MTech knives

Yeah I never understood when some folks start a new thread, they're told to "use the search function" but when others bring up old threads, they're belittled.

And yeah Mtech is crappy cheap knives, but for the money deficient they definitely serve a purpose
 
Mtechs are like a box of chocolates, except most of them don't taste very good. Sometimes, you pull the trigger on an absolutely stupid design but come across a knife you would never willingly part with. Here's a couple quotes from a recent thread about their possibly dumbest knife that I just so happen to own.

o4tg said:
It's a semi knock off of MT Knives "USK". The knife in the game is based on the Mtech though, as is the knife in Halo 4. I actually own the Mtech and have purposefully tried to break it. You can see the saw teeth are bent and chipped from using a hatchet head to baton with it. One of the grip screws shot out fast enough it would have broken a window I was hitting it so hard to get it through a knot. The edge geometry is of the sharpened pry bar state so it isn't easy to get sharp. Over all, it is a damn tough knife for a China made product. I've split a LOT of wood with it and the Tracker style dip actually does seem to help.

Fit and finish of the knife sucks and the ergonomics could be better, but I have to give it to it, it's tough as heck.

IMAG0147.jpg


You can see in this picture where I've reground the tip after hammering it through a cinder block.

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o4tg said:
Honestly, I tried to kill this knife. Literally, I tried to break it. I lobbed it at a tree so hard that when I finally got a good throw that stuck, I had to use a log to pound it back out. When I said I hit it hard with a hatchet head, I mean really hard. You can see on the stupid over exaggerated first finger groove where the G10 is melted from me tying it to a stick and using it as a fire poker.

This may sound stupid, but this particular knife earned a permanent spot in my collection and won't be subjected to intentional breakage anymore. I've laughed it off everytime, but I keep thinking about reprofiling the grip and grinding down the teeth to a secondary chisel grind.

If this knife had a motto, it would be "I think I can, I think I can". About the only thing I didn't do was put it in a vice and snap it with a breaker bar.
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This is my only Chinese fixed blade. I tried to break it but the knife was more persistent than I was. Would I expect this out of all Mtech knives? Heck no. In fact, if I went and bought another one of these I wouldn't even expect the new one to do the same.
 
Don't worry, Giggity. I'm normally not a fan of thread necromancy, but since this one seems to come back to life every few years, I guess it was about time for a bump. :D:thumbup:

Welcome aboard. :cool:
 
(Personal opinion: I don't see the problem with reviving a dead thread, if it contains info you want to comment on. How is this better than starting a new thread? The old thread already contains relevant info that a new thread will not. But my purpose here is not to debate this.)

MTech makes cheap knives. Asking people here what they think of MTech is almost certainly (and understandably) going to get negative responses. However, as a recently new collector, I will say that I started my collection with a number of MTech's. They do not use good quality steel and they produce a massive number of different knives, of varying quality. I have some that I quite like personally, for example the Hawkbill Tactical Folder (JN902) I like very much, very good for opening packages and clamshells and ridiculously low priced for what you are getting. I also generally like the lighter MTech knives such as the MT438 and MT159, which are cheap and very light. On the other hand, there are knives like the Lethal Venom (MT-A809GY), which look cool in pictures, but the handle is so heavy it feels like lead and the blade seem miniscule in relation to the handle.

Once you start spending a bit more for knives (I personally love Kershaw), you will learn the difference between junk and a good knife, but I still think some MTechs are worth purchasing. (AND, it has a lot to do with what you intend to do with the knife... if you see a cool looking MTech and you just want to play around with it and admire it, it is probably fine... any plans for hard use would be a different matter.)
 
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Mitchell Knives said:
M-Tech is junk. I bought one of their folders for testing about a year ago. The piece locked up fine, but that's about it. The quality is better than the majority of Chinese knives, but they are still crap.
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I'm not sure what some of you guys are doing with these knives that makes you think they're so bad. There are a lot worse knives than MTech. Several of the MTech knives that I have can and do the regular day to day stuff that a $100-$400 knife can do. Unless you're skinning several animals a day which I doubt, you spent way too much money on a knife you're only using occasionally to cut some rope, fishing line or open boxes every now and then. I've had an 8 in Mtech fixed blade I have used to clean as many as two dozen fish in one trip and maybe 100 over the season for the last three years. I rub it on a stone a few times at the beginning of the season and that's it. No problems.
 
