Which knives/styles do you plain dislike? For no real reason, rubs ya wrong, design, steel, handle, blade-shapes, brands. Judgement-free opinions.

Status
Not open for further replies.
000Robert said:
I'll bet you $100 that my Carothers DEK1 will stab through a car door with no damage.

View attachment 1892492
Click to expand...
Oh definitely - first, I have been lusting for a Carothers and have been getting into more fine fixed blades. I am currently deciding which of my 27+ Spydies to sell for a fixie and have a custom David Mary cleaver in the works (jokes on the "ie" thing). I have been using a 3" DM fixed blade lately for utility alongside a Spyderco. I am just not used to it because where I live is so sketchy about fixed blades. I am brainwashed into folders - I like the wave so much because I personally can deploy it with such ease it's the closest thing I can get to a fixed blade and not stick to a very, very strict limit. Heck, I carry that 3" DM fixed blade I mention in my mess. bag exclusively, never on my person, for fear of the law.

If I lived somewhere else, forget the wave, besides maybe my precious Police 4 which I like just the way it is. I probably would have a couple quality fixed blades (Carothers, DM... I don't know a lot of good companies yet, Busse and co seem too big) ranging from 3.5-6in that I'd carry one of on me, depending on my needs, for a quality using knife but also something that would capably keep me safe. Like that Carothers. On top of that, I'd have a general use folder, anything from a Native 5 to Buck 110, and a SAK.

I've already started moving beyond the ringed waved Matriarch 2's I would EDC for months and months, in favor of a Police 4 (fairly, also waved that). I think I'll keep those as "fun"/mushroom/"give to a woman who needs it" knives. I have always enjoyed doing exceedingly peaceful tasks like mushroom hunting or pruning, with the most tac'd out knife I can that is still appropriate for the task. The all-black Matriarch 2, for example. While legal, I have reconsidered carrying these, every day. Police 4 doesn't leave me feeling under-knifed, and it's just such a good pocketknife, too.

I do what I do for reasons, methods to the madness, and I am evolving constantly (luckily, some do not!)
 
Also, those Rich-Made Knives - butt-ugly, I agree. I have never seen somebody post one, not even as jewelry. I think with Striders and such, some ARGUE that it's art, some ARGUE that it's functional.... Rich-Made is purely art, and I think everybody, including the creator (pretty cool guy - he does not market them as functional tools to use iirc) agrees on that.

It is NOT my kind of art, but imagine how much worse it would be if he was trying to sell you the idea you needed a robot turd to be a tactical operator.
 
Stelth said:
I forgot to add: anything with an axis lock. The possibility of having to replace a broken spring is ridiculous to me. Yes, I know you had your Bugout for 5 years and you flip it every night while watching TV and you never had a problem. I'll take a Triad lock or even a basic backlock over an axis lock any day.
Click to expand...
I'd say the BENCHMADE Axis lock is the one I avoid - and why I don't buy a Cruwear Adamas or anything. You hear them breaking. All. The. Time. From nothing! Other companies do it better.
Compare that to the CBBL, or even regular ball-lock, from Spyderco. Not as, "fidgety", but OHOable, will not break, and strong. That's what matters. Sure, I like to see a "hydraulic" looking drop shut, I like good actions (Sage 5 is standard I judge all comp locks on, 1990s Military is the best liner lock ever had by me) but, my slightly sticky Shaman has NO play, rock solid, and... it just doesn't have as smooth an action as a Sage! Nothing wrong with it, works A-OK, just will not drop open/shut. I am very happy with it.
 
Oh, another thing - the more cutting I do, the more I realized I don't care for thumbstuds and love the hole more and more. I do not HATE thumbstuds, but I don't love them. Thumbstuds, unless moved way to the back, mess up the cut.

Thumb-plates do it even more - good thing the only knives with thumbplates that I have or want are Cold Steels that are 5.5in length or more, so it is not a problem for ME, but for you guys with normal-sized Emersons out there, how do you deal with that?

C Cajun Carry Wow, I never really looked at Houge. That is ridiculous. That reminds me of the "safety" and "trigger" and just various gun-adjacent language used by, I think it was Smith and Wesson knives, do not remember where I was reading it, but it was ludicrous and for sure pandering to the gun crowd who doesn't know anything about knives.

It can be a test of one's morality, knowing how many ill-informed people are out there. I tried to report a confirmed fake PM2 Tanto on EBay, sold for over $200. I'll be lucky to get as much for my Maxamet PM2! Should I ever be struggling for food, I will invest my last $100 into fake Alibaba knives of safe-queens that I know won't be used to save a life, and sell those for $200. Half-kidding, I would still probably find some honest way to make a buck.

luethge said:
View attachment 1892672
Click to expand...
$400 special sale price just for you. D2 supersteel.

Just kidding, what is that?
 
Last edited:
luethge luethge Mm, I was thinking it was something like that. Agreed. I didn't even see you say 1k there, I thought it was maybe $300. Even then, would never do it. If I am to buy an expensive fixed blade like that... I want it to have beauty. I want it to have handles made of some type of a real wood (pakkawood bleh) or something with effort and craftsmanship to it. And I can get it for a lot less than that dang car-payment you pictured, haha.

Oh, the knife is as incredible as 3" of 154CM can be, I am sure! But that isn't worth a grand to me!
 
luethge said:
View attachment 1892580

The only thing more shocking than appearance would be the prices. Insane.

Why are these even called knives ?
Click to expand...
My favorite is the double-bladed folding hatchet in the top left. I saw some at Bladeshow that the handles looked like random chunks of scrap metal welded together, and they may have been just that. They can’t be comfortable in hand.
 
