Just got my ironwood Mnandi - so why am I so sad...

Z

zerogee

Joined
Nov 10, 2001
Messages
1,475
Today I received a lovely ironwood Mnandi (dated October 29, 2001) from Arizona Custom Knives (nice folks), but I won't have it long -- it has to be returned.

Ever seen a misground blade on a Chris Reeve knife? Well, I could show you one. The grind lines are quite asymmetrical - not by a hair, but by an offset of almost 0.2" at the back of the blade. It's enough to be immediately apparent simply by looking at each side of the blade - the grind has even shifted the point of the blade toward the lock side of the knife (away from dead center) when closed.

Man, I hate to return this baby, it really is a remarkable design -- but perfection is what I'm paying for in a Reeve knife. I guess sometimes it eludes even the very best.

Just needed some shoulders to cry on. Take care all.

-- Dwight

BTW - is the blade of a Mnandi supposed to have a "catch" about 15 degrees before it is fully opened and locked? It is quite distinct - the lock bar even moves over right up against side of the blade at that point, but this is well before the lock actually engages.
 
Late night answer, sorry if I'm not totally clear.

There is a ball bearing detent that helps to secure the blade in the closed position. The "catch" you are feeling is the ball bearing (located in the lock leaf) disengaging from the blade as it rotates through the arc of travel as the knife opens. The lock then drops .01" or so. As the blade completes the arc of travel the lock face drops to engage the blade lock surface.
The "catch" that you feel is simply part of the opening and closing process of an integral lock. Part of the "walking and talking" of the knife's action, so to speak.

You will be able to detect a similar sensation with most liner locks that have ball bearing detents.

Hope this helps.
 
I notice this is your first posting ,allow me to welcome you. Sorry to hear your knife arrived in less than perfect condition. If you truly enjoy your knife just not send it to CRK, your knife has a fantastic WARRENTY which will cover the blade problem. E-mail Bridget, and she will be more than happy to fix it.I do not think this warrents returning it to ACK.
 
Don't feel too bad, the grind on mine is way off too. Pretty ugly to say the least and very noticeable, however the knife isn't any less functional and I can live with it the way it is. If it ever has to go back to CRK then maybe I'll ask them to correct the grind.


Jeff
 
I never thought I'd see someone posting about poor grinds on Chris Reeve knives. All of a sudden we have two complaints on the same model. Can one of you guys post a pic of your knife showing the poor grind? I sure hope Chris can get to the bottom of this.:(
 
Thanks guys.

Will - thanks for the info on the how the integral lock operates and feels during opening. I just had never seen this design aspect described before. This is the first true integral lock knife I've actually handled.

I thought about returning it to CRK instead, but the blade grind is not the only trouble -- there is a secondary problem with one of the inlays. I noticed right off that the inlay on the lock side appears to be a bit compressed around the pivot cover (this is the side with the pivot hex socket). Looking a bit more closely, I noticed that there is a tiny crack in the inlay directly in front of the pivot cover at the edge of the inlay, then I noticed that the front bottom corner of the inlay was raised out of the inlay recess enough that I can actually insert my fingernail under the corner (this is the front corner right in line with the lock bar).

imp - as for the grind problem, I don't think there would be a way to correct it on mine without replacing the blade. But at least I now know I may not be the only "lucky" one.

Big Al - I can't post a picture right now, but I can describe the grinds for you. On the lock side of the blade the grind is basically perfect - parallel to the edge of the blade (like you see in rkny's ebony Mnandi photos). But on the "logo" side the grind line goes upward in a steeper angle that doesn't match any other lines on the knife -- it is enough of an angle that it actually noticeably changes the shape of the front of the opening recess, and in my case actually changes the whole blade shape to shift the point over toward the lock side of the knife. The asymmetry is noticeable even from the back of the blade, making it look a little warped, though that's not the case.

It may still be better to contact CRK like Hermie says to see what they have to say before I punt on it, but at the moment my situation reminds me of making rock soup.

I only have a 7 day return window with ACK and I don't want to get in a situation with CRK where I've already paid out my $305 but still won't have the knife for weeks or maybe months that it may take with CRK.

But anyway....

-- Dwight
 
This knife sounds like a total catastrophe. The only way I can think of its possibly getting out of Reeve's shop is that someone put a flat out reject in the wrong bin. It seems to me that the Reeve's may be so taken aback with this fiasco that they might do something extra for you if you sent the knife directly to them. After all, they just won the biggest industry award for manufacturing excellence. I would really like to hear what they say about it. You'll never know if you send it to the dealer. Why not at least inquire as someone advised? I would be extremely surprised if they made you wait weeks or months.
 
I've also been advised much the same in a private email. It cannot hurt to at least ask CRK and see what their time frame would be to take care of it. I'll send them an email with all the particulars and see what they say on Monday.

Thanks everyone. Will let you know how it turns out.

