Early ZT 0551 Question

I'm not a troll nor an intentional net bully but I personally think you are championing this cause without merit and it seems more like an agenda considering the frequent replies with the same message and the same basic, repeated mantra.


flash900 said:
mggn,

Thanks for the very informative photos.

I suspect that most people, upon discovering those spots on their new, $200 knife would not consider it a minor discoloration.

My reaction would be more like, "Yikes!"

Nor would I want to take the chance that elbow grease and sandpaper might be able to keep that rust at bay for the life of the knife.

Sending those early 551s back for warranty service benefits not only the present owners but anyone who might later buy those knives on the forums here or elsewhere.

I hope that everyone here understands that we all have a vested interest in keeping rusty knives off the market.
Click to expand...
 
flash900 said:
Kershaw says it shipped some of the first batch of 551s with untreated liners and fired one of its production workers.

The company said it could not determine which knives were untreated and said owners of that first batch should return them. Kershaw paid all costs to have that done.

Even then, some people decided against returning 551s from that first batch. Some said they couldn't see any rust and concluded that that must mean there wasn't any and wouldn't be in the future.

Others insisted that they could sandpaper off the rust or cover it up with magic sauce or whatever.

They also got their backs up if anyone suggested that maybe, just maybe, they didn't have the same ability as Kershaw to treat their liner to prevent future rust.

Their privilege, I guess. But those are the knives you want to watch out for when they are resold on the forums.
Click to expand...


What exactly do you think will happen if the liner is left untreated like the first picture in the post below yours?

Stainless steel can stain and discolor but it's not going to just rust away and turn into a pile of dust.

The only worry about buying one of these knives that has been left untreated is that it will have some surface discoloration just like in the picture above. It's not like you are getting a defective knife that will just fall apart and break the first time you use it and it can always be sent to Kershaw at a later date if it bothers someone. It's really not that big of a deal, certainly not a reason to not buy a knife if it is something you want.
 
Yes, I admit it: I am championing the cause of keeping potentially rusty knives off of the market by asking early owners to get warranty service.

What cause are you championing?
 
Last edited:
flash900 said:
Yes, I admit it: I am championing the cause of keeping potentially rusty knives off of the market.
Click to expand...


If it were carbon steel that could keep rusting all the way through then yes it would be a big deal. But as it is stainless and WILL NOT do that, you are making a much bigger deal out of this than it deserves. A mountain out of a mole hill as they say.
 
flash900 said:
mggn,

Thanks for the very informative photos.

I suspect that most people, upon discovering those spots on their new, $200 knife would not consider it a minor discoloration.

My reaction would be more like, "Yikes!"

Nor would I want to take the chance that elbow grease and sandpaper might be able to keep that rust at bay for the life of the knife.

Sending those early 551s back for warranty service benefits not only the present owners but anyone who might later buy those knives on the forums here or elsewhere.

I just got out my own 551 to admire it. These are really wonderful folders.
I hope everyone here understands that we all have a vested interest in keeping any rusty 551s off the market.
Click to expand...

What do you imagine Kershaw does to the liner? The same. exact. thing.

Stop making it such a big deal dude. Chill :D
 
knivesandguns said:
What do you imagine Kershaw does to the liner? The same. exact. thing.

Stop making it such a big deal dude. Chill :D
Click to expand...

I don't have to imagine -- I sent in my 551 and had it done.

And here is what ZT said they do:

-- REPLACE both liners.

-- REPLACE any other parts where rust shows up.

-- Fix anything else that needs it.

I confirmed this just now with a warranty service rep.

You can do the same.
 
flash900 said:
I don't have to imagine -- I sent in my 551 and had it done.

And here is what ZT said they do:

-- REPLACE both liners.

-- REPLACE any other parts where rust shows up.

-- Fix anything else that needs it.

I confirmed this just now with a warranty service rep.

You can do the same.
Click to expand...

What "treatment" do you believe Kershaw has done to the new liners? ;)

Where has rust shown up on other parts?
 
knivesandguns said:
What "treatment" do you believe Kershaw has done to the new liners? ;)

Where has rust shown up on other parts?
Click to expand...

I don't have any replacement liners for my 551 at home, do you?

If you have a problem with how Kershaw is handling warranty service on these knives, please feel free to take it up with them.

It is puzzling why someone would resist a free warranty service to ensure that his $200 knife will be rust-free.

