Quartermaster QTR-3 Hamilton "Face" Peck

A

armyguy41

Joined
Oct 17, 2011
Messages
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I have read recently alot of things about Quartermaster knives, some good mostly about them being rip-offs of Mantis knives. I actually contacted them by email and what I received in return was an email stating that they were not an off shoot of Mantis, but they did consult with their owner. Many things can be assumed or said about this, but reguardless I purchased their QTR-3 knife from Knifeworks for $73.99 + shipping. I was concerned none the less after buying as to what I would receive, I was pleasently surprised. The knife came in a very nice box and is quite heavy for such a small knife. Weighting in at 6.5 oz vs. 8.25 oz that my ZT301 weights.

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As you can see the knife is much smaller, sporting a 2.75" blade that is 3/16" thick. This thing is basically a brick!

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The fit and finish are actually fairly good, there is no play in the blade at all. The lock engages the blade early and is unwavering. The handle is blocky, yet somewhat comfortable to hold.

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It states USA made and is supposed to be CPM154 steel hardened to 59-60RC. The blade is not marked as such. I did however sharpen it, what I found was that using a diamond stone the sharpening produced a black powdery substance. This is very similar to the Graham Razael I had in CPM154. I also noticed the steel was very hard and did not sharpen easy, but took a very keen edge.

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I cannot say for sure if they are a rip off company or legit just making mall-ninja type blades. One thing I do know it is solid and bulky and it is kinda growing on me. As too the ball bearing pivot, it is very smooth with no, absolute no play in any direction. I guess my next purchase is going to be the Hannibal. We will have to wait and see.
 
Hmm, I wish I could get into these knives if they are telling the truth about not having any Mantis affiliation. I am curious though, most knife companies are started by custom/semi custom makers who then make production versions of their knives. If they consulted what's-his-face about designing knives, what did they do before making knives? These are obviously not lightly influenced by Mantis, they are a complete line from them by the way they look.

I wish them all the best if they truly aren't Mantis affiliated. Hopefully they can figure out how to make a knife lighter, and less fantasy looking in the future. I like their price point, I like the CPM154 (if it's true), I like the thrust bearings, and I like that they are USA Made. I really don't like the designs though. Too heavy and way, way to weird looking.

I also noticed you said, "...somewhat comfortable to hold."

Can you elaborate? Any hot spots? For me, in folders, a big, chunky knife has a trade off. Weight and size of carry. On the other hand, every big, chunky, heavy knife I can think of that's any good is very, very comfortable to hold. For me to carry a knife that big, it needs to be pretty darn comfy and allow for extended periods of use.

I enjoyed the review, maybe you can add a bit more to it after some good usage (unless you have already used it alot since you sharpened it already).
 
Thanks for the nice review. These are interesting given the price, US manufacturing, and materials - but they look uncomfortable and are a little too far out there for me. If they tone it down and make something where form follows function I'd definitely be more interested.
 
I call BS on the "not an offshoot of Mantis" line. Even KnifeCenter calls them a US-manufactured line by Mantis. They have the exact same look and same goofy marketing (A-Team names and L33T 5P34K? c'mon!) so given Mantis' history shady half-truths and outright lies I find it hard to take this new company at their word. Just my opinion, of course, and there's the chance that I'm totally wrong, but I doubt it.
 
I completely agree on the Mantis connection, as I mentioned in my review the email I received from them mentioned contacting Mantis' owner for ideas. I guess what intrigued me more was the materials they were made of. I will post pics later but the edge has held up quite well and the only comfortable position that I have found is a 'pistol' grip with the index finger runnning along the spine. I will say that it is too bulky in a small knife. If it had a 4" blade and 5" handle then ok. So overall usefullness in a small blade in nil.
 
I get the same black residue from sharpening AUS8, as well as the cheap stainless on kitchen knives. I doubt that you are getting CPM154, I mean it's Mantis we are talking about. These are the same people that supposedly shipped an endless supply of S60Vw (440V) overseas for knives that were costing $30-$60 each. I guess they finally realized what everyone was telling them, S60V had veeb out of circulation for a while then. Different paint job, same ugly ass designs, made by a lying sack of poop. :thumbdn:
 
What are you supposed to do with a 3/16" blade on a small folder? Beat whatever you're trying to cut in to submission?
 
It's not really the thickness that bothers me so much as the grind. That edge has to be pretty thick. I like the look of a fat bladed folder, but I still want it to slice well. I'd like to get one of A.G. Russell's Sunfish, which has a 3.3" blade that's .233" thick, but it's also ffg.
 
RevDevil said:
I get the same black residue from sharpening AUS8, as well as the cheap stainless on kitchen knives. I doubt that you are getting CPM154, I mean it's Mantis we are talking about. These are the same people that supposedly shipped an endless supply of S60Vw (440V) overseas for knives that were costing $30-$60 each. I guess they finally realized what everyone was telling them, S60V had veeb out of circulation for a while then. Different paint job, same ugly ass designs, made by a lying sack of poop. :thumbdn:
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Never heard so much crap together.I incredible knives, high quality, nothing to do with mantis, if not for the designe stravaganti.Acciaio 154 cpm safe, even from my tests .... Just shoot empty bullshit ... thank you
 
I experienced firsthand the crap that was the Pit Boss and Tough Tony "440V". I was able to repro file the edge back about 10° on my Sharpmaker brown... I had a harder time with AUS-8...

My Murdock, on the other hand, was a complete b**** to take back about 10° inclusive. I call BS on CPM154 being easier to grind, but I gotta dispute that claim... It was no easier.

The Murdock (and nearly every Quartermaster design) are an eyesore, but the handles are comfy for my hands (shockingly no hotspots, I really expected a lot), and the f&f is good for the price. I don't want to like them, but just like with all knives I don't want to like or do want to like, quality is quality, and I calls em as I sees em.
 
Well...dammit...I found one of these for a great price at The Bay, so... :D Should be here today or tomorrow. I still don't think it's gonna be a great slicer with that thick geometry, but we'll see. ;) The Murdock cuts a lot better than I thought it would, so you never know.
 
Came in today. Love it. Like my other two current QM's, it came razor sharp, locks up early and solid, Orb bearings are smooth and fast, F&F are excellent. Like other QM knives, this one is waaaay more comfortable to hold than it looks. I still don't know how they do that. :D The steel behind the edge isn't nearly as thick as I thought it would be either. It's still a thick, low saber grind, but I get the feeling it's gonna cut far better than I originally thought. Despite the rocky start I had with them, Quartermaster continues to impress me. :thumbup::cool:

A couple of quick and dirty phone pics:
 

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curtor said:
Never heard so much crap together.I incredible knives, high quality, nothing to do with mantis, if not for the designe stravaganti.Acciaio 154 cpm safe, even from my tests .... Just shoot empty bullshit ... thank you
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What did you just say...
 
Since this got bumped, I'll update a little bit. The main impediment to cutting with this knife is not the blade grind or thickness but the fact that all four thumb studs are directly over the half of the cutting edge closest to the handle. Basically, if you try to use the part of the edge just in front of the handle, the thumb studs hit whatever medium you're cutting and stop the blade. Also, if you try to make a "whittling" type cut with that area of the blade, the studs hit the medium being cut before the edge can bite in (I have mine at about 15* per side with a 20* micro). The knife opens very well with just the flipper, though, so I removed both sets of studs. Much better now. I think QM would do well to get rid of the studs on this model and put the same type of opening cutout in the blade that the Murdock has. :thumbup:
 
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