Kershaw, you're letting me down

Q

qqfob

Joined
Sep 14, 2008
Messages
660
i have here a Jun03 440A black Leek, a Jun06 CPM-D2 Composite Leek, and a Aug08 G10 S30V Leek.

the black leek is the reason why i'm back into Kershaws again, the first "knife" i bought since my Blackout nearly 10 years ago. this knife is perfect, in every way i look at it, opens perfect, cuts perfect, looks perfect. been my EDC since i got it, touched it up only once on the Sharpmaker, even though i didnt need to.

then i got the Composite Leek. really unique knife. very pretty. but it does not cut nearly as well as the black Leek. i didn't really care at first, i put it away and was going to sell it since it's too pretty to use anyways. then i read up on the different types of steel and supposedly D2 should be much sharper than the base model 440 that i constantly rave about. i made up a few excuses for it, "it was probably meant to cut more than paper" and that "it would probably cut better if i put some heart into it", all of which amounts to something i can never prove because i didnt want to use such a pretty knife.

okay... i just got my G10, S30V Leek in the mail. I liked how the G10 makes the Leek a bit thicker, much better feel in the hands if it was going to be a user knife (rather than just a carry knife). tho, before i even used it, i didnt like the S30V (because of the Native SS i had), but hey it's supposed to be a better steel than the 440 so it can't be bad. THIS BLADE SUCKS.

i put all these knives through my paper test, simple, very thin notepad paper, where if the blade is not sharp, it will not cut, and will tear the paper instead. the black Leek, great, ranks VERY high on my list as far as sharpness, the composite will cut through cleanly about 8 out of 10 times, but the G10 is GARBAGE. 9 out of 10 cuts i TRY to make, the blade gets stuck and rips the paper.

so i'm cursing and yelling and bitching about S30V and was about to sell it to some poor sob when i noticed the bevel on the blade looks like crap. uneven all the way around, uneven on both sides. and i remember Thomas telling me the knives are sharpened by hand. which explains why they're not as consistant in quality as i first thought they were. well this knife here says Aug08, i want this guy fired!

and now i go back to my black Leek, i still cant believe this was sharpened by hand. the bevel looks perfectly even from the beginning to the end. no way is it the same guy at the factory that hacked up my G10. oh and i bust out the Composite, not nearly as perfect of an edge as the black Leek, explains why this better steel does not cut any better. i run my BRAND NEW G10 quickly through the sharpmaker, yeah, confirms the edge was garbage.

i'm sure Kershaw would want me to give them a chance at fixing all of this, but before i send it in, i would like to know if i take a risk getting the knives back the same way, if not worse. and these knives are MINT, meaning if i sell it i can potentially get my money's back, if not more. i am anal and i take pride in keeping my stuff mint like that. i want a perfect edge on a perfect bevel. but can i request my D2 come back with a sharper angle?

more importantly, i want to know why, and how the quality dropped so much. since 2003. is it because all the resources moved to ZT?
i dont want a Skyline anymore...
 
I've had the opposite experience with my Kershaws. Over time their edges seem to be getting better. I think all the KErshaws I've owned could at least scrape arm hair, with many of them capable of popping arm hairs and one capable of whittling thicker hairs.

If you are not happy with the sharpness of the factory edge, Kershaw has very good customer service and would more than likely resharpen it for you.

On the other hand, why don't you sharpen them yourself? No matter how sharp my knives come from factory, I can always manage to get them sharper. It doesn't take much practice to get your skills there.

How long have you carried that Leek and you've been using? Only needing to touch up that 440A blade once since you started carrying it doesn't sound like a whole lot of cutting to me?

Also S30V and D2 are generally praised for their edge holding compared to 440 series steels, not necessarily taking a sharper edge, just holding it longer. Most people here consider them more difficult to sharpen because of their low grindability. PErsonally I find them easier to sharpen because I find most steels with low grindability seem to bur more easily for me. For example I can sharpen an S30V blade quicker than 440A for this reason.
 
Sorry to hear about your recent expereince with Kershaw. Mine have all come extremely sharp with very reasonable edge geometry. I think you got an odd one; a dud, if you will. Kershaw is really good about how their products leave the factory. I understand that these words don't help you out any, but their customer service is top-notch. If you send it back explaining what was wrong, they'll fix it.

For what it's worth, I own all three knives you mentioned. Each one came very sharp with really nice edge geometry, and I can believe Thomas if he said they were sharpened by hand. The Skyline you mentioned is also nice, and I think you'll be missing out if you dismiss Kershaw because of this experience.

