Your cheap, and bad, blades and knives

[ThePeacent]

OK, I've got lots of time and free WiFi at the hospital today so I'm posting something quite random,
in brief:

We always hear about how "good value", "excellent for the $" or "budget gems" are there in the inexpensive gear category for knives, but I am as guilty as many others of starting with TacForce flippers, gas station coated 50/50 edge knives and big thick "stainless" survival blades 

So I ask you, what of those "beginner's awkward knives" do you have left now?

let's talk and see about your crappy cheap knives that still are in your possession!    just for fun

I'll start, from left to right:



Karambit folder "Surgical Steel" and aluminum handled: Linerlock fails under minimal pressure (converted it into a fixed knife), the hole for your pinky is awkward  , sharper than the blade and badly placed, couldn't flip it open due to its curvature, 

Guardless RUI neck knife. Sheath will make it fall under any force, made for stabbing (dagger style) but lacks a proper guard, thick blade grind and cappy geometry, cuts like a toothpick, atrocious "titanium coating" and dull "edge" to call it something. heavy and fat sheath and knife

Sawback RUI ER copy, it's 6mm thick, can't cut even with that regrind (doesn't take an edge), the saw is worthless and gets stuck in everything and only does shallow notches, the rubber handles peels off at minimal effort, it's badly attached, cheaply glued. "Skull breaker" at the pommel eats your hand and allows no comfortable grip 

Sawback RUI tanto. The "saw" can't cut a thing, be it metal, plastic, wood, etc. it's totally useless. Thick as well 5mm and not sharp with a horribly shallow saber grind, it's a prybar in the literal sense. Crappy cheap plastic scales broke the second day of use, cracked and fell apart. I use it as a chisel the double guard always gets on the way, and it's sharp enough to cut you, the "sharpening notch" is exaggerated and useless 

RUI Boot knife yes RUI makes the worst "Mtech/Frost/United Cutlery" style of knives in my country, this is no exception. Like the S&W boot knife, it's double "edged" (so thick and dull these can't be called edges), just pointy but nothing more even after thinning it out and stripping the coating, rubber has started to fall off in the guard and butt, the "fuller" gets filled with stuff and the awkward angles at the ricasso don't help at all

Carabiner linerlock: unbranded, ultra heavy stainless steel folder. The steel must be the same in all the knife parts because it and cut an envelope before blunting beyond repair, the so-called thumb studs fell in a week and can't be put back.  Carabiner is unsafe and doesn't close properly (spring issues) and the handle is so awkwardly shaped and formed that it hurts your hand in any grip, it's also the weakest linerlock I've had (consider it a slipjoint) and the lockbar has travelled 100% and beyond   

Plastic handle "Spyderco". Handle must be ABS or water bottle plastic, bends with a single hand gripping it normally. The serrations can't cut, they get hung on every single material, and the short edge paired with a pointy, non-tall edge can't do any cutting task without effort  and despair. I took the clip apart because it was ripping away from the plastic and the liner lock is hard to access and use 

Wooden Canarian knife. Bought for $10 at the Canary islands but wasn't worth that. Carbon steel that rusts looking at it (and I have 8-10 carbon steel knives, none do this), thick grind with a long pointy blade, can't cut a darn (and it was called a "kitchen knife"  ) and the handle is both painful (metal wiring), allows from your hand to slip into the awkward notch/tang area, the wood cracked by itself in short time. Can get sharp but can't cut things because of the grind/blade shape

MAXAM "Mora" copy. Or Hultafors, whoever did they copy with this Chinese version can be sure their sales won't be affected. The plastic is probably ABS, cracks and degrades quickly unlike the European knives. The edge is gummy and soft, can't get the burr off of it by any means, the serrations are more teeth than anything else and they rip and hung, the blade snapped when scraping ice with it, and the sheath can't retain the knife securely

C'mon, let's see yours, I'm sure you still have some "shame pieces" in your arsenal    

[Mechanickal]

Just a S&W CKSUR2 and S&W S.W.A.T.2.

