Near miss/Near perfect designs

M

M. Johnwell

Joined
Jan 8, 2015
Messages
315
Hello all,
Just wanted to discuss various knives that you all like, but which have flaws for you and your intended use.

For instance, I love the lines and materials used in the Cold Steel 4-Max, but the price and size keep me from buying it. Or the Benchmade mini-griptilian. To me it's the perfect size to carry, and with the Doug Ritter version, I love the steel, and the lock is great. But to me, the handles are 1/4" too short to be comfortable. (I know I can get aftermarket grips, but I'm probably just going to keep using it and complain a little every time)

Just wondering if others had similar experiences with other models where knives were close but no cigar.
 
Yes, every production knife I own is near perfect BUTT no cigar!
That is why I came to conclusion, that I should stop wasting money on near perfect production knives and instead save money to buy a full custom folder build to my design and specs! That would be last folder I'LL buy "The one knife to rule them all!"
 
Kershaw Leek - Perfect... except for that awful looking pocket clip.

kershaw-leek-blue-stone-wash-1660swblue-side-large.jpg


Any Spyderco that doesn't use their loop over wire clip - cuz it doesn't use the loop over wire clip.
 
ZT0620. Perfect in every way, except for the lockbar relief cutout on the outside. It actually makes it difficult to pull out of your pocket if you don't practice.
 
The 4 Max is one for me as well. I like everything about it, except the size and smooth scales. A 3.5 inch version with textured scales (essentially an AD10) would be perfect.
 
Fallkniven A1 Pro - The price! $350 for rubber handles and a plastic sheath... It's such a good knife though! Makes me sad.

Benchmade 530 - Dopey dagger-esque blade grind.

Benchmade 531 - Ugly two toned g10 handle.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Benchmade 530 - Dopey dagger-esque blade grind.

Benchmade 531 - Ugly two toned g10 handle.
Click to expand...

The 530 blade profile is exactly what I love about it! Outside of the BM balisongs its my favorite benchmade.

Only things keeping it from perfect IMO are the tiny thumbstuds and the protruding corner at the bottom of the handle. They should do away with the corners at the bottom of the handle or make the handle/blade slightly longer.

But different strokes and all that :)
 
Wolf7 said:
Yes, every production knife I own is near perfect BUTT no cigar!
That is why I came to conclusion, that I should stop wasting money on near perfect production knives and instead save money to buy a full custom folder build to my design and specs! That would be last folder I'LL buy "The one knife to rule them all!"
Click to expand...

I've tried this three times, and didn't like the result. It's hard to explain, and the maker and the product are both high quality, but the "feel" just wasn't there. So I just keep on buying/selling/trading.
I would really hate to find that I was all done doing this stuff...I mean...a hobby is "everything."
 
Well, I'm a Demko fanboi, but I have to echo what others have said, and much of the Cold Steel range falls into this category for me. Especially with the new CTS steel, the Tuff-Lite comes very close to perfect: wharncliffe blade, Triad Lock, jump-proof pocket clip, decent ergonomics.

I just want steel liners! C'mon, fellas. Is it that difficult? A couple of 3/32 wafers of 610 stainless, cut to match?

The Code 4. Finally, some metal slabs! Now can't we just have it with a 3" blade? I know, I know. But I've thought too much about this, and I can't go back to NOT having a strong opinion (even if it's wrong).

I really like my CQC-7. I just don't like the wave feature. I can send it to Emerson to have the blade swapped out, but with labor costs on their end, it ends up being a $300 knife!

I still might.....

I'll also agree with what others have said about the Grip/Mini-Grip line: almost perfect, except.... I even like the factory slabs! For me, the problem is the thumb ramp: it interferes with choking up on the blade, and from what I understand of the purpose of the thumb ramp, it's a pointless feature on a sub-three inch blade.

The Laconico/Kizer Gemini is a faithful reproduction of a knife that I have lusted after for... well, much longer than most shiny things can hold my attention. But the pocket clip screams "Made in China!", and I can't get over the cobalt blue. As with other problems, these can be fixed, but that's not the point of this thread.

I've recently become convinced that there is a "knife design event horizon". Once you cross it, a bespoke knife is the only option, because you can find some flaw with every knife which was not built according to your wishes.

I'm there, but I'm also stupid enough to try and build it myself! I won't save anything in terms of time, materials, labor, or frustration, but it may just cure me of wanting anything to do with knives! :rolleyes:

(probably not)
 
Sonnydaze said:
I've tried this three times, and didn't like the result. It's hard to explain, and the maker and the product are both high quality, but the "feel" just wasn't there. So I just keep on buying/selling/trading.
I would really hate to find that I was all done doing this stuff...I mean...a hobby is "everything."
Click to expand...

I've also wondered if the point is not the having, but the getting. Even though we might have a knife which should be perfect, we still continue to buy and sell, because the real satisfaction is in the hunt, the anticipation while your purchase is in transit, and the "newness" of owning a knife you didn't have before. After the "new" knife no longer satisfies that part of the brain, the search begins again.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Any Spyderco that doesn't use their loop over wire clip - cuz it doesn't use the loop over wire clip.
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this as well--that and the width in pocket of my pm2 are my main knocks. Don't get me wrong, it's a great design and I love carrying it, but boy do I wish it had the clip off my mantra..
 
I really loved the ZT 0560, but must have had one of the earlier models that still suffered from a weak/lazy detent. Which reminds me, I should really look for another one, that was a great knife!
 
Talking about my current favorite knife i have, the ZT0562CF. The pocket clip: although it works great, fantastic retention and ease of extraction and putting in. But the fitment into the slot isn't the best and when I grip down hard the clip would squeak sideways a smidge, which kinda bugs me a little.

Sent from the BatComputer
 
Griptilian - I just want it in 3.25" blade length. It's like Goldilocks--the mini is too small and the full size is too big. If it came in 3.25" size I would have ended my EDC knife search years ago with that.

Volli - Want a non-assisted version. If I'm being picky, I'd also like a different handle design/look as well.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Spyderco PPT-everything I wanted in a folder, except that deep pocket clip bent reeeeaally easily-and that's why I don't have one anymore. It's hanging off a trashbag in the local dump somewhere by that dang clip
 
The 4" Talwar came very, very close. I wanted very badly to love it, but the handle was just too cramped for my hands. I actually owned the original in VG-1 and polished micarta and it did fine, but the newer version was better on paper, but much worse in the hand. I bought two before I finally accepted it just wasn't for me and I was STILL tempted when it was announced they were discontinued and the price dropped. I do take some solace out of the fact that one sees plenty of use dressing deer and the other is in the hands of a submariner, so that makes me feel like I didn't waste my money.
 
J W Bensinger said:
Spyderco PPT-everything I wanted in a folder, except that deep pocket clip bent reeeeaally easily-and that's why I don't have one anymore. It's hanging off a trashbag in the local dump somewhere by that dang clip
Click to expand...

That is a bummer. I had the same problem with my PPT. That thing snagged on everything it possibly could.. But I did like how deep that knife carried.
 
This is maybe the most "relative" topic in a really long time, I mean a near miss for me may be absolutely perfect for someone else, but an interesting thread...

I am going to guess that I have carried and used at least 50-75 different knives over the years.
All but 2 of them missed it by a mile or where near misses.

That would be a big reason why I kept changing what I carry.
Some knives take a few days of use to prove they are just not going to work for me, some take months...

The two that work, and I can carry either forever are an SMF or a large Insingo.
 
I used to own a CRK 25 and sold it, a little too large. Tried a small Sebenza, too small. If they only had something like a medium between the large and small, it could very well be my perfect knife. Maybe one day....
 
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