I have a Mnandi and a WH Monarch. Loved them both when I got them, which, of course, meant I "played" with them all the time (opening & closing). Both were a pleasure- smooooth actions, SOLID lock-up- very cool!
After less than a month I noticed the WH loosening up, and it soon got to the point where there was some blade wobble. I went out and bought a nice Torx set (never one to pass up the chance to buy tools!) and went to tighten up the pivot. To make a long story shorter one of the screws was so loose on the (brand new) Torx bit that I was afraid to put any torque on it for fear it would strip out. The other side fit fine. I contacted WH and they said to send it in, which I did.
Keep in mind this is a $725 knife. After 3 weeks I emailed them to see if they had even received my knife. They said they did and were working on it.
About a month later I got the knife back, no note, no "sorry for the inconvenience", but nicely resharpened. The only problem was that now the action was so tight I could barely open it (very slight exaggeration). I got the Torx driver out and found out they hadn't changed out that screw! Unless Torx bits come in some kind of half or quarter sizes, I really don't understand this- one size fits way too loose, next size up won't fit. First size fits perfectly in the screw on the other side.
Anyway, I decided to just play with it and see if it loosens up again, but considering their prices I was really shocked at this kind of customer service. There is no way I would show this knife to anyone now- instead of feeling like a fine quality piece of workmanship, the action feels sticky and I would be embarrassed at what I paid for it. I do not feel well treated or taken care of.
Meanwhile, the Mnandi (which cost half as much) has been my "chairside" knife all this time- well over a year because I didn't send the WH in for a long time. It opens the mail and all my packages, and gets "played with" a lot. The action and lock up still feel like the day I got it, and although I haven't needed it, I read good things about CRKs customer service.
For me, I seriously doubt I will ever purchase another WH, although I really like some of their designs. Their prices put them in the same class with customs and I was shocked at the way they handled this repair (which shouldn't have been needed!). I can't even sell the knife because I don't want to take the kind of loss I would have to in order to feel right about it. If I get the action to feel right again I may sell it, but what's it going to cost me when I disclose the history and misfit screw? Maybe I will send it back again!
