Do you trust a blem?

B

Bishop2Queen's6

Joined
Jun 8, 2011
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708
Hey all,

I just picked up a ZT0500 Mudd blem because I don't want to use my NIB Mudd and ruin its collectors value.

I've been playing with it, checking out the action, and I think the reason this is a blem is because the lock is rather sticky. As in, difficult to engage and disengage.

I'm questioning the reliability of this knife, so I pose this question to you,

Do you trust a blem?

For me, I bought this knife as a user, so I'm gonna use it, but I always pair my ZT's with a Spyderco so I have a nice slicer with my tank buster.
 
Well, blem usually means a cosmetic defect---most manufacturers will not knowingly sell a functionally defective product. Open and close it about two hundred times (can be done in a couple minutes) to let it work itself in a bit and if you're still not satisfied, get a hold of Kershaw and ask their input.
 
I've been comparing my blem to my NIB mudd and the NIB is super smooth action, and the blem is super sticky. I've been working it for about a week now.
 
im not sure about a blem 0500...
if the blem is cosmetic, it should be fine. if the blem has something to do with the pivot gaskets, mud/dirt/sand resistance will be compromised.
if the above doesnt bother you and you have no intentions of abusing the knife in that fashion the knife will function fine.
 
I have every intent to use and abuse this blem because that is what I bought it for. I'm just worried about the blade lock failing and/or not going to full lock when I deploy it.
 
Bishop2Queen's6 said:
I have every intent to use and abuse this blem because that is what I bought it for. I'm just worried about the blade lock failing and/or not going to full lock when I deploy it.
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i dont think youll have any issues with the lock and if thats your only concern it'll probably be fine. one more thing to consider with a blem is you will no longer be able to send your knife to the manufacturer for warranty service.

iirc the mudd was discontinued due to the difficulty in manufacturing the pivot/gasket area tolerances which assured its mud resistance. maybe somebody can confirm and chime in on this. you wont have to worry about this as the knife will function perfectly fine as a normal folder. it just wont have the seal and mud resistance its advertised as having.

EDIT: remember this is just speculation. you could just receive a perfectly functioning mudd with a tiny scratch or slight uneven grind. hope for the best but expect the worst :)
 
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I'm pretty confident that Kershaw wouldn't sell a blem that had a defective lock that may fail, especially on something like the ZT0500. The action may be sticky and stiff, but it may just need a good clean and lube. Take it apart, clean, and lightly oil. If that doesn't help you may have to do some polishing to certain areas of the knife.
 
Do they carry a warranty?

That is rhetorical.

Some companies warrant their blems, that indicates to me that they believe in them, and I would also. Some companies do not warrant them, and if the maker won't stand behind something, I won't jump in front of it.

Honestly though, I think life is too short to buy a knife that the maker thought was *almost* good enough to call good. Opinions vary.
 
Only have one blem - a rainbow leek that operates perfectly. Still have yet to figure out what the blem part is.

So with my limited experience, I would not hesitate to get another.
 
Blems give us guys with less money the opportunity to try out more expensive designs. Most of us aren't going to care that the blade has a scratch or the coating is a little messed up on one side. If it saves me half the retail price, I'll buy it because I'm going to use it. Love Kershawguy's blem sales!
 
I had one blem, a JYD ti framelock with SG2. The lock moved all the way across the tang and it was sent back. I was told most of the cosmetic flaws go to BF members and the ones with functional flaws go to eBay and that one slipped through to me. So while some of the Kershaw blems may be perfectly fine and a great value, not all of them are knives I would trust.

You should be able to take the G10 off the lock side and see the lock and how well it is engaging the pins on the blade, I think. The MUDD has the Hawk lock and I assume is like the RAM which I have taken apart before.
 
I have bought several from different manufacturers, and all have been pocket worthy. For the price of most of them, how can you go wrong?
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
You should be able to take the G10 off the lock side and see the lock and how well it is engaging the pins on the blade, I think. The MUDD has the Hawk lock and I assume is like the RAM which I have taken apart before.
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+1 Take off the G-10 overlay and apply a drop of lubricant to the pins. That should do the trick.
 
Blems are great. I had a really sticky lock on a spec bump, and when i sent it to kershaw to be sharpened it came back perfect and smooth. they are really good about servicing their blems. as far as whether they are good in principle, I frankly can't afford nice knives. however, a knife with a blemish that has no collector value i can afford.
 
Question for you:
Do you honestly think that Kershaw of all companies would sell something that was mechanically defective? Come on now, the "blem" is cosmetic in nature, not mechanical. You are talking about a sticky lock, a reality on hundreds of different folders from various companies.

Do I trust a blem? Yes I do, all the way until I see a valid reason not to.

thegeek574 said:
Blems are great. I had a really sticky lock on a spec bump, and when i sent it to kershaw to be sharpened it came back perfect and smooth. they are really good about servicing their blems. as far as whether they are good in principle, I frankly can't afford nice knives. however, a knife with a blemish that has no collector value i can afford.
Click to expand...

You realize that blems have no warranty right?
 
depends on what the blem is and what the price discount is.

if the blem truly is cosmetic and not overly so, and the discount is enough...then i like 'em.
 
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