Oh, and a Gerber Gator machette too...

[ThePeacent]

Just a S&W CKSUR2 and S&W S.W.A.T.2.

Oh, and a Gerber Gator machette too...

Oh, the Gator machete...

[Mechanickal]

Just a S&W CKSUR2 and S&W S.W.A.T.2.

Oh, and a Gerber Gator machette too...

Oh, the Gator machete...

Want it?

You can fold your sandwiches in it for lunch.

[Gerhard Gerber]

Oh, and a Gerber Gator machette too...

I came very close......I was watching Man vs Wild before I discovered knife-youtube 

[Gerhard Gerber]

I've done pretty well, most likely due to a late in life (re)start.

Probably the worst and only knife with a steel below 8CR13, is the Tekut Ares sporting 7CR17.......handle will eat your hand, but it looks good enough and was cheap enough to not be one of my regrets 

[Dean51]

I think I'm going to get the award for cheap and bad.
There's blade play in six directions, wiggle the blade up and down and the lock feels like it will come out of the handle. It would be just plain dangerous to use.
It was given to me by my daughter several years ago, so it is a highly valued knife. 

[pomsbz]

I think I'm going to get the award for cheap and bad.
There's blade play in six directions, wiggle the blade up and down and the lock feels like it will come out of the handle. It would be just plain dangerous to use.
It was given to me by my daughter several years ago, so it is a highly valued knife. 
(Image removed from quote.)

Award granted. That thing hurts the eyes.

I hereby present my offering. Assisted flipper, 440 mystery steel. But it was a birthday present from my students and has my name engraved on the blade so I keep it on my desk at work.

[Dean51]

I think I'm going to get the award for cheap and bad.
There's blade play in six directions, wiggle the blade up and down and the lock feels like it will come out of the handle. It would be just plain dangerous to use.
It was given to me by my daughter several years ago, so it is a highly valued knife. 
(Image removed from quote.)

Award granted. That thing hurts the eyes.

I hereby present my offering. Assisted flipper, 440 mystery steel. But it was a birthday present from my students and has my name engraved on the blade so I keep it on my desk at work.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

Maybe two awards are needed. 
It's funny the things that wind up having sentimental value.

[ThePeacent]

I think I'm going to get the award for cheap and bad.
There's blade play in six directions, wiggle the blade up and down and the lock feels like it will come out of the handle. It would be just plain dangerous

look, I didn't even think that was possible! 
These are surprising knives no doubt, they'll amaze you every time 

I think I'm going to get the award for cheap and bad.
There's blade play in six directions, wiggle the blade up and down and the lock feels like it will come out of the handle. It would be just plain dangerous to use.
It was given to me by my daughter several years ago, so it is a highly valued knife. 
(Image removed from quote.)

Award granted. That thing hurts the eyes.

I hereby present my offering. Assisted flipper, 440 mystery steel. But it was a birthday present from my students and has my name engraved on the blade so I keep it on my desk at work.

(Image removed from quote.)
(Image removed from quote.)

even at my lowest, I never felt attracted to "gun disguised" knives, this one is a vivid representation of the "Tacticool Mall Ninja" style 
Your deadly opponent expects that you will shoot them but no! A blade flings open from your pistol so you can battle him at close range and teach him a ninja martial arts lesson 

I've done pretty well, most likely due to a late in life (re)start.

Probably the worst and only knife with a steel below 8CR13, is the Tekut Ares sporting 7CR17.......handle will eat your hand, but it looks good enough and was cheap enough to not be one of my regrets 

(Image removed from quote.)

