Real Talk, What Happened to MTJS
Blogger burnout is a real thing. I have been scribbling reviews and sharing my thoughts with you all for quite a few years now. It seems it all started off as a way for me to talk about my love for Spydercos and evolved into a great community over the years, and for that, I will always be thankful.
The thing is, as I scribble this in sunny Portugal, it has struck me how little I need to survive & be happy. Everywhere I look in the blade aficionado world we seem to have forgotten about performance. Everything is gaudy titanium bullshit with $500+ Spydies. Frankly, I don’t know what demographic they are trying to appeal to, but it’s certainly not me.
Lots of “bloggers”(I use the term loosely, as very few of them are real people, but rather marketing firms) in this world; plenty of folks who get free knives, snap a couple of pics and then sell them a week later just to make money (something I have never done by the way).
I am not burned out on the community or my love of performance tools, but rather the industry as a whole has become out of touch with reality and ultimately, I don’t want to be part of it.
I took a gander at my top EDC knife article last month, then I browsed the current crop of models from industry standards like Spyderco, Benchmade and Kershaw & I realise that my list honestly wouldn’t change much because the target demographic is all about weird shapes, carbon fiber and slabs of titanium.
The girl remarked to me last week that in today’s world, Benchmade is actually good value. Can you believe that? 10 years ago I scorned Benchmade for being overpriced, but now even Chris Reeve folders have gone from being luxury items to mid-range options in light of the shit that is being cranked out, both from traditional U.S. mfg, and the never ending onslaught of ti-framelocks from “Chinese boutique brands”.
What a clusterfuck this industry really has become. The last Spyderco I bought was the Matriarch II (I will review that vicious tyke…eventually), but once again – it’s an old model.
I look at new examples of shiny tools and all I see is jewellery – not hard use gear. There is nothing wrong with spending your hard earned money on shiny man bling, but it’s just not me, and frankly, I don’t want to pretend – hence my lack of updates.
I still have a bunch of steel in the closet that I have used extensively, but yet to review. Fallkniven F1 (sexy sexy knife), Tops Lite Trekker (great blade) amongst many classic models that have fallen out of fashion. I will get round to reviewing those, but insofar as looking at newer models, frankly, I just can’t bring myself to bullshit through a 2000 word review about a 3.5″ ti-framelock knife in a super steel knowing full well that those that would actually take advantage of that performance would never actually buy that knife for that purpose, but rather stick to a tried and tested Delica or Griptilian.
Anyway, as 2019 comes knocking, I felt I needed to write this post- hopefully you understand my perspective and if you are curious about x new model – be assured that statistically, technology has increased to the point that bad heat treat and lock up is a thing of the past, and that yes, it will work fine, and yep, it’s most likely overpriced.
My 2 cents as always.
What future does MTJS have in 2019?
I was musing with what to do about MTJS. Obviously, I haven’t been consistent with posting and I have fallen out of love with the industry’s obsession with buzzwords and stupid materials, but nonetheless, I do think a truly independent blog still needs to exist and as such I will scribble sporadically about knives (don’t expect any “new” models, but rather classics and more quirky options) and about my perspective as usual on the topics you are used to.
I have never reviewed a knife I didn’t own and use, and since I paid for 99% of the knives myself, and no longer accept “free”models for review (I did for a couple of knives in the past – for Case, L.T. Wright, and Helle in specific). I can’t in good conscience delay this reality check and keep promising reviews that just won’t come. I think if I were to go full tilt commercial, I would lose what’s left of my sanity and any pride I have in this blog and the content I have written (which to this day, I stand by 100%).
Let me know if there are any topics you want me to discuss, any questions you want answered and I will take a look at ’em. As always, I answer all comments that I can on principle, so chime in with your thoughts.