My replacement MTECH Trail Master knock-off just arrived (now with pics)

[spydercobenchmadekai]

Shoot, if there's one thing this knife will do and thats pry steel, chop, split wood and pulverize cinder blocks. Just check out all the MTECH MT 151 torture tests and reviews on You Tube. They not only hold there own but out preform some more expensive, better respected brutes.

Here's something else it will do:

I was trying unsuccessfully to take the bow out. There isn't anything in line or straight on this knife, like it was put together by some little kid, which I'm sure it was, but they are tuff.

The reason that it will flex instead of breaking is that it is not hard. That picture just proved in my mind that it has no heat treat at all. This means that you won't be able to get it very sharp, it will dull easily, and it will flex.

But since it only cost $20, swallow your mistake and use it.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

You had your chance to get your money back the first time. The second time, you got what you knew you would. You should keep it. You have no "cause" to return it. Per modding it, why invest that amount of time in a blade worth $10 or less?

Well actually I didn't know what I knew I would get considering 99% of the reviews and
videos make no mention of warped and canted blades or loose guards but have nothing but positive things to say about this knife. I came across maybe one review that mentioned a grind angle not being true. I talked to MTECH twice over the phone as well as sending an accompanying letter with my returned first knife stating to please check and send me a knife with a straight and true blade knife like what I assumed people in the reviews had. If they can't, I'd like a refund. That didn't happen.

Who are you to say I have no "cause" to return this or any product that shows up defective? Nowhere in the MTECH advertising does it say these knives are blems and you may get one with a bent blade, an off center grind and or loose guard and all sales are final.

 

[MJF]

To be fair, it's a $20 blade. Anyone who has expectations of perfection (or anything close to resembling perfection) at $20 probably has expectations that are too high.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

The reason that it will flex instead of breaking is that it is not hard. That picture just proved in my mind that it has no heat treat at all. This means that you won't be able to get it very sharp, it will dull easily, and it will flex.

But since it only cost $20, swallow your mistake and use it.

I had a metallurgist buddy on the phone when I took the pic, in fact I took the pic to ask him if I could bend it any further. He said 440 stainless should be able flex and take a set
without breaking.

The knife got a workout yesterday chopping cedar and is still sharp. For twenty bucks I'm satisfied overall. I'm getting ready to strip it.

If someone asked what would be a rugged, cheap truck knife for butchering feral a hog, camping and chopping brush I'd have no problem telling them about this knife, even with all it's warts.

 

[spydercobenchmadekai]

I don't know about your "metallurgist buddy" but I make knives, heat treat knives, and I can tell you that that blade won't be past 40hrc. It will work fine for a $20 knock-off, however, don't tell me that it is hard. BTW, is it 440a or 440c?

 

[marcinek]

And it is a replay of the first, ....

Well. Who could have possibly foreseen that happening. Especially with the pristine reputation MTech has around here.

My advice is stop being penny-wise and pound foolish, and get a Kabar Becker or Heavy Bowie, or an Ontario Ranger or Marine Raider Bowie. Chalk it up a a 20 dollar lesson about not buying junk knockoffs and move on.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

Well. Who could have possibly foreseen that happening. Especially with the pristine reputation MTech has around here.

My advice is stop being penny-wise and pound foolish, and get a Kabar Becker or Heavy Bowie, or an Ontario Ranger or Marine Raider Bowie. Chalk it up a a 20 dollar lesson about not buying junk knockoffs and move on.

Or rely on reviews and vids on the internet. The fat, fake French model bon-jure guy on the commercial comes to mind.

I can straighten this blade up some when I get a sander.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

I don't know about your "metallurgist buddy" but I make knives, heat treat knives, and I can tell you that that blade won't be past 40hrc. It will work fine for a $20 knock-off, however, don't tell me that it is hard. BTW, is it 440a or 440c?

He said it's probably mystery metal and nowhere near 56- or even 54 Rockwell. I never said it was hard, the pic proves that. I do say it's tuff. For what I have planned for it I don't need a hard, brittle blade.

I'll post pics after I strip it.

 

[spydercobenchmadekai]

Hard and brittle are different. You can have a hard, strong blade. Breaking is preffered over bending by many users.

 

[marcinek]

Or rely on reviews and vids on the internet.

Obviously those are reliable, since they led you to buy a crappy, poorly heat treated, bent knife. Enjoy. Have you batonned with it? Wait till it bends inside a log.