7Cr17 is bad enough but I'll admit I've had 3Cr13Mov blades. They would dull mid way opening the package box for another knife 
As for the handles, you see in my pic, one of my solutions to awkward painful grips is to put some good old tape over it till it fills the hand 
What brings me to the second part of my collection belonging to this category:



Left to right:

- Bee Flipper. As you see I touched and electrical arc with it and tried my best to repair the damage: total failure with that...
But precious to that, the knife flipped only half way, the G10 smelled weird and left your hands odorous and stinky, and the steel must've been bad heat treated because it wouldn't take an edge, only a massive burr

- Balisong: made by Joker in China, it's a Joke. The pins are loose, the latch is unreliable, the blade can't cut because of the grind, onl stab, and the handle material is pot metal + a weird plasticky "wood analog" that rattles and moves sideways in your hand. I stripped the coating easily

- SOG Tsunami: not a bad blade (steel, grind and edge are excellent) but the handle came rattly and the rubber/kraton peeled off at the slightest effort, it finally fell apart after some use and now I'm trying to put new scales/handle on it. The jimping on top is aggressive, badly placed and hurts your hand, and dirt, grit, food and water get in between and it's really hard to clean

- Cold Steel Vaquero Grande: again not a bad blade, but it was a serrated blade that came with all broken, dull, and chipped teeth  so I reground it t to a Plain edge and dulled it so now it is a practice blade, doesn't cut and can only pierce with enough force. I have a live, sharp Vaquero Grande identical to this 

- Ti-Lite VI: same as above, good knife but came completely trashed and the scales falling off,   now it's dull and can only stab but it can wave open, weighs and measures the same as my other normal Ti-Lites and it's a practice knife, or occasional Ice Pick and gallon stabber. 4 years later and much abuse after, the lock is as safe as ever, truly awesome 

- Ganzo whatever: it was assisted but would fail to open and lock every time, the thumbstuds fell off in a week, the blade was thick and hardly cut, it wedged things so i reground it. I thinned it basically to haf the original thickness and with the lower weight it now opens and locks every time, plus cuts much better    The spine was notched/depressed to accommodate the index finger in precise, close cutting 

- Mini Pitbull fixed blade: three of the same knife at different stages of wear. A thick, sturdy and short blade better suited for prying and stabbing, bad retention in the sheaths (all of them) and the handle falls apart in short time, so the other two have been taped many times to make up for that. They have also been reground and thinned to a point, to cut better. I treat them like disposable blades (chisels, stabbers, pokers...)

- Blue plastic gas station folder: well the name says it all, I got it for 3 Euro at a gas station, the zip tie allows a comfortable opening (the holes were not sufficient), it has up and down play and you can get the plastic scales to touch pressing with your thumb and index, and of course the lock disengages at minimal pressure. The serrations snag,  get stuck and rip and the PE portion is ever dull and refuses to get sharp 

and basically that makes most of my cheap, bad, and ugly blades collection 

[Nix]

I've gone through a few iterations of getting rid of knives that were sub-standard quality or that I didn't think I'd use again. Sometimes that's proven to be a mistake. But now I'm down to knives I really like or I'm enthusiastic about. Mostly.

I got rid of my Ontario Pilot's survival knife. I put a lot of work into getting a shaving convex edge on it. Carried it for years. Took great care of the sheath and stacked leather handle. Then I got rid of it one day when I thought I'd likely never use it again. Now I miss it for sentimental reasons. I'd probably never use it again, but.......

I also got rid of an old Ka-Bar, again, modded and sharpened to my tastes. Great knife, but I thought I'd never use it again, so I gave it away. Later I found I just had to have a Ka-Bar again. The modern replacement is great, but it's not the same as my old well-loved Ka-Bar.

Sometimes the value of a knife lies in it's sentimental associations, and not the actual quality or utility of the blade.

Anybody want a lightly-used Ka-Bar?

[Mechanickal]

Been eying a Ka-bar quite some time.

Pm me!

[Nix]

Man, you are quick!

[ThePeacent]

I got rid of my Ontario Pilot's survival knife. I put a lot of work into getting a shaving convex edge on it. Carried it for years. Took great care of the sheath and stacked leather handle. Then I got rid of it one day when I thought I'd likely never use it again. Now I miss it for sentimental reasons. I'd probably never use it again, but.......