3rd thread resurrection :D

For what it's worth, there is a thread or 2 over in GBU on how crappy MTech's customer service is. Doesn't matter how bad or good a knife is, if you need repairs and the company can't fix a knife after 4-6 months, then that company is one to be avoided. MTech is on my permanent "do not buy" list.
 
My first knive was Mtech 519.
Got it for 15$. At the time I got the knife I had no idea about steel and other materials.
Now for the knife you get what you pay for.
I carry it around because I pamper my other knives.
It catches rust easily, even the stainless steel clip gets rust and I have to oil it after use or when I store it. The blade even though is dull it performs small minor tasks effectively. I would rate this for naive starters who are learning so they can ruin the knife and not crash the bank.
I remember I got this because I read a review, A active duty fireman carried this as his backup for breaking glass and cutting seat belts.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
3rd thread resurrection :D

For what it's worth, there is a thread or 2 over in GBU on how crappy MTech's customer service is. Doesn't matter how bad or good a knife is, if you need repairs and the company can't fix a knife after 4-6 months, then that company is one to be avoided. MTech is on my permanent "do not buy" list.
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"Customer service" is really not a concern for me in regards to MTech. For someone like ZT or Spyderco, where a knife may cost me $150-200, yeah, I want to be sure I have good customer service too. But Mtechs are like $10-15. If I spend $10-15 on a knife, and it has a problem, and I like the knife enough to want it fixed...I'll rather buy a new one than have to contact some customer service rep, go to the post office and mail the knife back to them(hell, I'd gladly pay $10 just to avoid going to the post office), then wait 4-6 weeks for them to send it back.

Not saying I'm an MTech fan, I have a couple and none of them are what I'd call good(though one of the fixed blades isn't bad as a cheap beater blade), but customer service is not why I would avoid them.
 
Since others are already commenting, I'll chime in to say I agree, DShiflet.

I feel the same way about Opinel (far superior knives at a similar price point, of course). If one had a problem I wouldn't even attempt to contact their CS line. Just get a new Opinel. Or a new Mora. Etc. If the price point is low, I consider customer service irrelevant.

I was annoyed when I had to take time to send my Benchmade Barrage in for repair, packing it up and waiting to get it back (although CS and turnaround time was great). Certainly not going to attempt it with a $10 blade.
 
The quality factor is alot more important in folder, but for a fixed blade, Mtech is a good value. For less than $20 you can get a thick slab of metal (sure it's the soft 440), G10 handles, some have kydex like sheath, some models are quite ergonomic with interesting blade designs.

I feel these knives will fulfill most duties fixed blades are put through. Sure the edge holding is not as great but I doubt most people are chopping wood in the forest with a fixed blade for a living.

So, realistically speaking, a $10-$20 Mtech fixed blade is the best value fixed blade bar none.
 
I got some MT-674s for $8 or so per copy. For the money they're decent and if need be, disposable. If they fail, I don't plan on contacting customer service. What I find remarkable is how good the sheaths are. They're near-custom quality (I've tried Sastre, Humelbaugh, Noeldechen, and several other makers) and have excellent if stiff retention, unlike most factory sheaths I see from "reputable" manufacturers.
 
First post here after spending days reading several threads I decided to sign up to comment. A search engine led me here. I searched for a blade I bought in the San Diego Big 5 in Oceanside in 2015.

I went out there to visit a buddy training Naval Academy Cadets but due to airline regs I couldn't bring one of my favorite Kershaw Ken Onion blades. After walking around the sites of San Diego and seeing all the street derilects I felt naked being unarmed and concealed carry handguns are out the question in Cali.

So we pop into a Big 5 that I had bought some curio & relic rifles from back in the late 90's from.They had a decent size blade with the MC logo on it for under $20 on sale (perpetual sale). Well I can't fly back with a knife as I only had carry on (I travel lite) so I pick it up as a throwawy blade I'll leave behind for my buddy.

After many days of seeing the Midway, subs, etc of SoCal we end up in the big CPEN MC Exchange. Wow how times had changed, we never had anything like that back when I was last there in 2000. Guns and knives everywhere and not cheap knockoffs.

This perty little benchmade gal catches my eye. She was way cool and was in the knife business (super cool). Well I didn't ask for her number but I did talk to her. Next thing you know I'm taking a benchmade 1st responder knife up to the cashier. She had my number.

Best deal ever on this knife, on sale and they had a promotion where you scratched off a card to get an additional discount. I got 10% more. And after purchasing I got to go back and talk to that phine Philly who said they were lazer engraving benchmades for free for vets who bought Benchmades at the PX.

