Bugout 535BK-4 finish question

Joined
Apr 14, 2009
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Hi - I have a brand new 535BK-4 from an authorized retailer and right out of the box I noticed a very small ding on the inside edge of one of the handles (pic attached). Questions: (1) is this within acceptable/normal qc tolerances, (2) should I return/exchange it for a defect free knife, and (3) am I being idiotic for obsessing over such a minuscule ding when it's bound to get much more dinged up in the course of use?

In relation to returning/exchanging it, I already went to do this once, and the only other one the retailer had in stock also had a ding in a different spot that was more noticeable than this one, so I would have to wait for them to get more in.

6urs807.jpg
 
I’ll bite….
Honestly, if the action, lock-up, centering and grinds are good I would call it a win and move on. Of course, I am an obsessive person and that knife is not cheap. It could go either way.

Hard to believe no big retailer has that knife in stock, but I haven’t looked since i bought mine on pre-order. That Bugout has the best action and lock-up of any I have owned.

Good luck whatever you decide.
 
For 250 bucks or so that this model costs, I'd expect more attention to detail.

Also, if it bothered you enough to make a post about it, it will always bother you. I have several knives that I kept that have QC issues thinking I'd get over it, but honestly my is eye always drawn to the flaw, or I don't use them.

I don't see anything inherently wrong with wanting the knife to not have any flaws at that price point. I would return it for a replacement, and maybe send a note to the dealer what the issue is.

You could always try Benchmade as well, but I imagine you'll have to pay shipping.
 
A functional flaw absolutely demands a return/exchange. But a purely cosmetic flaw is a subjective decision. Some "dings" may be huge and noticab;e while others may be small and one has to look for it. If it bugs you to any degree, exchange it.
 
Yeah, good point about making the thread to address the issue. OP should prolly just send it back and to get a knife without defect.

I sent a custom bolt action receiver back for the same type of flaw. I imagine it Halle a when the parts are tossed into the parts bin between manufacturing stations.
 
Nobody likes nicks on a new knife but that one is pretty small. If the grinds, centering and lock up are good, I'd personally not mind. Aluminum is going to collect dings from carry anyway. That's just me.

If you bought this gorgeous knife as a collector's piece and don't plan to carry it, then you could get the scale swapped out or exchange it. I have this knife too. Love it.
 
UPDATE

I ended up exchanging the knife at another one of the retailer’s locations. The 2nd knife was thankfully ding free, but had light scratches all over the back end of one scale. Overall, more noticeable than the ding on the first knife because of location. Exchanged again today, hoping 3rd time would be the charm. On the plus side, the finish is good, the grind is the best of the 3, lock up is solid with no horizontal or vertical blade play when open, and centering is good. Only negative is that there’s about 1-2 mm (measured at tip) of vertical blade play when closed. The play has enough elastic resistance that it’s only noticeable if I lightly tug the blade outwards when in the close position. Not sure how common this is with this knife, but I’m ok with it since it isn’t noticeable in normal use.
 
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