I also got rid of an old Ka-Bar, again, modded and sharpened to my tastes. Great knife, but I thought I'd never use it again, so I gave it away. Later I found I just had to have a Ka-Bar again. The modern replacement is great, but it's not the same as my old well-loved Ka-Bar.

Sometimes the value of a knife lies in it's sentimental associations, and not the actual quality or utility of the blade.


(Image removed from quote.)

I had 4 KaBar blades and now I'm down to one, they were great but I didn't use them. One of them was my first leather stacked handle knife and now I regret getting rid of it 

of my Ontarios, I am currently down to one too and it's not even a knife (the SPAX) but I have always been attracted to the SP1 and SP10  . The pilot knife always looked too short to me and that saw 

I guess I'll never be an operator or elite squad    so they weren't really for me

I don't think they should be grouped together with the "cheap, bad & ugly" pieces, they are well bult, have lots of history and merits 

[Nix]

The pilot knife always looked too short to me and that saw 
...
I don't think they should be grouped together with the "cheap, bad & ugly" pieces, they are well bult, have lots of history and merits 

   You are right! The KaBars are really nicely made knives. I didn't mean to group them in with 'C, B, & U'. (Although the lines of the Ka-Bar could be prettier, it sure does work well.) I was just reminiscing about some knives I had given away, that I then missed for their sentimental value. I think that in a similar way, many C, B, & U knives may have some sentimental value that resulting in people hanging on to them ( ) or is missed after they are discarded.  (But that may not be a good reason to hold on to them!)

One of the attractions of the Pilot's knife, for me, and other military members, was the shorter length. It's actually a very capable knife, especially if you put a good edge on it!. After using that knife, I developed a preference for a 5"- 5.5" knife for field carry.

The bigger Ka-Bar is still hugely popular with combat troops, but I find a shorter knife easier to carry, especially when climbing in and out of helicopters, HMMWV's, or MRAP's regularly. I think the saw was designed to 'cut' through an aircraft hull, but that may be urban legend. It does a poor job cutting wood, but used at an angle, it can notch wood to some extent. The hammer handle works fairly well though, but be careful using the hammer feature!

Ka-Bar, Ontario, and Camillus all make a really nice quality knife and offer good value in return. The Ka-bar USMC Combat Utility knife continue to extend it's reputation and legend even today. I guarantee you that right now there are US service men and women (and probably military from other countries of the world) carrying a 'Ka-Bar' for duty right now. I'd carry one again in a heartbeat. And, like I said, I kinda miss that old Pilot's knife. 

[zoidberg]

Sometimes the value of a knife lies in it's sentimental associations, and not the actual quality or utility of the blade.

Absolutely.

Often when picking a tool or knife for a job I'll select the cheaper one to avoid unnecessary wear or abuse to the nice ones.
Funny thing is after using the cheapy again and again it ends up being more valuable to me than the others.

I've done a few 30 day challenges with items I wouldn't normally rate.
But after finding a way to make them work for a month it's difficult to stop using them.

If that tool/knife/item was a hand me down or a gift etc then it really ups the value a ton.

Do I over attach to things, probably.

[Nix]

Sometimes the value of a knife lies in it's sentimental associations, and not the actual quality or utility of the blade.

Absolutely.

Often when picking a tool or knife for a job I'll select the cheaper one to avoid unnecessary wear or abuse to the nice ones.
Funny thing is after using the cheapy again and again it ends up being more valuable to me than the others.

I've done a few 30 day challenges with items I wouldn't normally rate.
But after finding a way to make them work for a month it's difficult to stop using them.

If that tool/knife/item was a hand me down or a gift etc then it really ups the value a ton.

Do I over attach to things, probably.

