I've searched and read many posts and threads on the Fallkniven DC4 sharpener and was ready to purchase when I saw a thread on another forum speaking to the affect that quality has gone down hill (posts were made in 2011). Has anyone purchased one recently that has found this to be true or false?
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Fallkniven DC4, has anyone purchased one recently.
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I have one, purchased within the last year. I don't have any gripes about the quality of it. In fact, I'm pretty impressed with it. The ceramic side is definitely different than most others I've seen. Very aggressive, even feels more like a med/fine diamond hone. Works very fast, and puts more 'bite' on an edge than any other ceramic I've seen (I have several from Spyderco, and a bunch of different 'crock stick' ceramic sharpeners purchased over the last 20 years or so).
I've heard about the quality issues, all related to the ceramic side. Some say it's not flat (dished), others complained about 'saw marks' left in the surface, others have mentioned 'ridges' in the ceramic. Whatever the case, I can't comment on those because I haven't seen those issues, at least as others have described them.
Edit:
If you're considering buying one, and worried about quality issues, just make sure to buy from a dealer who's willing to take it back if you're not happy with it. Make sure to ask beforehand.
I've heard about the quality issues, all related to the ceramic side. Some say it's not flat (dished), others complained about 'saw marks' left in the surface, others have mentioned 'ridges' in the ceramic. Whatever the case, I can't comment on those because I haven't seen those issues, at least as others have described them.
Edit:
If you're considering buying one, and worried about quality issues, just make sure to buy from a dealer who's willing to take it back if you're not happy with it. Make sure to ask beforehand.
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I could see some people not liking the 'rough' feel of the ceramic, and perhaps seeing it as a quality issue. As I mentioned, it feels VERY different, and that could put some people off. Especially if they tend to lean into a stone a little bit. The rougher character of the ceramic isn't conducive to that, so it's all-the-more important to use light pressure, as with diamond hones. But that is why I like this hone; very fast, aggressive sharpening, with very little 'grunt' put into it.
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I bought mine through Knifeworks, no complaints (also bought one or two knives from them). Knifecenter also has a pretty good rep, overall (bought quite a lot of stuff through them).
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NO
and NO
sory guys but the quality issue is real. good news is that it can be solved with some elbow grease.
as said the ceramic itself is really good. what is lacking is the surface finish. i've bought quite a few of those over the years (lost 3 iirc, bought several for family and friends) my first one (5-6yrs ago) was perfect some light stripes on the ceramic but very shallow, the few last i bought were terrible, some realy not flat, returned to the online shop, some showed deep ridges from machining, and when i i say deep, i'm talking about 1mm deep, basicaly not usable as is.
i fixed the ones i kept or gifted with my dmt XXC but this was quite a lot of work. probably one hour per stone, ceramic is a pain to grind and i was afraid for my diamond plate.
fallkniven even admited there was a QC problem and the production stopped a few months iirc.
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Pwet:
I never said, or even implied, that there wasn't a quality issue. I even recognized, in my first reply to the OP, that at least some people have reported issues. I was also very specific about pointing out that mine was very different than other brands I've tried. The point I was making, is that some simply won't like some sharpening devices if they seem different than what they're used to, or expecting, even if that difference is a plus, as I've found with my DC4. The fact that it might be different than somebody elses, doesn't automatically render it 'defective'. It might even make it more useful in some respects. Inconsistency from a manufacturer is obviously not a good thing, and needs to be corrected. But inconsistency also means that a portion of the product will still be just fine. I got one that I found useful, and others, such as yourself, apparently didn't. That's completely in line with what I've said in my first reply.
I never said, or even implied, that there wasn't a quality issue. I even recognized, in my first reply to the OP, that at least some people have reported issues. I was also very specific about pointing out that mine was very different than other brands I've tried. The point I was making, is that some simply won't like some sharpening devices if they seem different than what they're used to, or expecting, even if that difference is a plus, as I've found with my DC4. The fact that it might be different than somebody elses, doesn't automatically render it 'defective'. It might even make it more useful in some respects. Inconsistency from a manufacturer is obviously not a good thing, and needs to be corrected. But inconsistency also means that a portion of the product will still be just fine. I got one that I found useful, and others, such as yourself, apparently didn't. That's completely in line with what I've said in my first reply.
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I have 3, and all of them are noticeably bowed. It's bad enough that only the edges of the stone contact my knife, which is not what I want. Since my DMTs are all flat, as are my Spyderco ceramics, I use those instead, which is a shame, as the idea behind the DC4s is a good one. I hope they fix this problem, this is a very handy size. Trying to flatten a ceramic stone is just not worth the effort.
I also had the saw marks that were easily removed on a diamond stone, but still...
I also had the saw marks that were easily removed on a diamond stone, but still...
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That sort of illustrates the hit-or-miss nature of 'flat' ceramics in general. I have two Spyderco DoubleStuff hones, bought back in the '90s, both dished. Blade edges tended to grind against the raised edges of the hone, until I started to take steps to avoid that. Usable enough for my purposes, but less-than-perfect too. I even flattened one of them with a DMT hone, but it isn't worth pursuing that with the other. I'll keep using it as is.
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david my rather laconic "no" was just to say that most user you ear complaining are not just disliking the product because of it's specific grit or whatever but because there are some really annoying defects. now today i cant speak as my last one, the one i fixed, is perhaps one year old and still going strong.
in fact let alone the production problems, i consider that it's the more polyvalent and clever pocket sharpening gear available just because it packs both diamond and ceramic in a very small package . the diamond side is good quality medium grit just enough to comfortably sharpen a dull knife and the ceramic is ideal for deburring the edge or light touchups. imho to do the same with diafolds for exemple i'll need two. and there's nothing in the spyderco offering that matches the diamond side's speed.
in fact let alone the production problems, i consider that it's the more polyvalent and clever pocket sharpening gear available just because it packs both diamond and ceramic in a very small package . the diamond side is good quality medium grit just enough to comfortably sharpen a dull knife and the ceramic is ideal for deburring the edge or light touchups. imho to do the same with diafolds for exemple i'll need two. and there's nothing in the spyderco offering that matches the diamond side's speed.