But to argue so adamantly in an effort to convince others to take the same position is simply irresponsible, IMO.
 
iacchus said:
Both liners?
Click to expand...

That is what the warranty service rep told me.

But please direct all such questions to Kershaw. Call (503) 682-1966 and ask for ZT warranty service.

Thank you. These are terrific knives and they deserve the very best.
 
The point is there is only one liner and I've been carrying one of the two I currently have in my pocket for going on 3 months and there isn't any rust anywhere.

flash900 said:
That is what the warranty service rep told me.

But please direct all such questions to Kershaw. Call (503) 682-1966 and ask for ZT warranty service.

Thank you. These are terrific knives and they deserve the very best.
Click to expand...
 
Reeek said:
The point is there is only one liner and I've been carrying one of the two I currently have in my pocket for going on 3 months and there isn't any rust anywhere.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I thought as well, so I asked twice and got the same answer.
And that is why I suggest you call and find out for yourself.
A reminder that the recall is only for the first batch (including mine.)
Thank you.
 
Last edited:
Hi guys -

It's all good - some people like to take their Harley to the dealer to get 100% genuine harley oil installed by a Harley certified and trained service tech, where some, like myself, prefer to do it myself to make sure it is done right.

I don't have any problem with people having the desire to send the knife back to Kershaw, and I am certain Kershaw has no problem assisting said customers.

That said, there is no harm or deleterious effects from just polishing the piece of stainless yourself if you are comfortable with doing so, and I was comfortable doing so.

One thing we all agree on, it is a great knife!

best regards -

mqqn
 
flash900, we've already gone through this with you and the members back on 11-30-2010. Understand your answering the OP, but to again have a bit of a flare up over this may be a tad much.
flash900 said:
At this point one of the biggest problems is with the new owners. Some of whom are unwilling to part with their shiny new knives, and may not discover hidden defects for months or even years. At which point they may well try to unload their rust buckets on unwary buyers (i.e., folks like us.)

KERSHAW HAS RECALLED ALL 0551s MADE TO DATE. THERE IS NO REASON NOT TO SEND YOURS IN.
Click to expand...

I responded:

Thomas W said:
To reiterate, no, we haven't asked for all of the 150 pieces of the 0551's to be returned to the factory. If you feel the liner has corrosion and needs attention, please call us, and we will make arrangements to dial the piece in. If there is concern there may be an issue that may show itself down the road, please call us for a pick up.

If your liner is without corrosion there is no reason to have your knife picked up.
Click to expand...

You seemingly didn't like my response:

flash900 said:
Thank you for your comments, but respectfully, it is contrary to what Kershaw told me: that it is recalling its entire first run because it has no way to know which knives didn't receive the finishing process. This means EVERY ZT 0551 sold to date.

Jennifer at CS is the source of this information in a conversation with me today in which I took detailed notes. See my earlier post for details.

If anyone has any doubts or questions, please call Kershaw and find out for yourself.

The source of this confusion may be Kershaw itself. I asked them to put out a statement explaining what happened and what consumers should do. They told me they had no plans to do so.

That is why I posted Kershaw's explanation above, unfortunately subjecting myself to attack by some who saw it as criticism of the company. Clearly, my intent was just the opposite.
Click to expand...

I again explained the situation.

Thomas W said:
I've posted here what the problem was, and the steps we've taken to rectify the situation. With all due respect, the word coming from my posts are the final say. Sorry if we were confused from your earlier call.

I've always been open on this forum, and will continue to be. If there are additional concerns that need addressing, I'll do my best to answer them.
Click to expand...

As to to OP:

Biginboca said:
...will Kershaw replace the liner under warranty?
Click to expand...
Hopefully the above answers your concern
 
Thomas W said:
flash900, we've already gone through this with you and the members back on 11-30-2010. Understand your answering the OP, but to again have a bit of a flare up over this may be a tad much.


I responded:



You seemingly didn't like my response:



I again explained the situation.



As to to OP:

Hopefully the above answers your concern
Click to expand...

Thank you. :thumbup:
 
If the frame lock and liner under the G10 is titanium what exactly was rusting on the 551?
 
mr2blue said:
There is another choice. I sent mine to Jeff Forbush and had all the metal parts except the blade ceracoated. The knife came out really nice.

Forbush0551.jpg
Click to expand...

Cosmetically that is pretty cool. How much does that run? Any other reason for the coating besides the aesthetics and the unlikely chance of the metal rusting?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top