Kershaw Ken Onion Ricochet=big disappointment...

Justin Moore

Justin Moore

Joined
Jan 26, 2000
Messages
81
Guys,

Well, my Ken Onion Ricochet came today in the mail from gpknives.com and I must say I am HIGHLY disappointed!
mad.gif
The blade has more wobble than an 80 year old grandma on crutches.
frown.gif
And I am not just talking about side to side wobble, I am talking about VERTICAL wobble, ie perhaps the stop pin is not in the proper place, or the blade was ground too short. I held the knife in my hand and moved it up and down gently and could feel how loose the blade was.

To add insult to injury, I specifically asked gpknives.com to check the lock on the knife before they sent it to me (mostly because of some recent threads I have read here concerning QC problems), and they shipped it out to me like this anyway. In fairness, they offered to refund my money. I decided to call Kershaw and see what they thought and sure as hell they told me that they would make good on it, which is a good thing.

But that isn't really my point. My point is this: it shouldn't have slipped through QC in the first place, nor should gpknives.com have shipped it to me in such a sorry state. Granted that by buying from an online dealer I am not paying the full MSRP, but one should still expect a quality tool for a $100. The Gerber Gator I bought at K-Mart years ago for 35 bucks is more solidly constructed than the Kershaw. Having to send something in for warranty work when its NIB (new in box) is kind of a joke if you ask me. Tell me this guys, are there any online dealers out there that actually INSPECT the pieces they sell before they ship them out? If so I'd sure like to know where they are, so I can buy from them in the future.


Anyway, rather than hassle with getting it fixed I just wound up returning it for a credit. I am done ranting now
wink.gif
 
Originally posted by Justin Moore:
Guys,

Well, my Ken Onion Ricochet came today in the mail from gpknives.com and I must say I am HIGHLY disappointed!
mad.gif
The blade has more wobble than an 80 year old grandma on crutches.
frown.gif
And I am not just talking about side to side wobble, I am talking about VERTICAL wobble, ie perhaps the stop pin is not in the proper place, or the blade was ground too short. I held the knife in my hand and moved it up and down gently and could feel how loose the blade was.

To add insult to injury, I specifically asked gpknives.com to check the lock on the knife before they sent it to me (mostly because of some recent threads I have read here concerning QC problems), and they shipped it out to me like this anyway. In fairness, they offered to refund my money. I decided to call Kershaw and see what they thought and sure as hell they told me that they would make good on it, which is a good thing.

But that isn't really my point. My point is this: it shouldn't have slipped through QC in the first place, nor should gpknives.com have shipped it to me in such a sorry state. Granted that by buying from an online dealer I am not paying the full MSRP, but one should still expect a quality tool for a $100. The Gerber Gator I bought at K-Mart years ago for 35 bucks is more solidly constructed than the Kershaw. Having to send something in for warranty work when its NIB (new in box) is kind of a joke if you ask me. Tell me this guys, are there any online dealers out there that actually INSPECT the pieces they sell before they ship them out? If so I'd sure like to know where they are, so I can buy from them in the future.


Anyway, rather than hassle with getting it fixed I just wound up returning it for a credit. I am done ranting now
wink.gif
Click to expand...

Your right, these knives should be much better out of the box. Sounds like our knives came from the same batch.

[This message has been edited by synergize (edited 03-31-2000).]
 
Originally posted by Justin Moore:
Tell me this guys, are there any online dealers out there that actually INSPECT the pieces they sell before they ship them out? If so I'd sure like to know where they are, so I can buy from them in the future.
Click to expand...

James Mattis of www.chaicutlery.com does an outstanding job of inspecting each of his knives before they ship. James will tell you exactly what to expect, right down to where a liner lock sits on the tang, if the edge bevels are even, and it the bevels meet evenly at the blade tip. If you don't want any suprises, James is your man.

I've heard others comment on a few other dealers as well, but I have first-hand experience with James.


------------------
Kelly

SenatorsPlace.com
AKTI Member #A000289

Deo Vindice


 
You should not have to pay to get a NIB blade at 100%. The dealer should step up and offer to pay all postage costs. There are those that will, so simply avoid the ones that do not.

-Cliff
 
I recently had a similar problem with a new knife from another company (and dealer). The new clam shell pachaging made it impossible for the dealer to check be it shipped. 1 month later, and $7 poorer for shipping to the company, I got a replacement.

DaveH
 
I had the same problem with a Kershaw liner lock... vertical and side to side play. I just wrote off the knife as not worth the time and shipping charges to bother returning. I know QC is an issue with a large company, but this knife is so bad it's completely inexcusable.

No Kershaws for me, please, I don't care how pretty that new Ken Onion model is!
smile.gif


Ryan

------------------
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23


 
The Ken Onion's are GREAT knives. There are a lot of problems with QC though. Don't give up! it is well worth the search for a good one. when you get one that is perfect, you will realize this.

------------------

Louis Buccellato
http://www.themartialway.com
Knives, Weapons and equipment. Best prices anywhere.
-------------

"only the paranoid will survive":)


 
I wish Ken Onion would chime in here. I am sure he would like to know about all the recent QC problems. Haven't seem him post in the forums for quite awhile now thou
eek.gif

 
My Ricochet is one of the best made factory knives I own! Everthing is finished perfectly, the blade grind is EXCELLENT and the mechanism works great. The only thing I had to do was adjust the pivot but the lockup is perfect.
I would love to get one of Kens handmade speed safes!
Neil

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Blackwood Knives
Talonite knives in stock!!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html
 
I agree with Neil. Mine was perfect - no adjustments needed. Very well made, and pretty too.
 
