What do you say?

Andrew Lynch

Andrew Lynch

Joined
Feb 6, 2000
Messages
3,021
This happens to me quite a lot. A lot of the people I know know that I'm interested in knives. When people who I know and like prouly come up to me with their favorite knife and ask me, with a big grin on their faces, what I think of it, I often don't know what to say. This is because 90% of the time they are POS knock-offs. I take a look at the knife, for example some cheap liner-lock one of my friends owns, and try to evaluate it. I saw the following on that liner-lock: a thin blade made of 420J2 or 420HC (most probably), a liner-lock that is unstable (borderline dangerous), and cheap plastic handles. So, what do I say? Do I say that it is made of crappy materials and of poor workmanship and is unsafe? Or do I say that it is "quite" a nice knife? I actually said that it looked pretty good, because I didn't have the heart to downgrade the knife he was so proud of.

Have you ever encountered a situation like this?
 
Thats kind of a tough call. On one hand you dont want to deflate any ones bubble, but on the other hand if the person is a true friend
you should be honest, and if they can afford it point them in the direction of a knife they could really be proud of owning.
Friends dont let friends own crappy knives.
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MY name is KC Slim,
and im a knifeaholic.
HI KC SLIM!!!
 
I try to train my friends to ask me before they buy a knife. If they ask me beforehand what I think of a knife I'll give an honest opinion. If they ask afterwards, and my words of wisdom and/or disdain will do nothing more than make them feel bad, I won't say much at all. If I think a knife is unsafe I'd be sure to tell them that, but calling someone's new toy a POS won't do much good. Say something like, "Hey, that's pretty cool. Next time you want a knife let me know and I'll hook you up with a good deal on a really good knife." That seems to go over better.

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Jason aka medusaoblongata
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"Is not giving a need? Is not receiving mercy?" - Thus Spoke Zarathustra
"Cutting his throat is only a momentary pleasure and is bound to get you talked about." - Lazarus Long
"Knowledge is not made for understanding; it is made for cutting." - Michel Foucault
 
Just stick with the facts. There is no need to conduct a review.

You tell them something to the effect of ... "oh, your knife is a tactical knife with a liner lock manufactured by Frost Cutlery in Tiwan, the blade is made from 420 series steel, and the handle is made from a plastic treated wood called Pakkawood.... how do you like it?..."

There is no need to say more. Your friend will consult with you before he buys his next knife.

N2S

 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by not2sharp:
Just stick with the facts. There is no need to conduct a review.

You tell them something to the effect of ... "oh, your knife is a tactical knife with a liner lock manufactured by Frost Cutlery in Tiwan, the blade is made from 420 series steel, and the handle is made from a plastic treated wood called Pakkawood.... how do you like it?..."

There is no need to say more. Your friend will consult with you before he buys his next knife.

N2S

</font>
Click to expand...

not2sharp sounds pretty sharp to me. . . . . A. G.
 
I usually say something to the effect of "ya' gotta' start someplace." Or "it's a good starter."

In one instance I said "wow that's nice, I wish I was carrying a MicroTech LCC."
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Buck Collectors Club Member #1058
 
Hey Guys...

I get the same thing happening to me all the time...

With Scouts alot of people know I'm into knives, so they are always asking questions and showing their knives...

My usual response is "Cool",, that kind of leaves it wide open and doesn't hurt anyones feelings..

Most people I know that even have a clue about knives Won't spend more than $30-40CDN on a knife...Usually bought at Canadian Tire, Wal-mart or Zellers..

There are the exceptions like (Bigtree) here on the forums that appreciates a nice knife and knows what to buy...

A fellow Scoutleader had taken a fancy to my mini Socom. He's always asking where he can pick one up cheap. (30-40CDN cheap) I pretty much had to tell him that if he sees me wearing a knife it usually won't be under $100.00CDN...

I've put him onto a couple of decent knives,,but he doesn't seem interested in them..They actually fall into that price range(kind of) and are definately decent starter knives...Gerber EZ-Out ,,Gerber Pro-Guide...

If you want that type of quality,,ya gotta spend the money I tell them...

I've got a survival course coming up in a week or so,,so it will be interesting to see what kind of blades will be hacking wood there..Abe,, Wanna see that new Kuk you bought..
smile.gif
See ya on Saturday..
smile.gif



ttyle

Eric...

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On/Scene Tactical
Leading The Way In Quality Synthetic Sheathing
 
I usually tell them that their knife is cool. Like someone else said, that leaves a lot open. Of course, I usually pull out one of the knives I have on me and let them look at their's compared to mine. I love the look they get on their face when they compare my edge to theirs. hehe. I've already got a couple of friends that wont' buy a knife without asking me first. lol

C.Mapp

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"A sharp mind is just as important as a sharp knife."

"Is that a knife in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" "Both;)"
 
Funny you should ask. I was faced with this exact problem today.

My mother used to say, "If you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all."

And my sainted father used to say, "always listen to your mother."

So, there you have it. Find something, anything, to compliment. "Oh, that Pakkawood is very pretty."

