Overrated knives

I just feel that the Sebenza is a bit overrated. Don't get me wrong, the Sebenza is an awesome knife but it does have some flaws, such as the pointy thumb stud. That thing hurts! All the Reeves have to do is to just round it off a bit and that would solve that problem. Or put a disc or something instead of the stud. The soft Titanium handles are begging to be scratched. What's up with the bead blasting finish on the handles anyway? Don't tell me that it helps in gripping the handles, that's a bunch of BS. Why not put some kind of scratch resistant coating on the handles? The handles aren't very ergonomic. Other than that, the Sebenza is a fine knife. The Sebenza is just so awesome that people are willing to put up with these flaws. And yes, I do have a Sebenza. Some one said something about the coins dulling the blades on the Umfaan. That actually does make sense, I never really realized that until I read that.
 
Hi all!

Just couldn't keep my mouth (fingers??) quiet here
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Mr Burke says that he doesn't like BM ats-34 'cuz he had amongst his BM two butterflies (bali-songs) to my knowledge the production balis had sandvik steel, NOT ats-34, of course it might have been custom made balis.

As a total bali freak i couldn't let this pass unnoticed...
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Be well!/Jonas aka 2Sharp

"May all your detonations be expected"

The coolest bar in the world: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/8373/index.html

[This message has been edited by 2Sharp (edited 06-02-2000).]
 
My biggest disappointment was a Buck 120 that I purchased 5 years ago. My other Bucks are early 70's vintage when they used 440C. The new buck is made of recycled Coke cans as far as I can tell. Doesn't hold an edge very well at all. 420 yuck!!!
 
Read carefully 2sharp. I said "I can't sharpen either folder worth a darn". Both of these blades were stamped ATS-34. Maybe it was unclear in context that I wasn't referring to the butterflies as folders. I know the balis are 12C7. Interestingly, one of them is a model 44 (the 4" tanto) and it gets super sharp easily. The other is a model 69 (3" weehawk), and I can't sharpen it at all. Makes you wonder about BM's heat-treat.
 
Emanym Ton,
make sure you don't confuse Frost Knives, - the home-shopping junk that you got suckered into buying (certainly no BF members advised you on that purchase) with Frost's Knives, which are fixed-blade, usually blue handled working knives made in Sweden. They are generally regarded here as high quality at a good price, and are used the world over by folks that depend on a good knife in their work - like commercial fishermen, etc.
 
I guess I'd rate "overrated" in terms of return rates. So, the hands down "overrated" knife in current production from our perspective is the Paul Chen Starship-a product of questionable quality. We experienced a nearly 50% return rate and had to discontinue it to stop the bloodshed. Please understand I'm not attacking Paul Chen's products in general. I consider his Chinese made Katanas and other swords to be exceptional. Only the Starship gets the elbow from us.

Second place would belong to the Benchmade 705 series which had enough returns to warrant discontinuation by us as well. It's a well made knife but many people (including me) consider the Axis lock too big physically for the knife overall and that's what seems to cause the high return rate. Well made but with a single design flaw in my opinion. Again I'm not against the Axis lock, just the little version of the knife without a downsized version of the lock.

In contrast to some of the people above, we consider the Emerson Commander to be well "rated" with a very low return rate. It may a little pricey when compared to some of its competitors but it seems to be a good knife that hundreds of our customers have accepted, enjoyed and praised. The Chris Reeve Sebenza is "underrated" in my opinion. I suspect many of the people who think it's too expensive, haven't actually owned one. They are the best production knives in America in my opinion.
When you see 1000's of knives every month you get a pretty good feel for quality and value. The Sebenza is expensive to be sure but worth every nickel in my opinion. We've seen popular frame locks and liner locks wear out in fairly short order. That doesn't seem to happen to a Sebenza. OK, I admit it. I'm a fan. Take care.

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Fred
Knife Outlet
http://www.knifeoutlet.com
 
RH,
Good point! I did not know there was two similar names. As far as HSN I wouldn't say I got suckered cause I went pretty willingly...... EVERY post I read here said they were O*&_)&_)&_&__*(^#W^@#$ or worse but I didn't listen. I think they really misrepresent their knives on the show. They don't have anything that is recognizable to reference size and I think the two guys working it are Dwarves. When they held up these knives they looked normal sized and when I got them they are TINY. The overall quality is just garbage but in retrospect at least I didn't pay more than $2 for any ONE knife.......?????? Lesson well learned. I think maybe my screen name should be 'HeWhoDidNotListen'.

Back to the Emerson and Sebenza. I have to chime in again on those knives. Seems like a lot of concerns about these knives are personal preference and that can happen with any knife. My BM, Emerson, and Sebenza have an open back with no spacer and I just simply carry them in the opposite pocket from my change near my soft leather wallet if needed but that is rare and only when I don't want someone to notice. Otherwise it hangs in the ready position clipped on the pocket. I'm not educated enough about knives to understand the concern about the hollow vs chisel gring but have to say that my CQC7 is what I would carry to Hell and back! That knife moves so fluidly from one position to another it is scary and the G10 feels a bit rough but in a death grip really makes you feel secure. The Sebenza is simply perfection and I agree with all the positives here about it. Cool post and interesting views all around.
Shawn
 
Cold Steel, period.

