Bestech BG03 Swordfish G-10 Series Discussions | Drop

Dec 12, 2018

That silver tongued devil, Kavik has convinced me in the most certain terms that I need this. And it's cheaper here by $10.00 or so from other places that I buy knives. Oh, well. It's Ramen and the dollar menu. At least, I'll be able to cut up the mystery meat with my new knife.

Dec 12, 2018

Dec 12, 2018

14themoneySheeesh, i need to start collecting commissions lol But seriously, I hope you love it 👍 What color did you go with?

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Dec 12, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

KavikOrange and black. Being born in TX and currently residing in TN, it is the color for the state university. It is also easy to see if I drop it somewhere other than my bathroom or patio. I just bot a WE that is tactical olive drab. Perhaps it's more impractical than tactical, but I got a great deal on it. 809A Practic, M390. I really like my Paladin, so I am sure I will be wild about the Swordfish.

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Dec 13, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

14themoneyYou will, love this knife.

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

SteveMidwestThank you for the encouraging words, Steve. Four inches of D2 for $38 is a lot to love.

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

14themoneyIt sure is! : - ) I'm pretty sure, that the Swordfish, was my first Bestech knife (Black & Tan). It was love at first sight in-hand, and at first flip. Bestech really is making quality goods. Their detents, are always perfect. If you have a Paladin, then you likely already know. I must have about 6 Bestech knives now, and am always looking at their new offerings, when they come out. I don't own the Paladin, but they definitely have my attention. My latest purchase of one of their knives, was the Shinkansen. Oh my gosh, is that knife sweet!

Dec 13, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

SteveMidwestI've seen pictures. I like the appearance and Specs. I've spent enuf recently to get a Sebenza and then some. Whatever the reason is, (Probably way too much money) I have never been very attracted to one of these.

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

14themoneyThis came up in another thread today too, oddly enough... But the two orange knives I own are this and the the Paladin. Both from the same company, both are supposed to be G10, but the look and feel on the swordfish is different somehow, in a good way. Seems sturdier, less plastic-y. I dunno, may just be the thinness of the scales on the Paladin with the hidden liners

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

SteveMidwestI'm also a big fan of Bestech, but my one gripe is actually that I find their detents rather inconsistent. They're all well tuned for snappy deployment, but I'm at about 50/50 on how many I can shake open / gravity deploy versus how many I can't. (that's out of 12 from their G10 line and 6 from their Ti line, for reference) That Shinkansen is a pretty slick looking model, hadn't seen that one before. I kinda want to try a couple more front flippers, but didn't have much luck using the one I've got. This BT one though seems to have a larger tab, wonder if it might work better for me, hmmmm....

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

KavikYes, agreed. I never have liked hidden (inset) liners. The G10 (or whatever) has to then be so thin and milled out, to fit those liners in there. That no mater what they put out there. It does feel cheaper.

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

KavikI was going to ask you if this one was flappy, as you are the world's greatest living expert on the plenitudinous and Byzantine Bestech lineup, but looks like you don't own the Swordfish either. I own only one Bestech, a Kendo, and it falls open with little effort. (Still better than the Artisan Cutlery Osprey, but that's faint praise indeed...) Oh well - the bright colors and low price have suckered me into this, along with your 50/50 estimate. "This glass of water is really half full", I tell myself...

Dec 13, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

Rosebud41Lol i dunno about expert, but... Yeah, i do own this one. I posted a detailed review if you scroll through to find mine. I wouldn't call it flappy. I CAN shake it open, but it takes more effort than others that fail that test. Definitely not nearly as floppy as my Kendo (or Scimitar, or Paladin....I truly believe there a correlation between the hidden liners and weak lockbar tension, i think they use a cheaper steel on the hidden liners)

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Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

KavikOk. I'll go with less flappy than the Kendo as a selling point. You are probably right on the hidden liner models being floppier. Worst offender in my collection besides the Flopsy (Osprey) is, surprisingly, the Steel Will Cutjack, or Flapjack as I think of it. Given the endless good press that brand and model received online, I was expecting something bulletproof. A brand rarely (if ever?) seen on MD, but a sign that Chinese knife manufacturing is wildly uneven in quality.

