The worst knife you have?

F

Foilist

Joined
Dec 20, 2004
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3,863
I don't necessarily mean the cheapest (my ten dollar Mora is great), but the one that has the lousiest quality or poorest design.

I recently came across this Gerber EZ Out Jr. which I forgot I had. Plastic handle, semi-serrated blade, poor steel, awkward to open. I bought it years ago before I became knowledgable about knife quality or developed my own preferences.
 
Toss up between a Gerber Santiam for poor quality materials and lock, and a Muela Mirage for the most ridiculous tang design I have ever seen in a medium to large fixed blade. I was told it was full tang when I bought it and then discovered it was about a quarter tang shoved into a hollow cast iron hollow handle with some crappy welding, talk about cheap! What is worse is that they charge a price which would make you think it was a decent quality knife, last time I ever buy from a manufacturer without a solid reputation.
 
Funny you should mention the Gerber EZ Out Jr. I was examining the one lying around at my house yesterday and wondering how a formerly well thought of firm like Gerber could make such a piece of junk.

It belonged to my son until I traded a Spyderco Native for it so that he would have a decent knife. I was trying to decide whether to pitch the Gerber in the garbage or keep it for scraping paint, gouging out old grout, etc.
 
I do own a handful of really terrible gas station-ish knives that I got as gifts at some point. But if you' re talking knives from actual known manufacturers than I guess I' d have to say the Gerber Paraframe. That thing literally fell apart when using:p
 
A little folding knife ordered from an ad in the back of a comic book over 40 years ago. Two for $1.98, still have one of them.

Ric
 
Hey, I didn't find BFC till 2007, Do I have to pick just one? :D

I have a tactical shop knife I call Frankenstein that had a broken pivot, which I replaced with a Bolt and Nut. Grade 2, (easy to up grade, to a grade 5, 8, etc. for combat conditions :D) 7/16 hex on both ends with zero blade wobble, good lock up and smooth to open. :D

JT: don't go copying my design. :D:D:D
 
Well it seems to be a good design, even with the partially serrated edge. It's well made. Fit and finish is very good. Very ergonomic except it's too heavey. Sheath is outstanding. But my Gerber LMF in Coyote tan never fails to disappoint. Takes a crummy edge. I have it convexed now and it works. It's my trunk knife. If that thing were made of decent steel, I think it would be great...or maybe heat treated properly. I have no idea what steel it is as with nearly all Gerber products.

I have two Gerber EZ Outs and they've fallen out of rotation in favor of Spyderco but those seem to be pretty good to me. I am happy with them. I divested of Gerber a couple years ago and won't buy another one unless I find one of those '70s era models with the Armourhide grips and that crazy tool steel they used to make them out of. I think maybe it was the model 400 or something like that. That is, in contrast, a grail knife for me.
 
the smkw gift knife that came with my first run BK16. It didn't last long after meeting Mr. Bernz-O...

kw7.jpg
 
I have a "friend" that buys knives off the late night shopping channels.

He's always bragging about the deals he gets, and gloats knowing the kind of money I invest in my knives.

Of course they're crap, poor design and lousy materials.

I charge him the same to sharpen his knives as I do any others, the difference is he comes back much more frequently; the money he spends keeping an edge on those cheap knives could buy him a real knife.




Big Mike
 
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Most of my knives Ive used growing up were crap... being 440A stainless that is. I've had multiple folders and fishing bait knives all made of 440. I hate em so much, I wont even buy 440C blades to this day(even though 440C isnt that bad from what I hear). Any knife that cant hold an edge or easily bends out of shape is the worst kind of knife.

Oh and a folder I bought at the gas station not too long ago... it looked pretty cool and they had a selection for $10 each. After little use, the edge is gone(probably 440A!) and the handle is loosening up, with no way to tighten it back. It served me as my fishing knife for about two trips.
 
My worst would be a knock-off of the AGR one hand folder that came in a lot buy. Doesn't open for crap, and closes about the same. I can't say what the steel is like because I would never, ever try to use it or carry it. I'm thinking about destroying it in effigy as I really like all my real A G Russells.
 
I thought about this and I can't say I've ever had a truly "bad" knife. The worst would probably be the first real knife I bought, a Gerber Steadfast. 440A steel, kind of gimmicky handle shape complete with annoying useless choil and guard, but it's still a decent knife. I batoned the hell out of that thing for a couple years, with no regard to how twisted or knotty the wood was, because I didn't know any better. It held up find, and it's a hidden tang. Since I've had better knives I don't use it much anymore, except occasionally to split firewood at the house. The handle design just prevents it from being pleasurable to use for normal knife chores, and it needs to be reprofiled to be a good cutter anyways (way too thick & obtuse at the edge).

I once had a paraframe. I actually liked that knife, though when I had it I'd never experienced anything like a Spyderco or Benchmade. I only had it a month or two before I lost it.
 
Smith and Wesson Extreme Option - You get what you pay for... $19.00 for marginal steel and unforgivable blade play
 
Aside from cheap no-brand junk, Gerber seems to be making the worst knives. Sounds like they have the "Worst Value" title locked up.
 
My sister knows I like knives, but she has no idea what a good knife is. S she bought me of my birthday one of those cheap china knives with John Wane on it. I love her so I just said thank you. I now have a wish list of knives I give to my wife and she passes it on to the family.
 
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