All that said, send it back and they'll fix it for you. If they can't, they'll send you a new one. I wouldn't worry about the mint condition of your knives; Kershaw understands this and won't let you down.
 
Vivi said:
I've had the opposite experience with my Kershaws. Over time their edges seem to be getting better. I think all the KErshaws I've owned could at least scrape arm hair, with many of them capable of popping arm hairs and one capable of whittling thicker hairs.

If you are not happy with the sharpness of the factory edge, Kershaw has very good customer service and would more than likely resharpen it for you.

On the other hand, why don't you sharpen them yourself? No matter how sharp my knives come from factory, I can always manage to get them sharper. It doesn't take much practice to get your skills there.

How long have you carried that Leek and you've been using? Only needing to touch up that 440A blade once since you started carrying it doesn't sound like a whole lot of cutting to me?

Also S30V and D2 are generally praised for their edge holding compared to 440 series steels, not necessarily taking a sharper edge, just holding it longer. Most people here consider them more difficult to sharpen because of their low grindability. PErsonally I find them easier to sharpen because I find most steels with low grindability seem to bur more easily for me. For example I can sharpen an S30V blade quicker than 440A for this reason.
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I don't know if it was the rant of the OP throwing me off or what.... but .... I completely agree with Vivi :confused::D

The Key part of what he said is that you can always do better than the factory edge. The factory sharpening often generates enough heat to make the edge less than what it can ultimately be. It is the same with every knife company. Once you sharpen them a few times by hand they will be sharper than ever.:thumbup:
 
Before publicly calling for people to be fired and using abrasive language, you might consider contacting Kershaw for resolution. You will walk away happy, and people might think are are being reasonable instead of complaining before trying to get resolution.

Just my $0.02...its like my friends that complain about local businesses, but wont complain to the company directly. I tell them the same thing...if you dont communicate to the company directly, they won't fix your problem.

FYI - I have a G10/S30V Leek and it wasn't very sharp out of the box. I didn't complain, I fixed the problem by sharpening the knife. If I thought it was a quality issue, I would've gone to Kershaw, and it would've come back wicked sharp like everything else I've sent in for repair.
 
This is quite interesting, as I have purchased a Spec Bump, an SG2 JYD II, a Lahar, a Tanto Groove and a Random Leek, all within the last month. In all cases, the blade centering was perfect, the action smooth and overall, the fit and finish was as good or better than a Spyderco or a Benchmade. Where the sharpness is concerned, I could shave with any of the Kershaws and all of the bevels were fine.

I think that your 440A is an excellent steel, that I know from experience will take an amazingly sharp edge. The 440A won't hold an edge as long as the more modern 'super steels', but the edge it will take is second to none.

A large percentage of my knives are S30V (as is my Native) and I quite like it as a working steel. It won't take as polished an edge as 440A, but seems to take an edge with micro-serrations, which do a fine job on most things that need cutting. Yes, I have run into a couple of incidents of micro-chipping, but the issue goes away after a couple of sharpenings. I use a hard Arkansas stone to touch up my S30V blades and they take a terrific edge.

I guess that YMMV, but I would have to say that your suggestion that Kershaw QC has slipped, is contrary to my experience.
 
i tried to be as well mannered as possible, and the post wasn't directly putting down the entire company. i am, afterall, a big fan of Kershaw and unless there is a need for this attention i wouldn't even mention any of this. all i'm saying is i have noticed a big drop in quality, but good that you guys disagree. i can't imagine more than one person sharpening one knife, and with all your positive experiences it's not hard to say that no more than one man should take responsibility. notice also how there are a few other threads with QC problems.

i can not sharpen a knife. i'm really bad at it, that's why i have a sharpmaker, but yet i dont have the patience, and like i said, i want my knives to be mint mint in the end. i depend on the factory to make a knife razor sharp and stay that way. Kershaw was able to do that, 10 years ago with the Blackout, 5 years with my black Leek, and with all the other knives that i've had come and go. just not with the G10. for the longest while i didn't think i can do better than factory edge, but if that's the case, i will be looking for someone skilled in sharpening.

my Leeks are not ones that i use hard, at all. boxes, mail, fruits. really not much cutting, i dont have any problems with edge retention.
 
Ever company that mass produces anything will make a dud every once and a while. That is why these companies have warranties. Kershaws warranty is second to none. Let them take care of it (and they will I promise). I have a G10 Leek and LOVE mine have had no problems with it except a little micro chipping which is to be expected with the steel in question. Kershaws warranty # is 800-325-2891 give them a call tomorrow morning and they will take care of your problem.
 