I couldn't agree more. I do the same thing: use the less costly, replaceable item instead of the more costly, hard-to-replace item. And, then, the less costly item becomes a new favorite because it works better than expected and now has some history and positive associations.

Makes you wonder.....

[Nix]

BTW, y'awl, Mechy decided against adopting the Ka-bar pictured above; so the first "I'll take it" gets it shipped for the price of a PM.

[zoidberg]

Sometimes the value of a knife lies in it's sentimental associations, and not the actual quality or utility of the blade.

Absolutely.

Often when picking a tool or knife for a job I'll select the cheaper one to avoid unnecessary wear or abuse to the nice ones.
Funny thing is after using the cheapy again and again it ends up being more valuable to me than the others.

I've done a few 30 day challenges with items I wouldn't normally rate.
But after finding a way to make them work for a month it's difficult to stop using them.

If that tool/knife/item was a hand me down or a gift etc then it really ups the value a ton.

Do I over attach to things, probably.

I couldn't agree more. I do the same thing: use the less costly, replaceable item instead of the more costly, hard-to-replace item. And, then, the less costly item becomes a new favorite because it works better than expected and now has some history and positive associations.

Makes you wonder.....

I've gone from wondering about it to proving the theory many times over, I am however pretty bonkers so yeah buyer beware.   

[zoidberg]

BTW, y'awl, Mechy decided against adopting the Ka-bar pictured above; so the first "I'll take it" gets it shipped for the price of a PM.

Who got it? I'm always good for sending blades to.   

[Mechanickal]

Seriously, if anyone turns that Ka-Bar into a shelf queen, I'm coming over to you...

[dks]

I was thinking of getting it, but I know that I will just baby it .... Zoid may use it to kill crocs and koalas and kangaroos (invading)

[zoidberg]

I do already have a good ka-bar. Maybe we should do a ka-bar challenge so Nix can connect to the modern replacement.

[ThePeacent]

The pilot knife always looked too short to me and that saw 
...
I don't think they should be grouped together with the "cheap, bad & ugly" pieces, they are well bult, have lots of history and merits 

One of the attractions of the Pilot's knife, for me, and other military members, was the shorter length. It's actually a very capable knife, especially if you put a good edge on it!. After using that knife, I developed a preference for a 5"- 5.5" knife for field carry.

The bigger Ka-Bar is still hugely popular with combat troops, but I find a shorter knife easier to carry, especially when climbing in and out of helicopters, HMMWV's, or MRAP's regularly. I think the saw was designed to 'cut' through an aircraft hull, but that may be urban legend.

Ka-Bar, Ontario, and Camillus all make a really nice quality knife and offer good value in return. The Ka-bar USMC Combat Utility knife continue to extend it's reputation and legend even today. I guarantee you that right now there are US service men and women (and probably military from other countries of the world) carrying a 'Ka-Bar' for duty right now. I'd carry one again in a heartbeat. And, like I said, I kinda miss that old Pilot's knife. 

Completely get the sentimental part, most of my cheapos are still there because there is a nice story behind them! 

I also read that the Pilot knife was meant to be used to saw through plane/chopper hulls and chassis but I also think it is a popular urban legend. All Ontario and KaBar knives with steel pommels make good hammers, I pommeled wood quit a few times with the one I had 
I can see many uses for that heavy butt in the Army and in the field

Sad that Camillus went bankrupt,  nowadays Ontario seems to be doing very well with their huge military contracts (better than KaBar, and the two companies have always competed for position and presence in the Army, often coexisting together in Vietnam, Korea and other conflicts, and making very similar models and almost exact copies one of the other  )

The KaBar is probably the most iconic (the classic "fighting utility" blade that comes to mind for most people. In fact I was watching a film yesterday where Viggo Mortensen gifts some of his children a KaBar and they get so excited  !!

jump to 1:40

   
 

other classic KaBar and Bucks appeared throughout the film , it was very American all along and fun to spot them and ID them 

the director always carries a Skeletool too, even to the Oscars