Or, "I like the shape of that blade." That's a good one since you're actually complimenting the skilled customer designer/maker who originally designed/made the original knife that this one is a cheap rip off of.

This person has brought this knife to you because they respect your opinion. If you compliment something about the knife, anything, they you are complimenting them and they'll feel good as a result.

The issue of an unsafe lock is kind of a delicate one. If you feel like you're somewhat close to this person and that you won't offend them, then you might want to point that out in a very complimentary and very careful and very positive way. Say, "This is a very pretty knife and I can see why you selected it. I like that blade shape very much too. But, the lock does have a bit of a problem that is common on knives of this design and that I think you might want to be aware of. If you lock it open an then stab it into something, and then twist it just right, the lock might fail and you might get cut. So, just be careful about that. It's a common problem. I just wouldn't want a good friend of mine like you to get cut. You know, I really do like the shape of that blade. That's a very nice knife you have there. Where did you say you got it? I'll have to check that out. Thanks for showing me your knife."


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
I'm with Chuck on saying something nice. There is usually (hopefully) one decent thing about most of the cheapo knives people carry.
I try to find that one thing, and comment on it first-"I've always liked that blade shape/handle material/design". If nothing else, you can tell them it's a good knife for the money.
I will always comment on a lock that is unsafe. No beating around the bush, there.
My way of getting around cheap steel without bashing it is saying something like "Yeah, keep in mind, this steels soft, so it'll take a great edge(
rolleyes.gif
), but you're gonna have to sharpen it pretty often".

The only part I hate is that they always chip, roll, or just outright destroy the edge in a couple of days (usually doing something utterly stupid), and want you to fix it for them. I've sharpened some pretty tore up knives for coworkers (one guy's knife I took home and worked on every night for almost a whole week). Finally got to where I can say "there's not much I can do for it" without any effort. If I charged by the hour, most of these guys would be better off buying a new knife every couple of weeks.
People just don't take care of their stuff
frown.gif
 
Glad to see that everyone agrees to say something nice and not burst the persons bubble. I do say that you get what you pay for. If someone would have recommended to me a few years ago to to pay $500.00 for a really good knife, I would have laughed and told them that they were crazy. Now, I am just poor, but knife happy.
biggrin.gif
 
I have had a few co-workers who insist that it is better to pay $5-10 for a cheapo because they are just going to beat it up anyway. One guy went through about 6 or 7 cheapos at about $8 a piece. Then he saw my AFCK(which I beat up at least as much as he did with his cheapos) outlasting all of these with absolutely no problems. One day he asked me how much I payed for it. A couple of days later he came to work with a couple of CRKT's. I guess I didn't need to say anything to convince him. Too bad most people don't see it that way.

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POBOY
 
My usual response is....

"How's that treat ya?"

To which they invariably answer in the positive.

And I say "Excellent"

Because, really it is not about the quality of the knife, but the satisfaction of the owner. If he is satisfied, perfect. I will not try to inflict my addiction onto anyone else.

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

&gt;&gt;---&gt;Bill Siegle Custom Knives&lt;---&lt;&lt;
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.
 
I have had co-workers come up to me so I can see the knives they just bought, and in most occasions, it might be a good quality low-end thermoplastic handled folder, but there are times one of them will show me a flea market P.O.S. and all I do is I take out the knife I'm carrying and I let them compare it against the one they bought. Most of them quickly get the hint.
 
I usually say something like "Oh, I see knives like that on TV all the time when I'm watching COPS!"
 
I'm not shy, I give them the straight truth in a pleasant, nurturing way. Maybe they'll learn and maybe we'll gain another knifeknut.

Mike

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It's not the pace of life that concerns me, It's the sudden stop at the end.
 
Wow! Welcome to the BFC Diplomatic Corps! Great replies, great advice. If I am in that situation, I also say something complimentary and then offer to let them have a look at whatever knife I'm carrying that day. The side by side comparison has a greater effect than anything I could say.
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Holger :c{{{&lt;
AKTI Member No: A001324
CKG-F
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www.cockroachfarm.com
 
El Cid hit the nail on the head. I usually let them check out one I am carrying, or if it is a friend of mine I will say - "thats a POS" next time buy one from me. Other than that I usually just say "good looking knife". Even though it is telling a lie.

RattlerXX
 
"Wow, I've never seen tin foil that sharp before."

Actually, my usual response is to find a deal on a decent knife, and sell them it. They usually buy after the frost "tactical" or whatever they've been carrying falls apart. My last batch were CRKT zytel mirage's - not the best, but better than frost cutlery. I bought a bunch from SMKW a few months back, and now own zero. Most of my friends carry them everyday. Worked out pretty well, especially at something like $10 a piece.

The best part of the whole thing, however, was when one of my friends asked me if my BM 710 was the $10 knife I'd told him about. After I told him how much it was, and showed him the mirage - he said "I can't see paying that much for a knife - this one seems to be just as good." Oh well. Someday he'll learn. The amusing part is that most of my friends are very into guns - they can see paying $700 for a handgun, but not $100 or even $50 for a knife.
-- Rob

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Me fail english? That's unpossible!
 
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