What Design Features Are Your Biggest Turnoffs In Knife Design?

[DocJD]

Proprietary fasteners , style over function , unnecessary complexity .

Poor fitting sheaths with no way to adjust .

 

[Zornhau]

Finger choils and large ricassos. I figure they call it a handle because that's where your hand belongs.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thumb ramps are a mixed bag. The smaller and flatter, the better.

Rattly springs in assisted folders.

Recurves. Serrations. Don't worry about that CQC-7 of mine that you see from time to time.

Deep finger grooves in handles. For example, the Folts Minimalist: hard "no".

I don't like assisted opening in general, or autos much for that matter, though I sometmes miss my auto presidio.

I can deal with finger groves, like on the Randall 14 and Dustar Arad, But I don't like the really deep ones like the Folts either, and I loath subhilts on fighters I'd much rather have a flat forward of the guard that doesn't cut my forefinger if I wrap it around the lower guard.

I had an old CQC7 back in the 90s, I get it.

A handle like this
-View attachment 2727641
Smooth scales that get more narrow as you approach the blade and nothing to stop my finger from getting bloodied up unless I squeeze the handle like I’m trying to choke a rattlesnake to death. Also any knives with super slick shiny scales. I know they make them like that because they look pretty, but it’s like trying to hold on to a greased ice cube.

Yes, I agree with you 100% Learned a hard lesson doing some push cutting rather that pull cutting with an Old Hickory boning knife. I do not like handles that taper to the blade unless it tapers into a nice hilt or guard.

Finger choils. They take up blade length and I don’t like having my finger that close to the work. I just don’t like em !

Another thing I don’t like is slick, smooth handles. I have had a few really bad incidents with a knife that was as slippery as a wet bar of soap and nearly cut my femoral artery missing it by a mere 1/16 inch. I would rather have some texture for a good grip.

With finger choils it depends on the style of the knife for me, I like some I dislike others. I despise sharpening choild that hang on cordage or cloth.

i don't like a handle to be thinner at the pommel than at the guard side

Same

Flippers, finger choils and bearings.
Slick Ti handles.

I don't like bearings at all, I won't buy a folder that has them. I stick with bronze washers mostly. I dislike flippers. I don't do much slick Ti. I have a small Sebenza I carry on occasion and that's about it.

This is a good one, I hadn't had a knife like that before, and recently played with one of those Maxpedition MD inspired knives that has that type of taper, and it's very odd feeling.

Sheaths - I don't like busy kydex or leather. A stone pouch or sharpening steel loop is about it for me. I don't like kydex that comes too far up the handle also.

I'd rather a finger choil / ricasso be almost too small than overly large.

I've grown to dislike wide and deep jimping.

I dislike a lot of the jigging/stippling done on G-10. It's fine if the edges are broken and blended well, but a lot of makers leave it too rough.

I'm pretty picky about sheaths too, and we have similar opinions on them and choils. And I don't care for aggressive textured handles either. I live in the south, I seldom wear gloves.

FRAME LOCKS....

I don't like frame locks either, or liner locks, or compression locks, or any other lock that depends on a detent ball to hold the blade closed in my pocket.

No finger protection from slipping up on blade is my #1 deal breaker.

We're in 100% agreement on this. I hate a puukko handle that tapers from pommel to tip without even a speed bump between the handle and the edge.

I’m not big on finger choils. They don’t help with anything, they just waste blade length. Just having a full sharpened blade all the way to the handle would be the same functionally but without a dumb half moon of blade missing from your knife.

I'm not the wolds biggest fan of finger choils myself, but if it is a knife designed for stabbing into things, I do like having an unsharpened area forward of the guard that doesn't cut my forefinger if T hook it around the guad to use the guad as a lever to twist the knife to losen it and anchor point for pulling the knife back out of whatever. One reason I love the Randall 11

Agreed with almost everything people have said. I only like serrations now because I learned to make good ones that don’t have the usual drawbacks that make many people dislike them, most particularly their difficulty to sharpen.