Dec 13, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

Rosebud41That's another one I keep meaning to take a shot at, but never seem to get around to picking one up

Dec 13, 2018

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Dec 13, 2018

KavikIt's a nice grind and very sharp (all three of the ones I owned, trying to get non-flappy). The handle feels a tad cheap. Ergonomics in the hand are nice. The fact that all three of them could be casually flipped open kinda turned me off to the brand. Now the Civivi Praxis on the other hand; there's a great one! Try Civivi if you have not so far - built like a knife three times its price.

Dec 13, 2018

Dec 13, 2018

Rosebud41Good to know about consistently flappy, thank you :) Civivi is also on my short list, but haven't handled one yet.

Dec 13, 2018

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Jan 5, 2019

SteveMidwestThe Paladin I think is probably the best one in the G 10 series. Love mine. I have probably joined nearly every bestech drop lol

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

Rosebud41 I have been eyeing those also. the Praxis and backlash in paticular. I could've picked some up onsale for $32 a while back and I am now kicking myself but the 9CR14 turned me off at the time. I suppose it's not that big a deal wish it was the D2 or vg10 but for the price... the designs are really nice and I know the fit and finish and quality will be good coming from we knives. I think they will be added to my collection soon!

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

CdoyleVery good! I'm glad you love it. I have several friends with that one, and they all love it as well. The Kendo, Scimitar, and Paladin. Are about the only Bestech knives, that I have not bought. I just can't go for those blade shapes. : - ) My favorite, recent, Bestech purchase? The Shinkansen, in bronze Ti. It's one smooth operator, and a front-flipper. Which is a trend, that I'm eagerly moving towards.

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Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

CdoyleThey are fantastic. I bought both (Praxis, Baklash) and ended up taking the Baklash apart, and tumbling away the blue liner finish. It was driving me crazy! : - )

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

SteveMidwestI only have the g10 series so far so ill definitely have to check out that ti model. I own all 3 of those with the kendo being my first bestech. I do wish it was a drop point rather than the tanto as i like its slimmer handle the best of the BT I own. The scimitar has that upswept persian style blade which isnt for everyone but I liked it bc its different than anything i own. The paladin blade is closest to the more traditional style. All 3 have the nested liners i believe and while they are thinner and maybe not as strong i do like the look. I mainly edc and dont hard use my knives really so its not a big concern for me. I know some people dont like it for those reasons however i actually prefer the look of the nested liners but to each their own. I just reread your post and realized that Your favorite BT is a front flipper which is now intriguing me more. I have one Front flipper only, a real steel metamorph g5 (battlbox version in green) so that's The only one ive handled so far. Its kinda a budget model w aluminum scales and sandvik blade steel but has a unique roller bearing pivot with caged needle bearings which is different. Ive never handled any real steels before but Overall i do like it quite a bit. Now im headed to BHQ to check out this shinkansen!

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

SteveMidwest I'm glad you like them. all the reviews I have watched about those are very good remarks also. That's a good idea about the liners as I think a lot of people are not too crazy about the anodize? on them as neither am I. I can understand why civivi did it thou to stand out in the budget category with a little extra touch of pop.

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

SteveMidwestDamn that shinkansen is one beautiful piece! Did you get it in a drop or bought elsewhere? Im really diggin it!

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

CdoyleIt is fantastic. No, I don't think they've had a Drop for that knife, yet. I bought mine, from White Mountain Knives. Free shipping on all U.S. bound orders. If you enter LTK as a Promo code. You will get 10% off as well. He is also one of the rare Dealers, to get knives shipped into Canada. If those who may read this comment, live there?

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 5, 2019

SteveMidwestIts a sweet piece and i like dealing with white mountain knives as they have some good deals. Thanks for the LTK code. I actually just bought a few knives and a couple watches this week so im tapped out for now but it will come in handy if i decide to pull the trigger soon. I have watched some of his reviews on youtube. Im in Texas but i know there are probably a fair amount of Canadians also in the community as i commissioned some custom micarta scales for my ff gent from one of the users here and he was out of Canada althou i forget his username at the moment but he does good work for a fair price and i will use him again for sure. Thanks for bringing the shenkansen to attention as i had never seen that model before. Really like the green one. Might be another front flipper in my collection soon!

