112 LT

Mine arrived today along with a 112 slim in FRN. Regrettably, mine has very significant vertical blade play while the slim locks with authority. I realize that these are offered at an incredible price, but I would gladly pay a little extra for better quality control. Of course Buck will make it right, I just happen to be one of the unlucky guys who pay return postage to get the quality that Buck is capable of producing. I want a 112 in micarta, but it does feel like I'm rolling the dice.
 
Reitwagen said:
Mine arrived today along with a 112 slim in FRN. Regrettably, mine has very significant vertical blade play while the slim locks with authority. I realize that these are offered at an incredible price, but I would gladly pay a little extra for better quality control. Of course Buck will make it right, I just happen to be one of the unlucky guys who pay return postage to get the quality that Buck is capable of producing. I want a 112 in micarta, but it does feel like I'm rolling the dice.
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I shipped mine to Buck today for the same reasons.
 
fruitbat said:
I shipped mine to Buck today for the same reasons.
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Well I got my "repaired" knife back in the mail today. Sadly the blade still has so much play up/down that it feels like the lock won't hold. Kinda surprised at Buck on this one :( Should I send it back again? Could have bought another for what I'vein shipping this one back again.
 
fruitbat said:
Well I got my "repaired" knife back in the mail today. Sadly the blade still has so much play up/down that it feels like the lock won't hold. Kinda surprised at Buck on this one :( Should I send it back again? Could have bought another for what I'vein shipping this one back again.
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I find this disconcerting, since my 112 LT is awaiting repairs. Since this problem was discussed with the 110 LT, I assumed that the production process would have been improved before the 112s were released. I have two 112 slims that lock up like any other Buck knife I've owned, so what's up with the LTs? Of the two 110 LTs that I bought, I sent one back to the vendor and now the 112 is in warranty. So far, the LTs that I've bought have been two out of three below what I consider typical Buck quality.
 
Finally got mine across the border. Really like it. Bit of play. Who cares. Lots of back locks have some. Had a bit of side to side. Fixed it quick with a hammer, domed punch, and metal surface to rest on. Few careful whacks until it felt how I wanted it to feel. Nice knife.
 
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The vertical blade play in mine was more than I would describe as "a bit of play" and was not something that I could fix myself with a hammer and punch. And who cares? Well, I think a lot of customers would care. If this were my first Buck knife, I would return it to the vendor for a refund and buy a different knife. My two 112 LTs are perfect, just like my 500 that I've used for 30 years and still locks up solid, so I know that Buck can make a lock back without vertical play.
 
fruitbat said:
Well I got my "repaired" knife back in the mail today. Sadly the blade still has so much play up/down that it feels like the lock won't hold. Kinda surprised at Buck on this one :( Should I send it back again? Could have bought another for what I'vein shipping this one back again.
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After 2 trips to Buck, my knife is back and perfect!!!
 
fruitbat said:
After 2 trips to Buck, my knife is back and perfect!!!
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I spoke with a representative from Buck's warranty department and she told me that the vertical play in mine was typical of the 112 LT. She explained that they were still developing their production process on the LTs and that proper lock up is too much to expect at this time. I received notice today that my knife has been repaired and frankly, I'm not expecting much after the excuses I was given.
 
Reitwagen said:
I spoke with a representative from Buck's warranty department and she told me that the vertical play in mine was typical of the 112 LT. She explained that they were still developing their production process on the LTs and that proper lock up is too much to expect at this time. I received notice today that my knife has been repaired and frankly, I'm not expecting much after the excuses I was given.
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See, despite my love for Buck, this bothers me. Proper lock-up on a released product should never be too much to ask.
 
MaxFisher said:
See, despite my love for Buck, this bothers me. Proper lock-up on a released product should never be too much to ask.
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My thoughts, exactly. However, I'll wait and see how my knife comes back to me before I start a tirade. Stay tuned...
 
“On average, an individual will tell 9 people about good experiences, and 16 people about poor ones.” – American Express Survey

“A dissatisfied customer will tell between 9-15 people about their experience. Around 13% of dissatisfied customers tell more than 20 people.” – White House Office of Consumer Affairs

The reason for the difference in numbers of people an unhappy customer tells is simply that the studies and research are conducted in different markets, at different times.

Apparently the original “an unhappy customer tells Y others” study came from a piece of research done by TARP for Coca Cola in the 1980s and originally stated that unhappy customers tell “9-10 others.”

Why we all need to move on
The huge (and relatively new) dimension to all this is social media.

The average Facebook user has 338 friends. All they have to do is complain online and it blows all the stats above out of the water.
 
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You make some good points, Makael. My concern is the explanation that I got form Buck. What puzzles me is why they consider vertical blade play to be acceptable in the LT while my three 112 Slims with both micarta and plastic handles function perfectly. I assume that the blades and rocker bars are identical in both models.
 
Jeff H had a reasonable explanation earlier in this thread I believe.
 
Spending 30K in 3 years on knives and driving down the street to get them fixed doesn't mean much to someone who can barely scrape together 30 dollars for a knife and then have to spend another 5 to mail it in for repair. I guess it all depends on how you look at it. I'll give Buck the 95% or better defect free work from my experience. And I will stand by them always. But, defects stink and when you get one it stinks. Nothing about it makes you feel good, not even great customer service. Every conceivable effort must be made to sell defect free knives. And for the most part, I believe they do.
 
BuckShack said:
Spending 30K in 3 years on knives and driving down the street to get them fixed doesn't mean much to someone who can barely scrape together 30 dollars for a knife and then have to spend another 5 to mail it in for repair. I guess it all depends on how you look at it. I'll give Buck the 95% or better defect free work from my experience. And I will stand by them always. But, defects stink and when you get one it stinks. Nothing about it makes you feel good, not even great customer service. Every conceivable effort must be made to sell defect free knives. And for the most part, I believe they do.
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Sucks to buy anything and it isn't perfect. Shiz happens. But it happens and it is unavoidable.
 
I’ve got a 112 Slim Pro and a 110 Slim Select on order.

I’m quite excited and can’t wait to try them out, and will share my thoughts upon arrival.

I’m thrilled that Buck has modernized a pocket friendly version of a proven and classic pair of knives.
 
Makael said:
Sucks to buy anything and it isn't perfect. Shiz happens. But it happens and it is unavoidable.
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No disrespect intended above. I just think it should be avoidable and can be avoidable. I worry more about those that won't comment about a bad experience than those that do.
 
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