In the 70s I made my own serrations the way DPX and ESEE serrations look using a chainsaw file. The blade was still sharpenable on a flat stone but still had the corners to tear with.

Mistwalker I get what you say about guards. It’s nice to have handle material that covers the ricasso area and also aids in preventing slipping up onto the blade.

That and to have less pounds per inch applied to my forfinger in boring and tip work.

However I believe a knife can be made that doesn’t have material on that part but still looks complete, is safe to use, and comfortable as well.

My EDChef model is an example. The integral guard, if that’s what we call it, is not covered by handle material (except on the limited number of EDChefs Mk II) but it’s chamfered, and at a sufficient angle and radius that there is little danger of cutting oneself outside of very careless use.

Kitchen knives are a different matter. I'm seldom taking a kitchen knife to the field and boring holes in bamboo, leather, or wood. I'm used to the dropped edge of kitchen knives, and with no more force than I am going to apply to the tip I can keep my forefinger away from the dropped edge and not have to feel it pressing into my forefinger.

i dislike:
bearings in folders
finger choils, generally
linerlocks
slippery grip/handle
razel style blades

I don't much care for razel style blades either, or ones with really deep bellies either, I like a knife to have a preety sharp point on it.

I despise any knife that I don't own.

LOL

 

[Mistwalker]

Proprietary fasteners , style over function , unnecessary complexity .

Poor fitting sheaths with no way to adjust .

100% agreement on all of that. If I don't like the sheath, odds are I will not buy the knife. The carry system is as important, if not more important, a consideration for me as the knife is.

 

[Kryme]

- T6 screws (I can forgive it when the screws are quality and have deep screwheads, i.e. Microtech Socom)
- Serrations
- Traditionals
- Recurves
- Thick grinds on a pocket knife that's advertised as an EDC (I'm glad more and more manufacturers are starting to correct this).
- Plunge grinds that make it difficult/ugly to sharpen the knife all the way to the ricasso. (Spartan Blades Harsey is the most famous offender I can think of, they even leave a few mm of the edge unsharpened, just to make sure I never buy a single product of theirs)
- Frag patterns, Tiger Strips, Heat anodization patterns/rainbows
- DLC, Cerakote, acid washing or any other type of darkened blades
- anything to do with Strider and Snody

 

[David Mary]

Tip up carry only on large folders

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Having the handle taper more narrow towards the pommel. Makes my pinky feel weak when I squeeze.

 

[Mistwalker]

Tip up carry only on large folders

Sometimes I'm not crazy about tip up cary on any folders. Tip down seems to be safer with blades held in position with detent balls.

 

[beeinak]

I don’t like metal/alloy handles because they are cold and slippery in winter/snow. Caveat- one of my favorite knives ever was a CRK Project 1 when not living up here.

I hate uncomfortable handles- especially squared, sharp angles on fixed blades mean’t to be used. I like deep handles that allow leverage maneuvering without having to grip tightly.

Crappy sheaths or no sheaths with a fixed blade purchase.

 

[ferider]

No daggers
No swords
No damascus
Only a couple of recurves
Only a couple of knives with < 4% Chrome
I avoid Aluminum scales
No partial tang fixed blades
No bad sheaths
US, European, Japanese or Taiwan made only from makers that I respect

 

[norcalAF]

Bunch of whiners in here!

 

[Mistwalker]

No-No's For fixed blades:
> A guard which extends above the blade and interferes with my ability to extend my thumb onto the back of the blade.
> A handle which does not have a feature to prevent my hand from sliding forward onto the blade.
> Flat handles. Thin handles.

Yeah, 13 years ago I bought a Cold Steel Trail Master from a friend here on the forum, and he had removed the top guard, I've recently bought a new trail master and a new recon scout, and I plan to remove the upper guard on both of them. I cannot stand a knife that doesn't have at least a speedbump between my forefinger and the edge. That's a deal breaker for me.

