Outdoor knife you wish you would have never bought?

[Wildone39]

For me, Gerber Profile. Utter Junk.

 

[22-rimfire]

Bought a SOG NW Ranger a couple of years ago. It was one of my early SOGs and the knife that convinced me that I didn't like a partially serrated blade. Nothing wrong with the knife; I just don't like the serrations. As a result it stays on the shelf. The new one does not have serrations.

The one knife that I bought as an outdoor belt knife just didn't work for that purpose. Ah shows..... buying on a whim.... it was a Kershaw Military boot knife. Tried to make it work because I thought it cool. But no go.

 

[chuck buck]

i really want to like my ontario-rat5. i put a real nice edge on it but just cant get the handle to feel right and the blade feels a little unwieldy.
every time i look at it i think about grinding down the handle and making it a hidden tang that would be much more comfortable.

 

[remmmm]

Without doubt these.

I bought a bunch of them to hand out when they first came on the market. I thought they'd be like a shorter version of the Martindale #2. How wrong I was. Whilst it is fair to say it takes some effort to coax the best from a #2 it is safe to say abandon hope with these. Truly nasty. Absorbing the cost of a mistake is one thing, swallowing embarrassment in front of an audience that had waited in eager anticipation for theirs sucks. I fell from grace that day. I still have my one somewhere – the thick, buckled, ill-conceived POS serves as a reminder to examine in private before announcing.

I have almost bought that knife a few times. You just saved me some $$, thanks :thumbup:

 

[BlackHills]

I've had several that I ended up not liking for various reasons. In some cases that had more to do with my tastes changing or evolving than the knives themselves.

what knife have you spent your cash on that you will now admit you don't like, wish you had never spent your money on and would NOT recommend?

The only one I can really say fits that description was the BRKT Northstar. It had what was easily the worst handle I've ever had the displeasure of holding.

 

[VA27]

"Also, at the moment, ambivalent about the BK-2."


I'm curious as to why, I'm looking into getting one (seems to be perfect for my uses, apart from not loving the handle material), but I like to know the weaknesses of my tools as well as their strengths. Thanks!

I too, was disappointed in the BK2. I was looking for a short chopper and the BK2 was just too handle-heavy to work well. I took the scales off and tried to lighten the handle, but there wasn't a way to take off enough weight to make a difference. I'd also rather fight rust the old fashioned way rather than put up with the 'crinkle paint' coating. I got it cheap so I broke even when I sold it.

 

[H-Minus]

Helle Brakkar. Looks pretty,but ain't tough. used it twice, and the handle cracked. So now it has become my Scandinavian pencil sharpener.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

I was wondering why my ears were burning.

"Also, at the moment, ambivalent about the BK-2."


I'm curious as to why, I'm looking into getting one (seems to be perfect for my uses, apart from not loving the handle material), but I like to know the weaknesses of my tools as well as their strengths. Thanks!

I am suprised at Docs take on the BK-2. I have been thinking about one.

I can't understand Doc's ambivalence about the BK-2, either. He really hasn't said anything at all, just that he was ambivalent.

I can’t imagine anyone not loving a BK-2, but that’s just me... which is a good thing, because if everybody was me, my apartment would be super crowded, and everyone would be named Bob: it would be really confusing. But we’d all have BK-2’s, which would be pretty neat.

Since not everyone is me, there are some people who — for reasons beyond my comprehension — do complain about the BK-2. Unbelievable, I know, but there it is. Just no accounting for taste, I guess.

To me, it seems like a big clunky piece of steel. It seems more like a hammer than a knife. Now keep in mind, I haven't used it much at all.

So far, it seems to cut fairly well for its bulky size. It's probably bomb-proof and that's a feature I greatly value.

However, the handle slabs suck, IMHO. Although not much different in dimensions than my Machax, there's a world of difference in feel. I love the slabs on my Machax - different material, for one thing.

I can't say, at this point, that there's anything wrong with the fit and finish, or the ability to cut. I'm ambivalent because there maybe some things I'll learn to love about it, I just haven't found them yet. At the time kgd and I worked a deal on the BK-7, I also had the BK-2 for sale. When it didn't sell, I was kind of glad because I thought I should give it a better try. I haven't so far. Too many other knives I like better.

This is only how it relates to me, I know a lot of other people really love theirs, dawsonbob, for example. Different strokes.......

One other thing for you guys to consider. I'm no knife expert. I make do with whatever I have.

If the only knife I had was the BK-2, it would be fine, hard on my back , but fine.

So, I guess, my ambivalence isn't due to some hidden shortcoming of the knife. What you see is what you get. If the weight, dimensions, etc. are to your liking, I'm sure you will be quite happy with it.

