My new knife of the year arrived

B

Blackie Scantling

Joined
Dec 26, 2013
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444
I ordered an mtech MS 151 Bowie, the Trail Master knockoff after reading what a tough knife it was. As someone who always lusted for a TM but could never justify the price for a non carry blade $20.00 sounded like a great deal. I also read in the reviews where some were twisted and the blade wasn't in line with the handle but again, for twenty bucks for a beater...
When it arrived I was stoked, it was boxed and packaged like a much more expensive knife. Opening it I was equally impressed with the condition of the knife, not like it had been sent from some 3rd World factory.
However, upon closer inspection I saw the blade wasn't straight. It archs to the right. The flat steel it was made from were probably long sections of strap that were draped sagging over a forklift that had taken a set and they just chopped it into sections, bend and all.

Further examination I saw what others had said about it being twisted. Although mine isn't twisted so the edge of the knife isn't in line with the handle rather the blade is not geometrically exact on both sides. The plunge line in front of the ricasso is deeper on the right side, that is, there is more step down from the ricasso to the blade heel. OK, no big deal, it's a beater. But then after further fondling I found the guard is loose and that is a big deal or a deal breaker. I called BUDK and told them about everything and they said return it and they'd replace it.
I'm just waiting for a return shipping label and hopefully everything works out.
 
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Just save up and buy a Becker. Their blades aren't twisted, the edges are not asymetrical, the guards aren't loose, and they are overall a very good quality knife.

For $50 more, you won't regret it. Think about it--do you really want to depend on a $20 piece of broken junk?
 
Hi, first post, I also bought this knife for pretty much the same reason as you and my blade was also somewhat curved. For me the guard is very secure and the handle is good rubber, but not as good as kraton. The lanyard hole tube is also attached loosely, but for $20 it seems good enough for me. Some people (maybe armchair commandos) seem to have concerns that the 440 steel is too brittle, but i have batoned it through a lot of softwood and it seems fine so far.

Just my experience with this knife, take it lightly since I'm mostly into folders.
 
Great looking knife with great balance and weight but with a curved blade, loose guard and asymmetrical sides I could have built a better knife from a lawn mower blade.
I told the distributor to open and visually inspect the replacement before shipping it. If the replacement has the "bends" too then I'll be looking at other options.
 
Well ok lets look at the options. If knife #2 arrives curved can I bend it straight? I mean in Cold Steel's video it shows them sticking a TM in a vise, sticking a cheater bar on it and bending it almost 90 degrees. What if I did that, not as far as they do and wearing my full faced shield motorcycle helmet of course. Will that 1/4" thick 440 bend and hold a set? It wouldn't take much.
 
Blackie Scantling said:
Well ok lets look at the options. If knife #2 arrives curved can I bend it straight? I mean in Cold Steel's video it shows them sticking a TM in a vise, sticking a cheater bar on it and bending it almost 90 degrees. What if I did that, not as far as they do and wearing my full faced shield motorcycle helmet of course. Will that 1/4" thick 440 bend and hold a set? It wouldn't take much.
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What can be done with the Cold Steel Trailmaster cannot necesarily be done with the cheapo knockoff of it you have. And the only knives that arrive bent are...hold on to your hat...cheapo junk knives. If you are going to bend the MT, I hope your full faced shield helmet isn't a cheapo knockoff of a name brand too.
 
You get what you pay for. If you really want an MT151 (if you do, mazeltov), you might get a decent one or you might not. I would much rather save my money and wait for the O1 Trailmasters to enter circulation. $130 isn't too much.
 
Man I gotta confess, since I was a small kid I loved the classic Bowie knife look like the TM and Randalls, maybe it's a Texas thing.

I just laid this knife flat on it's spine and looked down on the edge, and yeah, I now see what others have said about it being 'twisted'. It's not really twisted like a corkscrew rather the grind angle is not true to the axis or line of the tang. Holding it up right to chop, mine is bias to the left which means if you're right handed the edge will make contact a millisecond sooner when chopping something vertical. A right handed knife :D.

If the vendor looks through others like I asked I hope this will have a happy ending. If they send me another crooked blade I can post a video to see if 1/4" Chinese 440 can be permanently bent.
 
Barring artistry, custom, etc. you generally get what you pay for.
An inexpensive knife still functions as a knife...but it has limitations that higher quality knives don't have...but if it works for you you did well...and if it does break you are out twenty bucks...nothing to cry about if it breaks, bends, etc.

Batoning soft wood is not the same as hard wood...
Calling someone an arm chair commando is presumptuous and generally incorrect.
 
Kai Winters said:
Barring artistry, custom, etc. you generally get what you pay for.
An inexpensive knife still functions as a knife...but it has limitations that higher quality knives don't have...but if it works for you you did well...and if it does break you are out twenty bucks...nothing to cry about if it breaks, bends, etc.

Batoning soft wood is not the same as hard wood...
Calling someone an arm chair commando is presumptuous and generally incorrect.
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I didn't call anybody and an armchair commando.

Honestly, if I had to hunt and gather for survival I doubt there would be $300.00 worth of limitations in performance of what a genuine San Mai Trail Master and my $20.00 knockoff could do.

Both would chop wood, skin and dress game and the only way they would differ is one is slightly bent.
 
Blackie Scantling said:
Honestly, if I had to hunt and gather for survival I doubt there would be $300.00 worth of limitations in performance of what a genuine San Mai Trail Master and my $20.00 knockoff could do.

Both would chop wood, skin and dress game and the only way they would differ is one is slightly bent.
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Sure, and when the cheapo loses its edge in a couple minutes, you are out of luck. Big difference.

But, of course you are entitled to believe your knockoff is just as good as the original, judt as you are entitled to believe that the less-than-respected place you bought the knockoff from will hand pick a not bent one for you (if it exists).
 
Blackie,
The world is a somber place.:( You should post a video of straightening up the blade of the cheap knock off. The humor would be good:) My guess is the blade would bend and take a set for angles less than 30 degrees and break or show stress fractures for angles greater than 30 degrees
 
Blackie Scantling said:
Man I gotta confess, since I was a small kid I loved the classic Bowie knife look like the TM and Randalls, maybe it's a Texas thing.
Click to expand...

What you need to do is save up a couple extra bucks and get a Kabar Heavy Bowie or Ontario Marine Raider Bowie. Neither will arrive bent or with the broken guard you mentioned, and neither is a cheap clone/knockoff/tribute of somebody else's knife.
 
spydercobenchmadekai said:
But this is my main point.

ETA: Even 8cr13mov is an improvement over 440A. :thumbdn: Heck, even 440C is a mild upgade!!
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440C is much better than that sort of 440A. 440C was a supersteel when it came out, and is still used to this day in well regarded hard use implements like Entrek and the upcoming stainless ESEE line. Don't knock it if ya haven't tried it. ;)
 
Bo T said:
Blackie,
The world is a somber place.:( You should post a video of straightening up the blade of the cheap knock off. The humor would be good:) My guess is the blade would bend and take a set for angles less than 30 degrees and break or show stress fractures for angles greater than 30 degrees
Click to expand...

If I did I'd do it at a distance attaching a rope to the handle. If the commie that made that knife found out it had stuck in an American that tried to straighten it he or she would go :D
 
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