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Junk Knives: Thumbs up or Thumbs down?

I debated starting this discussion on Box-O-Knives but decided to throw it out in the General crowd instead. If moderators think it would fit somewhere else, please move it.

Admittedly the title was partly done to grab attention.

Nothing irks me more than seeing a one star review on a knife only to read the review and it says “More junk from China” Really, that’s it, did you even use the knife? The packaging and description on Amazon says Made in China!” I knew that already. Low priced knives get a bum rap and/or are never even reviewed, yet they sell like crazy. But for many people $10-$20 is a big deal. I don’t like throwing money away no matter how small the amount is!

Sure we have people reviewing quality knives but how about a word of warning or praise for the fly by night knife brands that come and go like the blockbuster movies of the summer! We can use this spot to talk about the good, the bad, and the indifferent low priced knives that populates the big box stores and Flea Markets alike.

What are some of the little known or store brands you trust? There are a lot of excellent $10 users out there that deserve to be promoted. At the same time, there are a many junk knives sold by chains that should be avoided at any cost!

This is a spot for you tell us about the off-brand or lesser known brand knife you bought and why it was good or bad. Tell us why it was better than expected or why it is garbage and should be avoided.

I will follow this post with a review of a supposed "junk knife" that I think is really quite good and then one with what I truly consider junk.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 24, 2013 at 20:58

A look the Maxam Sailor's Tool.

Price normally $6-$10

Obviously not what you'd call a collector's knife but does that make it junk?

The short answer,

if you want a good rigger that you're going to use hard, go for it! You could pay three times as much and not get a knife this good, The knife is copied after the Genuine British Army Knife made in Sheffield England but is more functional. It does have a major flaw but that can be remedied in about 20 minutes with a triangular file! If you're looking for a rigger to use and not worry about dropping overboard; by all means consider the The Maxam.

Price $6-$10
Pattern: 180-219547 Sailor’s Tool
Origins: New Style British Military Pattern
Manufacturer: Maxam
Country: China
Closed Length: 3 ¾ inches
Blades/tools: 4*
1) Sheepfoot - 2 1/2 inch
2) Marlin Spike - 3 inch
3) Shackle Key - 1 ¾ inch
4) Can opener
Blade Steel: 440C Stainless Steel (according to Maxam)
Handle: Stainless steel
Shield: none, handles scribed with rulers, obverse inches, reverse centimeters
Pins: Stainless steel
Liners: Stainless steel
Bail: Stainless Steel
Bolsters: None

* Mine also has a functional integrated screwdriver after modification.

The long answer

The knife is a direct copy British military clasp knife with a shackle key inserted between the sheepfoot blade and can opener. All three blades rest in their own channel. A large marlin spike runs along the spine of the knife, making this a time honored traditional pattern rigging knife. The inner liners of blade should have formed an integrated screwdriver in the handle (We’ll get back to this later).

The sheepfoot blade has a nice profile and is supposedly 440C steel. I'm not sure of the heat treatment. Fortunately it is not serrated so sharpening is a snap. So far I haven't had to sharpen it. I have been using it off and on for a variety of tasks for at least two years. There is no nail groove but it is also not needed as plenty of the blade is exposed allowing easy access.

I really like the shape of this marlin spike and that it stops in the half open as well as full open position. While the spike does not lock, it has a very strong spring, and stays in place reasonably well. It does a pretty good job at picking lines and loosening knots.

The shackle key is difficult to open due to be in the middle of all the blades. I would have placed on the opposite side of the sheepfoot. The non locking shackle key works well for small shackles and opening beer bottles but as I mentioned you’ll need a little practice getting your finger on it.

The can opener is pretty big and functional. It can also be used a bottle opener (but the shackle key works better). I’m thinking of grinding the inner curve of the opener in order to use it as a line cutter for small cords and also for stripping wire. This will vastly improve the opener.

The ends of the liners in between the blades form screwdriver heads at the top of the knife. However this gives the knife two screwdriver heads about 3/32nds of an inch apart; making both of them non-functional. Admittedly the manufacturer doesn’t list a screwdriver as part of the knife; however, anyone familiar with the pattern would expect the top of the knife to act as a screwdriver! I know I did.

The bail (lanyard ring) is nice but you’ll need to watch it as it has a tendency to get in the way of the main blade when you’re trying to close it. Rulers measuring up to 2 inches on the obverse and 5 cm on the reverse handle are a nice touch but are probably more eye candy than functional. Fit and finish is is pretty good and the satin finish is a very nice touch.. Blades are tight, a very slight wobble marlin spike when it is closed, and the rivets on the handle protrude slightly. All in all the finish is on par with most rigging knives of this pattern and better than expected at this price.

Aside from minor problem of the bail and bigger problem of the dual screwdriver heads, the knife functions remarkably well and the satin finish looks quite nice.

