I think I did with both of my Sages), but it's not a big deal with even just a basic Sharpmaker.

Anyway, my most disappointing knife purchase was the Kershaw Cryo II (blackwash). It looked so badass, and I'd liked every other Kershaw I'd bought, but man is that thing clunky. It definitely needs the assist, and even then, it opens with almost a delayed reaction. Never mind about the total lack of ergonomics. Hell, I've never even been able to unload it, so it's been sitting in a desk drawer since a week after I bought it. (I'll take offers if another European wants to take it off my hands, but I really don't recommend it.)

Seriously, it was so bad that it put me off the XM-18 I had been planning to buy, although since then I've read enough that I'm pretty sure Hinderers aren't for me anyway.
 
No fault but mine for buying without seeing in person, but being new to the expensive (relative of course) knife world, I didn't realize just how fat the blade would be on the ZT 0562cf. I love to flip it open and admire the beauty, but I prefer a thin blade. I just can't see a need for such thickness in a folding blade. Also, this goes for all of the quality blades I have purchased (ZT 0562, Benchmade (940, 943, 552)), but the grinds are at different angles on each side of the blade on all 4. Also, I had to sand down the spacers on the 943 and 552 because it would not open smoothly. The 552 is still a bit sticky, but getting better.
 
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