"Issues" with my Northwoods Esky Zulu

T

thewheel82

Joined
Dec 1, 2008
Messages
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Post deleted as KSF has excellent customer service and I should have contacted them first. Was looking for advice on how to proceed which is what I ultimately got from here. Never returned a knife before but this looks like it will be a positive experience. Thanks to all for the comments!
 
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I'd recommend editing out the trade offer you put in there or the mods might do it for you*
This is not the correct sub-forum for it.

On the other points..I can understand your dilemma. Long ago, I bought a 77 barlow and while the knife was fantastic, it did have some liner gaps. I had come to expect "perfect" quality control by GEC at that point.

I questioned sending it back to Mike..or sending it to GEC. IF I sent it back there weren't anymore barlows to replace it..and if I sent it to GEC it would take 3 weeks for it to come back..a brand new knife. I ended up sending it back and just waiting it out since it was a limited knife that would be hard to get ahold of again.

The only "flaw" there that would bother/would poise as unacceptable would be the blade play.
That should not be apparent on a new GEC. I'd send it to GEC and see what could be done/mention the issues to Chris since there aren't anymore Esky Zulus in stock as you stated. The warranty department is generally great with these sort of requests.
 
I'm sorry your new knife didn't match your expectations. That's never a good feeling! :(

thewheel82 said:
My Esky Zulu has the following "issues":
- Blade not centered however it is not rubbing, so that is good at least.
- Blade finish near the tip of the blade is different than the rest of the blade.
- Blade has a tiny amount of side to side play.
- Back spring and liner has small gaps.
- I am giving a pass on the sunken pins and non-flush spring at half stop as that is present on most all GEC's.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do?
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Numbers 1, 4, and 5 don't bother me in a knife. Number 2 would depend on exactly what you mean. If it's like a scuff, or a slight wave to the grind, that wouldn't bother me.

Number 3 might, if it's more than a tiny bit of wiggle. (I test blade play from near the tang, not at the tip.) If it wiggled in use, I'd return it; I don't like that sort of blade play at all.

(For context, I collect solely to use, and I use all my knives.)
 
FWIW, I would copy & paste your post & send an email to KSF. They have great customer service, and it's best to give then a stab at making it right BEFORE posting publicly. I wouldn't be surprised if they could help you quickly & without fuss.
 
onespdfrk said:
FWIW, I would copy & paste your post & send an email to KSF. They have great customer service, and it's best to give then a stab at making it right BEFORE posting publicly. I wouldn't be surprised if they could help you quickly & without fuss.
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It's always recommended that the dealer be contacted before bringing it to the forum. KSF has a great rep for making their customers happy.
 
thewheel82 said:
Was lucky to see the Northwoods Esky Zulu in time in order to purchase one in Denim Micarta which was a handle material I had been really wanting to try out. Overall, I love this knife, the blade shape, handle shape, size, rat tail bolster and choice of cover materials. I think Derrick at KSF did a absolutely fantastic job with this knife.

The problem I have is that the one I received has multiple issues that I have not experienced with my other GEC/Northwoods knives. The impeccable fit and finish (for a production knife) is what really attracts me to the GEC product line.

My Esky Zulu has the following "issues":
- Blade not centered however it is not rubbing, so that is good at least.
- Blade finish near the tip of the blade is different than the rest of the blade.
- Blade has a tiny amount of side to side play.
- Back spring and liner has small gaps.
- I am giving a pass on the sunken pins and non-flush spring at half stop as that is present on most all GEC's.

Here is my dilemma, I love the overall design of the knife and think it would be great as a user, which all of my knives are, however the amount of issues this particular example has really takes away from one of the main draws to GEC for me, which is fit and finish. Knife is perfectly functional, but then so are Case, Queen, and even Rough Rider. For $160, should I expect more, at least the usual quality of GEC, which is all I was expecting.

I know KSF has a 100% store credit refund which is fantastic but no current available offerings really interest me like the Esky Zulu pattern which is sold out.

If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

Anyone out there that really wanted a Denim Micarta Esky Zulu that settled for a different cover material and would not be concerned about the above want to do a trade? :)
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We will be glad to take care of you. We're sorry this didn't meet your expectations. We want you to be thrilled with your new Esky Zulu. Just contact us via email at sales@knivesshipfree.com or give us a call.
 
onespdfrk said:
FWIW, I would copy & paste your post & send an email to KSF. They have great customer service, and it's best to give then a stab at making it right BEFORE posting publicly. I wouldn't be surprised if they could help you quickly & without fuss.
Click to expand...

Good point, will reach out to KSF, maybe that had one returned without F&F issues. To be clear, by no means am I bashing either KSF or GEC. I really like both companies and this is a production knife so not every specimen will be perfect.
 
Kudos to the KnivesShipFree team. I am traveling today. They are awesome and they know how to take care of our customers.
 
Well done, KSF. I know businesses out there that would fly off the handles if someone publicly said something before contacting the business. Y'all run a classy ship over there. :thumbup:
 
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