Expectations too high, or use and enjoy?

Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar

Sxul Tyrannosaurus
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
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Just got this new Barlow Boker Expedition.

There appear to be some issues around the bolsters, am I being too picky and should just polish off the discoloration and move on, or is it reasonable to expect better fit and finish than this?
IMG_9309.jpgIMG_9310.jpg

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Don’t think it’s unreasonable at all to expect a better fit/finish but you can just polish off and move on as well. I received many new from the factory GEC’s with lots of handling marks/scratches and although I wasn’t thrilled with the handling marks I was still happy I scored the knife. Most of it could be polished anyways
 
At that price point, assuming it's new and not secondhand, I'd return it (and ask the retailer to inspect the replacement before shipping). It'll probably just polish out, but I've made that call a couple times about other seemingly minor fit and finish issues and found myself with a knife I couldn't fix on my own and couldn't return.
 
Looks like some of that might just come off with your fingernail ... like some kind of residue.
Polish off what's left, if anything left, if it bothers you that much.
If you carry and use it, you'll have worse blemishes than that eventually and those "blemishes" just might take care of themselves.
It's a production knife and you are highly likely to find some "fault" somewhere on a replacement.
Can't ever recall receiving a "perfect" production knife from anyone ... although some are slightly better than others I suppose.
... use and enjoy :)
 
Polish it off if it bothers you, or it'll probably come off with use.
At most/worst that is a cosmetic "defect", that does not/will not/cannot affect the functionality of the knife.

In answer to your question: Use and enjoy it. That's what it was made for, after all. :)
 
Thanks folks, it does seem like more of a hassle to send it back than to polish it and live with it. Used some polish and elbow grease and it came out well enough. Trying to avoid getting the edge finish too far off the nice brushed flat of the bolster. Will mess with it a bit more perhaps.

Just goes to show the advantage of buying from a brick and mortar and getting to inspect the exact knife before you buy. Shop local y'all.
 
I haven’t had any issues with my barlows from Boker, I agree with aboves: got it a quick polish and see what happens. Can’t tell if it’s a gap in the back or not…
 
I have several. The worst of them had a slight difference in height between the spring, frame and bolster, with the edges being quite sharp. Otherwise a nice knife.

I used very fine sandpaper and slowly worked the back of the knife until there were no sharp edges. Feels right, now, but the sanding changed the surface finish from matte to semi-gloss. Looks a little different than the rest of the knife.

Not too worried about it. It is the one knife I carry most out of the passel I own, and the matte raw brass is going to patina with time and use, and will pick up scratches and rubs.

last line deleted you already made a decision.
 
BrotherJim said:
Looks like some of that might just come off with your fingernail ... like some kind of residue.
Polish off what's left, if anything left, if it bothers you that much.
If you carry and use it, you'll have worse blemishes than that eventually and those "blemishes" just might take care of themselves.
It's a production knife and you are highly likely to find some "fault" somewhere on a replacement.
Can't ever recall receiving a "perfect" production knife from anyone ... although some are slightly better than others I suppose.
... use and enjoy :)
Click to expand...
Took a bit more than a fingernail, but no power tools we needed. :)

Marks I put on things tell a story and are appreciated. Character from the factory not so much, nice to start with a blank canvas.
 
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Nebuchadnezzar said:
Thanks folks, it does seem like more of a hassle to send it back than to polish it and live with it. Used some polish and elbow grease and it came out well enough. Trying to avoid getting the edge finish too far off the nice brushed flat of the bolster. Will mess with it a bit more perhaps.

Just goes to show the advantage of buying from a brick and mortar and getting to inspect the exact knife before you buy. Shop local y'all.
Click to expand...

Yup. I really miss having access to a nice knife shop.
 
If you don't at least raise the issue with the seller, then nothing is learned (by the manufacturer and retailer) regarding potential future behavior.
 
I had a little of that on my Expedition, didn’t bother me much. After I accidentally dropped it off my second story deck railing onto a rock walking path trying to take a picture, it became the least of my worries. 🙄👍07DEB550-C77C-4353-81BA-43D94B1BCCCB.jpeg
 
Brass is easy to clean up. Either polish it out, or a green Scotch-Brite pad will take care of it and leave a nice satin finish. Can also use a grit sequence of wet/dry sandpaper through ~2000 or so, and following with polish, to bring all the brass up to a high mirror shine. But in this case, I'd probably go straight to the Scotch-Brite with a few passes. Follow with polish, if you want to. For me personally, I tend to like the muted finish left by the Scotch-Brite.

If I liked everything else about the knife, like the walk & talk, blade sharpness/grind, centering, etc., I'd be very reluctant to send it back for replacement for a very minor cosmetic blemish that's otherwise easily fixed at home.
 
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Even if you find it expedient to touch it up yourself, I still urge you to notify your source. The knife should not have been shipped in that condition. If you don’t at least register a complaint the manufacturer and seller will continue to assume sending out knives in that condition is acceptable.
 
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Obsessed with Edges said:
Brass is easy to clean up. Either polish it out, or a green Scotch-Brite pad will take care of it and leave a nice satin finish. Can also use a grit sequence of wet/dry sandpaper through ~2000 or so, and following with polish, to bring all the brass up to a high mirror shine. But in this case, I'd probably go straight to the Scotch-Brite with a few passes. Follow with polish, if you want to. For me personally, I tend to like the muted finish left by the Scotch-Brite.

If I liked everything else about the knife, like the walk & talk, blade sharpness/grind, centering, etc., I'd be very reluctant to send it back for replacement for a very minor cosmetic blemish that's otherwise easily fixed at home.
Click to expand...

Going to have to get a green scotchbrite thanks for the tip.

For now it's not noticeable unless you are looking for it, was starting to polish the sides a bit too much, will give the scotchbrite a try. Everyone saying return it and that this isn't acceptable for a knife this price I feel you, which is why I made this thread. If it was going to be a safe queen or was a collection piece then I would likely jump through the hoops to get a better finished one. The rest of the knife is good to go so I'm happy messing with this one and moving on.

Into the pocket it goes, to collect more character.
IMG_9315.jpg
 
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