Most surprising / disappointing knife?

I've had really good experiences with Kershaw knives. So when I received my Kershaw Junkyard Dog in Titanium, I was unpleasantly surprised to find how poor a flipper it is. All my other Kershaw flippers open easily and quickly while the JYD requires a lot more effort to get the blade to open far enough for the lock to catch.
 
Vege-Taco said:
I've had really good experiences with Kershaw knives. So when I received my Kershaw Junkyard Dog in Titanium, I was unpleasantly surprised to find how poor a flipper it is. All my other Kershaw flippers open easily and quickly while the JYD requires a lot more effort to get the blade to open far enough for the lock to catch.
Click to expand...

I agree plus the point of pivot tension needed to have the blade centered added to the tight flipper.
 
XD45 said:
No flaming but what about it didn't you like if I may ask?
Click to expand...

The CQC5 I handled was NIB and ordered direct from Emerson. First off, the action was a bit "squeaky" and not very smooth. The edge was not as sharp as I would of thought. The edges of the liners and tang of the blade were not really finished. They still had marks from the lazer or water jet that cut them out. There seemed to be a lot of space between the tang and the bolsters, like the washers were too thick. For all the hype, the Chris Reeve next to it was finished better and was sharper for half the money.

I don't mean any disrespect to Emerson fans. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the man. Just reporting what I saw and my .02.
 
Scary sharp out of the box was a CS Pocket Bushman folder Suprising and Dangerous...
Trying to get the thing closed (W/O cutting yourself) is a PIA
 
Rossi Knives said:
The CQC5 I handled was NIB and ordered direct from Emerson. First off, the action was a bit "squeaky" and not very smooth. The edge was not as sharp as I would of thought. The edges of the liners and tang of the blade were not really finished. They still had marks from the lazer or water jet that cut them out. There seemed to be a lot of space between the tang and the bolsters, like the washers were too thick. For all the hype, the Chris Reeve next to it was finished better and was sharper for half the money.

I don't mean any disrespect to Emerson fans. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the man. Just reporting what I saw and my .02.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info:thumbup: . I have a mini CQC7 which I bought used and it had a little of the squeaking like you mentioned.
 
Most surprising for me was my Spyderco Kukri and Barong.

Most diapointing was a SOG Trident, it had a lot play, and it just was not what I was expecting.
 
Most surprising: Spyderco Caly 3. I was affraid to put out so much money on 2nd hand Spyderco but I love the ergo's, the blade shape and material. Its light and sturdy and owns one of the best pocket clips.

Most disapointing so far: Mtech, can't remember the model. Should have been good fit and came dull as butter knife and there was 2mm gap between bolsters and handle. Lock did not engaged fully always. Luckily my no-knife friend bought it as he kinda likes knives but only as cool factor and doesn't carry anything (well did not until I gave Byrd Robin to him)
 
The most surprising and disappointing for me is the Buck Waimea. I bought the knife for myself as a personal Christmas present after reading rave reviews of it. I ordered it and not too patiently waited for it. When I finally opened the box, my thought was...that's it? It seemed a nice enough knife, just not worth what I paid for it. I put it back in the box and ignored it for a week. Then I picked it up again and really played with it. I work in an office environment so its size and blade size to overall size ratio is excellent. Its weight is virtually impossible to beat in a locking knife (listed 1.8oz), and it locked solid (and I mean solid). Now it is my favorite knife with only my Smurf Manix coming close. I carry it more often than any others I have. Frankly, I have a Mnandi and like the Waimea better (though the Mnandi was far sharper out of the box and I love the quill back on the blade). At this point, if someone is looking for a locking folder for office work, I always recommend the Waimea. It is an absolutely incredible knife.
 
Best surprise, Fiddleback Forge Nessmuk. I just couldn't believe the beauty and craftsmanship Andy put into that knife and was blown away when I opened the package. Worth every penny.

Worst surprise. Spyderco Lum Chinese. I still love the design but the overall quality and fit and finish were not what I've come to expect from Spyderco at any price, much less the $100 range. In fact it has more blemishes than any knife I've ever purchased from $5-$150.
 
