Am I getting too picky or have standards dropped off?

PURPLEDC

PURPLEDC

Joined
Apr 4, 2007
Messages
8,578
I ask this question because lately It seems no matter what knife I buy, who i buy it from or even when i get it back from warranty It would seem every knife has a scratch in the blade, a rub mark on the handle or some other very noticeable mark on the knife. Now do you guys get knives with minor marks on them and just accept them as the necessary evil of the newer faster way of living or do you guys truly get knives all the time that are "perfect"? Now mind you when I buy a sub $100 folder I usually am not too critical. But this is happening with $200 -$400 knives. So do you all have certain things your willing to excuse as long as your blade is centered and the lock up is good or do most of you not accept anything with visible scratches and blemishes? I just seem to remember the days when I could buy a $30 knife from ace hardware and while sure it wasnt the greatest knife in the world the thing would be immaculate in the looks department. Im just trying to evaluate if im just starting to expect too much in my old age or if there is a new attitude that with the economy and and such people are willing to accept a little less perfection if it means an overall savings.
 
Most knives I dont expect perfect knives.

However when I purchased sebenza I had them bring a few because the first one they brought me was not grounded properly near the heels.

beautiful honduran wood, crappy bevel. $400+ knives should have immaculate details IMO, less than $100, I can forgive.

My work knives all come pretty much picture perfect, but japanese dont f*ck around with chef knives though, regardless of price.
 
Fanglekai said:
If something you buy isn't how you want it then return it.
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I think your missing the point. When I say literally every knife I buy has either a scratch on the blade, handle or other issue I mean it. Every single one. So If I send back every knife that isnt how I would prefer It I wouldnt have any knives at all. This Is why Im questioning if I just am expecting too much. I hear so many people post their new knives and say they are absolutely perfect. I simply never experience this. And it makes me wonder if my definition of perfect is way off from what most people define the word.
 
To be honest I think you are maybe too ocd? No offense.

Crk knives (despite over grinding bevel) has gorgeous blades I consider perfect in terms of absolutely zero scratches etc.
 
Obviously, you are seeing things that aren't there. ;) No, I don't think you are being picky, you should expect to receive a new product without the defects you describe at virtually any price level.
 
The Only knife I have ever received that was "perfect" was a full custom slip joint built for me by my friend J. Oeser.

It was flawless. No scratches, no mis matches, no gaps, no wiggle, no "off" grinds or edge bevels. Both blades were ground perfect. Tangs, spines, everything. The springs are completely tight/flush to the liners. No scratches on the tangs from opening/closing.

Of course, it went directly into my pocket, so now it has scratches. I used it to castrate calves. It got bloody, muddy, stepped on and kicked.






I get pretty frustrated when I read endless threads about knives not being perfect, when they are entry level production.


I have had a few disappointing production folders. I have only returned one, and it was a design defect, not an individual issue.


I can sharpen, I can fix some issues.


I have been mostly lucky.
 
Fanglekai said:
Where are you buying them? My Taichung spydercos didn't have scratches.
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It not just my recent spydercos. Its all knives from all dealers. If I buy off of ebay its used stuff which I excuse much of any blemishes. I dont feel comfortable naming any dealers as they all have stellar reputations and there is no proof of how the marks got there. And my goal is not to sit and accuse dealers of marking up knives and then trying to pass them off as new. Im asking in general, should a knife be perfect if it cost more than $200 no matter how the marks got there before the purchaser.
 
HwangJino said:
To be honest I think you are maybe too ocd? No offense.

Crk knives (despite over grinding bevel) has gorgeous blades I consider perfect in terms of absolutely zero scratches etc.
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Well im not buying CRK knives. Ive only had one chris reeve. But when i think back on it. My sebenza that I had about 4 years ago is probably the only knife I can remember being flawless.

Bigfattyt said:
The Only knife I have ever received that was "perfect" was a full custom slip joint built for me by my friend J. Oeser.
It was flawless. No scratches, no mis matches, no gaps, no wiggle, no "off" grinds or edge bevels. Both blades were ground perfect. Tangs, spines, everything. The springs are completely tight/flush to the liners. No scratches on the tangs from opening/closing.
Of course, it went directly into my pocket, so now it has scratches. I used it to castrate calves. It got bloody, muddy, stepped on and kicked.
I get pretty frustrated when I read endless threads about knives not being perfect, when they are entry level production.
I have had a few disappointing production folders. I have only returned one, and it was a design defect, not an individual issue.
I can sharpen, I can fix some issues.
I have been mostly lucky.
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Well this actually make me feel better about a couple of the $200 knives. The $400 knife not so much. At that price I expect a blade to be free of scratches. I just read so many posts where guys post new knife day pics and are so adamant that every single knife they buy is absolutely perfect in every single respect and I just think to myself "do I just have bad luck?". And I will admit im a very picky person. And when I buy a knife I would go over it with a jewelers loupe if I had one. I have actually been trying not to inspect things too much as I will just drive myself mad. My real issue with it all though? If I have a knife that I know has a small scratch in the blade or handle but its how I received the knife from either the dealer or the manufacturer how can I say its NIB? I dont think I could. I really do need to chill out with it though because collecting these days isnt as fun as it used to be. I get a knife in the mail and my first reaction is "great I wonder whats wrong with this one" and right now im looking at two spyderco dominos. Both have hairline scratches in the blade, and one has a really odd squiggly scratch that does not appear to be from stonewashing. Oddly enough neither domino I purchased was sealed in the bag. Ive been told that they didnt seal the dominos. My southard was sealed though.
 