Doc

 

[baldtaco-II]

I have almost bought that knife a few times. You just saved me some $$, thanks :thumbup:

Mah pleasure amigo. Here's mine next to a #2

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

I was wondering why my ears were burning.








To me, it seems like a big clunky piece of steel. It seems more like a hammer than a knife. Now keep in mind, I haven't used it much at all.

So far, it seems to cut fairly well for its bulky size. It's probably bomb-proof and that's a feature I greatly value.

However, the handle slabs suck, IMHO. Although not much different in dimensions than my Machax, there's a world of difference in feel. I love the slabs on my Machax - different material, for one thing.

I can't say, at this point, that there's anything wrong with the fit and finish, or the ability to cut. I'm ambivalent because there maybe some things I'll learn to love about it, I just haven't found them yet. At the time kgd and I worked a deal on the BK-7, I also had the BK-2 for sale. When it didn't sell, I was kind of glad because I thought I should give it a better try. I haven't so far. Too many other knives I like better.

This is only how it relates to me, I know a lot of other people really love theirs, dawsonbob, for example. Different strokes.......

One other thing for you guys to consider. I'm no knife expert. I make do with whatever I have.

If the only knife I had was the BK-2, it would be fine, hard on my back , but fine.

So, I guess, my ambivalence isn't due to some hidden shortcoming of the knife. What you see is what you get. If the weight, dimensions, etc. are to your liking, I'm sure you will be quite happy with it.

Doc

Yeah....but what do you mean? I mean, what are you getting at really? Hmmmmm?

 

[Gadgetaholic]

Becker BK-7. So glad I offloaded it to a rum-soaked forum member .

So, what is so bad about the BK-7.

I am a little unsure of mine - I kinda think that I would rather take my BK-9 as a better chopper & batoner and my carbon Mora as a better utility knife. The only thing is that I think the BK-7 is a really good knife and if I was going to take only one fixed blade it would be the BK-7. I guess I view it as my compromise knife for when I try to get one knife to do everything - but I always take several knives camping so I don't really need the compromise.

I don't really have any knives I don't like, but I kinda wonder if I should sell a couple and upgrade.

I have an Endura 4 which is a nice knife, but I wouldn't mind going to an Endura with G-10 scales & FFG blade - the sabre grind works OK, but I just like the FFG more.

I have an Ontario Rugged Gear 9" total length knife that I bought on my first order from knifecenter - it is not a bad knife with a full tang for decent strength. But the handle isn't overly comfortable in my hand and the steel is only average. It only cost $15 but I prefer my Mora knives which cost less.

 

[dawsonbob]

I was wondering why my ears were burning.

To me, it seems like a big clunky piece of steel. It seems more like a hammer than a knife. Now keep in mind, I haven't used it much at all.

So far, it seems to cut fairly well for its bulky size. It's probably bomb-proof and that's a feature I greatly value.

However, the handle slabs suck, IMHO. Although not much different in dimensions than my Machax, there's a world of difference in feel. I love the slabs on my Machax - different material, for one thing.

I can't say, at this point, that there's anything wrong with the fit and finish, or the ability to cut. I'm ambivalent because there maybe some things I'll learn to love about it, I just haven't found them yet. At the time kgd and I worked a deal on the BK-7, I also had the BK-2 for sale. When it didn't sell, I was kind of glad because I thought I should give it a better try. I haven't so far. Too many other knives I like better.

This is only how it relates to me, I know a lot of other people really love theirs, dawsonbob, for example. Different strokes.......

One other thing for you guys to consider. I'm no knife expert. I make do with whatever I have.

If the only knife I had was the BK-2, it would be fine, hard on my back , but fine.

So, I guess, my ambivalence isn't due to some hidden shortcoming of the knife. What you see is what you get. If the weight, dimensions, etc. are to your liking, I'm sure you will be quite happy with it.

Doc

Being serious for a moment, Doc, it is "a big clunky piece of steel."

Oddly, though, that's one of the things I like about it: it's a big, clunky piece of steel with style, a certain something that appeals to me. Yes, you probably could use it as a hammer if you needed to, since the darned thing is almost indestructible.

But, as you said, it cuts surprisingly well for such a hefty piece of steel. I've managed to do some surprisingly delicate work with it, things I wouldn't have believed it would do before I got it.

But, as much as I love mine, I'll be the first to admit that it's not for everyone — no knife is. Knives truly are individual things: what makes one knife perfect for one person, makes that same knife junk to another.

Personally, I think that the BK-2 is probably the best knife of its kind on the market, certainly at its price point, but that's just me. The thing about a knife — any knife — is that it is a personal thing, something that you either like, or you don't.