Best surprise was a humble Spyderco Dragonfly(SS Plain edge). My wife picked it up while on a shopping trip some years back and it became my EDC for almost 3 years. The most disapponting knife to enter my house has been a Kevin Wilkins custom Leafstorm in all-titanium. I felt the F&F was sub-par for such a pricey knife and the ergos were all off for me. I bought it on the secondary market and had it back up for sale within a day or so. I'd love to try another model someday, but it won't be a Leafstorm.
 
I've had one good surprising one and one disappointment in just the past few weeks, so I'll go off those. I'll have to agree with hoopster for the most disappointing - I absolutely love Spyderco & love the Lum in design, but the one I got was a really not up to Spyderco's typical QC. It was almost like a Chinese made knife - Blade not quite centered, Didn't deploy very smooth, and the liner lock was kind of sticky or gritty when deployed. Best surprise was also Spyderco, The Gunting model. I finally got a mint one last week - the first one I've handled - and it pretty much exceeded every thing I had expected - excellent knife.
 
Most surprising to me have been the knives made in Taiwan I've bought. The quality has been very high.
I'm talking about the Spyderco Sage I, Gayle Bradley, Cold Steel American Lawman.
Also the Chinese-made Spyderco Tenacious blows me away. It's so nice.
Not to leave American-made knives out. I've been pleasantly surprised by Kershaw bargains like the Storm II and Leek. Also very impressed with the Spyderco Manix 2.
 
Knife that happily surprised me was the RAT-1 folder. Man you can't find a better folder for actual field use for the money. Full steel liners, aus-8 with flat grind and good ergo's. You can still find them for under 30$. worth 2 to 3 times that.

Biggest disappointment.... easily the kershaw outcast. Got to be the worst unergonomic handle on a big chopper I have ever seen. Uncomfortable and just plain stupid.
So sad because the blade and steel are great. I would rather use a 10$ tramontina than that blister machine.
 
Most disappointed with the Benchmade Nagara 10700.
Blade steel doesn't hold an edge, dull after a few swipes through cardboard. The finish scratches VERY easy and get blotches from the natural oils of the skin. Fit and Finish is great and makes a nice gent knife, but would not recommend for anything but cutting letters/string. Light Use edc.

IMPRESSED: Spyderco Sage 2 Ti
LOVE LOVE LOVE this knife. Was shocked at the perfect F&F. Smooth, locks tight, blade centered, clean rounded Ti scales, razor sharp out of box, arrived sealed in thick plastic bag, and amazing ergos. Master Piece at the least.
 
Biggest surprise was the Spyderco Khukuri. I thought it looked kinda goofy but got a good price on it and knew it was discontinued so grabbed it up. All I can say is you can't fully appreciate it until you have it in your hand. Another amazing design by Ed Schempp.

Biggest disappointment would be two well known brands. First Spyderco T-Mag. Simply awful. Magnet is so weak that it barely holds the blade open. I am afraid to even use it for fear of cutting myself.

Second would be a Chive and a Scallion that I got. I bought one for my girlfriends son and in a month the spring had broken on it. The Chive I got for me same thing in a couple of months. Maybe it's an isolated incident but I will never drop another dime on any Kershaw in that particular family of knives.
 
Most surprising: SOG Access Card 2. I expected flimsy, so-so quality, but got a very solid and well made knife that cuts beautifully.

Most disappointing: Griptillian. I know, I know, blasphemy. But the sheepsfoot blade shape is worse than useless, and the indented serrations are a poor design choice. Too bad, because I love everything else about it!
 
I'll play ...

Most Disappointing: Spyderco Lava ... yuck! I think I bought into the hype on this one, but it really under performed for me. I still don't get that knife ...

Most Surprising: Spyderco Persistance. It's my Knife of the Year, and it's the knife everyone should have. For the price, anyone can afford it. A surprisingly solid knife for the $$$.

Thanks for the thread ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top