Well, my Sharpmaker came in the mail today, so it's a moot issue either way. From what I can see, there was a minor QC issue a while back, and it got blown WAY out of proportion, and the only real issue is with "Old New" products. Even IF it were to come dull, I can fix it up now. Gonna practice with some beaters to get a feel for the sharpmaker, catch ya later!