What Design Features Are Your Biggest Turnoffs In Knife Design?

Poor pocket clip placement where functionality was sacrificed in the name of stylistic design. I’m not the type that requires an ultra deep carry pocket clip but if you’re including a clip on the knife there shouldn’t be 1/4th of the handle exposed.

Also for me I’ve never experienced a milled clip that offered anything over a well executed spring style clip. The clip on CRKs are the measuring stick for me, near perfection.
 
Boattale said:
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.
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Mammoth molar is gorgeous!
 
Recurve blades- how do you sharpen those with a flat diamond stone?
Serrations- never noticed that I cut anything with them
Hammered flats on blades
antler bases on stag handles
lockbacks
 
Proud tangs. Just don't like 'em.

Thumb ramps are fine, but I don't like the kind that sticks up past the handle material, which is kinda an extension of the proud tang thing. ETA: unless they are crowned for comfort.
 
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Choils...........all types!
Thumb ramps are for amateurs. Or Ninjas.
Obviously jimping is included with this. Lame.
Screwed on handles, Why? I don't want blood, guts, food, slop, yuck, rust...Anything seeping under my handles. ....poor design.
Most blades over a .125" thick are Funny.
(Some Choppers, excluded)

Personally, I don't want lanyards.

I don't like thick edges, soft steel, small handles
I don't want gaudy logos, holes, pictures, shapes, useless stuff on my blades.im sure I can list More....


*I understand that I'm Offensive, and Boring.....
 
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I’m not too hard to please with folders, but I am a small fixed blade guy who has grown increasingly picky.

I’ve gotten to where I don’t like sculpted scales. I own several knives that I really love but having the sculpted scales is bothering me more and more.

I don’t like finger choils with a few exceptions. The ESEE Laser Strike, Spyderco chaparral, and dragonfly are the only knives that have finger choils that I like.

I don’t like heavily contoured “ergonomic” handles. I prefer simple handle shapes.

I don’t understand compound grinds, so they bother me.

I don’t like huge sharpening choils, although a couple of my favorite knives unfortunately have them.

Rock pattern anything.

Knives with finger rings or tactical anything.

Half serrated blades, it’s all or nothing.

I don’t like sheaths that are bigger than they need to be.

No guard.

Recurve blades.

Partial tangs.

I’m sure there are others as well that I’m forgetting.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Thumb ramps are for amateurs. Or Ninjas.
Obviously jimping is included with this. Lame.
Screwed on handles, Why? I don't want blood, guts, food, slop, yuck, rust...Anything seeping under my handles. ....poor design.
Most blades over a .125" thick are Funny.
(Some Choppers, excluded)

Personally, I don't want lanyards.

I don't like thick edges, soft steel, small handles
I don't want gaudy logos, holes, pictures, shapes, useless stuff on my blades.im sure I can list More....


*I understand that I'm Offensive, and Boring.....
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"Thanks" for your opinions 😁😂
 
there's a larger proportion of knives that turn me off than there that turn me on. As the years go by it seems like the ratio is getting exponentially higher.
poorly designed knives is hard for me to explain, but my reaction is always the same. 'That knife makes no damn sense' and 'has this designer ever actually used a knife' and 'that's some bullshit' are fairly standard phrases that come to mind for me.

I actually enjoy designing features that I generally despise into a knife, and a good example of that is the finger choil. Seriously, they are super dumb most of the time. It's a good challenge to take something on that I have a strong bias against, and a great way to learn something new. One of my favourite designs was built around a finger choil, and for years it's been one of my favourite knives to use. Go figure.
 
ferider said:
Was wondering the same thing. I've sheared more 2-56 screws than mangled their T6 heads. Then again, there are several sources for T8 2-56 screws, so I have wondered why T8 is not always used.
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A lot of makers, myself included, use 1-72 screws because of much better thread engagement on thin materials. To my knowledge, T-6 is the largest driver size those come in.

Like you, I've never stripped a driver bit and I use inexpensive husky drivers from home depot. I turn far more screws than the average joe.
 
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