Brous SSF problem

The0bvious · May 7, 2015

Hey All,
I am having a problem with Brous I wanted to run by you all, I ordered an SSF from them and it came extremely dull - it would not cut paper and the grind was uneven. I sent it back and after three weeks of not hearing anything - I sent an email, another week went by and I got a shipping confirmation without any other communication on what was going on with my order. Now the knife has reached me and is once again dull and will not cut paper. Is this something to do with the tool steel and to be expected? This is the dullest knife I have ever gotten in a supposed new state or ever actually. I took out an old steak knife from a junk drawer and it beat the SSF in sharpness. I am really confused, I love the form factor of the knife, but I have never seen such a dull blade, any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance.

asdf12345 · May 7, 2015

I doubt this has anything to do with D2 steel.

You should make a post in the Feedback forum so that others who may have had similarly negative experiences with the knives and/or the customer service can chime in.

bravodelta · May 7, 2015

Similar experience to what I had with Brous. Neat designs, great marketing. Very poor or non-existent communication. Has been a couple years since my problem occurred, had hoped they improved, however I seem to hear the same tune every few months.

I would like to pick up a Ti silent soldier flipper but there are many other makers out there.

somber · May 7, 2015

The reality is is that most knife makers are not very good knife sharpeners. We all expect new knives to arrive sharp, fresh from the factory or manufacturer, but if they don't, it's not a major issue. You can always sharpen it yourself.

The0bvious · May 7, 2015

somber said:
The reality is is that most knife makers are not very good knife sharpeners. We all expect new knives to arrive sharp, fresh from the factory or manufacturer, but if they don't, it's not a major issue. You can always sharpen it yourself.

Hey Somber,
I do get your gist here though it would seem kind of a moot point to be a knife maker if you cannot you know actually say... sharpen a blade. It would be like a gunsmith who makes a beautiful piece that is... non firing, though a really great conversation piece. I can accept that I had to send it back once, but for it to come back a second time butter knife dull is just beyond my understanding - either the company does not care to right the situation or they lack the know-how. Then I ask which is actually worse? This is after all a two hundred and fifty dollar piece, when my $17 dollar CRKT from Woot is sitting here razor sharp delivered today along with the SSF, it is just hard to fathom this is supposedly a mid tech knife, one step away from a Reeves. My only Reeves, one I have had for well over three years that I use regularly - hasn't needed to be sharpened yet.
Sad times.

WK ONE · May 7, 2015

My ZT came sort of sharp out of the box, but nothing spectacular. I doubt this problem is just about Brous, although that is disconcerting, considering I want an SSF myself. Definitely having second thoughts.

Leftytwogunz · May 7, 2015

Tell Brous you want a refund for the knife, sharpen it yourself or pay someone to sharpen it for you. That's the only 3 options I see.

I agree that you shouldn't have to, with a brand new knife, but learning to sharpen your own knives is an extremely valuable skill.

somber · May 7, 2015

The0bvious said:
Hey Somber,
I do get your gist here though it would seem kind of a moot point to be a knife maker if you cannot you know actually say... sharpen a blade. It would be like a gunsmith who makes a beautiful piece that is... non firing, though a really great conversation piece. I can accept that I had to send it back once, but for it to come back a second time butter knife dull is just beyond my understanding - either the company does not care to right the situation or they lack the know-how. Then I ask which is actually worse? This is after all a two hundred and fifty dollar piece, when my $17 dollar CRKT from Woot is sitting here razor sharp delivered today along with the SSF, it is just hard to fathom this is supposedly a mid tech knife, one step away from a Reeves. My only Reeves, one I have had for well over three years that I use regularly - hasn't needed to be sharpened yet.
Sad times.

I can understand that thought process, but making a knife is not the same as sharpening a knife. Many knife makers focus solely on making the best knife they can and leave the knife sharpening to those who specialize in it.

On the flip side, some high-end kitchen knives are delivered with no edge at all. For individuals here that would be blaspheme, but for users who demand a certain edge performance it is a requirement (saving precious metal by not having to reprofile away an edge you know isn't going to work for you).

I'm not Brous, nor do I work for them, so I can't really answer your question. If I were in your shoes, just to forego any drama or headache, I would just sharpen it myself.

Corey1082000 · May 8, 2015

I have several Brous blades knives and all of mine were razor sharp when I got them.
I have heard many people say they have had trouble with customer service though.
I don't know if this is helpful or not but I had a question about one of their knives and I inquired on their Instagram account and got my answer within hours.
I know Instagram isn't the best choice of communication but I have noticed they spend a lot more time using Instagram lately than any of their other social media sources.

Just a suggestion, Hope its semi helpful

The0bvious · May 8, 2015

Leftytwogunz said:
Tell Brous you want a refund for the knife, sharpen it yourself or pay someone to sharpen it for you. That's the only 3 options I see.

I agree that you shouldn't have to, with a brand new knife, but learning to sharpen your own knives is an extremely valuable skill.

Well summed up, I do need to learn to sharpen knives better, this blade in particular is a bit of a problem though as the thumb hole is only an eighth of an inch from the blade so sharpening repeatedly will eventually cause it to be a weak edge - that was one of the main reasons I sent it back to Brous.

somber said:
I can understand that thought process, but making a knife is not the same as sharpening a knife. Many knife makers focus solely on making the best knife they can and leave the knife sharpening to those who specialize in it.

On the flip side, some high-end kitchen knives are delivered with no edge at all. For individuals here that would be blaspheme, but for users who demand a certain edge performance it is a requirement (saving precious metal by not having to reprofile away an edge you know isn't going to work for you).

I'm not Brous, nor do I work for them, so I can't really answer your question. If I were in your shoes, just to forego any drama or headache, I would just sharpen it myself.

Good points again Somber, thanks for the responses.

Corey1082000 said:
I have several Brous blades knives and all of mine were razor sharp when I got them.
I have heard many people say they have had trouble with customer service though.
I don't know if this is helpful or not but I had a question about one of their knives and I inquired on their Instagram account and got my answer within hours.
I know Instagram isn't the best choice of communication but I have noticed they spend a lot more time using Instagram lately than any of their other social media sources.

Just a suggestion, Hope its semi helpful

I may give that a try thanks.

TXbywayofMS · Jul 17, 2015

Hey Obvious, did you get any resolution to this? I am in the market for a SSF and mulling over your experience. Ill probably buy mine through GPknives though and not directly through Brous.