I don’t like metal/alloy handles because they are cold and slippery in winter/snow. Caveat- one of my favorite knives ever was a CRK Project 1 when not living up here.

I hate uncomfortable handles- especially squared, sharp angles on fixed blades mean’t to be used. I like deep handles that allow leverage maneuvering without having to grip tightly.

Crappy sheaths or no sheaths with a fixed blade purchase.

We're in agreement on all that. I hate metal handles in the winter. One of the things I hated ablout my older Gerber daggers.

No daggers
No swords
No damascus
Only a couple of recurves
Only a couple of knives with < 4% Chrome
I avoid Aluminum scales
No partial tang fixed blades
No bad sheaths
US, European, Japanese or Taiwan made only from makers that I respect

We think a lot alike. Except I do like some daggers. Daggers can be cool and useful in urban areas...they just suck at Bushcraft

Bunch of whiners in here!

Gotta be prepared for long lists when you ask a group of us humans to list things we don't like, especially lately when there is so much to dislike.

So, you like every feature of every knife you've ever seen? You may need to see more knives

 

[David Mary]

Sometimes I'm not crazy about tip up cary on any folders. Tip down seems to be safer with blades held in position with detent balls.

Easier to take out and open quickly, too. With tip down, you're not stuffing the part you need to actuate down into the bottom of your pocket. (Yes, I know "waves" exist, to the 18 guys who wanna say it - but I'm over waves because they are not perfect, and are slower than Charlie Mike carry style of a fixed blade with over 6" blade, which if one carried for self defense, that would be a superior choice and method)

 

[beeinak]

Easier to take out and open quickly, too. With tip down, you're not stuffing the part you need to actuate down into the bottom of your pocket. (Yes, I know "waves" exist, to the 18 guys who wanna say it - but I'm over waves because they are not perfect, and are slower than Charlie Mike carry style of a fixed blade with over 6" blade, which if one carried for self defense, that would be a superior choice and method)

Tip up for me for all of my folders that clip to a front pocket. Things are only faster or slower depending on how you deploy and grip the knife and how you train. (Same with position of handguns). What works for one person is not necessarily best for another.

 

[mymindisamob]

Clip and trailing points.

 

[Mistwalker]

Tip up for me for all of my folders that clip to a front pocket. Things are only faster or slower depending on how you deploy and grip the knife and how you train. (Same with position of handguns). What works for one person is not necessarily best for another.

That's true, everyone has their opinions based on their experiences. Me, I've lost enough blood and clothes to tip up knives whose blades are held in place by detent balls on liners or frames. The only way I'll carry one of those will be tip down. That said, I carry my Bugout and my Delica tip up. I just sold an Emerson mini commander, a Buck Teranai, and a Para3 all for super low prices because they all have a design feature I don't care for. I own no more liner locks, and the only Frame lock I have left is a 90 something small Sebenza, and it only because...well it's an old Sebenza...

 

[Mistwalker]

Clip and trailing points.

I'm good with most clip points, I own several. But trailing points are iffy for me, being as fragile as they are.

 

[Landshark99]

"Over built folders" with thick blade stock
T6 screws
Recurves or any unpractical blade shapes
Tantos other than reverse tanto
Serrations are ok if they are on one side of a double edge
Slip joints other than SAKs
Lock backs
Graphics on scales or blade
Thick grinds
mostly do not like plastic scales
Assisted folders
Timascus scales
Bowie blades on folders
Most inlays
Deep finger grooves in handle
Finger choils
Much prefer tip up carry

 

[J. Doyle]

Can someone elaborate on the T-6 screws? I've seen it mentioned a few times and not sure what the issue is.

 

[Boattale]

Locks that put body parts in the way to operate. Karambits and other just plain weird blade shapes. GEC's way of jigging - just butt ugly compared to a good peach seed jigged Case. Overly thick blades on folders. Mammoth Ivory and Ram's Horn scales - just ICK to both. I've got more but those come to mind straight away.