What are the worst quality knives you had priviledge to experience?

[marcinek]

Well true.

Drop Forged Hunter (51200 High Carbon) is a beast for 44€. Compact and sturdy, well, entire knife is one chunk of steel. The thing that impresses me the most about this knife is edge retention. It just won't go dull. Due to it's weight it's decent chopper, even though it is relativley short. And blade is 5mm thick which says enough.
It's my current EDC.

Many like that knife.

That said, just like what I said about cost above, there are many generalizations in the knife world that are "traps."

Is a knife that is one chunk of steel sturdy? Only if it's a chunk of good steel that has been heat treated well.

Does "blade is 5mm thick" say enough? No. There are 5mm thick blades that can neither slice nor chop.

 

[Motega]

When I became a life member of the NRA, they sent a Bowie that was spectacularly terrible. Out of the box, the painted gold guard was completely loose, no sheath or placard with mine, cheap plastic handle, and the blade itself I'm pretty sure is made from recycled Chinese newspapers spray painted silver. I am actually excited to take some pics for you guys or videos of how terrible it is. It made me want to become a Democrat. Here's a preview of the horrors to come...

 

[Richard Coyle]

I think the worst knife ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot (I often sharpen knives for college students) had to be a balisong I saw at a gun show. Literally the worst construction ever... the liners had separated from the scales at the pivot and were bent in towards the blade, leaving a massive gap. They had put huge, crude washers in between the horribly bent liners and the allegedly “sv30” blade, and the whole thing still rattled terribly. All for the everyday low price of $140

“Nah”

Wish I would have taken pictures now...

 

[Velitrius]

So my Monster-In-Law is aware that I "Like Knives".

One Christmas she gives me this abomination from the Franklin Mint called "Eye of the Dragon".

Probably 3 pounds of what must have once been an old truck fender, re-fashioned into this fantasy folder somewhere in Pakistan. The "scales" were actually carved dragon scales, and dead center was this plastic replica eye trying to pass for something vaguely serpentine.

The blade itself was nothing to behold. I knew better than to actually try to sharpen or use it. Was shiny though.

Sold it in a garage sale a few years after I was sure she'd forgotten she gave it to me. She never asked about it. I hope that young Dungeons & Dragons enthusiast still has it on his shelf next to the DM Guide and Monster Manual.

 

[bigsurbob]

Frost "Cutlery"

Bought a slip joint knife from a friend who sold knives (Knife Show crap?) It sat in my safe unused for a couple of years. When I looked at it again, the scales had warped... one was off completely. Shocking what a POS it was.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I just bought a Buck 110 LW this weekend and it's complete trash. As in, brand new, out of the package, the sharpening job was so poor, the tip is actually rounded. LOL

I've purchased 3 and have yet to see a bad one, send it to Buck or just try again.

 

[Hickory n steel]

I used to collect junk as I've said before, but while it was all junk most was useable.

The worst I ever had was a little $1 Spyderco lookalike from a countertop bucket at a local convenience store.
I actually carried it daily for a few months, and the plastic around the rocker pin for the lockback broke away.

It's the only knife that ever broke apart on me during my light use.
I've had screws come out of knives but none actually " broke "

 

[upnorth]

Idk, I was impressed with my Recon Tanto in SK-5 steel for the money. I used it as a wrecking tool to tear down a couch that I couldn't manage to give away. It cut fabric, chopped wood, and pried staples and boards into neat little piles for more than an hour without any significant damage, and made the job significantly easier than it would have been otherwise. Obviously it went dull early on in the task but that was fixed in minutes on a coarse diamond stone, and it was still usable for some tasks even before sharpening. Maybe that level of durability isn't necessary for something that's ostensibly intended as be a cutting tool, but as a wrecking tool it was fantastic.

. I remember using one in aus8 with a factory edge to peel the meat off a walleye, as it was all I had at hand. It did a good job. But then I also used a Becker BK5 To peel the meat off pike a few times also. Neither one of those knives disintegrated in my hand. They where knives, used to cut meat.