-- Dwight

Originally posted by paul sager
This knife sounds like a total catastrophe. The only way I can think of its possibly getting out of Reeve's shop is that someone put a flat out reject in the wrong bin. It seems to me that the Reeve's may be so taken aback with this fiasco that they might do something extra for you if you sent the knife directly to them. After all, they just won the biggest industry award for manufacturing excellence. I would really like to hear what they say about it. You'll never know if you send it to the dealer. Why not at least inquire as someone advised? I would be extremely surprised if they made you wait weeks or months.
Click to expand...
 
Hello, I don't know where to begin. Firstly let me say that the CRK and Co. in Boise ID. is one top notch class act.
Your Mnandi is a tough fish to throw back in the sea, because of the difficulty in aquiring it. But by your sending it back your actually doing CRK a favor. They treat there customers with dilligent care and attention. If any disatisfaction happens from a manufacturing problem it usually gets replaced....with no questions.

What I can't fathom is how that little rascal got away from their shop.:confused: It must be (with several problems that you mentioned) a total rejection. CRK is renowned for the quality of their products. For your sake they also have one of the best reputations in customer satifaction. Because they back their products. I don't own a Mnandi yet, but from what I have seen and the ones I have handled they should be smooth with flawless inlays. The lock should work smoothly too.:)
Sorry to hear that you experienced these problems:( I am sure the dealer or CRK will resolve this matter to your satisfaction.

Later, JC
 
I find that it is usually best to give people the opportunity to correct the mistakes they have made.
 
Zerogee,

I am fairly new to CRK knives. But I have acquired several so far. I have never had to deal w/ CRK about a problem.
However I have emailed them several times w/ questions. I have always received a prompt, courteous, informative reply. I would just about "bet the farm" that you would/ will too.......if you ever email and/ or call them.:eek:

Give them a chance. If the knife is as you described it is obvious there is a problem w/ it's finish.(the ball thing sounds normal to me)Big deal.......nobody is perfect, not even CRK. For whatever reason the knife missed on QC who cares as long as they make it right ........and they will..

Talking about it without getting in touch w/ them and sending them the knife will not fix it. I know that for sure.

Give them a chance, they will make it right.

Also.........welcome to the forum !!!!!!!!!!! :) :D ;)
 
The last thing Chris wants is people walking around with one of his knifes, showing it to people, and having it flawed in some way. If you have a Chris Reeve product and you feel it is flawed, send it back. His customer service (Bridget) is great and will help you with everything you need.
 
I only got the knife in my hot little hands Friday evening, so there hasn't been a chance for me to actually talk with anyone at CRK yet. I was a little upset - understandably I would think - and had no way to get any other feedback than this forum. I'm not going around to all my buddies telling them what a piece of ... well, anyway, I'm not doing that.

This is my first direct experience with CRK and their knives, though I've been very interested in them for a while. I know people often have to wait a long time to get their CRK knives - therefore my assumption naturally was that getting a replacement would take equally as long. So, yes, I will give them a chance to take care of it.

I can quite understand some growing pains as CRK tries to increase production of the Mnandi. It is quite a change from their previous designs, with a whole new set of gotchas for them to work thru. It is just not so great when one of those pains is your new knife.

Originally posted by teacher
Zerogee,
Give them a chance. If the knife is as you described it is obvious there is a problem w/ it's finish.(the ball thing sounds normal to me)Big deal.......nobody is perfect, not even CRK. For whatever reason the knife missed on QC who cares as long as they make it right ........and they will..

Talking about it without getting in touch w/ them and sending them the knife will not fix it. I know that for sure.

Give them a chance, they will make it right.

Also.........welcome to the forum !!!!!!!!!!! :) :D ;)
Click to expand...
;) ;)

Thanks.

-- Dwight
 
Dwight,

I am 1000% sure CRK will take care of your new knife...and they will do so in a reasonable amount of time. They are the customer service standard by which all other knife companies are measured. Yes, every once in awhile a knife lacking CRK standards will make it out the door...but they will go the extra mile to make sure they make it right.

As a side story, I had my last name engraved on one of my Sebenzas awhile back. When I recieved it back, one of the letters looked like it was a different size than the others. I emailed CRK about it asking a few questions. I just expected to get a reply answering my questions. But, the next day at work, I get a call from Chris Reeve himself. He asks me the details about my concern, then asks that I be willing to ship it back to him personally, so he can look at it and do whatever is needed to right it. After several minutes of Chris trying to talk me into sending it back, I thanked him but declined. He even wanted to pick up the total shipping cost. After seeing a couple other folks engraved Sebenzas, I finally decided it was just the way the particular font was that they used for the engraving, and it wasn't a problem at all. But, that is the kind of company you are partners with now...a class act for sure.

I am glad to hear that you will give them a chance to right it...I don't believe you will be disappointed!
 
I also am 110% sure this will be sorted out. I am however a little, well... surprised how little interaction we are getting from CRK in general on this forum. The hard core Sebenzanista's are running this Forum now it seems!:p

Perhaps a little more interaction would be nice?
 
Wayne,
It's a holiday weekend over here. They probably took a break..............:D :p ;) :eek:

Hope your doing good. Your damascus is a beautiful knife......... maybe one day............... ;)

Have a good one,
 
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