Advice please!! on Pohan Leu Bluephin Flipper!! Lockbar issue?!

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Yeah thats why shes going back. Although i did not hear back from the dealer I got it from! Not very impressed with their customer service! I think I will put a call in tomorrow! Im sure no dealer likes returns but when a knife is bad and its being returned following their policy i expect a prompt response. They sure respond quickly when you inquire about dropping 6 benjamins!! I ll see how my phone call goes before I publicize their identity.
 
So I got my refund and was going to leave it at that. But a fellow well known respected forum mod thought I should post this. Arizona Custom Knives the dealer whom I purchased this knife from emailed me and admitted that they encountered exactly what I had described to them when they flipped the knife! Here is their email to me today-
"Yes, we received the return and processed a refund of $XXX.XX yesterday. It typically takes about 3 to 5 business days before you’ll see the credit on your account.

We also saw the lockup issue you had with the knife. We tried a few things here and after applying some graphite from a pencil we felt it improved the feel of the lockup enough that we were comfortable relisting the knife for sale.

If there’s anything else you need, just let us know.

Thank you,

Chris
Arizona Custom Knives

Well i too under Pohans suggestion tried the pencil trick and the sharpie trick and it did seem to help for a flip or two. Then it went back to the extreme lockup! I own many framelocks and could obviously see that something was wrong with where the lockbar met the tang. It just didnt look right. After one of my many calls I had to make to Arizona Knives they even said that they would be sending it back to Pohan to fix. I cannot believe that they just threw some No.2 on it and put it up for sale again! And it looks as it already sold again!! I dont like to bash or talk bad about a business but I have to say the whole dealing with ACK's was very unprofessional. I had to make phone calls to see if they had received emails that I had sent days prior and the person on the other end of the line was clueless most of the time. When I spoke with them about returning the knife they said yeah just throw it in the mail with a note! I requested and eventually did get a return shipping label after this person had to put me on hold to get that approved. I said you want me to pay for return shipping when you sent me a bad product? I dont think so! Like I said I dont feel good talking poorly of a business but I just think this was wrong!! A knife with such an issue should definitely gone back to the maker to at least be looked over! For whomever bought this Bluephin Flipper I hope you have better luck than I did! And I hope you have strong fingers and are ready for them to be sore. I probably would not deal with this company again. Blade HQ and Plaza Cutlery never fail me and have stellar CS!! You d think ACK's would have great CS seeing that they deal with a lot of high end stuff. I do have to say in the end they did follow through with their end of the bargain. But to resell that knife so quickly?? I just dont know about that one!!?? Cheers! :)
 
Ive dealt with arizona many many times. I have nothing but outstanding things to say about them. The way i see it you came out ahead. Got to try the knife for a few days and now have the money back to buy something else. Customs knives built by hand sometimes have an issue. its the nature of the hobby. Glad everything worked out.
 
As you can read above I did state that they did follow through with their end of the bargain! And yes I did get to bruise my fingers and thumb and cut myself "trying" out Pohans knife. I did not want to return the knife! I was actually talked into sending it back. I was going to keep it hoping it would break in eventually. I actually liked it very much! But like I said I could just tell something wasnt right with the knife. You should not be hurting yourself by disengaging a framelock. I am not knocking Pohans work either. We all make mistakes and errors. I will most likely get another one of Pohans knives! They are beauties!!
 
Pohan has to be one of the nicest makers that ive come across! He has emailed me and admitted that we are all human and do make mistakes and that it might have been an error in the construction of the flipper that I got. I respect him even more now! I dont think many makers would ve handled this situation as he has. He also has offered to make me another knife which I will be more than glad to give another chance! His fit and finish was outstanding! First class maker in my book!! For any or all that have followed this thread by no means was it my intention to put down Pohans work! I simply just wanted advice on a knife that I really liked and didnt wanna have to get rid of! So thank you all and a big cheers to Pohan Leu!! He is a fine gentleman and excellent maker! :)
 
You're going to break the exclamation point key on your board!!!

:p

Btw, did you happen to take a pic of the knife before you sent it back? I'd like to see what it looked like.
 
My keyboard is made out of titanium so I dont think my exclamation point key will be breaking anytime soon! If you dont like what I write dont read it and comment on it! I did not take pics of the faulty knife before I sent it back. But maybe the new owner that ACK's already resold it to will encounter the same problem and post on here? I would bet everything I own that the new owner will have issues with it. Pohan himself even said he most likely forgot to grind something off in the locking mechanism. Again I have no issue with Pohan. In fact he is making me a new knife! I have a problem with the dealer not having the maker check the knife out before reselling it. That shows me one thing, that money comes first in their eyes and not the customer! Poor biz if you ask me. Too many exclamation marks??
 
Don't sweat it man. Exclamations are your thing, that's cool. I was just messin with ya, and I understand your position. I'll look up his work on google images. ;)
 
I will def take pics of my new Pohan knife when I get it. I will start a new thread and do a little review on it! I wish Pohan would fix up his website. :)
 
This is all good to hear as I placed an order with Mr. Leu yesterday.

It's gonna be a long few months!
 
Evan you will be very impressed with the build quality and Pohan has got to be one of the nicest makers i ve dealt with! He was all over this issue I had with the Bluephin, tried to help and actually apologized for my inconvenience! Find me another maker that would do that?!
 
Wow. I'm glad this worked out.
Pohan is a complete Gentleman and I will get a folder from him someday.
Rolf
 
Striderco said:
Evan you will be very impressed with the build quality and Pohan has got to be one of the nicest makers i ve dealt with! He was all over this issue I had with the Bluephin, tried to help and actually apologized for my inconvenience! Find me another maker that would do that?!
Click to expand...

He's a super nice guy, no doubt. We've exchanged a bunch of emails about the project and he helped me a lot in regards to maintaining the zero grind. I have to admit that was one of my biggest concerns about the knife as I have no experience with it.

As I'm sure you'll receive yours first you MUST post some pics.
 
I own two folders made by Pohan and they are both outstanding. He might just have the sharpest edges of any custom maker! The fit, finish, and function of my folders are without issue. Pohan has always been a gentleman when answering emails/PM's I have sent him regarding his work. I don't think your experience is the norm for a Leu folder. I'm sure it does happen with any maker from time to time and it's a pain when it does happen. I just don't want Bladeforums users to be afraid to purchase a Leu custom and miss out on the value and enjoyment of having one. I'm hoping to add a fixed blade from Pohan to my collection eventually.
 
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By no means did I want this to harm Pohan in anyway what so ever! I originally was just asking for advice because I loved the knife and wanted to get her fixed. That was the toughest package I ever had to mail when I returned that knife! The knife was simply amazing other than the lock up issue. I ve been around long enough when I see good work I know it, and Po's work is outstanding! OMG I can't imagine a fixed blade of his!!?? That would be crazy! Id almost be afraid Id cut myself. His edges are just crazy sharp!! So please BF members dont be afraid to grab Pohans work. At least you now know if you ever do have a problem with one of his knives hes all over it! I cant wait till I get my new one! I feel like a little kid again when it was December all of the sudden and you knew Christmas was coming! :D
 
FYI! Po now has a Bluephin folder with a 3.25" blade! The proportions are perfect!
I just ordered one!
Rolf
 
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