 

[Inazone]

I bought a couple of the "Rough Use" knives from Cheaper Than Dirt a couple years back for $10 each, and they ended up being MTech. There were none of the usual obvious flaws found on cheap Chinese knives, but to this day, I have yet to do anything with them since I already have a go-to knife (Schrade XT2B) for those types of tasks. I didn't buy another MTech until recently, and this one has a slight warp near the tip, but it's otherwise pretty decent for an $18 fixed blade with a better-than-average sheath. I'll probably throw it in my hiking pack.

 

[brownshoe]

"Who are you to say I have no "cause"?"

My screen name is Brownshoe.

You have no cause for dissatisfaction unless you first bought the knife w/o any knowledge of knives...i.e. what do you expect for $20.

You certainly have no cause for dissatisfaction after you saw what you got with the first delivery and asked for another. Just becuase you asked for them to pick you out a knife worth $200, you still only paid $20.

However, you yourself say for $20 you got "a rugged, cheap truck knife for butchering feral a hog, camping and chopping brush [that you'd] have no problem [recommending] this knife, even with all it's warts. "

If this is truly "a rugged, cheap truck knife for butchering feral a hog, camping and chopping brush" you were lucky you only had to pay $20.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

"Who are you to say I have no "cause"?"

My screen name is Brownshoe.

You have no cause for dissatisfaction unless you first bought the knife w/o any knowledge of knives...i.e. what do you expect for $20.

You certainly have no cause for dissatisfaction after you saw what you got with the first delivery and asked for another. Just becuase you asked for them to pick you out a knife worth $200, you still only paid $20.

However, you yourself say for $20 you got "a rugged, cheap truck knife for butchering feral a hog, camping and chopping brush [that you'd] have no problem [recommending] this knife, even with all it's warts. "

If this is truly "a rugged, cheap truck knife for butchering feral a hog, camping and chopping brush" you were lucky you only had to pay $20.

Oh, so you're saying if you find a good deal on something new from a company and contrary to reviews and how it was portrayed in the company's advertising it turns out to be little more than junk you have no "cause" to be dissatisfied because you should have known it was going to be junk? And I was lucky to have paid only $20.00 for it because if I had paid $50.00 which is still cheap for a big knife I would still have no "cause" or grounds to be dissatisfied? Are you some communist like the people that made the knife and think people should accept whatever is issued to them with no right to complain? You need to change your name to "brownshirt."

 

[theAntihero]

The reason that it will flex instead of breaking is that it is not hard. That picture just proved in my mind that it has no heat treat at all. This means that you won't be able to get it very sharp, it will dull easily, and it will flex.

But since it only cost $20, swallow your mistake and use it.

Actually it would be super easy to get an edge on if it wasnt hardened, but itll dull very fast.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

This knifes going back. When it arrived it had what I thought was a ridge of bubbled up black coating that I couldn't scrape off with my thumbnail. After stripping the coating off I found this. I tried to buff it out but it just got longer and deeper.

It's some kind of crack or fissure in the steel. Does anyone recognize this other than a seam? It won't hold up to even normal use much less abuse. Buncha bull$#!*

 

[spydercobenchmadekai]

So...you admit that you got a knock off, and now you're complaining?? Did you really think that you could get a quality large knife for $20 from a company like MTech?

 

[Blackie Scantling]

So...you admit that you got a knock off, and now you're complaining?? Did you really think that you could get a quality large knife for $20 from a company like MTech?

I thought I answered that. Can't you read?

 

[marcinek]

This knifes going back. When it arrived it had what I thought was a ridge of bubbled up black coating that I couldn't scrape off with my thumbnail. After stripping the coating off I found this. I tried to buff it out but it just got longer and deeper.

Well. Who could have possibly foreseen that happening. Especially with the pristine reputation MTech has around here.

 

[spydercobenchmadekai]

I thought I answered that. Can't you read?

No need to be insulting. So, yes, you thought that it should have the same quality level as a more expensive knife? I'm very sorry that it didn't, but that's why most people on BladeForums don't buy MTech. For a great blade at a great price, check out the Becker lineup. They only cost $50 more, and they are a proven hard-use knife company.

 

[Blackie Scantling]

No need to be insulting. So, yes, you thought that it should have the same quality level as a more expensive knife? I'm very sorry that it didn't, but that's why most people on BladeForums don't buy MTech. For a great blade at a great price, check out the Becker lineup. They only cost $50 more, and they are a proven hard-use knife company.

No...I never said anywhere I expected the same quality of more expensive knives. In fact, I said a number of times that I intended on keeping it and making it a hard use truck knife, beater, with all it's flaws. If it got stolen then it wouldn't have been the end of the world and I wouldn't feel as bad as if a real Trail Master that was left in my truck was stolen.
Its a perfect truck knife in fact. But a crack running along the edge is not going to cut it, no pun intended.