What knife has left the biggest impression - good and bad?

I look for best bang for your buck kind of blades. In not made of money so I look for a knife under $50 that amazes me. Not to say I don't have a few that are over $100, but these are from the former.
Bad: Esee Avispa. Clip screws kept backing out, not that easy to one hand open, framelock sort of difficult to disengage. Loved the stonewash finish and sharpness, but I expected more.
Good: Ontario Pardue Utilitac II Tanto. Unique looking blade and handle, sharp, comfortable. Now this knife should have been more expensive. Love it and use it.
 
For me its a mora...any of them. I just have nothing bad to say. Bad impression would be i love my blur but do not see any benefits from s30v i use the knife all the time but it chips and has turned into a work beater knife.
 
My worst experience is a small fixed blade from a maker that has a pretty good name. It was cheap...and almost worth it.
My best experience is always my current EDC...it changes. It was a large Classic Sebbie at one time; then a Zaan; now my Southard AVO.
 
strategy9 said:
Kershaw Blur; despite the "odd" looks I thought to myself, I wanted to try the sandvik steel and it was the right size for what I like to carry, between 3"-3.5".

I now own 10...

(Also my cold steel code4 is getting much appreciation for the amount of knife you get for the price, and cts-xhp is earning more respect whenever I use it... And my $10 Kilimanjaro Vertice reaffirmed for me that you can't always judge a knife entirely on its price).
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Do the differences in steels that go I to the blurs make a difference for you performance wise or are they collectors? How does the sandvik hold up?
 
Bad - Benchmade. I was a HUGE Benchmade fan until they enforced their MAPP pricing while their QC went down the toilet. I consistently received new knives with tons of blade play, bad grinds, and my #1 pet peeve, off-centered blades. It got so bad that I sent 3 consecutive knives back to Benchmade for repair immediately after receiving them from online dealers (1 of them came back with the same problems that I sent it in to have fixed). I have not purchased a single Benchmade since then, although I still own quite a few older Benchmades and probably will never part with them.
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Seems like a lot of companies get a corporate mentality and develop an almost asinine obsession with costs and profits. They only really seem to care when the features that are value added provide something they can correlate to sales. Some corporate oriented companies make good stuff, it is just the ones who like tweaking the end product by making things cheaper end, up giving me an inferior product that they want the same money for.

My bad experiences are with dollar driven brands. When I was a kid if you had a multitool then it was either a Gerber or a Leatherman. I no longer think Gerber multitools give a good value for the money. My Leatherman charge tti on the other hand has been a worthwhile upgrade to my 20+ year old leatherman. Unlike knives, I don't give a flip about how a multitool looks only how well it works. Gerber multitools were just a real disappointment compared to the older tools.
 
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Good: My TaiChung Spydercos, the Gayle Bradley and Sage absolutely wrecked my standards for any knife, even those from Golden. Sal is a genius for using the TaiChung factory. Also, Canal Street and Queen make great traditional trappers.

Bad: Case and Boker. Recently picked up an ebony handle Boker trapper with Solingen carbon blade. I suspect that it was Chinese handwork even though the blade was stamped Solingen. Case has always been hit or miss for me, which is annoying since Case trappers go for $50-$70 each. not to mention it's cult following and rich history.
 
Great: CRK Sebenza 25. One of my most recent purchases but once I got over the fear of scratching it I carry it almost every day now by itself when I used to double up

Good: Most all Spyderco's but the best for me was the PM2. I loved the military but the single pos pocket clip is a daggar lol

Bad: ZT0566BW I don't like the assist. I took the spring out and it helped. I can actually use the thumb studs after removing the spring. Elmax hasn't impressed me that much. The gimping is terrible and just plain hurts lol

Ugly: Gerber Decree. Decided to pick it up since it was S30V at only 70 dollars and was hoping Gerber had turned their quality around being made in the US. Pocket Clips terrible, the modified tanto is terrible to regrind and sharpen, the flipping action is pointless. I haven't actually used it enough to determine how the ht on the steel is but I'm guessing its not any better.


For you ZT nay sayers?.. I personally don't like my 0566 as mentioned but I also have the 0630 and I absolutely love it. Really turned ZT around for me. I'm waiting to try a different model but trying to be cautious about which one since everybody either loves or hates them.
 
There are two good ones
Bought custom knife from Mark Andrews (Marko3 on here). Finished when he said it would be done. Fit and function was everything I wanted. Makes me want to get more customs...
Then my first love: ESEE Junglas. Made me realize that there was something to buying a quality knife.

Bad: DPx HEST
Bought it, opened it up....and couldn't warm up to it. Sat on it for a week and returned it. Squeaky opening, sticky lockbar and developed vertical play the day after buying
 
Well I'm hesitant to say zt after blues bender expressed his unhappiness but my 0777 impressed the hell out of me. When I first got mine I didn't care much for it but the more I use it the more I love it. The flipping action is insane and it's gorgeous.

As far as bad my Emerson patriot. It's the only Emerson I bought brand new and all the talk about their lock ups is absolutely true. I've only carried it a few times and the lockup is already at 60%. Not to mention the fact that the pocket clip broke off the first day I carried it. I will say I like their chisel grind. Their knives tend to be sharper than most out of the gate
 
VermontEdge said:
I'd say that the biggest negative impression has been from my stainless steel Bark River Gunny in olive wood.
I was super excited about the knife and I got a killer price on it. However:
There were finger print rust spots on the blade.
Also, the olive wood scales weren't stabilized or even finished, and they came dirty and dried out.
Finally, that bark river thumb ramp/fire steel striker is just about the most uncomfortable and awkward feature I've ever experienced on a knife. And since I got a close out deal on it I couldn't return it. I think the handle and rust were a result of sitting around in the knife shop so long, and not the fault of bark river.

