Who has medfords?

I already commented on this thread, but find it typical that some folks feel compelled to get on a soapbox at every.... single... opportunity. I am glad we can all share our views, whatever those are. No matter HOW judgmental they are. The problem is usually HOW those judgments are expressed. Usually derisively and without respect for equally legitimate alternative views. I was sorry to see Gizler's Praetorian thread derailed the way it was, because it WAS an informative review of that knife, regardless of whether you agreed with his uses or liked his conclusions.

I own and carry and USE two Medords. The 187 DPT (see Riverwarrier's post, but mine is OD G10) gets the call when the tool I need is not for slicing jobs; I carry a Spyderco Military for that. The Medford is great when I want to force an edge or tip into something (often a fence post or rail I am repairing, or wet wood when I want to expose dry wood for building a fire, or breaking ice in winter) and apply a bit of torque. It cuts well enough and I don't worry about breaking the tip especially. If I want to do food prep I use an Opinel, or a Mili, or whatever is best suited for that job. You can use whatever you want for whatever you want, and totally agree that you might not want to use a 187 for a lot of your jobs. And if you don't see the point in a Medford, that is fine, but you have to be blind not to see the point on my other Medford (everybody's favorite knife to judge :) ) - my Arktika! I mean that literally :) it has a really conspicuous point! Has a very good and very strong point!! And also a sharp edge. It is definitely not the blade of choice for food processing, it is too heavy for clipped in pocket carry, and I am going to try to do some reprofiling of that fat handle. But I actually really like the blade. My $0.02, which might not be worth even that adjusted for inflation :cool:
 
Last edited:
sutherland said:
The ONLY thing that makes me apprehensive about Medfords is their early lockup. I'm sure it's totally sound, but I've never been a fan of it...
Click to expand...

The lockup on mine is not particularly early and it's rock-solid. It's a goofy toy brick, but FWIW it's a very well made toy brick, as far as I can tell. It came with a great factory edge, too, which is a little thing that doesn't matter much but always pleases me for some reason.

As long as you expect it to cut like a novelty item I don't see any problem with pandering to your lizard brain and getting it a toy brick every now and then. They are nice knives to fondle.
 
dogrunner said:
I already commented on this thread, but find it typical that some folks feel compelled to get on a soapbox at every.... single... opportunity. I am glad we can all share our views, whatever those are. No matter HOW judgmental they are. The problem is usually HOW those judgments are expressed. Usually derisively and without respect for equally legitimate alternative views. I was sorry to see Gizler's Praetorian thread derailed the way it was, because it WAS an informative review of that knife, regardless of whether you agreed with his uses or liked his conclusions.
Click to expand...

That's the magic of living in a society that values the concept of free speech, though; in the marketplace of ideas, good ideas win out over bad ideas by being better, not by silencing those they disagree with.

dogrunner said:
I own and carry and USE two Medords. The 187 DPT (see Riverwarrier's post, but mine is OD G10) gets the call when the tool I need is not for slicing jobs; I carry a Spyderco Military for that. The Medford is great when I want to force an edge or tip into something (often a fence post or rail I am repairing, or wet wood when I want to expose dry wood for building a fire, or breaking ice in winter) and apply a bit of torque. It cuts well enough and I don't worry about breaking the tip especially. If I want to do food prep I use an Opinel, or a Mili, or whatever is best suited for that job. You can use whatever you want for whatever you want, and totally agree that you might not want to use a 187 for a lot of your jobs. And if you don't see the point in a Medford, that is fine, but you have to be blind not to see the point on my other Medford (everybody's favorite knife to judge :) ) - my Arktika! I mean that literally :) it has a really conspicuous point! Has a very good and very strong point!! And also a sharp edge. It is definitely not the blade of choice for food processing, it is too heavy for clipped in pocket carry, and I am going to try to do some reprofiling of that fat handle. But I actually really like the blade. My $0.02, which might not be worth even that adjusted for inflation :cool:
Click to expand...

I own and occasionally carry and use a 187 myself (mine is the RMP blade shape, though), and in fact I'm carrying it right now. While I've cut plenty of things with it, I'm unwilling to pretend that it's somehow a tool that excels at cutting. Your own defense of it above focuses not on cutting at all but rather on it's utility as a spike or a pry-bar.

An ounce and a bit's worth of William Henry E10 cuts better than the brick I'm carrying today in pretty much every realistic cutting scenario. I'll give you that the brick is probably a superior tool for stabbing, prying, feeling cool in your hand and also holding down papers on a windy day, though.

They're lovable bricks, but reality does not support a defense of them as tools that present fantastic cutting utility. The same is true of all thick-bladed pocket knives for that matter, my beloved Southards included.
 
JR88FAN said:
They're not for everybody, but that's what makes knives so amazing as a tool.

There's so many variations, that you will always find something that fits what you expect a knife to do.

There are so many different things that we cut, so not everyone is looking for the same thing.....

So many other factors, like ergonomics, and even just aesthetics to consider.

At the end of the day, what works for what I do may not work for what you do. It may not cut to expectations based on what you cut the most, it may not work with the size of your hands, or your favorite grip, or you just might find a knife aesthetically lacking....

Nothing wrong with any of that, the important thing to remember is that the person next to you might find that same knife absolutely perfect for their needs and wants.

If all that mattered in a knife was it's pure slicing ability through soft and not typically dense media, there would be no knife forums, and we would all just carry an Opinel......
Click to expand...

