Question for Medford Praetorian owners.....

[WadeWilson]

I'm not trying to start any more trouble in this thread, but I agree to a point with Blues Bender. I really really wanted to like Medford knives. I bought one direct from Greg in person and had some good conversation with him. After some use I found the design to be a little more form than function. That's NOT to say it can't be used or is a piece of junk, but I found it more difficult to use than more functional designs. I sold my first Praetorian T and eventually traded two high end knives for another Praetorian T, trying again to really like it. I just can't though. I believe the price for the materials is far too high, and the fact that the warranty is void if you take it apart doesn't sit right with me. I love the design though, and Gizzler00's pics make me want to try a Medford for a third time.

In summary here's my opinion. The Praetorian isn't a special groundbreaking knife design. The materials are fairly common nowadays and the price just doesn't match with them. I believe it can be used hard and stand up to it, but it may be a little more cumbersome to use than other designs. That's just my personal opinion though, and not hard facts.

Completely agree with all this. To me, and please take this with a grain of salt, Medford's knives are almost all form over function. They look tough and overbuilt and I'm sure they're plenty tough. I've handled one only once and it just didn't do it for me. I mean, it was nice enough. Don't get me wrong. But for the price I just couldn't see myself purchasing something like that.

Also, I've read multiple time that Greg Medford isn't really a knife guy himself. That he doesn't really carry a knife and just likes to make them. If that's wrong, please let me know and I'll retract my statement, but that just sits weird with me. And I've seen a handful of videos of him and the guy just seems... I dunno. He made some really off colored remarks about groups of people and that doesn't sit well with me. And I know there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding a number of knife makers so I don't want it to look like I'm singling out. But the topics is Medford so I'm just saying.

This may not mean anything to Medford owners but that's just my take on it. But who am I? Just a guy on the Internet.

 

[10after10]

I'm trying to understand this: why can't you easily open it one-handed after a month?

It's not broken in.

 

[wjswiger]

I've owned two Medfords.....sold both. The knives was great....not worth the price......but Greg Medford, in particular, rubs me the wrong way. I've dealt with him personally, and I wasn't impressed. I'm sure there will be people to contradict my view, but that is my two cents.

 

[10after10]

Medfords aren't anything special, I'm sure plenty of people use theirs... You said you found a used one, so that should have answered your question to begin with...

Many people aren't too fond of Medford here on BF for certain reasons, so you probably won't get too many responses.

And you said I wouldn't get too many responses :excitement:

 

[Gizler00]

Gizler00, I'm a total sucker for black & orange. You have a real nice knife, in MY humble opinion.

Thanks! I also really love orange and black together.

Those are some great pics of a knife that looks relieved to be "out in the wild!" How did you manage to score that magnificent black and orange beast? LOL.

Thanks!! Haha. Love it so far. Thanks again friend.

 

[Gizler00]

Completely agree with all this. To me, and please take this with a grain of salt, Medford's knives are almost all form over function. They look tough and overbuilt and I'm sure they're plenty tough. I've handled one only once and it just didn't do it for me. I mean, it was nice enough. Don't get me wrong. But for the price I just couldn't see myself purchasing something like that.

Also, I've read multiple time that Greg Medford isn't really a knife guy himself. That he doesn't really carry a knife and just likes to make them. If that's wrong, please let me know and I'll retract my statement, but that just sits weird with me. And I've seen a handful of videos of him and the guy just seems... I dunno. He made some really off colored remarks about groups of people and that doesn't sit well with me. And I know there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding a number of knife makers so I don't want it to look like I'm singling out. But the topics is Medford so I'm just saying.

This may not mean anything to Medford owners but that's just my take on it. But who am I? Just a guy on the Internet.

Great points, and I can see where you are coming from. There have been a few knives that I was not into or just did not feel right. We are all entitled to our own opinions and likes/dislikes. I can see where someone might get that this knife is more form over function. Its like I said earlier, this knife reminds me of the BK2. Overbuilt prybar, that can still perform most cutting tasks very well. Well at least so far in my short period of ownership.

I also can understand the negative feelings towards Greg. He is a say what he feels kind of guy. Some people like him, some people hate him. Kind of like DPX and RYP. He did some shady things that made a lot of people hate him, but I liked his design of the Hest/f. Its a great knife with great customer service and warranty.

