Landi Bushcraft Knife

Discussion in 'Reviews' started by Stayinsharp, Nov 18, 2017.

  1. CWB

    CWB Member

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  2. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Such a great freaking deal. John really sells these way too low
     
  3. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    I just spoke with John. This is the last of these in O1. Get them while they’re hot!
     
  4. YN*Dotte

    YN*Dotte Member

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    Awesome write up! I love in depth reviews like this especially when theyre from folks who actually use their knives not just sales pitches with fancy pictures, or folks who have only had the knife for a day and use first impressions,( good or bad) to form their final opinions. I also like seeing the 1-10 scale with each feature, it helps paint a nice picture for the reader, keep it up!
     
  5. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Thanks brother. I wish I could do vids. If a pic is worth a thousand words than a vid is worth a million.
    I plan to do reviews soon on the other knives shown on the table. As well as a custom ordered bushlore style from a maker on this forum. Very excited to get that bad boy in hand but I promise to stay true to the blade. I will highlight it’s pros and it’s cons as honestly as possible.
     
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  6. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Hey everyone. Posted a new review on a different knife. Take a look if you have a min and let me know what you think.
    About two more weeks and I’ll have an update on this thread as well
    E
     
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  7. theJman

    theJman Member

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    I have about 50% of my eval on the CT5 done but work, vacation and the holidays keep slowing me down. Hopefully I can post my impressions soon.
     
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  8. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Awesome to hear. I’ll be looking for that one brother! Do me a favor and post a small reminder here so everyone in this thread see when it posts
     
  9. theJman

    theJman Member

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    Got my Landi CT5 a few weeks ago but I've only had limited availability to test as traveling for work, the holidays and being sick have curtailed my play time. That, plus the fact it's winter and in NJ it's been friggin' cold outside (not to mention the woods are now filled with people carrying guns ;)). Keep that in mind as what follows is not an assessment based upon extensive field use. This is more like a first impression. I need to take this knife outside and get it dirty in order to completely understand what it's capable of, but I do have some observations to make at this point. Let's start with the blade...

    The few comments/evaluations I could find on-line about this knife suggest the primary bevel tapers down to a fairly thick end. From there the secondary bevel is tiny - about 1/16th of an inch - and cut at a steep angle. Turns out those observations are true; I've never seen a bevel and edge cut quite like this one. I'm still getting used to the overall geometry and how to use it. Performance thus far suggests it's intended to be a hard-use blade, and as such not designed for very fine work. It came with a working edge, but nothing more. Even after 10 minutes with a strop it wasn't able to cleanly slice phonebook paper, my version of an acid test. Printer paper it could cut, but almost anything can really.

    The CT5 has an aggressive 90 degree spine, which is something I was hoping it would have as I use that for several things. Jimping on the spine is made up of small blocks, which most would assume to be far better than the uncomfortable pointed/triangular variety one finds on something like the Tops BOB. However, the corners are every bit as aggressive and sharp. That means you either need to use gloves or be willing to spend some time with a Dremel and/or file smoothing things over. I don't own the former so I had to resort to the latter.

    A knife with 3/16th's blade stock doesn't usually appeal to me as it's simply too thick for my needs, but the FFG helps keep the weight in check and makes it much more workable. To further reduce bulk the spine tapers down as it gets closer to the tip. Looking at it from above you can see the taper as it flows into the tip, which doesn't look the least bit weak in spite of using less material.

    The flats have a nice brushed finish, which I like. Mine came with a few darks spots, one of which I'm not able to get out entirely. Where the FFG grind starts, just below the jimping, is not completely even side-to-side. It's like each side hit the belt at a slightly different angle or something.

    The CT5 is not a finesse knife as I found it doesn't do food prep all that well. One morning I decided to use it to make breakfast - scrambled eggs and an english muffin - but that didn't end well. There isn't much for a knife to do when making scrambled eggs, so I concentrated on the english muffin part. It wasn't pretty though as instead of slicing the muffin it was more like the CT5 mauled it. Cutting a thin pat of butter was all but impossible as well; to get a clean slice you had to go for something closer to 1/4" thick. Not being ideal at food prep isn't much of an issue for me since I rarely use my field knives to make dinner anyway. If you do then you may need to consider something else.

    The handle is a mixed bag, but in general I like how it feels. The scales are flat and devoid of shape or contour, similar to what you might find on an ESEE. I own a Laser Strike which has worked fine for me, so despite the bland appearance that style of handle is functional. The leading and trailing edges of the scales are squared off, which makes them feel unfinished. Five of the six attachment screws - there are three per side - were flush or countersunk, but one of them protrudes. It can't be tightened down any further (I've tried). The tang-to-scale integration is almost perfect, with just one tiny section where the tang extends slightly beyond the micarta. So far that hasn't created a hot spot so I'm not even concerned about it. The slight arched profile on the handle tends to pinch my fingers together unfortunately. After awhile that gets a little uncomfortable, but it may not do the same thing to you as my hands are on the large side. I frequently struggle to find a knife that fits my paws so the CT5 gets a mulligan here.