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PURPLEDC said:
I think your missing the point. When I say literally every knife I buy has either a scratch on the blade, handle or other issue I mean it. Every single one. So If I send back every knife that isnt how I would prefer It I wouldnt have any knives at all. This Is why Im questioning if I just am expecting too much. I hear so many people post their new knives and say they are absolutely perfect. I simply never experience this. And it makes me wonder if my definition of perfect is way off from what most people define the word.
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I inspect every knife I buy and most have no scuffs or marks on blade or handle. You should post pictures of what you're describing to better illustrate the problem you're experiencing.
 
I'm not as picky as I used to be. Some under deliver on fit & finish and some over deliver (price points considered). One carbon fiber strand not 100 percent parallel with the others can be considered imperfection to some.
 
Fanglekai said:
I inspect every knife I buy and most have no scuffs or marks on blade or handle. You should post pictures of what you're describing to better illustrate the problem you're experiencing.
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Same. Plus if you're gonna use em, no worries. If you're going to look at them...exchange it for a perfect version. But yes it does seem like you are being a little OCD. Gift us with pics.
 
In almost 13 years if buying new knives, I've never received one with scratches on the blade or scuffs on the handle, and I'm really anal about my knives.
 
Maybe you are just having bad luck. I would not say that any knife is perfect, but I can't think of any knife off the top of my head that has had scratches or blemishes when I received it, other than used or factory seconds.

I am also pretty picky, and would be disappointed if I paid close to or over a hundred dollars for a knife and it had scratches or marks on the blade or handle.

There may be some fit and finish issues on certain knives, but blatant scratches or marks should not be there.
 
mr_anderson said:
In almost 13 years if buying new knives, I've never received one with scratches on the blade or scuffs on the handle, and I'm really anal about my knives.
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Now that is either perfect luck or you only bought 1 in 13 years and we're just slightly lucky. :)

They come flawed all the time. Where I believe I deserve perfection, especially due to the price, I send it back and either get another or have them pay for all shipping to make me whole. People are losing their sense of standards. I see pics stating how perfect something is, and yet there is a flaw in the craftsmanship right there in the pic. Even made in the USA stuff I recently purchased both in flashlights and knives had major flaws for the given price.

If I purchase a $30 light or knife with little to no flaws made in China, my expectation has found a clear base for my $200-$500 purchases. Some call me picky or want to fight because their feelings were hurt by me noticing a flaw. I call it business and you have no business charging such prices if I could spend 90% less and get equal quality. Had this happen recently.
 
If I only bought knives to be displayed under glass, then I would be concerned about ultra minor hairline scratches. I EDC every knife that I own (over 200 now) in rotation, and whatever knife I'm carrying on a particular day, I USE. I don't abuse my knives, but I DO expect that they won't stay brand new after some normal use. Heck, even cardboard can mar the finish on a blade.

A large flaw on a new and expensive knife would be different, and I'd probably just return the knife. But I NEVER expect low end knives or used knives to be perfect. These ARE tools after all.

And in all fairness, MOST of my new knives have been pretty close to flawless.
 
I'm talking a lot of knives here. 20+ Spyderco, 20 Kershaw/ZT, Strider, Dendra, DPX and that's just in the last 2 1/2 years.


Tixx said:
Now that is either perfect luck or you only bought 1 in 13 years and we're just slightly lucky. :)

They come flawed all the time. Where I believe I deserve perfection, especially due to the price, I send it back and either get another or have them pay for all shipping to make me whole. People are losing their sense of standards. I see pics stating how perfect something is, and yet there is a flaw in the craftsmanship right there in the pic. Even made in the USA stuff I recently purchased both in flashlights and knives had major flaws for the given price.

If I purchase a $30 light or knife with little to no flaws made in China, my expectation has found a clear base for my $200-$500 purchases. Some call me picky or want to fight because their feelings were hurt by me noticing a flaw. I call it business and you have no business charging such prices if I could spend 90% less and get equal quality. Had this happen recently.
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I only purchase knives I intend to use, so a slight blemish on the blade or handle is not a big deal. I must say though, that all of the knives I have purchased $70-$600 did not have any noticable imperfections.
 
I am surprised by some of the answers here. Some seem to be willing to put up with imperfections or defects, just because the item is not real expensive. I don't care what the price of the knife is (or tool, or whatever else it is), if it is supposed to be bnib I do not expect to see imperfections on it. Price may matter in how big of a deal it is to me, but it still matters. I may look at that company or vendor differently from that point on. If I buy a blem, then I expect there to be visable issues, but not the other way around. There are 3 knives I have bought in the last year that had very visable imperfections. Then I am supposed to send them back for an additional 6 dollar or more shipping charge, and not get to use them for a month? Very disappointing to me.
 
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