Another QC issue with the 0550.

PropThePolecat

PropThePolecat

Joined
Jan 31, 2009
Messages
3,292
I recently got a hold of a 550, and im not blown away by its finish. Those of you who know me, know that i am a user of knives. If it does not affect use, then it rarely bothers me. But at this pricepoint, i expected it to be better.

Firstly, the lockbar has traces from the lasercutting. It was the first thing i spotted as i unpacked the knife. The discoloration really sticks out.

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Secondly, and what is alot worse, is the pitting on the blade heel, right where a flipper would be.

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The fit is exemplary. No bladeplay, neither horizontal nor vertical. The blade is a real pain to open, but thats a matter of habit. The detent is very weak, but ive come to expect this of ZT. Some of you might recall the same problem i had with my 0200. The grind is even and the knife was sharp.

Let me finish by saying, that i am NOT sending this back. The hassle of international shipping is not worth it, although i am sure that Kershaw customer service would do right by me. I bought this as a user.

That being said, im pretty disappointed. This is quite an expensive knife (by my standards). If my chinese-made Exskelibur and Tenacious, at a fraction of the cost, can have perfect fit and finish, then the 0550 should so too. If i ever decide to sell it, then im taking a big hit because of these issues :thumbdn:
 
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That sucks.. the pitting is pretty ugly. Mine doesn't have either of your issues. Sorry to hear you got a bad example.
 
WOW. I am seriously blown away by these posts about issues with the 0550. Where are you guys buying these knives from? I mean it's obvious these problems happened at the factory, but I'm just having a problem comprehending that these even made it out of QC. Especially this one. I don't know what to say, because I am only noticing this with the 0550's. I havn't seen much complaining about QC on any other ZT or Kershaw knives.

Good luck, man. Maybe Thomas can come through and shine some light on this.
 
I'm not a fan of recurves so many Kershaw/ZT knives are out for me, but this model is actually one I've been considering. After seeing some of these QC related posts, I'm not sure I want to take the risk when I know I'm all but guarateed a perfect knife from the likes of a company like Spyderco instead, for less money.

I'm a knife USER not a collector, but I am a machinist and stuff like this just plain irritates me. For $200 I'd expect better, and again, I don't think I want to risk my $200 only to have to send it back to wherever for fix/replacement of a brand new knife. Sorry Kershaw, I'm going elsewhere.

-Sean
 
OpKey said:
WOW. I am seriously blown away by these posts about issues with the 0550. Where are you guys buying these knives from? I mean it's obvious these problems happened at the factory, but I'm just having a problem comprehending that these even made it out of QC.
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I bought it from a dealer in the UK, but thats beside the point. All the 0550s originated from the same factory in the US.
 
It seems like alot of these QC complaints are coming from knives bought overseas. Bad batch maybe?
 
edlex said:
It seems like alot of these QC complaints are coming from knives bought overseas. Bad batch maybe?
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I know of at least 2 others, that got the knife from the same dealer as i, and they got perfect knives. So i dont think its recurring problem, its just that some slipped through QC.

For the record my serial number is 303.
 
I don't own any Zt's yet but i've been looking at the 550's 551's and the new 560's and wanting to give them a try. Now i'm not so sure about them seems like a hit or miss with the QC these days.
I wonder why the dealers don't look the knives over before selling them to individuals making sure they don't sell a lemon to said buyers. I know if i were a knife dealer i would look them over before selling them, and then send the bad ones back to the company at their cost.
 
Guys,

I would not hesitate to buy a ZT based on a few complaints here or anywhere else. Remember, when people get a "perfect" knife they often do not post, because they got what they expected from ZT. When people do get a knife with an imperfection, they tend to tell everyone they can about it. Obviously, this is not the norm.

I have four ZT knives, an 0301, two 0551's, and recently an 0560. All have exhibited fit, finish, and function beyond my expectations. So, if you want anecdotal information to base your purchasing decision upon, my experience has been excellent.
 