JUSTIN,,I originally bought an Onion design whirlwind at the Smokey Mountain Knifeworks in Tenn for 49 bucks. I was so pleased with the blade and torsion bar opening design that I just ordered a ricochet on line from the knifeoutlet for 99 bucks..I too was very dissapointed in this knife's "wobble" and over all poor quality..Ask around if anyone else has a whirlwind before you give up on the Kershaw Ken Onions because I really like mine and they are pretty damn cheap (relatively speaking)..The whirlwind was sharp when I bought it and is also very easy to re-sharpen.You are not alone in your bad experience with the Ricochet which is still sitting in the original box in my gun safe with a few of my other dissapointments...Rob
 
Hehe, more than one person has said they have gotten better quality with the lower priced Onions like the Whirlwind/Blackout. I guess Kershaw spends all their time on the Ricochet/Random Task polishing the G10 and lets the rest of the piece go
rolleyes.gif
HAHAHAHA.
 
Well...I had a Blackout which had a bad lock-up, and I just bought a 1520 Kershaw/Onion, it's perfect, except for the liner-lock which needs a pair of pliers to disengage it. The problem seems to be getting worse, as it wasn't like this when I bought it...

On the plus side, everthing else is perfect, and I still sware that Kershaw always has the sharpest knives coming from the factory. The 440V edge is outstanding.

--dan
 
Justin, I don't know about other dealers, but since I consider myself to be "small" in comparison to these internet giants, I do have the luxury of inspecting my blades prior to shipping. I would imagine some of these big guys simply may not have the time, since they are trying to expedite the order and get it out the same day, plus they are moving probably, 30, 50, maybe a 100 blades a day. And yes, if it was defective, we would more than likely absorb the return postage, however, I save myself the headache the 1st time, and don't ship it if it is not right.....So far, no returns! However, Microtech is 99% of my sales, and honestly, I have not gotten one yet, I was disappointed in.

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Knives & Things
Mike Payne
 
I just got an e-mail this morning from Doug Flagg from Kershaw:

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with the Kershaw Ricochet. We take
quality control very seriously. We don't want any product that is not 100%
correct to leave this building.

As I type this, our General Manager, Jack Igarashi, is meeting with the QC
department to find out how this knife slipped through our quality checks.
He is a very determined man and will fix this problem!

I will contact gpknives.com and get the knife back so we can inspect it to
find out exactly what happen so it doesn't happen again.

Best Regards,

Douglas B. Flagg
Sales & Marketing Manager
Kershaw Knives
Click to expand...

Well, I must say I am pretty impressed to hear from Doug himself. I myself have allready sent the knife back for a credit, but I thought I'd pass this along for the rest of you guys who have concerns about the Ricochet. I certainly have to give Kershaw and Doug some credit for taking the time to contact me, and for recalling the knive from the dealer to inspect it. Maybe I WILL buy a Boa afterall when they come out.

 
I bought a random task at a gunshow in Kentucky. The attention to detail and craftmenship was superb. I played with it for a month or two then gave it to pop. The hollow grind on that blade was just wicked. I nicked myself 4 or 5 times while playing with it driving home.
Thats too bad to hear about QC problems. I know it really chaffs my a** when I get a knife (through the mail) with a problem.
Didn't have much to say, figure I would pitch in
Ode
 
Justin ,

I really don't know what to tell you I apolojise for your inconvenience and know Kershaw will make it right.

I'm 3000 miles from the Kershaw factory so I'm somewhat at a disadvantage. I know Kershaw is really trying to deliver a quality product at a reasonable price .However some do slip through the cracks occasionally ,they are trying to find that crack and put a permanent repair on it .Since your post they have pulled all there inventory and are re testing all existing knives.
We dont know what vintage the knife in question is , we had some QC problems a year ago however I thought they were cleared up . and then again this may have been an old knife that just found a buyer who knows .

I sincerely appreciate your bringing this problem to the attention of the buying public as they have a right to know .However my balls still ache from that kick ,OUCH!!!

I'm gonna get my hands on that knife and personaly give it a run through and if it is as bad as you say it is ,and it's a new knife (meaning mfgrd in the last year ) I'll personaly do the detective work to find out what happened . Thats all I can do !

If I can help in any other way let me know !


Aloha!!! Ken Onion
 
Since my last post about my Ricochet, I took it apart, wiped away some excess greasy stuff, and gave it a few stiff openings, and it's lock-up is much better.

Quick note to Ken O.: I have a neighbor who bought one when they first appeared, and my current production-run Ricochet shows obvious improvement.

I was thinking about this, and I believe the Onion series is Kershaw's first serious attempt at a high-end liner-lock folder, so some unforseen circumstances, and Mr. Murphy were probably out in full force...My first Kershaw was a Black Gulch, which I still have. It's about 10 yrs. old, and is in great shape, despite being abused over the years.

--dan
 
Sorry, but I don't think these are the first high-end liner locks that Kershaw has done. They came out with the Starky Ridge and the WWT series. The Starky Ridge may not have been as flashy, but it was solid and well built. Their G-10 "Wild Wild Turkey" is a true sleeper, wicked lockup and outstanding fit and finish. I believe both series are made in Seki City, Japan. Are the Onion collaborations made in the U.S.?

Jon
 
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