- Joined
- Dec 7, 2019
- Messages
- 3,561
Started this thread to help out new folks who want to build their knife collection but also need to be discriminate in choosing their specimens. We were all new to this hobby once, and perhaps others can benefit from our mistakes, some errors more costly than others. Of course, things to avoid will be subjective to a degree, but I still think your inputs will help out newbies and maybe even a few seasoned collectors.
That being said, here are a few of mine:
1. Stay away from gas station knives. It’s a matter of safety really. Sooner rather than later, that cheap liner will give out at the worst possible time.
2. Karambits, UNLESS you really like the design and understand its limitations. There are plenty of mid-tier to high quality karambits out there. The issue is limited philosophy of use. You can’t really use it to chop vegetables or pry apart bark. It was originally an agricultural tool though, so it could technically be used to clear out weeds or other vegetation, although a machete would do the job much faster. I’d pick something else to start off my collection. Karambits can come later.
3. Functional QC issues in folding knives. First, bladeplay (does the blade wiggle when locked open?) in any direction is generally not acceptable. If my el cheapo Rajah 3 is 100% rock solid, so should the $200-300 Zero Tolerances and Benchmades. The higher the price tag, the more meticulous you should be when it comes to QC.
Second, blade centering is an iffy issue, but I’ll chime in. As long as the blade, when folded, is close to the center, you’re golden. It’s generally a bad sign if the blade rubs against the scales during deployment. Have that knife exchanged before leaving the store.
4. Generally, stay away from knives with logos of non-knife companies stamped on them. These will be made with the chrapest materials possible. Stick with Spyderco, ESEE, Cold Steel, etc.
Looking forward to your own thoughts, ladies and gents.
That being said, here are a few of mine:
1. Stay away from gas station knives. It’s a matter of safety really. Sooner rather than later, that cheap liner will give out at the worst possible time.
2. Karambits, UNLESS you really like the design and understand its limitations. There are plenty of mid-tier to high quality karambits out there. The issue is limited philosophy of use. You can’t really use it to chop vegetables or pry apart bark. It was originally an agricultural tool though, so it could technically be used to clear out weeds or other vegetation, although a machete would do the job much faster. I’d pick something else to start off my collection. Karambits can come later.
3. Functional QC issues in folding knives. First, bladeplay (does the blade wiggle when locked open?) in any direction is generally not acceptable. If my el cheapo Rajah 3 is 100% rock solid, so should the $200-300 Zero Tolerances and Benchmades. The higher the price tag, the more meticulous you should be when it comes to QC.
Second, blade centering is an iffy issue, but I’ll chime in. As long as the blade, when folded, is close to the center, you’re golden. It’s generally a bad sign if the blade rubs against the scales during deployment. Have that knife exchanged before leaving the store.
4. Generally, stay away from knives with logos of non-knife companies stamped on them. These will be made with the chrapest materials possible. Stick with Spyderco, ESEE, Cold Steel, etc.
Looking forward to your own thoughts, ladies and gents.
