A Question About Knife Blade Warping

I received an 8.5" bowie from the same maker with the same problem a couple of weeks ago. Mine was bent/warped down near the guard, possibly where the tang narrows, and that's just not acceptable for me ( lot of Bark River guys call this and other issues like uneven grinds acceptable as marks of hand-ground character, but I'm not one of them... I'm too anal for that ). I'd purchased mine through the-knife-connection.com, and Dale said to send it back for my choice of a refund or exchange with no questions asked.

If it weren't for the fact that I shipped it 6 business days ago and the Priority Mail package hasn't arrived yet... I'd say the refund went smooth as butter. :(
But that's not Dale's fault.
 
From what I see in the images you posted, that knife is defective. Sending it back is the right thing to do.
 
Your knife probably had a poor heat treat, which caused the warping. Sending it back is the right thing to do; it should never have left the factory, except possibly as a marked factory second.

n2s
 
I received an 8.5" bowie from the same maker with the same problem a couple of weeks ago. Mine was bent/warped down near the guard, possibly where the tang narrows, and that's just not acceptable for me ( lot of Bark River guys call this and other issues like uneven grinds acceptable as marks of hand-ground character, but I'm not one of them... I'm too anal for that ). I'd purchased mine through the-knife-connection.com, and Dale said to send it back for my choice of a refund or exchange with no questions asked.
Click to expand...

I too bought a 8.5" with a Sheffield pattern blade, sambar stag handled Bark River Bowie, from DLT Trading a few months ago - my first Bark River knife. It came near perfect, non-warping blade with a very slight curve in the blade grind near the hilt. I attributed that to it being hand ground and in my opinion it gives the knife an overall interesting character. It's why I made a decision to by a second Bark River knife.

My SS Bravo 1 came near perfect as well, with two minor flaws: the finish was a little uneven between the hilt metal and blade, but some work with some FITZ cleaned it up nicely. Also there was a little metal burr that made it into the epoxy of the handle which was ground/sanded flush with the wood. It doesn't impede the knife in any way as I can't even feel it, but it does tell me those boys and girls working in the factory are being rushed. And to me, rushing isn't conducive to quality.

While I wish Mike Stewart would focus more on quality control and less on production speed, but at least his lifetime warranty seems BS free. This, in my opinion, makes the cost of a Barkie good value for money (if your willing to over look some minor imperfections that happen from time to time).

I wonder if this indicates a shift in consumer paradigms between someone going to a gun/knife show and actually seeing a product before they buy it, and someone ordering an item from the internet from only looking at a picture/image of it. If I saw this blade warping on a knife first hand, I wouldn't have bought it. However, I bought it from a picture of the knife representing the product, but when it arrived it had imperfections in quality. I wonder if some manufacturers are then lowering their QC standards to increase profit margins, taking advantage of internet sales techniques.

Bottom line, I'm still out $30.00 for shipping which irritates me, but I did take a risk on ordering an item I had not seen in person. Then again, I shouldn't have to ask if new item for sale is flawed or defective - I should assume (as I did) that the product was well presented, accurately described and backed by American quality standards. Call me naive, but in my day this is how catalog ordering used to work and I've never, ever received a sub-quality knife from any one of them. I don't see internet shopping being all that different from the old fashioned paper catalogs of the past.
 
This might be worth a try...Call and/or Send the pic to the manufacturer, include the details that the retailer told you...and do it quickly...tell them you're thinking about posting the story here but you want to give them a chance to correct it first...you might get more than just a replacement knife back in return.
 
It' always good to deal with a top line dealer. KSF is tip-top.

FWIW, I would have sent it back as well.
Bark River charges a premium price and should deliver a premium product.

Glad it ended well.
 
"I don't think the warranty will help on this knife. Mike does not consider the minor warping of the blade a defect. On a blade that size, he would simply say that it is how it works."

Typical Mike Stewart, or so I heard. I don't know the man personally, and I am not a knifemaker. I have about 350+ knives now and have owned many more. Mine are all straight, all I've owned were straight, and all the knife makers I know, and have known (RIP)would consider a warped blade a defect.
"that it is how it works." That is not how it works. Everybody who thinks a knife with a warped blade is OK raise your hand.
 
Any knifemaker worth his salt would replace the blade, no questions asked. SEND IT BACK. You will never be happy otherwise
 
JBOZ said:
The picture shows about 4-5 inches of the tip end and used the straight edge of the ruler as a comparison. I tried to get the angle perfectly from top down, so I had to play with the camera's auto focus and macro settings. This is the best shot of how the knife looks if you were to put it up to soft light and look straight at it. It's possible that the grind may be off a bit, but when I run a finger over the flat of the blade, I can feel a slight wave/dip in the metal more like a warping than a high/low grind spot.

Here is another picture of looking down with the sharp of the blade pointed up:



I've decided to heed everyone's advice and send it back. I have to admit what most disappoints me is that this came from American knife company, which is why I've decided not to bag it. With the closing of Camillus and the China-fication of Schrade and Cold Steel, I wouldn't want to contribute anymore added to the list. If it was made in the far east, you bet your first wife I would name and shame them. As for now, I will write to the company, send then the photos, and demand that they tighten their quality control standards. Call me old fashioned, but I grew up in a time where "Made in the USA" actually meant top quality.

As a matter of fact, I'm exchanging this one for two knives from the same company. Call me a glutton for punishment, but the two other knives I own from them are actually very well made. I'll chuck this experience up to bad luck and move on.
Click to expand...

you did right
they need to see it
 
Well I was thinking about adding Bark River to my list to buy, but unless I can buy it in a store where I can look at it first, I am no wasting my time or money to do the back and forth game before I get an acceptable one. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.
 
oh man if this post was on the other forum the bark river crowd might eat you alive


that being said well within your right to send it back
 
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