Now, before any of you die-hard CS fans object, let me clarify. It's none of the rating criteria that any of the fellow forumites here give. The "over-rated" part comes from Lynn Thompson himself.

When the maker of the knife tells me that I can carve up engine blocks and still cut free-hanging rope, I'm skeptical. Then if he also tells me that I can hang from the handle and not bust the locking mechanism, I'm more skeptical.

When a video comes out that tries to give me "Proof" that the knives are indestructible, but the maker won't give me a warranty, I start thinking over-rated.

They are decent knives for the money, true. But over-rated also.
 
I'd like to make some more points about Sebenzas and Emersons. The Sebenza scales do scratch easily because they are bead blasted but bead blast finishes look better scratched than prettier finishes. The same is true for stone washed blade finishes. The plain Sebenza finish is great for a working knife.

I agree that Emersons are well made and tough knives. My complaint is that they are all chisel ground or modified chisel ground. This kind of grind can get razor sharp but it does not allow for precise cutting for activities like skinning or carving. I think that Emersons clip point knives would be better for utility, hunting, and camping if they can hollow grinds. That is why I say they are overrated as hard use knives. In a survival situation, the Military, SOCOM, or 710 Axis lock would be more versatile than Emerson's new utility model, the Mach One.
 
Any knife with a para cord wrapped handle is over-rated big time...yuk.

I have four Benchmades. Three I like/love. The latest a AFCK refuses to take an edge and the screws fixing the scales have come out and no longer hold. A much hyped knife: over-rated or a duff one?

All short (less than 4 inches), stockey thick blades are over-rated for cutting.
 
GREENJACKET,
A quick Q about your AFCK.

What are you using to sharpen it?

I had the same problem with mine for a long time. After I got tired of wearing out Arkansas stones on it, I went to the Lansky Diamond hone system. I finally got that much touted "hair poppin' sharp" edge on my AFCK with the Lansky. The edge, once established, lasts pretty long. I changed over to the Spyderco Sharpmaker 204 last year and have gotten the same great results as the Lansky, just with less set up hassle.
If you don't have one already, I highly recommend a Spyderco Sharpmaker 204, it will sharpen nearly everything you own that has a sharp edge.



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The individualist without strategy who takes opponents lightly will inevitably become the captive of others.
Sun Tzu
 
Miaque:
I use several:
DMT Large, block, red.
Spyderco, 6 inch, ceramic, ultra fine, white.
Gatco system, stone.
Several crock sticks, rods and stuff.
Piece of leather impregnated with chrome car polish.

The problem Benchmade will take an edge but only hold it for a minute. It just takes too much time for a user knife. I like my knives too sharp and most will hold for quite a while even after a bashing.
I have cutting knives - small thin bladed, and utility - take some punishment. This Benchmade was for the latter and is not doing well.

When I find the box it will be going back.
 
Miaque:
I use several:
DMT Large, block, red.
Spyderco, 6 inch, ceramic, ultra fine, white.
Gatco system, stone.
Several crock sticks, rods and stuff.
Piece of leather impregnated with chrome car polish.

The problem Benchmade will take an edge but only hold it for a minute. It just takes too much time for a user knife. I like my knives too sharp and most will hold for quite a while even after a bashing.
I have cutting knives - small thin bladed, and utility - take some punishment. This Benchmade was for the latter and is not doing well.

When I find the box it will be going back.
 
GREENJACKET: Assuming there is no user error, you must have gotten a lemon. I have an AFCK and use either the Sharpmaker 203 or my Razor's Edge kit on it and the edge is extremely sharp and holds it for a long time (I steel the blade almost every day though...) Are you sure you aren't producing a wire edge what is sharp but breaking off? If you are sure, assume you got a lemon. The AFCK in general is a great knife.

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"Come What May..."
 
Very interesting discussion into the various characteristics of the many different knives available on the market.

In reply to the post by KAJNIN, I would like to interject a few of my own comments.
We have tried every coating available and after several months of usage nothing looks better than sand blasted titanium. I do not know of any coating that will NOT wear off on corners, edges, etc.
As for the openness of the handle, this is a plus. The dirt that gets in is able to work its way out or for that matter it is easy to clean out. As for the coins, the Large and Small Sebenza come with pocket clips. The Umfaan comes with a pocket pouch and fits perfectly into the money pocket of your denims whether or not in the pouch. The knotted cord is used for quick and easy retrieval out of the pocket.
Regarding the ergonomics of the handle, we have tried our best with flat handles and are still working on improvements. There could be some interesting things to come in the future.
The thumb stud is designed to give better access to the thumb when opening the blade. It only hurts when used incorrectly. The opening motion is circular around the pivot screw; thus pushing down or into the blade is not necessary. That is what hurts your thumb. If you see me at a knife show, I would be happy to demonstrate the method I’m referring to.

Thank you for bringing up these points. It allows me the opportunity to join in the discussion and hopefully everyone is wiser. That’s what this Bladeforum is all about.

Chris
 
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