I had her put my OIF deployment on the blade. Super cool show knife I bring to MC balls and MC league events. I'll never cut a thing with unless someone tries robbing me off it, I'd slash best as I can with a sheep's foot blade. I also have put away my Kershaw Speedsafe I'd carried for a year and my Kabar as well (now part of my bug out kit).

Well back to the MTech, my buddy has to send back my new Benchmade and a Cutco fillet knife he insists I have. So in goes the MTech MC assist folder with green micarta handles. For the next year I carry it on and off as a reminder of the good times in San Diego hanging with my buddy in my old military stomping grounds. One day I misplace in 2017 and I just found it again and sharpen it up and research it.

Here's my honest assessment regardless of all the accusations about copying others, country of origin, butt hurt, etc.

It's a Chi-com knife, that's a negative no matter whose name is on it. I generally despise all commies (Reagan was my 1st of many CinC). I love Reagan, despise commies.

Despite that I have to say it has held up well to much abuse I give knives scrapping gasket material, cutting wire, scrapping shit off lawn mower blades etc. I had to work a few nicks out and used diamond stones to do so. It'll shave now, not great like my Sandvik 14C28N but enough to say it's sharp. Blade held a decent edge considering it is unnamed steel, no rust on the stone washed blade.

I also had to tighten the action after months of use and I applied some medium threadlocker. Nice and tight still. I've had to tighten screws and actions on Kershaws, OKC's, very few Bucks, etc.

It's an affordable knife for begginers and those who beat the crap out of knives on farms, in repair shops, etc. I'll never spend more than $300 on a knife, I'll buy a firearm which has a much better resale and generally sell fast.

I'd recommend an American made knife that you can afford as my first choice but we are talking a bare minimum of $50 and some young guys just don't have that luxury to spend on a knife they will quickly destroy. So they buy Chi-com until they can afford better. I have no more reason to buy another Chi-com blade but that's where I am at.

Trash talking these young buyers only hurts future sales. They will go away think what a bunch of d...s. Maybe it gives some who don't have much going for them a warm fuzzy bashing them but we all know why you do that, insecurity and a fearful little man inside. I say son that's cool let me show you my knife. He'll notice the difference and want to upgrade soon.

P.S. No need to point out old thread, it's still relevant.
 
One of the worst knives I had experience with.

Pretty fast blade got loose, tip bent easily, edge retention is a joke. It was bent and utterly destroyed by my mother. I have no idea how she used it, but after third use it was ready for trash can.
 
I had a couple of their liner locks when I drove truck.
They could open a can of beans or whatever without suffering blade/edge/lock damage.
Didn't cut/slice or whittle worth a darN though. The edges were a mite thick.
 
afishhunter said:
I had a couple of their liner locks when I drove truck.
They could open a can of beans or whatever without suffering blade/edge/lock damage.
Didn't cut/slice or whittle worth a darN though. The edges were a mite thick.
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I have had about the same experience. Not a knife you can get razor sharp but one that has taken some abuse I wouldn't do to a more valuable knife. I was surprised by how useful of a tool it has been despite the low price.

I am not saying give up your better brands just saying what my experience has been. Funny how some have so much hate for an inanimate object. I am sure some have had much worse experiences but I was pleasantly surprised not expecting much. The box it came was even nicely done. I don't what paper it was made of. Likely not high quality North American paper birch, aspen, etc. Probably some overharvested unsustainable Asian source. But it sure looked nice and I still have for some collector down the road after I am to old to remember the good memories from that trip out to Socal. Maybe some day some lucky collector here would be lucky enough to enjoy it some more. By then the Chinese may be top quality, I hope not but the direction we are heading it is a good possibility. So I'll end by saying buy American if you can afford it. Your future depends on it.
 
I had one. No clue which and it worked ok for some roofing jobs cutting tar paper. Never had it long enough to sharpen it. Kind of worked perfectly I purchased the knife as a cheapo for work to go along with my utility blade and made sure it was cheap in case I lost it. Sure enough I lost it at work.

I've been after a Mtech twist though for a long time for my collection. Can't find anyone ever selling one.
 
Update on the MTech Ballistic M-A1036GN USMC assist folder with green G10 scales. After nine years it is still a useful knife. Missing a couple of serration tips and the screws I put blue loctite on are still there. The assist still works well albeit I clean and oil my knife once in awhile which may be why it still functions well. The mechanism is still tight and smooth.

Overall impressed with my 2015 purchase at Big 5 in San Diego. Even the finish has stood up to abuse.
 
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