 

[Makael]

I just bought a Buck 110 LW this weekend and it's complete trash. As in, brand new, out of the package, the sharpening job was so poor, the tip is actually rounded. LOL

Rare statement. No pics? Difference is Buck will take care of you.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I used to collect junk as I've said before, but while it was all junk most was useable.

The worst I ever had was a little $1 Spyderco lookalike from a countertop bucket at a local convenience store.
I actually carried it daily for a few months, and the plastic around the rocker pin for the lockback broke away.

It's the only knife that ever broke apart on me during my light use.
I've had screws come out of knives but none actually " broke "

Those are lovingly referred to as a “Jarbenza” around here.

 

[Dogdrawz]

Got one of these from a fair when I was a kid. This thing couldn't cut a dern thing.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Got one of these from a fair when I was a kid. This thing couldn't cut a dern thing.

Try making a soup can blade insert like I did, I remember cutting my finger making it
I remember at school my friend had one and was claiming you can only get them in Japan where his dad sent it from,I had seen them the day before at the local RiteAid too.

 

[JDRanger]

Try making a soup can blade insert like I did, I remember cutting my finger making it
I remember at school my friend had one and was claiming you can only get them in Japan where his dad sent it from,I had seen them the day before at the local RiteAid too.

I got mine in Guatemala for about $2.00

 

[dirc]

about 30 years ago, got a gift - a pakistani 112 knock-off... I tried to use it and sharpen it, but quickly realized just how bad 'pot metal' can really be

 

[Smiling]

When I became a life member of the NRA, they sent a Bowie that was spectacularly terrible. Out of the box, the painted gold guard was completely loose, no sheath or placard with mine, cheap plastic handle, and the blade itself I'm pretty sure is made from recycled Chinese newspapers spray painted silver. I am actually excited to take some pics for you guys or videos of how terrible it is. It made me want to become a Democrat. Here's a preview of the horrors to come...

View attachment 1250460

That sounds like something we'd all like to see, I'm excited to see more already

 

[Dogdrawz]

I got mine in Guatemala for about $2.00

That moment you realize...you over paid by $2.

 

[Smiling]

If I had more money and time I'd probs buy crappy knives on purpose and make youtube video reviews of how crappy they are

 

[bflying]

Funny, I didn't think people would spend the time reviewing a $1 knife (unless they charged $5).

Pretty sure my "$1 knife" was $3.79. With all the hype, had to try one. I'd say it's at least as good as most "$4 knives".

 

[Quiet]

Rare statement. No pics? Difference is Buck will take care of you.

Pics? Yessir, I have pics:

https://bladeforums.com/threads/buck-112-slim-select.1701134/#post-19439920

P.S. I don't really understand why people keep saying "Don't worry, they'll take care of you."

Know what I love about actual quality brands? I don't even know who the CS folks are, because they've never had to "take care of me", because they get it right the first time and build a solid knife. Every Buck I've bought in the last few years has been poorly made trash. Of course, I realize why, you have to pay for the Custom Shop stuff if you want a solid knife, which I'll never do. Candidly, there are so many better options for the money, I don't know that I've got the character count on this page to list them all. That 112 was my last Buck.

 

[Smiling]

In my opinion there are some signs of poor quality:

1. Reviews (or lack of them)
2. Manufacturer doesn't specify which steel they're using. Or just writes "Stainless steel"
3. Steel. Mostly 440 or "alphabet soup steel"
4. Manufacturer is unknown, or known maker of terrible knives such as Tac-force or Z-Hunter.
5. Deal looks too good to be true
6. Overly designed

So you see a large Bowie knife at 10$ or 10€ price tag, manufacturer is unknown or known for making crappy knives, it just says "Stainless steel"... you're probs looking at a terrible knife.

And in some cases, like with "Mutilator" you just know straight away that you're looking at really crappy knife which was terribly designed and also terribly exectuted from terribly bad materials...