How picky are you about your knives?

It depends a lot on the knife and what I will use it for. I have gotten many knives with small issues like the one you show, I will just fix them myself unless it is a custom or really expensive production. I agree with a post above, sometimes a small issue is ok because then I will use quicker and without worry it since it already isn't perfect.
 
I get pretty picky anywhere over the $50 price point. That being said it is a rare day I spend over $50 on a knife and only have one knife over $50. I would probably send it back if it had a chip like that but it's just a once in a year or so event I spend that much on a knife.
 
I am really picky BUT I have learned to accept minor imperfections. I don't want to throw any manufacturer under the bus but I feel that being truthful on forums is what forums are all about. I feel that on any knife over $50, it should be damn near perfect. Recently I purchased 2 GEC knives, a Case Peanut, Case Swayback Jack, and 2 Bark River knives. They are all very nice but none of them are what I would expect in terms of fit, finish and quality for the price except the Case Peanut.

The peanut was only $30 but the quality is very very good for the price. I then bought the Swayback jack reading that it is a step up in quality, fit and finish. The peanut is just as good. It actually has better walk and talk than the Swayback Jack. The Bark River knives had a few flaws. They had uneven grinds, were not super sharp, and the scales were not perfectly matching. I love the variety of steel, patterns and scale materials that Bark River offers but in my opinion, these flaws shouldn't be there for the price they ask. These knives should be priced at least 30% lower for what you get. The one GEC had a bent tip and a small gap in the scale. The other GEC had a minor hairline crack in the wood. Both GEC knives had a few rough patches on the back metal where it seem like it wasn't sanding or polished enough.

I don't know why but I have had great luck with Victorinox, Kershaw, Esee, and Spyderco as far as quality control and overall fit and finish. I bought a Kershaw Skyline and a SAK Cadet. They both are flawless to my eyes and they both were about $30 each.
 
Personally I don't care if the knife costs $1000, $100, $50, or $10. And it wouldn't matter why I bought it, or what I planned to do with it (plans change).
If it's supposed to be a first quality knife it shouldn't have a chip like that in the scale and it would bother me if it did.
Of course the $10 knife is probably not worth the hassle of returning/exchanging, but that GEC would be.

If that makes me 'picky', so be it.
 
I agree with FLymon, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I'm a handbuilt craftsman in my work, and nothing leaves my shop unless it's as perfect as I can make it. I expect others to do the same. Things like uneven grinds and off center blades drive me nuts. Same for blade wobble, open or closed. Or any other fault. Do it right or don't do it is my feeling. I'm picky, so should you be. My .02.

Chris-
 
rdrogers said:
Here is my Radio knife the day I received it. Notice the chip in the bone at the bottom? Would something like this bother you? I bought this to be a user and it hasn't left my pocket since I got it. Personally, I couldn't care less. What about you?
...
Click to expand...

the short answer is:
no. you dont cut things with the handle.
 
It depends on the price point of the knife

I hold GEC to it's reputation of high quality with a price to match
So I would speak to the dealer for advice
 
FLymon said:
Personally I don't care if the knife costs $1000, $100, $50, or $10. And it wouldn't matter why I bought it, or what I planned to do with it (plans change).
If it's supposed to be a first quality knife it shouldn't have a chip like that in the scale and it would bother me if it did.
Of course the $10 knife is probably not worth the hassle of returning/exchanging, but that GEC would be.

If that makes me 'picky', so be it.
Click to expand...

Absolutely:thumbup::thumbup: If a knife is QC'd and sent out as 1st quality it should not have chips, splits or cracks in the handle from new. They are likely to get worse...but I suppose you can always bind up the handles with a bit of tape if the worst comes to the worst:D

If a knife has annoyances from the beginning, I rather doubt I am going to learn to like them , unless it's consigned to Beater status.
 
All my knives are users, I tend to be picky about function but not form.

I'm not bothered about aesthetic hiccups like chipped bone scales or scratches but I hate blade wobble, limp walk and talk and such like.

:)
 
If I am not mistaken it looks like there are 2 defects in the bone a larger one above the middle pin closer to the spine and one at the bottom of the handle. It would bother me slightly but not enough to send it back. The knife will after all be getting scratched up greatly cutting up various things, I'd just rather be the one doing the cosmetic damage.
 
My level of pickiness varies depending on the cost and trim line of the knife. There's a certain range of fit & finish / quality control variances I expect from Case on a knife I spend under $40 on, and a different range I expect from GEC, that I spend over $80 on.

I've never sent a knife back, ever, out of all the ones I own, so I guess I'm not terribly picky. Or rather I am picky to an extent, but my pickiness threshold has yet to be triggered.

I am also one of those with a Chevy budget and so I don't expect a Mercedes. The only thing that a knife's cosmetic issues / QC variations do is make me more or less likely to buy another knife from the same manufacturer again. If they wow me, they get a repeat customer. If they disappoint me, they are less likely to get my business again.

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression, though. So if my first knife from a particular manufacturer is a great one, then I am more likely to forgive future issues. If the first one is a failure, it would take a lot to convince me to try them again.

The pics you've posted fall within my range of expectations for a bare-end jigged bone knife. As long as the knife were overall in good functional condition and the intention is to use it, you've merely got a head start on the pocket-wearing of the bone that is sure to occur. If I had intended it to be a collector's item or display piece, I might have sent it back to the vendor requesting an exchange.
 
pmew said:
All my knives are users, I tend to be picky about function but not form.

I'm not bothered about aesthetic hiccups like chipped bone scales or scratches but I hate blade wobble, limp walk and talk and such like.

:)
Click to expand...

I think I'm with you on this Paul. I've got loads of tatty old knives that I love, one of my favourites has half the bone missing off one side! As has already been said though, a lot depends on price. I'd generally expect a knife with cosmetic defects to be marked down as a 'second', unless it's inexpensive in any case of course. However, the knife in the original post really doesn't look that bad to me, and I don't think I would be bothered by it personally. If you are though, and it's still unused, maybe speak to the dealer you bought it from.
 
For a EDC user? No, wouldn't be a big deal. But I may contact the seller or manufacture just to let them know. Keeping everyone in the chain in the loop on quality issues is a must if you keep them held to high standards. Who knows, you may get a $10 credit back from the seller or some swag from the manufacture. But I wouldn't go though the whole process of sending it back. It adds some character to the knife, which traditionals excel at looking cooler with more character.
 
I'd be bothered if it was an expensive knife, but I wouldn't really give it back. Those tiny chips would just give me more reason to use it, which is what you are going to do anyway. A crack, ya, unacceptable, even on a cheap knife. I wouldn't keep any knife with a crack in the handle, which is why I only buy my knives from shops in person, not on the internet, so that I can handle the knife and check for defects or features I don't like.
 
Just depends; if it was your knife I would be very forgiving about manufacturing defects, quite open minded. Now, if it's my knife? Well, that's another story............
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top