Being careful not to step on toes here, but if you are making a million manufactured pieces of something in one plant, and probably a million more in another location (in a country far, far away...) then you are in the manufacturing business. I think BUCK turns out a fine product and I am glad they stand hard behind their product. But guys, face it, they are in the manufacturing business now, not the knife business. They make extremely affordable utility devices to serve a demand, and knives is what they center on to satisfy it.
I was stunned last year when I went to Bass Pro to spend some Christmas money. I was wanting a 301 and found they had the 301 comfort craft series knife signature series with the Buck signature proudly lasered into the handle scale.
The saleman pulled it off the glass shelf, and the springs weren't quite flush when closed, but that was OK. Not bad. But the spey blade sat higher than it should and literally blocked the nail nick to the sheepsfoot. We were both surprised, he apologised, then got another from under the counter. Same thing. Well, he said, third time is a charm... except it wasn't. All three knives had the same problem. He was an older fella and took a lot of pride in the fact that they let him run the knife department. He took all three off the market and there was no knife for me to buy.
This issue of quality control is one that has been beat to death over in the traditional forum concerning CASE. Many, many folks have expressed their disappointment in CASE these days (and some of course, their joy with them) and there has been thread after thread of supporters and detractors. Seems the unhappy folks have a lot of guys in their camp these days. But this thread is just like the "what happened to CASE threads".
Some guys are in complete disbelief you got a poor knife and demand pictures to satisfy them. Others tout customer service and chide the unhappy recipient with not being fair to CASE by sending it in first and waiting a few weeks to see what they do with the knife (no matter the knife is brand new). Still others will scoff at the unhappy customer and tell them that since their knives are users, poor fit and finish don't bother them a bit. You should be a baby about it.
I am old fashioned myself, and remember through the 60s and 70s and even longer when you could buy a CASE knife with so much confidence that the only reason you opened the box was to make sure they knife was the same model you wanted. Never was there a QC issue. I remember when BUCK was exactly the same. But never will I buy a CASE now I can't hold in my hand, and after looking at so many poor examples CASE fell off my radar years and years ago.
As always, there is an easy solution. NEVER buy a knife from a vendor that doesn't accept easy returns. NEVER buy a knife you cannot handle in person so you can inspect fit/finish. You will pay a bit more most of the time, but your heartburn will go down as well. I am a big fan of BUCK as I only buy working knives. When they are on their game, they are just about impossible to beat for a very sturdy knife regardless of cost. I still have my first and only 119 purchased in '71, and it has seen no mercy in my hands. It is still an excellent knife. As was my old 110 which I gifted out a while back.
Lower your expectations, only buy a knife you can handle, and you will be fine. As with almost all knives (and a lot of other things it seems) these days, it is up to the consumer to do the QC for the manufacturer.
Robert