That being said:
The rust was a quick fix and the blade polished right up!

Regular oiling of the scales has brought out some serious beauty!

And finally, a friend and amateur knife maker recently took off the thumb ramp for me.

Slowly but surely, I'm making the knife work. I still need a better sheath for it, but I've at least gotten it to a point where I can use and enjoy it!
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Great story! Hang in there with that wood...should end up beautiful. Once you have a sheath you'll have a one of a kind lifer.
 
Good....Grayman Dua.

Bad....Gerber Paraframe 3" folder I found in the street. What a horrible prank to play on someone.
 
Good. Possibly my favorite knife out of my life as a knife owner.

[video=youtube;2wGIbQmoFic]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wGIbQmoFic[/video]

 
RampageRhino69 said:
Good: My TaiChung Spydercos, the Gayle Bradley and Sage absolutely wrecked my standards for any knife, even those from Golden. Sal is a genius for using the TaiChung factory. Also, Canal Street and Queen make great traditional trappers.

Bad: Case and Boker. Recently picked up an ebony handle Boker trapper with Solingen carbon blade. I suspect that it was Chinese handwork even though the blade was stamped Solingen. Case has always been hit or miss for me, which is annoying since Case trappers go for $50-$70 each. not to mention it's cult following and rich history.
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For real with the Taichung Spydercos. The quality is beyond belief sometimes... Also, Böker Tree Brand is pretty legit. I carried a DLC Haddock for a while, and it was just a pleasure. I kinda wish I had held onto that one, really.
 
Good: All Spydercos and CRKs

Bad: Emerson, I have owned three and all of them have had some sort of issue or multiple. Lock stick, bad centering, terrible detent

-Steve
 
Good: It varies for me. For a cheap folder, I thought my Spyderco Tenacious was a great knife. I upgraded that to a ZT0566 and I LOVE that knife. But I find I carry fixed blades a lot more. I ordered a JK C/U-3.5 (3.5" blade as opposed to the 6" blade), it has been one of the toughest, best knives I have ever carried. I love it. Works well for a variety of cutting tasks. I've used it in the kitchen, I've used it while camping, it's just a good all around knife.

Bad: The Kershaw Skyline. I hated it. It felt cheap, it felt like I was going to break it just opening it, just not a knife I would ever buy again. I know they are loved by a lot of people here but I just did not like it.
 
Good: The Sebenza.

Bad: "IDAHO MADE" on the Sebenza.

Seriously, if a simple aesthetic decision like that can keep me from purchasing such an otherwise awesome knife, it has to be bad. For me, anyway.
 
Comeuppance said:
Bad - Will Moon Mk 6. I bought it directly from the guy, paid full price up front, he said he was going to refit the blue twill inlay and re-anodize the knife to sunset gold. It was already built, mind you.

I send him messages every two weeks asking about the knife. “Just about to ship it”, “Just need to do X and it’ll be on its way”, “You’ll have it by the end of the week.”

Four months pass.

The knife finally arrives. He shipped a $1200 knife uninsured in a flatrate box with no signature confirmation or anything, nor did he send me tracking info. None of the work he said was going to be done has been done. The blade was off-center and had play. The detent is nonexistent and the flipping action is very poor, with a gritty pivot. The inlay is shoddily set and the finish looked awful.

I sent it back for a full refund. I could not believe how full of it that guy was. Everyone had such nice things to say about him and his knives, but… I certainly did not get that experience.

Good - Large Sebenza 21 Insingo with Carbon Fiber inlays.

The only knife I miss.

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Sweet knife, bro. Sweet shades too. :cool:
 
Sunyata said:
Bad - CRKT M16. Looks so cool to a younger me. Couldnt hold an edge for anything. I had a few much more experienced people sharpen them and nothing. The liner lock was sketchy as hell and the only way it could be trusted is witht he second lock engaged. Which is just shitty. Glad I lost two of them. Feel bad for whoever found them.

Good - CRK Sebenza. Not flashy or presumptous. The first time I opened my 21 I knew it was money well spent.
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Were those the regular aus4 versions or Aus8?
 
the good for me .. my "new" ( ok , few year old now ) opinel #10 .. Ive carried one for decades now , updated to a new one when someone taxed my old one ( I hope it cuts them , often , and deep ) found that they now come with a convex grind , and a lock shut feature .. love it ...

bad .. the most negative feeling experience that I have regarding a knife was my disappointment in my rat1 .. bought it at the same time I bought my new opinel ... I had been reading a lot of positive reviews for it given by people who said it was the best knife theyd used , did all they required blah blah good steel holds a good edge ... I dont disbelieve them , it was a wake up call tho to how different peoples needs are at times .

used it for a couple days ,compared to my opinel , it couldnt keep an edge real well ... the cool looking handle LOOKS cool but dam it gave me some serious hotspots and blisters after using it for a few hours .. the only thing I ended up liking about it was it looked cool and flicked open with a no nonsense click ... I gave it away . I needed a knife that did more than look cool and be OK so long as I didnt use it too much .

Biggest niggle wasnt that it didnt do what I wanted so much as that I had paid more than 2x what I paid for the opinel , for a knife that was not ( for me ) even as good .
 
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