Question on MercWorx knives:

sixfeetdeep

sixfeetdeep

Joined
Feb 1, 2004
Messages
817
Hello, I have tried to do a search & I found out that the search feature has been turned off for basic & visiting members. I purchased the gold member level but I am waiting for it to be activated.....

I am interested in buying a MercWorx Lachesis or the Atropos. They have a BG-42 blade on them. Being kind of new here, I am not sure how good of a blade this material makes. I have several other knives with the S30V blade & I love them. I would just like to know how BG-42 compares to the S30V & what I can expect from the blade & MercWorx.

How well will the blade hold an edge for a while under light/medium use?

Is the BG-42 blade able to be re-sharpened without much of a hassle?

Do they have any warranties with there knives? I haven't been able to find anything on this...

Can you send the knife back into the factory to have them re-sharpen it like Benchmade or Spyderco?


Anything else that you guys can tell me about these knives, I would really appreciate it.

THANKS!
 
BG42 is probably my favorite stainless steel. I like it even better than S30V. Sharpening ease? Well, it's not something you want to do with your Grandfather's old soft washita stones. :) I think average Rockwell hardness on BG42 is 60 or so. Sometimes, higher. Diamond hones are the way to go.
 
sixfeetdeep, I don't know about Mercworx, but Chris Reeve made his Sebenzas from BG-42 for years, before he got involved in developing S30V, and uses that steel now.

BG-42 is good stuff. It will take and hold a great edge. Just remember that the edge depends as much on blade geometry and heat treat as it does on the steel used. Of course, any steel that holds an edge well is correspondingly hard to resharpen when it does go dull, so the drill is to maintain that edge before it gets totally useless.

You can do a great job maintaining the edge with a Spyderco Sharpmaker.
 
BG-42 is one of my favorite steels for a great working knife for me. I am having "Easy Marlowe" making me one right now.
 
Originally posted by Esav Benyamin
Of course, any steel that holds an edge well is correspondingly hard to resharpen when it does go dull, so the drill is to maintain that edge before it gets totally useless.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much it, but I think that higher-chrome knives are harder to sharpen than lower-chrome knives when both are at about the same Rc level. The edge on M2-steeled Benchmades lasts as long or longer than the edge on my D2-steeled Benchmades, yet M2 is easier to sharpen (on a Sharpmaker, at least).
 
If you like S30V you'll like BG-42. I find it difficult to tell the difference.

If I were you I'd wait for that gold membership to kick in and do some searching on Mercworx before buying. At that price point you could be looking at some really smooth customs or really tough Striders.
 
The folders are made by Brad Duncan, so if you like him you'll probably like the knives.
 
Thank you so far for all of the info that everyone on here has provided me with. I have not seen one up close & I obviously then haven't handled one. I just like the looks of it & was wondering if anyone else had the knife & what they thought of it. Especially the Lachesis.

This is going to be one of my first "custom" knife & maybe I'm making a mistake by going with this knife. I have done a search & haven't really come up with much on them. I spoke with Nigel @ MercWorx & he answered all of my questions reguarding these knives. Still, this is alot of $$$$$ to be plopping down for a knife.
Seeing that no-one else seems to have this knife or very few people do....maybe I can be one of the first & give you all my review of it????
I have mostly dealt with Benchmade, Spyderco, Protech, Kershaw & Microtech knives. I have had a few Masters Of Defense knives but they were ALL garbage!:barf: ...the M.O.D's that is....I'm just in the mood to try out something more of a higher end knife.

Maybe I'll be happy, maybe I'll be kicking myself in the rear....not to sure yet. :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Originally posted by jbravo
The folders are made by Brad Duncan, so if you like him you'll probably like the knives.
Click to expand...

finally I know. so does brad still make his custom line of knives? is Mercworx considered custom since it is made by Brad Duncan only right? if they are true customs, the 400 pricepoint is ok, but perhaps they should use S30V instead of BG42 to make it more economically attractive.
 
Save yourself some money and aggravation and buy one of Mike Obenauf's knives. You can thank me later.

Dennis
 
There are alot of great custom makers that make excellent knives for the price of the Mercworx. And you will be more satisfied, go custom with the same blade steel.
 
the Mercworx are custom.

I have never seen one up close, so I truely can't comment on the quality.

If Brad is making the knives, my guess is they are very well done. I have handled some of brad's knives in the past. He makes a nice, clean knife.

I know he has had a couple of run-ins with folks on this and other forums. So some people will try to persuade you to avoid Brad on that fact.

I met Brad at Blade a couple of times. He was always freindly and personable. His knives were well designed and well made. I think you would be happy with one of his knives.

And yes, there are other custom knives in this price range as well. Mike O was listed, and I love his knives. His would be my choice if I had to decide between one of those and a mercwerx. His prices are good, and Mike is a good friend. Great guy to talk to.

I think at the price point you are looking at, there are many good customs out there. If you like the mercwerx desings, go for it. I think you will be happy. Also, take a look at other makers before you decide. That is a big jump in price going from BM and Spydercos to Custom. Take the advice from someone who did it years ago, and do your homework. Buy a design you like in the materials you want from an established and respected maker/company. If you are going to take the plunge, take it all the way. I decided to buy from up-and-coming makers who weren't established for my first customs. The knives weren't bad, but they weren't really what I wanted. I would have done better by saving to get exactly what I wanted in the first place.

As far as BG42, a lot of people in the industry really love it. The problem (as i heard) is that BG42 is only available in extremely large quantities. Most makers can't afford to buy the minimum amount for their own use. That is why it is not more common. From what I understad, Bg42 is a hard steel to beat.

Do your homework and buy what you like.

JR
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top