Your Top 5 Knife No-Nos (Pet Peaves)

black mamba

black mamba

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As long as we have top 5 threads running, I thought this one could be interesting. Not looking for patterns you don't like, but particular knife characteristics that turn you off. Here is my list to get us started:

1) Weak Snap and Pull - just the worst!
2) Double Nail Nicks - unnecessary and ruins the looks of a good blade
3) Easy Open Notches - ruins the ergos
4) Nail Nick Too Close to the Tip - lightens the pull, but makes opening very awkward
5) Straight-edged Main Blade - prefer a long bellied blade and a short straight-edge
 
1. Side-to-side blade play when open.
2. Weak snap.
3. Knives coming dull from the factory/maker.
 
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1) weak springs
2) inconsistent pulls
3) off center blades
4) liner gaps
5) shield routes

Attention to detail & eye appeal are important to me :)
 
gotta agree with ya on that EO, ruins aesthetics and causes an uneven knife in ergos.

also not a fan of too weak of a snap/pull

edit: poor blade to handle ratio. more commonly seen in Queen/Schatt&Morgan knives. Sometimes their blades dont fill the well as well I'd like, coming up short a little. this results in a handle that is a tad longer but a knife with a little less blade.
 
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1. Knives that have been buffed or otherwise resurfaced by the prior owner. Even worse if the bolsters are buffed. Even worse if it is misrepresented as "mint".
2. Parts knives that are not marked to indicate they've been worked on
3. Weak or worn out springs (though an antique would still have historical value if it was otherwise well preserved, e.g. not resurfaced)
4. Side-to-side play (same exception as in #3 for otherwise well preserved oldies)
5. Poor primary grinds (grinds, not edges)
 
Weak pulls. I prefer them around 7-8, maybe even a 9 if it's a big knife.

Sluggish slipjoints that don't SNAP open, regardless of pull weight

Liner locks in general, traditional or modern

The fact that Old Timers are made in China with stainless now. I know it's been years but still there aren't enough budget carbon steel knives, and even when there are they don't have as many color/pattern options as their stainless counterparts.
 
-Inconsistent/rushed dye jobs
-Jigging that doesn't extend to the bolsters
-Fat stag
-Sticky locks
-Pulls over a 6 (why someone wants a tool that's difficult to use is beyond my comprehension)
 
what's bad about buffing? I've buffed the bone on two knives I own that had no color, bone was near black. I now have color. I get it if you're a purist and just like things left as they were.
 
Bad grinds. In my opinion it's the grind, more than the steel, that makes the knife. I've seen some truly bad, asymmetrical, wavy, grinds on knives by makers who have a following, and I can't figure it out. I have no tolerance for this, especially from those who use NC machining.

Stupid designs and features. It's a knife, it's supposed to cut. Prybars, saws, hatchets; those are for the other stuff. The KISS principal leads to beautiful, functional, design.

Poor materials. I understand economics, and manufacturing, but some of the materials that have been used to make knives make my teeth grind.

Mistreatment. Blades that have been sharpened on an 80 grit wheel, bolsters hammered to stop blade play, failure to clean or oil; all of these frustrate me. It doesn't take that much more effort to properly care for a tool.

All the little stuff. Makers of $500 knives who can't be bothered to index the screws, or who tear up the screw head. Guys who buy a nice knife and have a laser "engrave" it with art a three year old could surpass. (actually any "engraving" that's not hand cut tends to annoy me.) Prices for production pieces that outrun custom. there's a lot, but we're all going to have specifics, mainly based on our experiences.
 
weak snap!
if a clip point has been sharpened poorly and reprofiled the shape into almost a straight edge
fat stag

I do dig Double pulls, especially 36s- send them my way:D
 
BearBug said:
what's bad about buffing? I've buffed the bone on two knives I own that had no color, bone was near black. I now have color. I get it if you're a purist and just like things left as they were.
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A buffed knife is no long original. Furthermore, buffing bolsters is a finishing step on a parts knife so it makes an authentic knife questionable. Some well preserved oldies have any remaining finished buffed away because of a few specs of oxidation. It is extremely common on the secondary market. It is also extremely common that these knives are misrepresented as "mint". It shows no appreciation for the original craftsmanship or historical value of old knives.

Based on your description of "color" it is the aesthetics that are of interest to you. Our values and interests are different with respect to knives. Looking at many of the replies, it's interesting that some are purely aesthetic rather than about function or historical value. I would put aesthetics much lower down than top 5. For me, aesthetics is uninteresting. And with respect to "traditional" knives, it was worked out well enough 100 years ago. Function and history are of greater interest to me.
 
nail nick hidden behind another blade
visible pivot pins - either sunken or just "too" visible
super strong pulls
"fancy" bolsters
pearl handles
 
Blade Play
Heavy Pulls (IMHO anything above a "6" is unnecessary, adds nothing to the safety factor - it makes the knife less safe, in fact.).
Improper care and abuse.
Using a knife instead of the proper tool.
 
supratentorial said:
A buffed knife is no long original. Furthermore, buffing bolsters is a finishing step on a parts knife so it makes an authentic knife questionable. Some well preserved oldies have any remaining finished buffed away because of a few specs of oxidation. It is extremely common on the secondary market. It is also extremely common that these knives are misrepresented as "mint". It shows no appreciation for the original craftsmanship or historical value of old knives.

Based on your description of "color" it is the aesthetics that are of interest to you. Our values and interests are different with respect to knives. Looking at many of the replies, it's interesting that some are purely aesthetic rather than about function or historical value. I would put aesthetics much lower down than top 5. For me, aesthetics is uninteresting. And with respect to "traditional" knives, it was worked out well enough 100 years ago. Function and history are of greater interest to me.
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Indeed aesthetics are important. However weak snap and W&T trumps everything to me. I buffed the two knives because the two had one side with thinner bone that was dark because it did't get buffed well originally. One side had color and the opposite was black.

Only other annoyance is when a pen blade obscures the nail nick or long pull on a main blade. I choose pen behind the main for this reason.
 
  • Poor transitions between materials. For example, sharp edges between handle material and metal bolster. Or lack of smoothness across back springs.
  • Difficult to access nail nicks.
  • I’m generally not terribly concerned about an audible “snap” as that really doesn’t aid in functionality. I like balance. I don’t want to have to have a vice to get the blade out, but I want it to stay open until I’m ready to close it.
  • For multiple blade knives, I don’t want blades rubbing against one another.
 
Blades dull out of the box
Blade etches
GEC sticky lock back blade lock releases
Way fat, exagerated, stag covers
Bluntish clip blade tips out of the box
 
Not in any particular order
1. Repeat blades, can’t see any reason to have the same or very similar blades on a knife?
2. Off center blade, but only if it’s so far off that it touches the liner. I’m o.k. If it’s just a bit off, or if it’s for a reason like fitting multiple blades.
3. Blade play, I’ve got many knives that have zero play and are very smooth so I can’t see a good reason for one to leave the factory with play. Now if it’s an old user that has developed some play over time, that’s o.k.
4. Easy open notch if it interferes with ergos.
5. Blade rap, can’t stand getting a dull spot just because I closed my knife without guiding the blade ever so carefully all the way shut.
 
Schrades humpback spey blades, they're just plain ugly.

Crisply swedged narrow / straight spear blades.

Fat hunks of stag, I just won't go for it.

" Shined up " old carbon steel, old things should show their age.
 
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