What's Your EDC Dealbreaker?

I have enjoyed this thread. Commies, birds. What a fun bunch. So glad I signed up.
,,,Mike in Canada
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The Burgh,
I’m still wondering what you did that makes the bird look at you like that.

Mine act like Pikka Birds . . . they tend to ignore me . . . . . . that’s even worse . . . but I can’t seem to leave home very often without something in my pocket with one of those round holes so the vortex has got me. I got too close to the event horizon . . . it’s too late for me . . . veer off while you still can ! ! ! !

Anything that can't be attached to a key chain for an EDC folder. That's the reason I use just SAKs
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I know what you mean if it won’t go on my key chain I don’t want it. I may have to get a bigger key ring.



My deal breaker: I will not put anything with a skull on it into my pocket.
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this ^
so outside my normal radar I forgot about it.

Liner locks
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Wow that made me realize, and I know what you mean about them sticking, but my Urban Trapper that I have been carrying everyday for months has never stuck or been the least bit of a problem. THAT ONE , anyway, just works.
 
Okay, okay, for all those of you who were wondering about my aversion to using a (Spydie) pocket knife which, when taken out out of pocket, puts me in the mind of a bird staring back at me...

Traumatic childhood experience in 1963, watching Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Great place, this Forum, where introspective self-psychoanalysis is free and 100% credible!!!!!:rolleyes:
 
NJBillK said:
Though of another, poorly located finger choils (Spyderco Native 5) since the back of the index/middle finger choil actually lands in the middle of my middle finger and doesn't fit right.
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Some handles don't fit me either. I just modify'm, if possible.

IMG_3059se.jpg
 
EDCanAdamas said:
Pocket Clip:
Shiny silver pocket clips that advertise the fact that it's a knife
Wire Clips
"Artsy" clips that are really curvy or strange looking
Thick titanium clips

Blade:
Serrations
Heavy recurve
I'm not overly fond of D2 and/or S30V
Unspecified steel used (yeah I'm looking at you Gerber)

Handle:
Rubber-coated plastic handles (see Benchmade Freek)
Stupid design patterns carved into the handle scales
Having a "window breaker" mounted in the handle

Other:
Made in China, by any company that outsources their production
Rebranded knives or knives sold under gun company names
Knives that cost over $50 that are made in Taiwan (cheap labor should lower costs, so why are some of the Taiwanese Spydercos $240?)
Anything made in Pakistan
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Taiwan does not equal China and they actual get a fair wage there. Taiwan has a constitutional democracy much like the US and is not communist China like many people still think. A little research may be enlightening and change your mind.

Sal of Spyderco produces many knives that are made in Taiwan, as you know, and has listed what it costs to produce a knife in all the various locations they have them made, and Taiwan is close to the same as the US, though I don't have the exact number in front of me.

And for the other guy that said the last 2 fingers (ring and pinky) provide most of the strength in your hand grip, just grab your finger with the first 2 fingers and the last 2. The last 2 obviously have much less strength. Some things are easy to verify.
 
evilgreg said:
Good one, I'm in total agreement. I didn't think of it, but this is 100% a deal breaker for me as well when I'm shopping. Skull? Nope.
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You can always add a pink ladybug sticker on the handle to cancel out the skull. :)
Or a My Little Pony lanyard...there are lots of ways to counter the skull or make it ironic. :D
 
I only buy knives that are left carry friendly. So I carry mostly Axis locks or back locks. No liner locks or frame locks. Clips that are not drilled for the left side are also a no go.

Spyderco's compression lock is growing on me but a left handed PM2 is coming out someday so we'll see.
 
Carbon fiber
A lanyard
Wire clip
Serrations that are not Veff serrations


Sent via telegraph with the same fingers I use to sip whiskey.
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Taiwan does not equal China and they actual get a fair wage there. Taiwan has a constitutional democracy much like the US and is not communist China like many people still think. A little research may be enlightening and change your mind.

Sal of Spyderco produces many knives that are made in Taiwan, as you know, and has listed what it costs to produce a knife in all the various locations they have them made, and Taiwan is close to the same as the US, though I don't have the exact number in front of me.
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I'm aware that Taiwan isn't China, and that it is a democracy, much to the chagrin of the mainland. Good for them.

I still think that paying over $250 for something made over there is absurd, especially if Spyderco could make the knife in the United States for around the same amount of money as you claim (please post that international pricing link if you find it, I'm interested).
 
No gas station knives, recurve or hard to sharpen blades, blinged out pocket clips/ gaudy knives, ceramic blades, big fixed blades.
 
EDCanAdamas said:
Other:
Knives that cost over $50 that are made in Taiwan (cheap labor should lower costs, so why are some of the Taiwanese Spydercos $240?)
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Taiwan's labor is not cheap. Sal himself already stated that labor costs in TW are almost identical to the US.