The problem with two screwdriver heads was addressed with a little file work. Using a 1/2 inch triangular file I cut the tip off of one of the blades and then using a smaller 1/4 inch file I rounded off the tip until its profile matched that of the handles. It took about 15 to 20 minutes to accomplish this minor task. As can be expected, the triangular file hit the other screwdriver head a few times and scratched it. I used 1000 and 4000 grit sandpaper to buff out the these file marks. I now have a functioning integrated screwdriver instead of an annoying manufacturing flaw.

Overall, I give the knife a really big thumbs up. It will get the job done as good or better than much more expensive rigging knives.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 24, 2013 at 21:13

Interesting Tobias, I don't collect those but if I did I might have to try that knife!

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Permalink Reply by Frank Stennett on July 25, 2013 at 8:19

Recently at a gun and knife show a bought a 1971 case redbone stockman for 15 buck. Used, but still a great knife. I am more than well pleased. It is my edc. Two older gentlemen were working that table. They had taken a lot of used knives and cleaned them up real good. Good buy. I will purchase more of their knives at the next show.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on July 25, 2013 at 17:54

I think that the knives from China have improved greatly from those of years ago. They can hold their own with other mass produced knives. A person may see a nice knife they like and are about to buy but change their mind because they notice, it's made in China, are only hurting themselves. They could own one of these knives and enjoy it and use it.

Their are some that won't buy knives from China because of politics. Well that is their prerogative but lets leave politics out of this discussion, it has only caused hard feelings in the past.

I try not look at where a knife is made, instead I look at how well it's made.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 25, 2013 at 18:48

Sarge SK-434BS Boy Scout Knife. (Thumbs Down)

The Short Story:

The Sarge BSA licensed Scout knife targets collector of Boy Scout Knives with a tantalizing wood handled knife. Unfortunately the knife has serious issues which make it a poor choice for both the user and the collector.

I really want to like this knife because it is a Boy Scout Knife. But at the end of the day all it really does is disappoint. There is no way I would trust this knife camping or hiking.

Specifications

Pattern Numbers: SK-434BS
Handle: Wood
Length Closed : 3 5/8 inch
Blade Steel: 440C Stainless Steel
Blade Main: Spear
Secondary: Punch can opener
Secondary: Cap-lifter/Screwdriver
Secondary: Punch
Bolsters: Stainless Steel
Lining: Stainless Steel
Pins: Brass
Shield : Sarge Shield (Laser Engraved BSA emblem in wood)
Bail: Stainless Steel

The Long Story:

The knife features the BSA emblem laser engraved into the hard wood handle. I managed to snag it for around $14.00. It usually sells for $17-$25. I’m not sure if that was a good thing or bad thing.

The knife has some serious issues.

One of the promising features, at least on paper, is the 440C. But on personal inspection you find out the blades are extremely thin; perhaps as little as 1/3 the thickness of the 440A blades on the Old Camillus Scout knife or the Rough Rider Scout knife. Perhaps being 440C instead of 440A or a 420 Sarge feels they can use thinner blades and still provide the strength of a 440A blade. I’m not sure. What I am sure of is the blade is far from razor sharp out of the box. All of my modern era imported scouts --Coleman, SharpKidz, Marbles, Rough Rider— proved much sharper than Sarge when cutting paper, wood, cardboard,and tree bark. All of them also cost less than the Sarge!

The biggest issue, however, isn’t the dull blade. The main blade gets hung up on the cap lifter when closing. It is so bad that you have to push the blade over or open the cap lifter to close the blade. And about that cap lifter: it wobbles all over the place. Unfortunately, others have reported the same problem so I don’t think this was an isolated incident.

As for fit and finish, the wood bolsters aren't flush with the bolsters and you can feel the pins as run your finger over the scales. The flaws seem slight first but they become noticeable after repeated handling. We’re talking wood. It seems like the makers could have applied a little more sanding to get things to fit right. The grain of the wood isn’t particularly even either.

I haven't discussed the punch. Quite frankly it is also very thin, not extremely sharp and it doesn't work very well when trying to put a hole in pine or leather. I afraid frequent torquing will only increase the wobble in the cap lifter.

Had I spend over $20 I would’ve sent the knife back. At $14 it really isn’t worth the hassle of repacking and taking it to the post office. I had high hopes with the Sarge knife but it truly let me down. The BSA should reconsider their licensing agreement with Sarge.

As this is only a BSA licensed knife and not an Official Boy Scout knife, the BSA collector can easily pass on this knife with little or no regret. As it is, I'll probably grab this knife and use it when I don't want to screw up some other knife. Yet somehow I doubt I'll get my $14 worth out of this knife.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by Robert Burris on July 25, 2013 at 20:32

Thumbs Up!

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Permalink Reply by Bobby Horn on July 25, 2013 at 20:49

Thanks for starting this thread. I appreciate that someone can enjoy a knife even if it was- gasp- made in china.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on July 25, 2013 at 21:20

more important to me,is that the knife is "Gasp" inexpensive and made to be used! It my experience so far that if it is in expensive and looks cool or seems to have been made to collect, chance are it isn't going to work very well. But I could be wrong. Hopefully some others will come forth with their experience on low priced knives.