In my opinion they perform well for an inexpensive knife. The are far from "state of the art," however, you get what you pay for. Personally, if I were to choose a Zytel handled, one hand opening lockback, I would rather go with a Spyderco. Still, the Meyerco Speedster makes a good gift for the average knife user. Quality wise, I would say it's comparable to a Buck Bucklite or Schrade Switch-clip folder. I'm not sure why Meyerco has not gained popularity. When they first released the Strut & Cut knife and the Rascal, I have to say thet were pretty crappy. I understand that the Big Rascal and the new Stingray have been improved, but I've yet to check them out.