Annoyed, the sequel

dsvirsky

dsvirsky

Joined
Aug 2, 1999
Messages
1,910
Some of you may recall a thread I posted about a month ago (http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=242010&highlight=annoyed) about a knifemaker who left me feeling annoyed because he didn't respond to respond to my email messages (after I had ordered) or keep me informed about delays in completing my knife. Some of you may be amused(?) by what has transpired since:

There was a minor flaw in the knife when I received it -- the corners of the tang extended past the bolsters by a millimeter or so. The maker agreed that this was something he should have caught before the knife left his shop and told me to send the knife back to him and he'd fix it. So, I packaged it up and sent it off. The day I sent it, I phoned the maker to let him know that the knife was on its way. I asked him to shoot me an email when my knife was on its way home; his response was that it wouldn't be necessary, since he'd have it on its way back the same day.

The knife arrived at the maker's shop on the 17th. On the 22nd, I happened to notice that the address listed on the maker's website had changed since I'd checked it to address the package. Freaking a bit, a sent off an email to the maker, checking to make sure he got the knife OK. He said that it'd arrived safe and sound (his address had simply been changed from a rural box number to a real address), but he was running a little behind. Said that the knife would be going out in the mail on Monday, the 24th.

Picked up my knife at the Post Office today. It was mailed on Wednesday, the 26th.

And the corners of the tang still aren't flush with the bolsters.

Last knife I'll be buying from him, I think.
 
I'm sorry for the bad experience that you have gone through. I had a similar experience, though nowhere near as bad as the quality of my knife didn't have any flaws. I guess you could do what I have done, which is use the livin' heck out of it. Even though I chunked out a good bit of my hard earned dollars, I have no qualms treating it tough. I'm sure that you will get requests to spill the beans on who this maker is, but that is entirely your choice as there are negatives to both options. I guess the most important line in your post is the last one. That is the choice I made with my maker. Damn shame, I had my eyes on at least one more big-ticket item from him too.
 
I am having a hard time visualizing what you mean by the corners of the tang weren't flush with the bolsters? Was this a folding knife, if so I think i just figured it out. If it was a fixed blade, which I originally was thinking, I am still confused.
Kyle Fuglesten
 
if a folding knife, which is way I took it, THINK he means that the bolsters were cut a little small, so the "corners" (assume he means down at base of handle, or where pommel would be if it has a pommel) extend beyond the bolster. So that either the tang needs to be ground down so it's flush with the bolsters, or the bolsters themself should be removed and new ones cut that fit(or the original ones just moved down, if needed).
 
Originally posted by kile
I am having a hard time visualizing what you mean by the corners of the tang weren't flush with the bolsters? Was this a folding knife, if so I think i just figured it out. If it was a fixed blade, which I originally was thinking, I am still confused.
Kyle Fuglesten
Click to expand...

It is a folding knife. Think of the tang as having three corners: at the spine(1), at the bottom(2), and above the cut-out where the locking leaf fits against the back of the tang(3). It's not unusual for the tang to extend past the bolster at the spine (corner 1), but when this knife is closed corners 2 and 3 are not completely concealed within the bolsters, because the maker forgot to grind them down when he made the knife. And when he fixed it, he didn't double check to make sure that he ground off enough, so there is still a tiny amount of metal that extends past the end of the bolster. It isn't obvious and it doesn't affect the functioning of the knife, but it isn't right.

To borrow a line from AT Barr, I don't expect a maker to put the same amount of time into a $325 knife that he or she puts into an $800 knife, but a man who claims that, "I’m a perfectionist, and demand that my knives live up to that expectation" should be able to get a simple detail like this right in two tries.
 
I stand by my comments in the other thread. name him or quit wining. It does no good if we don't know who you are refering to.
 
I am beginning to agree with db. I think it would be best to either post the makers name or keep the information to yourself.
 
I stand by my comments in the other thread. name him or quit wining. It does no good if we don't know who you are refering to.
Click to expand...
I am beginning to agree with db. I think it would be best to either post the makers name or keep the information to yourself.
Click to expand...

I must admit that there's a great temptation to "out" the offending maker. However, I'm reluctant to name him because when the cries of "off with his head" begin, it has a collateral effect on other makers, driving them away from the forums.

So, I guess that's the end of my public whining about this. Anyone who'd like to discuss the matter further should feel free to email me.
 
Don't you hate it when clear rationale overrides an angry mob mentality? :grumpy: Damn... ;)

Good choice.

Coop
 
Dave, what you say makes perfect sense and the last thing I would want to do is drive away any makers from this forum. Your reasoning is sound, but I do think that makers should be held accountable.
 
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