The only countries in Asia with large manufacturing capacities at low prices is China and India as of now.
 
Etna said:
Taiwan's labor is not cheap. Sal himself already stated that labor costs in TW are almost identical to the US.

The only countries in Asia with large manufacturing capacities at low prices is China and India as of now.
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Then why make them in Taiwan? It's a deal breaker for me, and I'm not saying the knives are poorly made either. I just can't see myself spending $300 on something made in a country that has been a lesser destination for American companies to open factories in rather than doing so in the USA. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels this way.
 
- Nothing with bearings
- No titanium frame locks
- Nothing that requires me to oil and wipe the blade every 5 minutes
- Nothing with silly outlandish thick grinds that can't slice an apple (medford and hinderer)
- No locks that need me to worry about losing my fingers if i need to pierce anything with the knife.
- No silly multicolored, pink, orange or flashy weirdness on the knife or bright anodized colors.
 
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FlaMtnBkr said:
Taiwan does not equal China and they actual get a fair wage there. Taiwan has a constitutional democracy much like the US and is not communist China like many people still think. A little research may be enlightening and change your mind.

Sal of Spyderco produces many knives that are made in Taiwan, as you know, and has listed what it costs to produce a knife in all the various locations they have them made, and Taiwan is close to the same as the US, though I don't have the exact number in front of me.

And for the other guy that said the last 2 fingers (ring and pinky) provide most of the strength in your hand grip, just grab your finger with the first 2 fingers and the last 2. The last 2 obviously have much less strength. Some things are easy to verify.
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To the part about the fingers, in Japanese swordsmanship, the pinky and ring fingers grip the tightest and the middle and first fingers grip looser. If I am wrong someone please correct me, but this is my understanding.

My main dealbreakers are:
Serrations
Chisel grinds
Poor fit and finish
Blade play
Skulls
Crazy colors
Ugly design (except for if it is very comfortable, specifically Spyderco pm2)
Clip that scuffs up whatever it touches
Tip down only
Rattling
Not a requirement, but preferably made in the US
American tanto
Clip that catches on everything
Difficult to sharpen or otherwise maintain


Smaller fixed blades and non-stainless is fine with me
 
If i remember correctly eric glesser said at the shot show that their USA factory is a maximum capacity and they have to use the taiwan and japan factories to respond to the demand of the consumer. And i personally find that the taiwan spyderco are easily equal to the us made ones
 
Some folks actually reminded me of some of my own dealbreakers.

In addition to a non-pocket clip knife, chisel grinds and rattling/blade play are also dealbreakers for me.
 
It has to be safe. It can't easily open in my pocket or if it has a lock, it cant have a lock that fails easily. No ao or auto for me.

I won't even own anything junky like those flea market knives you see everywhere. Has to be at least reasonable quality at a minimum. No novelty knives.

Other than that I wouldnt rule anything out. I've found I can be pleasantly surprised by a feature when presented with a certain task. I'm still learning after all.
 
If i remember correctly eric glesser said at the shot show that their USA factory is a maximum capacity and they have to use the taiwan and japan factories to respond to the demand of the consumer. And i personally find that the taiwan spyderco are easily equal to the us made ones
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My personal experience with Spyderco is that the Taiwan knives are, first of all EXCELLENT and second of all better than the USA product which by the way is made just up the road a hundred miles or so from where I sit. I am ALL FOR buying USA products when ever I can and I do.

As far as why have them made in Japan; some blade steel can only be shipped out of Japan as a manufactured product / raw steel is forbidden. Some have said the Taiwan knives are better than the Seki City (Japan) knives and the Seki City are not great quality. My personal experience is the Seki City knives are super good and the USA knives are third on the grade. I don't want that to be true but there it is. Now we are talking subtleties . . . they are ALL very good and perfectly serviceable . . . way better than most other stuff.

PS: cases in point; the knives I put on my key ring in the previous post. Sorry; couldn't help it . . I don't really carry them that way . . . anyway . . .
The Endura 4 (green handle) upper left is the best of the three; it has ZDP-189 blade steel only available as a blade; not as raw blade steel for export.
Para 2 (black handle) lower right really nice knife; still not as nice as the Endura out of the box but still super nice.
Benchmade (blue and black handle) not as nice as the other two in heat treat of the M390 (as others in M390) or the fit and function of the previous two. By a more pronounced margin.
 
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Stabman,

You can always add a pink ladybug sticker on the handle to cancel out the skull.
Or a My Little Pony lanyard...there are lots of ways to counter the skull or make it ironic.
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The ladybug sticker creeps me out even more than the bone head. Bring on the skull.

And don't you be disssin' on my Little pony lanyard. Them thar's fight'n words. :grumpy: :)
 
Half stops. I get cut by them all the time. I just don't find the appeal on blades jumping on you.
Unsunken 90degree sharp tangs.
So pretty much no GEC for me.
 
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