I absolutely dislike aluminum handles, I’ve had 2 both by bm I had a m4 bailout and a 940 Osborne. They scuff and scratch way to easy. I don’t feel like carrying a knife I have to worry about scratches I take knives I can use. I also dislike most spydercos except the native series which I have in multiple steels and the chaps I have one in cts-Xhp. Not a fan of assisted knifes unless it’s bulky like the 0350. Hate the Bugout to me it’s too light to even know I have it on me and I end up checking my pocket 1000 times a day to make sure I have a blade on me. That’s all my complaints I can think of at the moment.
 
Swp321 said:
I absolutely dislike aluminum handles, I’ve had 2 both by bm I had a m4 bailout and a 940 Osborne. They scuff and scratch way to easy. I don’t feel like carrying a knife I have to worry about scratches I take knives I can use. I also dislike most spydercos except the native series which I have in multiple steels and the chaps I have one in cts-Xhp. Not a fan of assisted knifes unless it’s bulky like the 0350. Hate the Bugout to me it’s too light to even know I have it on me and I end up checking my pocket 1000 times a day to make sure I have a blade on me. That’s all my complaints I can think of at the moment.
Click to expand...
I have four knives with aluminum, two of them I do not have to worry about (PM2 aluminum machined scales - texture won't show scratches, and Boker Kalashnikov XL - it is a beater), but the other two, I baby for this reason (Microtech UTX-70 and PM2 with anodized/engraved Metonboss sclaes). Time will tell how I use these, how well I like them... No safe queens for me, though I do not mind it as a gentlemanly. dress-type knife that I don't drag through gunk. I am just going to start, sensibly, using that fancy engraved alum PM2 - if it holds up, it's worth it. If it looks terrible from use, then I buy once, cry once.

Boattale said:
What really really bothers me though is people who don't like Benchmade knives. I've carried them for over 20 years, given many as gifts and have never had or seen a problem.

View attachment 1892689
Click to expand...
It isn't that I don't like them exactly, or that I think there's a problem (except spring worries), they are just slightly BORING to me, haha. Nothing wrong with a good old boring knife, my RAT is boring and I love it. That 940 at the bottom looks sweet, and the Mel Pardue at the very top is calling to me... but the one right above the 940 is what I mean when I say boring. The hollow grind on it looks super clean and useful, though!
 
Boattale said:
What really really bothers me though is people who don't like Benchmade knives. I've carried them for over 20 years, given many as gifts and have never had or seen a problem.

View attachment 1892689
Click to expand...
I don’t hate bm. I have a 560bk-1 that I absolutely love. I like the mini Adamas, don’t own one just hasn’t jumped at me when I’m at the shops. But no hate of bm here just not my style so far. Different strokes for different folks.
 
I own several different models and sprints, just cause; but I really don’t like the looks of Spyderco knives. And I find them to be overpriced.

Also, I really HATE friggin’ finger choils. They’re ugly, practically useless, and in my opinion besides robbing me of cutting edge are an extremely sloppy shortcut and giant signal of lazy design. I get it, the transition from blade to handle can be difficult to make look perfect aesthetically, but if designers took the extra time they wouldn’t have to compromise by inserting a choil because it allows for “derrrrrrrr, choking up” and “fine work, derrrrrp”, when a properly designed knife would allow for such grips, manipulation, and handling. If you can’t articulate a frigging 3.5” or less blade for your cutting needs, maybe you shouldn’t be handling knives and ask a responsible adult to do it for you.
 
I do not like tanto, recurve , dagger, spear,s curve, spanto, harpoon or a number of other hard to sharpen, hard to use shapes. I like the boring ones, drop, wharncliffe, sheepfoot, and some reverse tanto.
Do not like fantasy or themed, like Star Wars, etc knives.
Not a fan of all the different plastic scales, prefer metal, micarta or carbon fiber on folders, wood or micarta on fixed
Do not like back locks, not a big fan of slip joints, do not like wave deployment or spydie flick(mainly because I am not that good at it)
There are a number of manufactures that i do not like the knives they make, for an assortment of reasons
One of the things I have to admit drives me nuts which seems to be true on every forum regardless of the subject, is the constant posting of "How I would never spend that one a knife or whatever" " The only steel I need is ####", " I have never spent more that ??? on any knife" Talk about boring, I rarely hear the other side of those posts, where somebody says you can't cut whatever unless you spend this much ?? or have to have this steel. If you like it and can afford it, buy it.
 
R rxavage I think there is a lot of marketing and stuff on knives for things that people don't really know/know they need if it does work. "Fine detail work" being one of those things - some people really do do fine work like this, but I find a lot of folks just kind of using it as a buzzword. Hey, knife buzzwords - another interesting idea for a thread.

sgt1372 said:
There is no "one size fits" all in anything but apparently this applies particularly to knives. ;)
Click to expand...
Exactly 😁 Guess that's why they have so many different markets.

Also, I use the search engine and read a lot of old posts sometimes - it is funny seeing people's taste evolve, even in old age. I don't wanna mention by name just because I feel that is weird, but this guy, older guy so you'd imagine preferences are cemented, life-long knife/SAK user, was talking about how great Cellidor was, and on a recent thread on the topic, had completely switched over to all Alox, all the time. Just shows you never know where your taste may go.

eveled said:
I hate recurved blades. Unless its a karambit or Kukri.
Click to expand...
100%, only like them on my reverse-S blades. I would like to try a good Kukri when the need comes, though. I don't need one yet, so will be waiting.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top