Am I getting too picky or have standards dropped off?

I've only bought one $200+ knife, it was a microtech and it was flawless. My 100 ranged spydies have been good, my cricket had some burrs still on the lock bar but i grabbed a needle file and fixed it up and while i was at it got rid of all the sharp edges. I was actually pretty dissapointed with that one, paying 70$ for such a small knife I figured attention to detail would have been better but i may have just gotten one that slipped through and it was just a few sharp edges one scratch and a burr nothing that the machinist in me can't fix. My para 2 has off edge bevels but they are done by hand if i remember correctly and if I can't do it better i'm not gonna complain, my manix 2 i don't recall having any issues with but i bought that one as a beater kinda. I've not had an issue beating the crap out of it. It took me almost a year to start using my para 2. I have two benchmades one i bought to put in a display case it has my name and birthday and forum name and stuff but it's flawless and buttery smooth and the other i got used in a trade and was already worn.

I think if I were to buy a knife of higher quality production or not, if i have to pay a premium price i want premium quality. There is a lot of competition with these chinise and taiwanese companies now though putting out fairly decent products for pocket change and no one is perfect. You have to remember that it's people doing most of the work on these knives still in most cases. CNC is becoming much much more popular in the knife world as of late i'm seeing though. Even then though, machines aren't perfect, that's why there are tolerances. So much is allowed and quality control can't be scrapping or reworking every single little defect if they're into production. They need to make money on this stuff so they have to let certain things go. Those things may bother you and if they truely eat at your skin then I say contact the manufacturer of the ones that truely truely just grind your gears.
 
uneven swedge / false edge really bothers me, because you can't tell normally unless you specifically look down the blade spine. I've see 2-3 of those and I always exchange them.
 
Most of the knives I've bought are in the $285 and up price as I only buy limited editions and knives with "exotic" or super steel. The only knives I've bought that did have any marks were "used" and even then they were in way better condition then described, i.e. my SG2 Blur.
 
If I were spending $200+ on a knife, I'd want it to come so that I didn't notice any problems out of the box.

If I were spending <$100, it's going to be a user and will have plenty of scratches soon enough. With these knives, I prefer that they work as designed and are designed to work. If the blade has a superficial or cosmetic blemish that isn't going to affect the function of the knife and isn't grotesque it really isn't worth the trouble to me because it's going to be scratched up soon enough. I'd also prefer that the company put the focus on making a knife that functions smooth and is easy to manipulate, carries well and has a useful blade shape, rather than having a premium steel, or being cosmetically appealing. By this I mean that I'd rather have a knife that is easy to use as a knife on a daily basis. I think this is where Kershaw gets it right on the money.

That's just me though, and I would expect a CRK/ZT/Other mid-tech/high end to be of much better fit and finish than a $50 common production knife.

The only times I've been disappointed in the way a knife was made was when the knife company isn't about making knives, they are about selling knives at maximum profit (I have no problem with profit, but I won't buy a crap product, and we all know that the core reason/philosophy of a company being profit rather than product quality ends in disaster.....Gerber...... One drives innovation in quality production, one drives innovation in cost cutting.).

What I'm looking for is my value out of my money. I expect less out of a cheaper product than I do out of a more expensive product. This is true in both materials used, manufacturing, and "polish" of the product. It makes no sense to me to spend more and not get "more."
 
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mr_anderson said:
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.
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I'm sending you a PayPal then and you could make my purchases. I have had no where near such an experience!
 
People are asking for pictures of the issues. I cant deliver that. Many of these marks are not blatant in your face hideous scratches. I have tried photographing them and my Lumix camera simply wont pick up the scratches. Even though I can see them plain as day with my eyes the lens on the camera just never seems to get the right angle to pick them up. Put it this way, if you were just looking the knife over briefly you may not even notice them. But when you shift the knife under a direct light and use a keen eye you could find them. I am also very weary of anyone who claims they receive perfect knives all the time. I think in those cases its either they dont consider the marks I experience as defects, cant see them or simply dont scrutinize their purchases that closely.
 
I think it depends on how hard a person looks for issues.....

If it's a user and the person just makes sure it works as it should and it doesn't have any really noticeable issues that one would see at a quick glance then it's fine.

The problem is that some people are putting the knives under a microscope and or are starring at them looking for things that are wrong.....

Everyone is different however and some people do tend to have mental issues, but that's another thread topic in another forum and or in a Doctors or Therapist office for treatment.
 
I've had two cases of receiving less than flawless knives, both were Kershaw Skylines. One kind of bugged me because it looked like someone dropped the non-locking side scale and it chipped. I don't care anymore because It's since become a user, but at the time I was a little disappointed. The other was what appeared to be someone slipping when they were sharpening near the heel of the blade. I don't really know what to call it, but it didn't bug me. If my newly received 0801 had a big scratch going through the titanium, than I'd definitely be less than pleased. The price that I paid for something dictates what I expect in F&F. A $200+ knife needs to next to flawless.
 
Perfection is tough...and expensive. I have two Benchmade Adamas 275s. Those were perfect. One of the funky Molle compatible sheaths was put together poorly, the other just fine. The knives were each, perfect. I bought a Spyderco Paramilitary 2. It was stunningly perfect in every way except for one...it was far and a way the dullest Spyderco (and certainly among the dullest new knife of any sort) I've ever bought. But here's the thing. I don't think I've ever left a factory edge on any knife (all below the $200 price point) so the fact that this thing was dull didn't bother me. I sure isn't dull now! I purchased a Spyderco Manix XL in CPM S30V and I'd say that was perfect too. In fact, unlike even the Adamas, I found the edge not only perfect to also to my liking in terms of geometry. All I did to that one out of the box was the strop.

