Advice needed: Snakewood Pemberton handle crack?

S

SubSpace

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May 26, 2011
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Hello all--
I just discovered what appears, to me, to be a hairline crack in my snakewood pemberton. Not knowing much about this wood (this is my first snakewood anything) I was wondering if I should be concerned.
Thank you for your help.
Andrew

IMG_0159.jpg
 
I have heard from a few people to stay away from knives with snakewood inserts, they do this same thing. I have heard from others that snakewood is a perfectly fine wood for stabilizing. Either way, GEC should make it good for you. If you bought it from a dealer, have you checked with them? They might offer a refund, and send it to GEC themselves, or just tell you to return it to GEC.

I personally don't see the crack, but I am half blind. Can't tell if that is gunk in the picture, or if the crack is right above that pin, near the bolster.
 
Why agonize... Just call GEC and explain the problem and as many have said here, I'm sure that they will make every effort to make it right.
 
I bought a GEC knife from a dealer in Houston and it had spots on it, probably due to the humidity there.

Emailed GEC and it was quickly taken care of at no expense except shipping it in.

Better to deal with GEC directly, I think.
 
I would be looking for a replacement. These knives aren't cheap so I wouldn't be happy with any cracks on a basically new knife. In time yea things happen but outta the tube??! NOPE!
 
I may be mistaken, but I thought they used stabilized scales. Either way, return it and I would expect they will stand behind their product.

Edit: from what I can see, it looks like a stable inclusion in the wood, but the pic is fuzzy and my eyes aren't the best.
 
The crack is not going to any pressure points (pins), so I suspect you are right on the stabilized part. Nothing shows a wood hairline crack better than a good coating of pocket lint :D

But no sense carrying a knife that has something that bothers you. I mean, you may be rubbing on this knife for years !!
 
that photo is hopeless. to me it looks like there is a huge chunk missing.take a better pic in daylight.
lets see what you're talking about.
 
Here's an update for those with interest:
I e-mailed the seller, who was very prompt in his reply and also reasonable. He requested I send the knife to GEC as it had been carried and he could not re-sell it. I e-mailed GEC with a photo and a description of the problem. GEC's reply was that Snakewood "can have natural cracks" but the wood is stabilized so it should not be a problem.
But just like a paint scratch on a brand new Ferrari, all I can see when I look at the knife is the crack!
Needless to say, I will be avoiding this wood in the future. Stabilized or no, any cracks in my wood should come from me!

I just want to re-iterate the seller was great to work with. Offered to pay shipping to GEC. No complaints there.
 
SubSpace said:
Here's an update for those with interest:
I e-mailed the seller, who was very prompt in his reply and also reasonable. He requested I send the knife to GEC as it had been carried and he could not re-sell it. I e-mailed GEC with a photo and a description of the problem. GEC's reply was that Snakewood "can have natural cracks" but the wood is stabilized so it should not be a problem.
But just like a paint scratch on a brand new Ferrari, all I can see when I look at the knife is the crack!
Needless to say, I will be avoiding this wood in the future. Stabilized or no, any cracks in my wood should come from me!

I just want to re-iterate the seller was great to work with. Offered to pay shipping to GEC. No complaints there.
Click to expand...

I might push a little bit, but I guess you really need to inspect upon arrival.
 
Snakewood is notorious for cracking /checking. I was also told it is not a good candidate for stabilizing due to structure and oils in the wood. If its a surface crack you can fill it with superglue gel then sand it and polish it by hand. Buffing will heat it up and cause cracks. Ebony is also prone to checking unless it been properly cured.
 
I'd be really disappointed with that response.I'm with Woodrow-push a bit harder.
Why should one person get a knife with a crack in the handle for the same price that another person gets one with a perfect handle?
If you can post a better photo that would be good.
I'd post it to GEC as well.(oh sorry I see you did that already-hopefully a better pic)
I'm interested because I own several GEC knives that owing to the distance I live means I buy them sight unseen and have to rely on dealer discretion.
Your dealer has given you the flick basically.No matter how reasonable they sound now, when they sold you a sub par knife-don't tell me they didn't inspect it first and were glad to see it go.
GEC said it should not be a problem the fact remains that you are not satisfied with the knife and that is a problem .
I hope this crack in quality doesn't get any wider for GEC.
 
Did you get the knife from a Factory Authorized Distributor? Is it a "Store Only" or an "EDC" knife?

"I hope this crack in quality doesn't get any wider for GEC. " Dude,It's ONE knife!
 
It's a little hard to see in the pic but I don't think I'd be happy with it. My guess is the crack was missed during inspection. That looks like it should have been an EDC or Store model where its 100% functional but some small flaw, like a stabilized crack, would prevent it from being sold at full price. I'd push it further with GEC, they should still make it right.
 
I did buy from an authorized dealer. And it was not an "EDC" model. It's hard to see unless you are looking for it, which is why I took the photo with a light shining directly into it. I had and carried the knife for four days before I saw it, and that was due to me having it outdoors in natural light. If I had kept it indoors, I might not have noticed it for even longer. But now that I have noticed it, it is all I notice.
If I just went ahead and sent it to GEC anyway, would they re-scale it? Do they have replacements on site? I'm not sure how it works.
 
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