Being satisfied with pocket knives ordered online...

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I am new'ish in the pocket knife collecting field, but now have a sampling of 5 brands of current manufactured American made traditional folding knives (in lockback, liner lock, slipjoints). Of course finding an in store selection of knives is not as easy as it was when I was a young lad. That said, I was glad that the Utica Catskill specimens I purchased were available at my two nearest Herb Phiipsons Sporting Goods stores, because, even though the ones I purchased were decent specimens to represent them in my modest, but growing, collection, they would have been a bad choice for online ordering (imo), because even in store purchasing required quite a few of inspections of their stock to find acceptable ones for me to buy. But, I have had to order other knives online that were not available to me at brick and mortar stores. These have included Case, Buck, Queen, and Canal Street knives. I can only comment on my own experiences thus far with these brands. Thus far, I can honestly say without question that the Case knives have given me the most satisfaction in having arrived in the best overall fit & finish... they actually surpassing my expectations. Second has been with a couple of Queens (one a Copperhead, the other a limited 'Queen Classics' Doctor's knife). The Queens are very nice, but my expectations were higher... again, Case surpassed my expectations overall. The Bucks were almost what I expected. Then comes Canal Street... decent knives... nice materials... but overall execution not meeting my expectations. None are bad knives... but thus far this has been my online ordering experience. I am holding off for a little while before adding more to the collection... but I do have GEC company specimens on my list of knives to add at some point.

 

[FLymon]

First, let me say I think the internet is a GREAT thing for our hobby. I don't think GEC would have been able to do nearly as well without it, and I believe even more so that a "little guy" like our own Waynorth is certainly doing better (and us benefiting as a result) than would be without it.

Second, without getting into specific brands or your experiences vs mine, you have hit on the flip side of the coin. Buying anything sight unseen has it's drawbacks. I don't think there is a "fix" for it beyond dealing with trusted sellers who offer a return policy, or being prepared to have to "settle" for something less than you might have accepted were you able to physically inspect and choose.

I will gladly take both the good and bad of eCommerce over the alternative.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Btw... me being old school in so many ways, I still feel shopping for items that I can inspect before actually buying, is my favorite method. Sure one can send things back... but hate the hassles. Nothing beats walking into a store and inspecting the product, and then walking away with that instant gratification feeling. I don't mind paying just a little bit more for that experience.. but not alot more Ordering on line, well, it's the nature of today's beast.. but I hate it. The waiting, the not knowing what will be received, the possibility of disappointment, or even the chance of having to deal with a return... ugh!!!!! LOL! ;-)

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I do some online shopping... it's just not my favorite method. I actually like window shopping, but most guys I know can't even stand heading to a store. They head in, and can't wait to head out! I definitely am not that way... Whether I buy something, or just look around, I am good with it

 

[zeroed4x]

I have found that the seconds, miss-fits, blems and many of the "this won't sell in the store", ship that one out, are being sold on ebay and by some (not all) online stores. You'll find it most common on ebay were they have a restocking fee and will often get you regardless of fact that they are selling crap. Buyer Beware.

 

[jc57]

Not many local options for me to do a lot of in-person shopping for traditional knives. There's one decent Case dealer in my area but I think they are trying to more sell off their existing stock than add more to it. His knife business has never recovered after the recession. Two others within an hours drive have either gotten out of the business or scaled back significantly. I'd have to drive a couple of hours to the nearest place that sells GECs that has a showroom.

I've been pretty lucky with all of my online purchases of Case and GEC knives, whether through dealers, auction sites, or forum exchanges. All of them have been within acceptable (to me) ranges for fit and finish for the prices, and I haven't had any real ugly dye jobs or bad jigging of the handles.

It helps if you can find a vendor that puts up photos of the actual knife you'll be buying, with multiple views of the knife. Usually the GEC dealers do that, so it makes it a lot easier to make sure you are getting a knife that looks the way you want it to. Case knives you're usually getting something that's never been opened since it left the factory unless it's pre-owned or new old-stock that the vendor actually takes photos of.

 

[midnight flyer]

*SNIP*
Second, without getting into specific brands or your experiences vs mine, you have hit on the flip side of the coin. Buying anything sight unseen has it's drawbacks. I don't think there is a "fix" for it beyond dealing with trusted sellers who offer a return policy, or being prepared to have to "settle" for something less than you might have accepted were you able to physically inspect and choose.

I will gladly take both the good and bad of eCommerce over the alternative.

Well said. Trusted vendors are a must these days, and there isn't a better place to find a good list of them than on BF.

I quit buying knives I couldn't hold in my hand as I had lost faith in the manufacturer's ability to consistently turn out a good product. So I only bought at a local knife store (and then quit them when they went out of business), a local gun store (quit them when they started selling at retail PLUS as the only game in town) and was then relegated to buying only at the occasional gun show I attended.

Now I can buy a knife that I truly want from a couple of different vendors here with the knowledge that if it is defective they won't argue if I send it back. They replace the knife and I am out shipping to send it back, but that's it. With AG Russell, I don't even pay that. Once with AGR, I got a knife that had a really lazy backspring that not only wouldn't close the knife with just about 1/4" left to close, but I had to push the blade to the closed position. Also, the blade was badly off center, enough so that the blade tip hit the liner on one side when I pushed it closed.

I called AGR and spoke to a real person. I had a new replacement knife in my hands in three days from calling them, along with a return shipping package with the label on it for the old knife. I was honestly stunned at that kind of service over one knife, especially when you think of how many that man sells.

I would prefer to handle anything type of tool or purchase that I make and have the opportunity to inspect it before purchase. Unfortunately, that is an option that I see less and less of, regardless of the item. On the other hand, buying from a honest and service oriented vendor sure takes the sting out of mail/internet ordering.

Robert