What specs are major turn-offs?

For folders -
Damascus/Damasteel/pattern welded/ - to me they just look ugly.
Chisel grinds
Tanto points
Frame or liner locks
Fancy etching
Holes in the blade
Big choils
Flimsy pocket clips
Big clunky handles
Blades > 0.75" wide
Recurved blades

For fixed blades -
Damascus/Damasteel/pattern welded/ - they still look ugly - there's just more ugly to look at than on folders.
Chisel grinds
Fancy etching
Big choils
Holes in the blades
No guard (or no handle feature that acts/performs like a guard)
Big bulky handles
Some recurved blades - utilitarian aspect combined w/ visual appearance dictates acceptability criteria
Weird "high-end" steels
Oddball blade shapes, especially those having strange protrusions
Tanto blades, generally - I have only 2 "user" tanto pointed blades - 2 Kabar shorties whose only purpose is for punching holes in tires on wreck scenes for vehicle stabilization. Punching holes in tire sidewalls is my only use for tanto points.

 

I think alot of people’s impression of Chisel grinds are being right handed users of Emersons which is sort of a left habded chisel grind. Also only the custom Emersons come with a zero ground chisel grind. I like how Chisel grinds are often less overall inclusive edge angle since one angle is zero.

Also I often hear people complaining about being right handed usingba “left handed” chisel grind thst they can’t see the knife going right up against the cut. Well guess what? On a V grind you can’t see right up against the cut on both sides of the knife; so I’ve never understood this being a huge deal.

Now for a knife stat I do hate. Extremely early (looking unsafe) lockup on a knife with a steel insert. That means the knife is not going to break in for a very long time. I passed up on a Spartan Harsey cause of this.

 

-Blade coatings of any kind (includes Excessive branding or any other theme painted all over the knife.
-The use of the word “tactical”
-Serrations.
-Hollow grinds.
-Low quality steel on a knife over $35.00
-Assisted opening.
-A scale on only one side.
-Overly textured grips.
-North American companies farming manufacture out to China yet still claiming to be an American company.
-Any knife where the “designer” is emphasized more than the actual attributes of the tool itself as in James Brand. There are others but that is a big one.
-Simple small understated knives with ridiculous price tags. I find myself attracted to simple at times but more than $20 or $30 is turn off for the equivalent of a SAK key chain model.
-Fixed blades requiring paracord.

 

Low end steel, especially in high $ knives. If I'm spending $100 on a knife, it better have S30V or better or I'm not buying it.

When you can get a rat-1 with D2 for $40ish, there's no excuse for a $100 knife being AUS-8.

Small blades (less than 3.5").

Not opening with authority. I like my folders to feel like they crave with all their being to be opened. Like orgasmic opening. Not everyone prefers that, but I want it to whip open, snicking into being locked.

Blade shapes that are more "look at me" than they are "use me."

Handles that take up way to damn much space in the pocket, especially close to the clip.

Hollow grinds. Saber grinds (to a lesser extent than hollow). FFG is where it's at for me in a folder. High saber grinds work OK for me in larger blades but the purpose is different so the toughness that saber provides is not purely negative like it is for a folder.

 

Chisel grinds, serrations and super hard steel. Give me a tougher, more forgiving steel that is easier to sharpen. I don't use a knife for such prolonged periods that ultimate edge holding matters.

 

Have you used a Hartsfield ?

 

1. Flipper
2. Serrations
3. Liner lock
4. Made in China
5. Sub 3 inch cutting edge.
6. Wharncliffe on a folder

 

I do not like flippers or bearings. All other options are open to consideration.

 

Size

I will not buy a knife with less than a 3.75" blade.

It's crazy all the different opinions. Some of you seem to hate just what I like.

 

A knife with no blade. I mean, you get home, flick it and...nothing! No blade! I mean...what the heck?

Kidding. In truth the following:

Chisel grind
Tanto point
Serrations
Knives with a multitude of grinds

 

Serrated blades for me. I do have a question: why do some of you include liner locks and/or frame locks in your "don't like" list? Not being funny, but I'm new to knives and this is a learning moment for me.

 

I don't like frame/liner locks because I've had a couple fail on me under normal pocket knife usage (NOT batoning, NOT prying, NOT wedging, etc).

I'm primarily a fixed blade person. The few pocket knives I carry are either lockback or small fixed blades. The only exception to that SOP is my pre-1965 Kabar Rigging Knife, Model 1121 (no model number version) that I've carried since 1982. The blade is a slip joint, but I carry the knife for the lockback marlin spike, not the cutting blade.

 

Those marlin spikes make much better prying tools than a blade.

 

I only use the spike for its intended purpose - loosening knots in ropes. If I need to pry something, I'll go get a pry bar, pinch bar, crow bar, crazy tool, breaker bar, etc.

I'm a frugal individual/cheap bastard (take your pick) and take out knots to reuse the line/rope rather than just cutting it to get whatever is being secure loose.

 

I take it that the ones you had fail were not "cheap" knives and are ones that you believed to be quality?

 

I have two chisel ground customs, a Sean Perkins and a Bruce Bump. Real cutters, real chisel ground knives with a hard edge rarely need to be sharpened. I think people don't understand and fear the unknown

I can't stand overbuilt thick blades, too heavy, not pointy enough, not enough slicing capability.

I also hate ugly knives, "don't buy no ugly knife."

 

Things i avoid in knives:

Chisel ground blades - I just don't see the point... not for me

Tanto points - they make the tip nearly impossible to use

Recurves with serrations - i don't like serrated blades in general

Digital camo handles - why make it harder to see if you drop it outdoors in the dark?

Deep carry pocket clips - i like easy access to my knife and I haven't lost a clipped folder yet

I'm sure there's more but right off the top of my head those are things I avoid when knife shopping.

 

...and let the church say...AMEN!!!

 

Anodized liners.

 

I'm not in that group exactly but those stating that probably prefer back locks, compression locks, etc.

I have but am not a huge fan of liner locks and even frame locks can be sketchy.