Fair enough; I think it's the aesthetics for me. Generally, my Emersons have held up pretty well cutting everything from flesh, cardboard, and wood. For really tough work, I prefer fixed (Busse). I'm not knocking your choice of Medfords--I just was curious to hear from users about their experiences; I read that they were not the best cutters... Your paper slicing pic shows a fine edge. Again, out of curiosity, how does the blade do with shaving wood around a fire? Thanks.
 
JR88FAN said:
Thanks bro. Sadly, after this little paper test I tried a tomato, and man was I really disappointed.

I mean the knife sliced through the tomato with ease, but all the juices where forced out of the Tomato due to blade thickness.....that is sadly a fail of the "Tomato cut test"

I will need a backup now if I am doing food prep and a Tomato is involved as part of my lunch....
Click to expand...


I almost spit my coffee out all over the laptop when I read this!!!!! Toooooooo funny!!!!
 
Aias said:
Fair enough; I think it's the aesthetics for me. Generally, my Emersons have held up pretty well cutting everything from flesh, cardboard, and wood. For really tough work, I prefer fixed (Busse). I'm not knocking your choice of Medfords--I just was curious to hear from users about their experiences; I read that they were not the best cutters... Your paper slicing pic shows a fine edge. Again, out of curiosity, how does the blade do with shaving wood around a fire? Thanks.
Click to expand...

Haven't done that yet, but I will and post up pics for you....

They are not the best cutters depending on what you are cutting.
The blade on my G/T was re profiled to 20DPS and sharpened to 1000G (that's as high as I need)

I can tell you it has no issues cutting anything, in fact, the weight of the blade makes many cutting tasks through thinner and softer media much easier, Less precise, but much easier....
 
Cool; would love to see the results and hear about your experience. It is so hard to judge these things just by the looks of them.
 
01D1BB61-9E36-41BA-BCC6-83047D0783F0_zpshwkb9jem.jpg


There are a few knives out there that people just love to hate, and medfords just happen to be one of them.
That's fine, we all have our opinions. I carry this one almost every day and in my opinion it's a great knife. I don't regret a cent that I paid for it.
 
Do you mean Greg Medfold of Medford knife and tool ... The one with great conservative rants on youtube ? .... Sorry never heard of him :)
100_3191.jpg
 
evilgreg said:
The lockup on mine is not particularly early and it's rock-solid. It's a goofy toy brick, but FWIW it's a very well made toy brick, as far as I can tell. It came with a great factory edge, too, which is a little thing that doesn't matter much but always pleases me for some reason.

As long as you expect it to cut like a novelty item I don't see any problem with pandering to your lizard brain and getting it a toy brick every now and then. They are nice knives to fondle.
Click to expand...
^ This guy hits the nail on the head :-) isn't at least half of the point of all these knife choices to end up with something that makes you smile when you open it? My lizard brain likes the toy brick 187dpt I just picked up second hand, that's the point for me :-) I don't do much with a pocket knife but cut straps on boxes, zip ties, rope for dog toys...but I smile the whole time doing it with my pocket-machete-like toy brick :-)
 
joesurf79 said:
^ This guy hits the nail on the head :-) isn't at least half of the point of all these knife choices to end up with something that makes you smile when you open it? My lizard brain likes the toy brick 187dpt I just picked up second hand, that's the point for me :-) I don't do much with a pocket knife but cut straps on boxes, zip ties, rope for dog toys...but I smile the whole time doing it with my pocket-machete-like toy brick :-)
Click to expand...

I agree. I think he summarized it quite well.
 
The best knife in the world, is the sharp one in your pocket when you need it I think. If we truly wanted max value cutting performance, we'd all carry $2.00 box cutters with a fresh $0.15 blade every morning. This really is just big guy toys in the final analysis, right - excess disposable income? Medfords and axes are heavy and thick. And are fun to play with. And cut stuff. Everything in life is a compromise, nothing is perfect. Carry what makes you happy, anything else is a waste of time. Shrugs shoulders, gets another beer.
 
joesurf79 said:
The best knife in the world, is the sharp one in your pocket when you need it I think. If we truly wanted max value cutting performance, we'd all carry $2.00 box cutters with a fresh $0.15 blade every morning. This really is just big guy toys in the final analysis, right - excess disposable income? Medfords and axes are heavy and thick. And are fun to play with. And cut stuff. Everything in life is a compromise, nothing is perfect. Carry what makes you happy, anything else is a waste of time. Shrugs shoulders, gets another beer.
Click to expand...

Very well said!!!!

And also very true!!
 
AmosPaul said:
If you want to educate yourself on Medfords, watch this video. Spoiler alert: there is one thing about Medfords that he really, really likes.

https://youtu.be/jCP9oxhbpBU
Click to expand...

I've seen a few vids by this guy and he's alright, but he does seem to have quite the HO for Medford.

I'll admit the 187 is thick and may be uncomfortable for many, but this guy seemed to over exaggerate a coupe things.

First, opening using the oval is easy - either using thumb or flicking with the middle finger (my preference). He made it look waaay more difficult than is realistic. Second, yes, Medfords have initial early lock up, but over time it's wears in nicely and I haven't had a single real life accidental lock fail using the RMP. Or my other two Medfords for that matter.

I get you don't like Medford, but why do you care that some do?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top