We all have a hobby that is very much about the object. I think it natural for us to obsess quite a bit about the products we buy. I do. I have learned not to hold out for perfection because life is just too short. But you know what, given that this is our hobby, I say if you seek perfection, more power to you.
 
HoosierQ said:
We all have a hobby that is very much about the object. I think it natural for us to obsess quite a bit about the products we buy. I do. I have learned not to hold out for perfection because life is just too short. But you know what, given that this is our hobby, I say if you seek perfection, more power to you.
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Obsession is a mental issue that can be diagnosed and treated. ;)

Enjoying a hobby is one thing, but obsessing over it or anything else is a problem and that's NOT an opinion, it's a medical FACT.

That said, perfection is not possible if it's man made.
 
This seems like a case of you get what you're looking for. If you're looking for flaws or something to complain about in a knife, of course you're going to find something. If you're just looking for a functional usable knife, then you will see a knife that can be used. Me, I don't really care about small niggles with my knives. I use them all so anything that the factory overlooked or didn't care about, I'll put a bigger scratch on so whatever.
 
If you cant take a picture of the flaw id say you are being too picky IMHO. Nothing is perfect and tiny flaws are natural in everything.

Personally i view knives as tools so as long as it isnt a horrible flaw or something that kills its usefullness i dont really care.
 
theAntihero said:
If you cant take a picture of the flaw id say you are being too picky IMHO. Nothing is perfect and tiny flaws are natural in everything.

Personally i view knives as tools so as long as it isnt a horrible flaw or something that kills its usefullness i dont really care.
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I kind of feel the same way. Years ago I bought a Kershaw JYD and a JYD II TI/SG2. Both have very asymmetrical blade grinds, and they are measurably different from one side to the other. Also the smaller JYD has a drill start on the handle that takes out one of the numbers etched on the thing. I posted pics with a ruler on what used to be the old Kershaw forum, and was lambasted by the Kershaw mafia for complaining about these defects. I still have them to this day, but have never used them for anything. Not because of the defects, because I discovered I hate flippers. I even went to the trouble of putting a One Arm Bandit on the TI/SG2 so it could be opened normally. They have just never won me over and have not made it to my edc rotation, likely never will.

And it was just too much trouble to box them up and return them, not knowing if the knives I got in exchange would be any better, or possibly worse.
 
I like good fit and finish, but it isn't necessarily a deal breaker. It is irritating if it is poor, but as long as it doesn't affect functionality, I'll put up with it.

I have yet to get a Spyderco which didn't have some sort of gouge or ugly grind mark, but I haven't owned any Taichung models. Most of the Benchmades I have owned have some sort of defect, whether it be an off center grind or blade.
 
Jamboi said:
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.
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Quality finish work requires slow, careful hand-finished attention or uber-high-end robotic manufacturing. The moment you add a human hand to the finishing process, the price will skyrocket unless you're paying menial wages. If you're paying menial wages, you can't expect an expert's touch because the expert would go somewhere else to make more money. It's perfectly reasonable, IMO, for expectations to follow price.

-Daizee
 
I have only owned a couple dozen knives but I have never received a brand-new knife with blemishes worthy of complaint.
It does seem like you are being too picky, or maybe you have worse luck than me.

Sadly, I am a bit obsessive over the condition when I first receive a knife, but I calm down after a day or two.
 
Bugout Bill said:
I like good fit and finish, but it isn't necessarily a deal breaker. It is irritating if it is poor, but as long as it doesn't affect functionality, I'll put up with it.

I have yet to get a Spyderco which didn't have some sort of gouge or ugly grind mark, but I haven't owned any Taichung models. Most of the Benchmades I have owned have some sort of defect, whether it be an off center grind or blade.
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Not sure what Spydercos are buying because I haven't gotten any or even seen any NIB in the condition that you are describing and I have been through a lot of them.
 
daizee said:
Quality finish work requires slow, careful hand-finished attention or uber-high-end robotic manufacturing. The moment you add a human hand to the finishing process, the price will skyrocket unless you're paying menial wages. If you're paying menial wages, you can't expect an expert's touch because the expert would go somewhere else to make more money. It's perfectly reasonable, IMO, for expectations to follow price.

-Daizee
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Yeah that stuff costs MONEY that will add to the bottom line, sometimes a lot to the bottom line.
 
Ankerson said:
Not sure what Spydercos are buying because I haven't gotten any or even seen any NIB in the condition that you are describing and I have been through a lot of them.
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My Military had a pretty bad gouge on the jimping, while the Starmate had a pretty bad gouge on the unsharpened base of the blade. Not increadably obvious, but there nonetheless. Didn't affect the functionality got the knife, though.
 
Bugout Bill said:
My Military had a pretty bad gouge on the jimping, while the Starmate had a pretty bad gouge on the unsharpened base of the blade. Not increadably obvious, but there nonetheless. Didn't affect the functionality got the knife, though.
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Think about doubling the cost of those said knives compared to what they cost now and you would be getting close to what it would cost to even start to get to the level of F&F the picky people think they want. ;)

I say think because to get it they would have to pay a lot more in the end as the cost per unit would sky rocket......

Most of the time reality and fantasy aren't even close.
 
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