Who makes the Quiet Carry folders?

[flash900]

They're getting good reviews, which surprises me -- I haven't been impressed with the two models I've owned.
The Strand always felt cheap until a former employee stole it along with my more expensive Titanium knives.
My Drift was good-looking and better made than the Strand. Nice and thin and light in weight.
But I returned it because the lockbar access was a deal-killer; it was just too limited, making it difficult to open and, especially, close.
I waited for a second-batch to be made, hoping that Quiet Carry would improve the access. But no such luck.
I've not seen any information from Quiet Carry about who makes their knives. Designers whose knives are made by WE Knife, Reate and Kizer often disclose the name of the maker. Which makes me wonder whether Quiet Carry is using a less than top of the heap Chinese factory.

 

[Hackenslash]

I've been underwhelmed with the performance of a Quiet Carry knife. I got in on the Strand back when Quiet Carry was a Kickstarter brand. After light use the D2 steel began to pit and rust and the hardware literally began to strip itself out.

After using a bunch of the better bargain brands from China I can vouch that the Strand doesn't feel as nice as a CIVIVI, Kizer Vanguard or some of the Steel Wills. It honestly feels more like a CRKT. When new the knife seemed really nice but now it feels like a worn out SanRenMu. The Quiet Carry D2 definitely under-performs when compared to the other brands.

I think the good reviews stem from YouTube reviewers who use a knife for a week and then offer a glowing review. They never have a chance to see how the knife survives 6 months or more of daily carry.

 

[unwisefool]

Quiet carry states that their drift knife is "The first and only folding knife of its kind."

Uh, what?

 

[Danke42]

Quiet carry states that their drift knife is "The first and only folding knife of its kind."

Uh, what?

That probably relates to paying over $300 for what's in the box.

 

[tyyreaun]

Quiet carry states that their drift knife is "The first and only folding knife of its kind."

Uh, what?

Fully rust-proof with a super steel?

No, LC200N isn't a supersteel, IMO

 

[Chillinjjv]

Vanax

 

[unwisefool]

Vanax

Well thank you, that's very helpful and insightful. Do you have any more one word cryptic answers we can try and decipher?

 

[celticrogues]

Well thank you, that's very helpful and insightful. Do you have any more one word cryptic answers we can try and decipher?

Vanax not LC200N.

(There, you got three words and a period.)

 

[John Phillips]

I’ve been extremely happy with my Drift and I don’t have the same problem with the lock bar but I’m not saying it’s not a good fit for you. Not sure who make them.

Every single part of the knife is rustproof and Vanax is apparently as good or better than LC200N(leave this argument to the steel experts). It doesn’t have a drop shut action, more of a manual close like a Sebenza(NOT comparing it to a Sebenza, just the closing part is somewhat similar). They did a great job on the detent, never fails to fully open when engaging, once you apply enough pressure, it’s fully deployed. As sharp as any Spyderco from the factory. It’s crazy lightweight for the size of the blade you’re getting IMO. You can wear it with gym shorts if needed and it wouldn’t weigh down the pocket. I find the front finger choil very comfortable and useful. You may want to try the G10 model to that comes with the liner lock instead of the framelock. Or it may not be your cup of tea. Similarly, I’ve recently tried a TRM Atom and Neutron to see what all the fuss is about and I just don’t get it the hype. Their really good folders but I was underwhelmed.

The only thing I want to change is getting the titanium version with the knurled ti scales to improve grip.

 

[Docscoot]

Snark retracted

 

[RousingRabbles]

Fully rust-proof with a super steel?

No, LC200N isn't a supersteel, IMO

It's not made with LC200N, it's made with Vanax, as has been pointed out. Which I don't know of any other companies using Vanax and touting a basically rust proof production knife. I may be overlooking someone though. Also, what qualifies as a supersteel seems to be splitting hairs most of the time.

 

[Kmikaz3]

Another is their Waypoint, sporting also a Vanax blade, LC200N lockbar and marine grade hardwares. That one is more sebenza-ish

 

[Kmikaz3]

I got a drift, blade is Vanax but the insert in the lockbar is LC200N

 

[unwisefool]

Really wasn’t that cryptic. Good luck finding vanax on another production knife, that’s the primary unique aspect of this knife at the moment.

It was after bringing up a thread from a year ago. It's not like the forum charges by the word.

 

[Kmikaz3]

Ah dang it.. necro thread

 

[Docscoot]

Agree with John. Vanax is still pretty rare particularly on a production knife, the only other knife I've seen this on cost quite a bit more than the Drift. So if you're a steel nerd that's a selling point. I've been using mine pretty regularly for a year now, and love it. It definitely fills a unique role in my rotation, 3" blade is convenient for my work where that's the blade limit. It's super light weight, I find it very ergonomic (just personal opinion), the blade is nice and thin and slicey, nice snappy opening, solid lockup, no lock stick, no problem disengaging the lock bar to close (though I can see the above complaint about the pretty minimal cutout there, that could be done better). The knurled scale finish is great for grip (for a water use knife I'm not even sure why they do any smooth scales on this one).

Regarding where they're made, I thought I read made in Taiwan but I'm not certain. Very much not the same as made in China IMO. No idea who makes them, but I would put the fit and finish of my Drift right up there with every Taiwan made Spyderco I've ever owned, which is to say basically perfect. at ~$300 they're certainly not cheap, and I would never argue they're incredible value or anything. But they definitely are a niche product that lots of people are happy to buy, the knurled handle ones sell out in minutes every time they drop.

 

[RousingRabbles]

To answer the initial question, one must look no further than... their website. Just because they don't list a well known manufacturer as their source for materials doesn't mean much of anything. I've had nothing but good things to say about my Drift and IQ. Both very well made, and offering results I haven't seen by too many other makers. The Drift is fairly comparable in style and function to the TRM Neutron, but is far superior in craftsmanship than I noticed with the neutron I briefly owned. and when you factor in how much the neutron costs with the titanium scales, the Drift is a better buy IMO






Edit: Lol just noticed how old the thread is...

 

[Docscoot]

It was after bringing up a thread from a year ago. It's not like the forum charges by the word.

Ha, gotcha! I didn't notice those dates, okay I retract my snarky reply

 

[John Phillips]

Got me too. Lol.

 

[Chillinjjv]

It was after bringing up a thread from a year ago. It's not like the forum charges by the word.

Sorry for not spelling it out for ya bud. I was just busy at the moment and thought u would figure it out when i mentioned the proper steel being used. My bad