What specs are major turn-offs?

- Non locking folders are not big on my list
- Sheep's foot blades
- Leaf shaped blades are not big on my list. You've bought ONE, now what? Why do people collect dozens of them? Give it a rest!

My knives need to be able to penetrate with the tip and I prefer some slice-action too.
 
Recurve edges. If I need anything other than a DMT "card" sharpener, I don't want it.

Also, aggressive blade spine work that I have to sand down to prevent messing up my clothes and sometimes my thumb (SOG CashCard, I'm looking at you!).

Mall ninja stuff I'm torn on...some of them are kinda cool, but the really low-grade steel turns me off. 420 is fine if it's Buck, otherwise I'll pass.
 
OogieBoogie said:
I take it that the ones you had fail were not "cheap" knives and are ones that you believed to be quality?
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One was the first and only Spyderco I've ever had. The liner lock failed about the 4th or 5th time I ever tried to use the knife.

The second was a Gerber.

Don't remember what the models were on either of them. Both were gifts from people who knew I liked knives. I gave them to a guy who liked folders. He had asked me why I carry paired fixed blades. Told him that I had never had a fixed blade fail and close on my fingers. He said "I know how to fix that."" So I gave him both knives.

Come to think of him, I haven't seen him since I gave him the knives. :eek::D Maybe I need to check back through the obituaries.:rolleyes:
 
JParanee said:
Have you used a Hartsfield ?
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I haven't, but I have no doubt they work fine. My contention lies with the implication that they somehow cut better than geometry dictates they should. As noted by larrin, a chisel grind of comparable inclusive angle can require more force to initiate a cut on a given material, to say nothing of continuing the cut. Unless his mythical blades don't operate under the laws that govern this reality, that is.
 
marrenmiller said:
I haven't, but I have no doubt they work fine. My contention lies with the implication that they somehow cut better than geometry dictates they should. As noted by larrin, a chisel grind of comparable inclusive angle can require more force to initiate a cut on a given material, to say nothing of continuing the cut. Unless his mythical blades don't operate under the laws that govern this reality, that is.
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Than you don’t know :)
 
- Back lock
- Recurve
- Dagger blade
- Serration
- Assisted opening
- Non-locking folder blades
- With the exception of Reate and WE “Made in China” and “Made in Taiwan”
- Proprietary screw heads
 
1) a handle that does not allow me to get a good hammer grip
2) a blade that sacrifices cutting performance for extreme toughness
3) pricing that is out of proportion with the rest of the market because of hype and fanboy-demand

Of course, these are preferential and subjective.
 
Recurve blades
Tantos
Handles that I cant get all 4 fingers on
Thicker than .15 blade stock
Two handed opening and closing
Slick scales
More than 5.5 ounces
Fantasy blades
Autos
Longer than 4 inches (folder)
Shorter than 3 inches (folder)
Lots of graphics and wording
 
Well, if I will see the knife that I like in general, there are only couple things that can turn me off:
Ball bearing in pivot
Only right hand opening possibly
Steel below aus-8, but there are can be some exemptions - SAKs or Opinels for example, it’s more about Chinese steel
Crappy painting covered blade
 
1. "Mall ninja" knives; Just ugly and juvenile as heck, and most of them are badly-made from poor-quality materials anyway.

2. Overly detailed (to the point of being gaudy) knives; Just a bit offensive to my personal tastes. I do tend to prefer simplicity. For this reason, most WE knives and a lot of high-end Chinese knives in general don't appeal to me.

3. Tip-down carry only; I don't like grabbing and pulling a knife from my pocket by the pivot. I just don't want to accidentally adjust the pivot tension by the simple act of deploying my knife.

4. Slip-joints; I don't like a spring forcing my blade open or closed. If I can't carry a locking blade, I'd carry a friction-folder.

5. Super-lightweight knives; For me, FRN / GFN / polymer handles must be steel-lined. I do not have confidence in a knife if I can easily squeeze and bend the handle scales inwards to a noticeable degree.

6. On the flip-side; I like heavily-built knives, but not over-built knives, and I'd rather not carry a knife heavier than 5 ounces.

7. Assisted-opening knives; I don't like fast, loud deployment. I like it slow and smooth. A blade that snaps open just kind of rattles my nerves. I'm not a huge fan of flippers for the same reason.
 
I'm a rarity, but I won't purchase thin handled knives, framelocks, or knives with prounounced pinky bumps. Finger choils on blades is also a big turn off. I've purchased and used enough of these kind of knives from quiality manufacturers to know they are not for me... at least on blades over 2.5".
 
marrenmiller said:
I haven't, but I have no doubt they work fine. My contention lies with the implication that they somehow cut better than geometry dictates they should. As noted by larrin, a chisel grind of comparable inclusive angle can require more force to initiate a cut on a given material, to say nothing of continuing the cut. Unless his mythical blades don't operate under the laws that govern this reality, that is.
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Well there's a mouthful. :). Larrin's tests and writing style hurt the head. His test material is carrots, potatoes and beets, which are not really very much different and only applicable to the kitchen.

What do you think of knives with a v-grind but the final bevel is chisel, like the Douk Douk? That knife is a world wide classic slicer.
 
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brownshoe said:
Well there's a mouthful. :). Larrin's tests and writing style hurt the head. His test material is carrots, potatoes and beets, which are not really very much different and only applicable to the kitchen.

What do you think of knives with a v-grind but the final bevel is chisel, like the Douk Douk? That knife is a world wide classic slicer.
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Those mediums were probably chosen as they're all readily available and are slightly different than each other in terms of material stiffness and skin strength. Do you think that a chisel grind would somehow perform better in some other medium than a v-grind?

Keep in mind that, in general, almost everything you cut is an elastic material, and those will show results that align with the test results here.

I haven't owned a Douk Douk, but I bet it performs roughly in line with any other blade that's got a bevel of roughly 3/4" height and a blade stock of .11".
 
Chisel grinds , especially on "Tonto" (sic) :rolleyes: blades are handy for prying , wedging , scraping and are 2X easier to sharpen . They often come with a more acute edge .

Fully serrated blades usually have a modified (not flat on other side ) kind of chisel grind . IMO nothing cuts better and faster in an emergency / SD situation . YMMV ! :)
 
OogieBoogie said:
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.
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One thing about liner or framelocks is that they are designed and easiest to use only in one hand, primarily a right hand unless a special run of 'left handed' models which are often not available but in just few instances. A lefthanded person would find the majority of liner and framelocks to be very difficult to close. Even a right handed person might not appreciate a knife that can't be easily closed by either hand. whereas a backlock is completely ambidextrous.

Grizz
 
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