Since I'm an old guy myself, with bad legs, to boot, I do think about weight. But the BK-2 is only a pound, and I feel that the weight is worth it to me.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

When they first came out I was jonesing for a Buck-Strider Solution 888. I would search the Internet for cool images, save them and use them as my wallpaper.

Back then I had little money for knives so it was through another forumite's Magnanimity that he agreed to trade it to me for like four CRKT's or something. I was so happy! I think I even accidentally called my wife Buck 888 once .

So I go to use it. I felt like I was using a piece of hardwood flooring for a handle. Who could use this knife as their main user? Anyway I traded it off and get a higher value knife for it so it wasn't really a huge regret.

 

[TheGame]

I have never been unhappy with a knife purchase that I expected to like. There are a few cheapies I bought just to trash on for the fun of it, and they were crap. But I was not expecting much out of them.

 

[g123]

One man's great knife is one man least favorite. That's why the make a lot of different types.

I dislike all knives with a thick blade profile right behind the edge.

Geoff

 

[pitdog]

I think most of us would agree that once we've spent our hard earned cash on a knife, we are going to have a tendency to be biased towards it...

So in contrast, what knife have you spent your cash on that you will now admit you don't like, wish you had never spent your money on and would NOT recommend?

For me it's the Blackjack Grunt, the current Chinese model. I had seen the original before, saw the new China version for a whole $25 shipped and figured it would be cool to check out. It has a zero edge convex grind, how bad can it be? Really bad as it turns out. What a POS. To think I could of had a couple more Mora's instead

Hey buddy what is that you don't like about the Grunt ? I have the older made in Japan version and really like it.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

So, what is so bad about the BK-7.

I am a little unsure of mine - I kinda think that I would rather take my BK-9 as a better chopper & batoner and my carbon Mora as a better utility knife. The only thing is that I think the BK-7 is a really good knife and if I was going to take only one fixed blade it would be the BK-7. I guess I view it as my compromise knife for when I try to get one knife to do everything - but I always take several knives camping so I don't really need the compromise.

That's what I like - somebody that answers their own question.

First of all I'm not, normally, a big fan of 6 and 7" knives. They don't chop well (for me) and they're larger than what I like for finer work. Remember, all these things are subjective. This is just my take.

The handles scales suffer from the same drawback as the BK-2 in my opinion. The one I had was made by Camillus, but that really had nothing to do with it.

I should have mentioned in the BK-2 post, that I also don't like coated blades. My RC-3 was coated and with the aid of a bit of sandpaper, met a timely end -the coating, that is.

I guess to be fair, although I'm coming off as a Becker Basher, I really would like to get a BK-9, a Brute, BK-3 and a Tac Tool. However, financial reality preempts this. , at least at the moment.

Anyway, don't be put off by my opinions, they really are only important to me.

Doc

 

[dawsonbob]

That's what I like - somebody that answers their own question.

First of all I'm not, normally, a big fan of 6 and 7" knives. They don't chop well (for me) and they're larger than what I like for finer work. Remember, all these things are subjective. This is just my take.

The handles scales suffer from the same drawback as the BK-2 in my opinion. The one I had was made by Camillus, but that really had nothing to do with it.

I should have mentioned in the BK-2 post, that I also don't like coated blades. My RC-3 was coated and with the aid of a bit of sandpaper, met a timely end -the coating, that is.

I guess to be fair, although I'm coming off as a Becker Basher, I really would like to get a BK-9, a Brute, BK-3 and a Tac Tool. However, financial reality preempts this. , at least at the moment.

Anyway, don't be put off by my opinions, they really are only important to me.

Doc

And to many others, too. I — and a lot of other people — always respect your opinions, Doc, because they're generally well considered and well stated.

I always learn from your posts.

 

[hiwa]

Some were highly over-rated, and some I just didn't like after owning them for a while.

Ontario Kraton Pilot's survival knife was one. Bends easily , clumsy handle , over-sized guards and mediocre steel.

A Gerber zytel-handled (420HC ?) drop point was ho-hum. 1990's era. Sold it for what I paid for it.

Cold steel true flight thrower. ( although I regret getting rid of it sometimes. ) I think it was an older carbon 5 unit. Handle produced blisters when hacking.

A couple of Taylor Schrades. Yup...they have crappy steel . Never could get them to stay sharp , my good sharpening skills notwithstanding.

That's about it. Everything else seems to have been useful , comfortable, and valuable. Although now , I deliberate a lot longer and research on what to buy ,Thanks to help from you guys !!

 

[EDCguy]

RC-4. The handle had alot of hot spots. I also think it was too expensive.