Fit and Finish: some questions...

S

sangkala

Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
104
How hard is it to get a production folder with the blade centered between the liners?

How about a production or custom fixed blade that is perfect?

I just came back from the local knife store with a BM Mini Barrage. It was NIB but I noticed that the blade is slightly off center. The sales guy was busy so I didn't have the heart to ask him to look for one that was centered. Especially because he took the knife out of the box for me to inspect it.

I bought a Spyderco Native CF online. Same thing; slightly off center.

My new Blind Horse Bushcrafter SS is nice, but not perfect. It has a little grinding glitch on top of the blade and the bolts are sanded down a little unevenly. Not enough to send it back IMHO, but not perfect.

I did send back a Fiddleback Recluse because the bolts were just wrong. They didn't lay flat with the handles.

Three out of four knives I purchased recently are not perfect but I'm keeping them anyway.

So what I'm asking is how particular are you about F&F? Are you OK with slight imperfections? Which imperfections on which knives?

Or do the details really bother you enough to return your knife when it doesn't past muster? :confused:
 
Last edited:
Some MFG's are better at this than others. Even some knives within a brand name are better than others. In some cases, it is where the knife was built for the MFG. But most knives I receive are close enough. I hate off centered blades BTW.
 
My ZT 0301 is a little off-center, nearly hugging the liners. But so long as the blade itself doesn't scrape the handles or wiggle around, it doesn't really bother me.
 
Be more forgiving when it comes to customs at the price of BHK etc, come on man. For the price you pay for a BHK you are getting a well-crafted knife. Production knives that aren't going to become some sort of investment/collectible are tools, have to keep that in mind.
 
If your hoping for perfection from production knives, then in nearly every case your going to be disappointed.
 
I dislike an uncentered blade too. But 9 times out 10 a little twist of a torx driver and the blade is centered. Now if the blade totally warped, it goes back ASAP. That is a rare sight though.
 
Like the others, I dislike an uncentered blade, but as RevDevil said, they are fairly easy to correct yourself. :)
 
sangkala said:
How hard is it to get a production folder with the blade centered between the liners?

How about a production or custom fixed blade that is perfect?

I just came back from the local knife store with a BM Mini Barrage. It was NIB but I noticed that the blade is slightly off center. The sales guy was busy so I didn't have the heart to ask him to look for one that was centered. Especially because he took the knife out of the box for me to inspect it.

I bought a Spyderco Native CF online. Same thing; slightly off center.

My new Blind Horse Bushcrafter SS is nice, but not perfect. It has a little grinding glitch on top of the blade and the bolts are sanded down a little unevenly. Not enough to send it back IMHO, but not perfect.

I did send back a Fiddleback Recluse because the bolts were just wrong. They didn't lay flat with the handles.

Three out of four knives I purchased recently are not perfect but I'm keeping them anyway.

So what I'm asking is how particular are you about F&F? Are you OK with slight imperfections? Which imperfections on which knives?

Or do the details really bother you enough to return your knife when it doesn't past muster? :confused:
Click to expand...

If you are looking for 100% perfection in a production knife you will never be satisfied.

That's not to say there aren't some that are excellent because they are, Spyderco and CRK come to mind 1st. Kershaw (ZT) also and Hinderer are right up there too, but 100% perfect in every way, not going to happen.

100% perfection, that's going to be a Custom and prepare to open your wallet big time and spend a lot because it won't be cheap.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the replies. I'm getting a better idea now of what to accept and reject. :cool:
crom said:
Be more forgiving when it comes to customs at the price of BHK etc, come on man. For the price you pay for a BHK you are getting a well-crafted knife. Production knives that aren't going to become some sort of investment/collectible are tools, have to keep that in mind.
Click to expand...
Very well said. BHK are meant to be users and that's just what I'm gonna do with it the next time I go camping. Hopefully soon. Besides, it is a damn fine looking knife to boot.

Ankerson said:
If you are looking for 100% perfection in a production knife you will never be satisfied.

That's not to say there aren't some that are excellent because they are, Spyderco and CRK come to mind 1st. Kershaw (ZT) also and Hinderer are right up there too, but 100% perfect in every way, not going to happen.

100% perfection, that's going to be a Custom and prepare to open your wallet big time and spend a lot because it won't be cheap.
Click to expand...
Yes, that (custom) will be further on down the road for me. I'm not ready to spend the money on a custom knife when I could get a Colt 45 for the same amount. But I guess that's part of the evolution (or devolution) of the hobby. :D
 
I used to be really bothered by little quirks with production knives, but as I progress in knife collecting I have come to realize what I am buying - mass produced knives.

Every production car I have ever bought, no matter what the price (and I have bought many) - there are always a few "fit and finish" issues. Needless to say, the price paid for said cars well exceeds what I pay for a knife. Does it make the car bad? No.

Same thing for houses - I worked for 2 national homebuilders and walked MANY new houses - do you think I saw fit and finish issues? Absolutely - and in some cases these houses sold for prices in excess of $500,000.

So - keeping that in mind - as long as the knife still functions as designed and is safe to use, and the "flaw" doesn't worsen over time - I am ok with it.

Would I accept those same flaws from a custom knife? Absolutely not. I expect that the maker is taking the time and care to make sure the knife is as perfect as he/she can make it before releasing it to the buyer.

I would expect that same level of care and fit and finish from an exotic car maker and a custom home builder.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top