    The Kydex used on the sheath seems pretty thin. That makes it light, which is good, but it tends to feel a bit flimsy as well. It's about as small as possible, which I do like. I never understood why some manufacturers leave so much excess Kydex on their sheathes. There is some rattle so it probably was mass produced and not fitted to my exact knife. In spite of that the knife fits pretty securely, but I would prefer it to be a little tighter as it doesn't take much to shake it out of the sheath. It does scratch the heck out of the flats, which is surprising when you consider the fit. There are 4 distinct areas on my blade where the scratches are rather pronounced now. The outside edges of the Kydex are unfinished and relatively sharp, something I don't consider OK for a knife that costs what this one does. There's no drainhole either, a very odd thing to omit as it's really quite simple to incorporate.

    The belt clip is intriguing to me. Being a buckle and not the typical closed loop makes it uncommon, and I like unique things. Unfortunately there's not enough room to accommodate the riggers belt I normally use in the field; it barely clears the 2" nylon webbing belt I use for lighter duty tasks. There's no adjustment either so it's a take-it-or-leave-it proposition with regards to the size belt it will accept. I also wonder if a plastic clip will become a failure point, but the underside says YKK so it might be sturdy enough for the long haul. Those folks are widely regarded as making the best zippers in the business, so perhaps they make solid buckles as well.

    What's the final verdict then? I like some parts of the Landi CT5, but there are also a few I don't like. For the price I feel there are a couple too many issues. The design and concept are there, it's the execution that I feel is somewhat lacking. It's almost as though there wasn't sufficient field usage during testing as it's likely some of the drawbacks would have been uncovered. A bit more QC/better fit-n-finish would definitely help as well. I spent about 45 minutes with sandpaper and a metal file smoothing over rough spots that really shouldn't have been there in the first place. I do like the solid feel, the blade profile, overall appearance and minimalist sheath. This version is a little rough, so hopefully 2.0 will be a bit more refined.
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2018
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  10. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    I look forward to hearing how it does in use. I’d reach out to John if you’re not happy overall. Sounds like your knife had a few more QC flaws than one should find acceptable at this price point. He may be willing to work with you on that as he does gaurantee his Knives for materials and craftsmanship. As for the edge, let me know if you need any help with that :D

    All in all I’d say this is a great first impressions review. I think that the bushcrafter is a killer value to dollar ratio. It too has some issues though. Even with the CT5 having so many issues at the forefront it should be a solid starting point as it is (I believe A2) heat treated at peters. So you should get some hard work from the steel one you get that edge and handle scales dialed in. (Though I don’t believe you should have to at the price point you paid and would be contacting John)
     
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  11. theJman

    theJman Member

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    As I come to find, both John and his knives are a bust.

    For $150 I shouldn't have to deal with QC issues or poor design, but I had to contend with both on the CT5. After smoothing over the rough edges on the handle scales, jimping, extended pommel and sheath edges I was left with two additional problems; poor sheath retention and scratches on the blade flats from the Kydex. After debating what to do I decided I had made enough corrections myself and contacted John to handle the last of them, but that turned into an exercise in how not to treat a customer. His response was he would take a look at my knife if I paid shipping both ways and was willing to wait 2 months for him to get around to it. This is perhaps a good point to stop and mention these are all warranty issues on what is supposed to be a brand new knife. I obviously declined his unacceptable 'offer'. It's apparent customer service are not words he understands.

    I have purchased quite a few knives from either low volume or unknown manufacturers. In all but a few cases I have been rewarded with pretty remarkable blades. Landi knives is not one of those companies unfortunately. Questionable design and poor QC coupled with no customer service is a bad combo. Caveat emptor.
     
  12. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Wow brother. I hate to hear that. Even if the knife was a fluke, the maker should make it right. Quickly. Anyone else have Landi horror stories. Was mine just a good example?
     
  13. theJman

    theJman Member

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    If I'm being honest, I was taken aback by how poor his attitude and response was. I'm not the least bit averse to buying something from an unknown company. In my collection I have knives from the likes of 3 River Blades, Allegheny Knifeworks, Blackfeather Knives, Dendra, EKA Knifeworks, EnTrek, Fletcher, Fremont, Knife Research, Primal Gear, SAZ, Utility Tool, Viper, WC Knives, Varusteleka and who knows how many others. Some of those companies people may know about now, but back when I bought from them almost no one had even heard of them. Rarely - and I do mean rarely - have I regretted my purchase. For whatever reason, I take a chance on the unknown and seldom wish I hadn't. Sadly that wasn't the case with the CT5.

    Because of my track record I'm certainly not going to stop buying from the little guy, but I won't be wasting any more money on Landi knives. You burn you learn.
     
  14. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    That’s not ok with me brother. I may have to completely retract my reccomendation or at least modify it. For the price point- you can do much better (ie a used LTWK which still has a great quality warranty that follows the knife- and I’ve used LTWK warranty service. All I can say isn’t they’re amazing about backing their product. Bottom line)
     
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  15. Bushcraft_Dave

    Bushcraft_Dave Member

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    edit: hmm, I need to read all the posts in this thread.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2018
  16. Stayinsharp

    Stayinsharp Member

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    Hey brother. Thanks for reading. Unfortunately I am not liking what I’m hearing about customer service. My knife example was great. But QC is reportedly spotty. Some are great, some are decent, and I’ve heard some are BAAAD! If you can get one at a really good deal and can see you pic of the actual example that you’re getting... I’d say go for the Landi. If you can’t see or feel the exact knife you’re getting I’d look elsewhere. There are companies that have a more consistent QC and very reputable CS in a similar price range.
     
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