Jan 5, 2019

Jan 8, 2019

CdoyleI would highly recommend Civivi. The 9CR was an issue for me at first also, but after buying a Praxis and working with it for a bit, I would say the quality is much higher than 8 CR. I would put it as comparable to VG10 - takes a sharp edge and holds it for an above average period of moderate use. Much easier to sharpen than D2, so there's that as well. In terms of build quality, Civivi hits it out of the park. Heavy blade, but cannot be shaken out, yet opens and closes reliably well with the intended detent function. Frankly, it feels like a different world of knife manufacturing than the Bestech knife of the day club, with their seemingly inevitable gravity knife "feature". I am 0 for 2 in terms of Bestechs that would not get me arrested in my city and am abandoning the brand to folks who think blades flopping open with mild hand motion is fun and cool.

Jan 8, 2019

Jan 9, 2019

Rosebud41I don't necessarily disagree.....but I have a much higher ratio with Bestech knives that don't shake open. I'm curious, if you don't mind, which two did you try? In some cases I've been able to tweak mine to not shake open, but not in all cases.

Jan 9, 2019

Jan 9, 2019

KavikThis model, the Swordfish, and a Kendo. I kept the Kendo, but am sending the Swordfish back. I don't want to fiddle too much with new knives at this price point to get 'em to work. I had better luck with CRKT, Ruikes, and Ontario, and similar bad luck with Steel Will and Tangram. I think the issue is not necessarily bad QC, but rather that some knife buyers like the shake the blade open aesthetic effect (God help them!) and Chinese manufacturers aim to please.

Jan 9, 2019

Jan 9, 2019

Rosebud41Yeah, the Kendo was one of the worst for me in regards to that too. Ones that don't shake open for me though : Pebble, Warwolf, Grampus, Beluga, Thorn... A third of the ones I own in the G10 line And for the titanium line : 2 Goblins, Imp, Shrapnel, Dolphin can, but takes some serious effort I can understand not wanting to have to adjust them, especially at this price point, sure. I find it too be part of the fun of owning them though. Can't say if it's a design thing or a QC thing...I've seen occasional comments with different stories on the same knives, but I'm afraid you're right, I think some of them are by design. And on that I agree with you 110%, should be flippers not floppers.

Jan 9, 2019

Jan 10, 2019

KavikFlippers not floppers. Haha!

Jan 10, 2019

Jan 10, 2019

Rosebud41I was initially comparing the 9cr to other knives at the same price point with better blade steels however i have heard nothing but good things about civivi and i have plenty of old HK knives ( foreign made benchmades) with 9cr that are just fine for my daily uses actually. I did notice some civivis do offer vg10 in the $60-70 price point. I really dig the praxis and baklash models designs thou so im over the 9cr Thing as It will be good enough for the price. Now i just need massdrop to make those drops active so i can score a deal on them!

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Jan 10, 2019

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Jan 10, 2019

CdoyleIn truth, Amazon prices on Civivi are often within a buck or two of Massdrop, so no need to wait if you should see a nice deal on AMZ.

Jan 10, 2019

Jan 10, 2019

Rosebud41I actually havent checked there yet. I was hoping it might be a nice drop like the bestechs but hate waiting and the shipping times. Im Off to amazon...

Jan 10, 2019

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Jan 11, 2019

CdoyleI need to trademark that, or start a hashtag or something lol #FlippersNotFloppers * * does not apply to the Swordfish lol

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Jan 11, 2019

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Jan 12, 2019

Rosebud41Green baklash on the way. Ended up going thru atlantic knife $42.50 shipped. The praxis seems to be out of stock everywhere I looked. Baklash is lighter thou so will see if i want the praxis still after handling. Cant wait!

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Jan 12, 2019

Jan 12, 2019

CdoyleGood luck! Hope you like the brand and knife... Also hope MD brings back more Civivi knives. Less Bestech, more Civivi! (Though the MD collaborative knives with WE are a nice option also...)

Jan 12, 2019

Jan 22, 2019

Rosebud41My Modus in M390 comes very close to perfection.

Jan 22, 2019

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Jan 22, 2019

KavikSholy Hit! This is the first under $100 knife that I have given a 5 to since I decided that there weren't any that deserved that rating when compared to a hier tier. Thankx, again. This is an astounding knife. Much better than the Paladin, which is a very good one.

Jan 22, 2019