I recently bought a new/old stock 1992 Guide R-1253. It's my first "Remington" and the more I read the more confused I get about the quality of the repos. Some say they're great walk and talk, others say they released a bunch at once "towards the end" of the life of the Camillus Cutlery Co. (2007) and those were sub-standard. Does anyone know exact dates/years that should be avoided, starting in 1982?
My knife isn't total junk, but it's certainly sub-par. The backspring grinds when I press the release and I know there are shavings in there because there's a decent gap between the handles and the back spring (enough to slip a couple pieces of paper down in there to try and clean it out). In the open position, there's no movement, but the blade doesn't sit flush with the backspring (which rides above it about 1/32"). I have Rough Rider or two and their quality is better than this. You get what you pay for, but for $30, 440A steel and delrin handles, I expected a well-crafted knife made with second rate materials, not a crappy knife made with 2nd rate materials, know what I mean, and if the fit and finish on these repos is sketchy throughout, I'll just stick with my GEC, Queen and Cases.