I just hope that Medford turns out to be the same thing for me. A great knife with a great warranty and customer service regardless of who is behind the company.

I have talked to Greg on the phone once and exchanged messages multiple times so far in the last few weeks. So far he has been there for advice and to answer any questions that I needed regarding my recent purchase.

 

[WadeWilson]

Well said, Gizler00. People are all over the place with knives, makers, designs, etc. it's what makes this community awesome in my opinion and keeps me coming back with this filthy addiction that I always throw my money at. At the end of the day we all like to buy what we like and hope we get quality products, whether custom or production.

PS: I've had a DPX HEST/F lefty for a couple years now. Love the crap out of that thing.

 

[Gizler00]

Well said, Gizler00. People are all over the place with knives, makers, designs, etc. it's what makes this community awesome in my opinion and keeps me coming back with this filthy addiction that I always throw my money at. At the end of the day we all like to buy what we like and hope we get quality products, whether custom or production.

PS: I've had a DPX HEST/F lefty for a couple years now. Love the crap out of that thing.

Agreed, awesome knife. I will pick another one up sooner or later. Maybe a mil spec.

 

[JR88FAN]

That's what all of our voices are on this forum, and that's what really makes it nice. All of us can share opinions, and while some people will be a little more vocal about their opinion, and it might not sit well with others here, they are still our opinions and are (hopefully) all grounded in some form of factual starting point.

Thanks for the input as well, because I had a similar issue with Medford, though I have never owned one myself. I have a good friend who collects with me and he had a chance to get one here locally, and let me play with it for a few days as well. While the knife looks cool, and it seems like it is well-made, in my opinion the knife was not really designed to be a knife.
At the very least, the cutting aspect of it's performance seems to be a secondary thought in the design. Sure, it looks tough, but they design really isn't that much stronger (except the thickness of the blade) than many other knives I have owned and used in the past, many of which are cheaper and all of which cut better.

It's not a worthless, useless, pointless, or factually bad knife, and it obviously has it's fans for a reason, but I am not one of them, and I have my own reasons for that as well.
The great thing is that there is a whole world of knives for all of us, and that world is still getting bigger...sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse. It all depends on what you are willing to buy, what your tastes are, and who is making the knife you want.

I would love to have a Medford that was designed with thinner blade stock, a lighter handle, and possibly a little better overall geometry for the blade, but that is not their MO.

There is a difference between an opinion of a knife based on either your experience or taste, vs just throwing out baseless statement's as fact. (Opinion above, thank you)

I love opinions on this forum. It's a great way to learn, however I prefer opinions based on something tangible.

There are a lot of knives I don't like, but unless I have tried them and can explain in a logical way what I find as issues, I would prefer to keep my biases to myself.

They would help nobody, and contribute nothing.

 

[Gizler00]

There is a difference between an opinion of a knife based on either your experience or taste, vs just throwing out baseless statement's as fact. (Opinion above, thank you)

I love opinions on this forum. It's a great way to learn, however I prefer opinions based on something tangible.

There are a lot of knives I don't like, but unless I have tried them and can explain in a logical way what I find as issues, I would prefer to keep my biases to myself.

They would help nobody, and contribute nothing.

Spot on. I try to never make a judgement or develop an opinion on a knife unless I have had it in my possession, and was able to run it through some basic testing over time.

Sure I could give initial impressions and thoughts based on a picture or specs but that would be like me giving a full test drive review on a vehicle that I have never driven. Just looked at pictures and specs.

 

[Gizler00]

And you said I wouldn't get too many responses :excitement:

Do you have any pics of your Praetorian? Curious to see what it looks like after some use. Mine already looks as if I have been carrying it for a few months. The G10 has a black haze on it and the DLC coating it rubbed off from some moderate use. I will try to get a pic.

 

[Gizler00]

Here are a few pics from today. This is after two days of using it for everything from some food prep, opening boxes, breaking down boxes, some light wood processing. Just usual everyday stuff. The G10 is dirty because 5 minutes after I got the knife, I picked it up with a Greasy glove I was using in the auto shop.

 

[10after10]

Do you have any pics of your Praetorian? Curious to see what it looks like after some use. Mine already looks as if I have been carrying it for a few months. The G10 has a black haze on it and the DLC coating it rubbed off from some moderate use. I will try to get a pic.

I'll post some next week. Out of town at the moment.