Armory Sponsor
Posted: 7/28/2016 7:14:15 PM EDT
|
Whelp, I took the plunge and bought myself a raw crest tactical OTF, it was a bit closer to my price range and they have an unlimited lifetime warranty. Received the knife two weeks ago, and ever since I have been beating the living hell out of it almost intentionally. I have to say I love this thing, it stands up to the abuse and asks for more, gets the job done, and looks cool. I have ordered another dagger type blade for it.
Anyone else have some OTF knives and want to share feelings/experiences? I do eventually want to get a micro tech mini. |
Ravencrest 
Sorry to say man but you got taken. Ravencrest is just rebranded Chinese microtech knockoffs. Ravencrest: http://ravencresttactical.com/shop/rct-1-raven-serrated-black/ same knife direct from Chinese supplier: http://xxxknife.com/product.asp?productid=F0594 |
|
Quoted:
Ravencrest
Sorry to say man but you got taken. Ravencrest is just rebranded Chinese microtech knockoffs. Ravencrest: http://ravencresttactical.com/shop/rct-1-raven-serrated-black/ same knife direct from Chinese supplier: http://xxxknife.com/product.asp?productid=F0594 Sorry for the OP, but thanks for PSA. Chris |
|
Quoted:
Ravencrest
Sorry to say man but you got taken. Ravencrest is just rebranded Chinese microtech knockoffs. Ravencrest: http://ravencresttactical.com/shop/rct-1-raven-serrated-black/ same knife direct from Chinese supplier: http://xxxknife.com/product.asp?productid=F0594 How horrible is the quality of these knock offs? I bought a lightning otf and have been impressed with how durable it has been for such a cheap knife. If they are halfway decent I may buy one just to screw with. |
|
I have two Microtech Ultratechs and they are really nice knives. They are pricy but are really great quality knives.
I have a couple of the Taiwan Lightening OTF knives and they are good knives for the money. I was really surprised how durable they are for the price (about $25 to $35 shipped). These make really good starter OTF knives for someone who is on the fence on getting a OTF knife. |
|
The idea that the Lightning or Ravencrest is a "knockoff" is arguable. When Buck came out with the 110 nearly every other maker came out with a copy - if anything it's the new knife buyers who rail about IP and stealing the design.
OTF's were patented over 100 years ago, and the Germans were a big part of the business post WWII. Follow the designs from there and what you have is just an adapted style by Microtech of preceding knives from before the ban. What Lightning and others did is no worse than what Schrade did to Buck - they made a knife that followed a lot of the same features. And we come full circle talking about thumbholes in Benchmades, or all the people who directly stole the IP of Walker knives and copied his liner lock. How about Terzuola coming out with titanium liner tactical folders in the 90s? Know any knife maker who didn't copy a tanto point liner lock like his? Put a Lightning next to a Microtech and ask a casual passerby to tell you which is the $200 knife. Americans don't know OTF's but they do know all the little cues that say Money. No, it's not a knock off. It's just something in the same style, like Frost Cutlery Trappers vs Case Trappers. Nobody complains about knockoffs in the slip joint world, for good reason. All slip joints are a copy of somebody elses. Remington Knives started out hiring away a Master Smith to copy what he used to make at the last company. And nobody trash talks Remingtons, they just hold up their money yelling for people to take it. As for the Ravencrest it's rumored they are just dressed up Lightnings and possibly coming from the same sources. How that happens with the ban on parts I don't know. I do know that a bit of surfing on knife forums will find threads of Lightning owners who have had theirs for years and who have put them thru the paces as an EDC for a long time with few issues. I'm also aware of Microtech threads where owners have their issues with that company. The point is that you do get what you pay for, but the price of something doesn't always guarantee a directly mathematical improvement in quality, performance or reliability. More often if you double the price you get about 40-50% improvement, and the percentage goes DOWN the more you pay. A $400 knife isn't 4 times better than a $100 knife.It does well to be just twice as good. Old knife guys know this for a fact and we don't let it determine what is quality. Materials, fit, finish, design, all go into the assessment. Pick up a Ganzo 7212 and put it up against an BM Rift for $100 more and you see the point. Now ask me which is my EDC today. Right - the $18 side opening switch blade. The Rift is a nice knife, yes. But 5X better? Not hardly. Just maybe a little better. The premium you pay for an American made OTF is largely explained as being compliant to regulations - and yet those regulations state NO interstate trade, so how does a knife get legally sold from out of it's state of origin? Hogwash. It's just a smokescreen to justify charging double and take more profit. Take the Boker Toplock as an example - as a push button manual it sold for under $50, add the one simple spring now sold for less than $2.50 and it becomes a $100 switchblade. Do the math. Same knife. You get what you pay for - but don't forget, they say another one is born every minute. What you pay for isn't always in the knife, it's in the bragging rights or some other non tangible concept that only exists because people say it does. And they are willing to pay extra for the vapor ware. |
| Sorry, been a while since I have posted here, I've had the ravencrest for almost a month now, and have beaten the ever loving shit out of it and it keeps going. As far as I am concerned it's a good knife. I have handles micro techs and I have to say I don't find myself wanting with the knife. The blade holds an edge well enough and it like its weight. I will however buy one of those Chinese ones to see if they are identical. |
Armory Sponsor