PropThePolecat said:
I know of at least 2 others, that got the knife from the same dealer as i, and they got perfect knives. So i dont think its recurring problem, its just that some slipped through QC.

For the record my serial number is 303.
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Is that from Heinnie Haynes ?

I agree it's not good enough, but I wonder how much perfection you can expect from US made knife with
a wholesale price of $150
 
maico said:
Is that from Heinnie Haynes ?

I agree it's not good enough, but I wonder how much perfection you can expect from US made knife with
a wholesale price of $150
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A $150 pocket knife should not come with these kinds of issues. The knives are sharpened by a person, and put together by a person, so I'm wondering how something this noticeable could have left the factory? Some hidden issues with a knife I could understand, but these are right there in your face problems that are easily spotted.
 
SeanC said:
I'm not a fan of recurves so many Kershaw/ZT knives are out for me, but this model is actually one I've been considering. After seeing some of these QC related posts, I'm not sure I want to take the risk when I know I'm all but guarateed a perfect knife from the likes of a company like Spyderco instead, for less money.

I'm a knife USER not a collector, but I am a machinist and stuff like this just plain irritates me. For $200 I'd expect better, and again, I don't think I want to risk my $200 only to have to send it back to wherever for fix/replacement of a brand new knife. Sorry Kershaw, I'm going elsewhere.

-Sean
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You really need to do some research Spyderco has their fair share of qc issues ad well, ive had far more issues with my latest spydercos yohimbo 2, lionspy, endura damascus, military carbon fiber, then any zts or kershaws ive owned.
 
PropThePolecat said:
I bought it from a dealer in the UK, but thats beside the point. All the 0550s originated from the same factory in the US.
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Sorry to hear your issues but I think you should contact Kershaw When I had issues they paid shipping both ways, my zt 0551 has none of those issues and has a strong detent
 
00ChevyScott said:
A $150 pocket knife should not come with these kinds of issues. The knives are sharpened by a person, and put together by a person, so I'm wondering how something this noticeable could have left the factory? Some hidden issues with a knife I could understand, but these are right there in your face problems that are easily spotted.
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I coudn't agree more. My $10 Crown is finished better than that. For $150, I would be most unhappy. I am hoping Kershaw doesn't follow CASE into the void of lax quality control. 30 years ago the only reason I opened the box of a new CASE knife came in was to make sure I got the right color of scales on the knife. But with their QC as spotty as it is, I won't buy a CASE knife unless I can hold it in my hands and look at it in person. It isn't worth the hassle of sending the knife back to a vendor.

And what's up with all the guys that need to post "wow, good for me! I can SEE that your knife has problems but mine are fine!" and "I have this knife and that knife, and lucky me, all mine are perfect" and "all my ZT experiences have been perfect in every way, this is not the norm". I don't understand how telling someone that got the short end of the stick how great your knives are, how perfectly they fit, how much you love all of your ZTs, how abnormal his experience is, and how you have many Kershaw knives and they are all great helps this guy at all.

Are you trying to make him feel worse by telling him he is the odd man out?

Are you trying to say you are sad he got screwed, but really glad you didn't because all of your knives are so perfect?

How is making him feel worse by rubbing it in the fact that all your knives are perfect or even exceed expectations constructive or helpful?

I have four ZT knives, an 0301, two 0551's, and recently an 0560. All have exhibited fit, finish, and function beyond my expectations. So, if you want anecdotal information to base your purchasing decision upon, my experience has been excellent.

Great thoughts. That takes it to the extreme. "You got screwed, but I never have. So take it from me, you should keep buying this product based on MY experiences which have been excellent."

Guess I just don't get it.

Robert
 
I just got mine today and truth be told I'm a little disappointed. Mine also has some noticeable laser cut marks on the lock bar, but what I dislike the most is that mine locks up at about 75-80% out of the box. I was hoping for closer to 50%. Right now I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a second one and keep the best of the two, return it for a refund, or just keep it.
 
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