If you want your knives to be mint, then don't take them out of the box, much less use them. None of them are mint now. If you suck at sharpening, learn how. The sharpmaker comes with an instructional video. If you use your knives, they will eventually lose their sharpness no matter what type of steel. Then you have to sharpen.
 
To the OP - I can appreciate being bothered by a new knife that doesn't meet one's expectations in one way or another, particularly if one is keen to have "mint" examples. However, saying things like...

THIS BLADE SUCKS.
i want this guy fired!
confirms the edge was garbage.

doesn't strike me as the most constructive way to voice such concerns. Hopefully, you can end up with knives that are to your satisfaction, provided your anger doesn't preclude you from giving Kershaw the opportunity to examine and remedy the problem.
 
I had the same problem with my leek g-10 with s30v. I was shock because it was the first kershaw I ever bought that came to me dull. But with the help of a dmt stone. Put a wicked edge on it. I am sure they will make it right.
 
i forgot to mention that the bevel on the G10 and the Composite are not completely even throughout, at some points the beval is thicker and narrower on the blade. this is the basis of my complaint. it is very very minute, but in detail you can see that it is not consistent throughout. this i believe is the main cause of not having a sharp edge.

explain to me the factory sharpening process, how is there more heat involved.

i understand duds and i hope i dont bring the company down with my one post, but when i have 3 knives here totaling $200, and the one that cuts best is the one that costs the least, you wonder where you money goes.

there are enough suggestions here for me to go ahead and sharpen my new G10 out the box. it also seems that theres a chance sending it to the factory might not get me an edge the way i want, and that i should do it myself. correct?

i can use the sharpmaker just fine, but i never thought it can be as good or better than factory edge until now. note, i found this forum a few months ago while looking for a place to get my Blackout sharpened locally. which led to buying a sharpmaker, then a whole bunch of knives i seldom use since i live in the city. and because of that, i dont intend on using every knife i buy, more of a collection in which i trade back and forth just to see the different designs and ideas. the G10 i will use, but that doesnt mean i should scratch it up on the first day. this is the third time i've taken out the Composite Leek. once when i got it, once for pictures, and now. still mint.

Brad, thanks i got your email, ill reply tomorrow.
 
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this is the third time i've taken out the Composite Leek. once when i got it, once for pictures, and now. still mint.
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false.

qqfob said:
i put all these knives through my paper test, simple, very thin notepad paper, where if the blade is not sharp, it will not cut, and will tear the paper instead. the black Leek, great, ranks VERY high on my list as far as sharpness, the composite will cut through cleanly about 8 out of 10 times, but the G10 is GARBAGE. 9 out of 10 cuts i TRY to make, the blade gets stuck and rips the paper.
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It is a used knife now. So sharpen it and enjoy it.

On a side note. . . you say you don't have the patience to sharpen, and that you were yelling and screaming about your knife. . . You might want to see someone about that, because that is not normal at all. Take a chill pill and see a doctor if you cannot concentrate on a simple task like sharpening for ten minutes or so.
 
J_Curd said:
FYI - I have a G10/S30V Leek and it wasn't very sharp out of the box.
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lostmex said:
I had the same problem with my leek g-10 with s30v. I was shock because it was the first kershaw I ever bought that came to me dull.
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Rat Finkenstein said:
It is a used knife now. So sharpen it and enjoy it.
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so i will sharpen it.

but there are 3 out of 4 owners here that says this blade is dull, new, unlike any other Kershaw knife, you would think it was a problem with the entire batch. in my business, it is a pretty big recall. imagine you buy a car that doesn't drive, or a gun that doesn't shoot. and if you were the business owner, wouldn't you hold that man responsible?
 
qqfob said:
imagine you buy a car that doesn't drive, or a gun that doesn't shoot. and if you were the business owner, wouldn't you hold that man responsible?
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A car does not necessarily come with a full tank of gas. A gun does not come sighted in and stocked with ammo. Of course if the Barrel was bent like a U, and the car had dents all along the side, you would be contacting someone about the warranty.

I know it is a disappointment to get a new knife and have it be less than perfect. If it is defective, I would send it in for sure. If it is just dull, I would probably sharpen it up.
 
qqfob said:
so i will sharpen it.

but there are 3 out of 4 owners here that says this blade is dull, new, unlike any other Kershaw knife, you would think it was a problem with the entire batch. in my business, it is a pretty big recall. imagine you buy a car that doesn't drive, or a gun that doesn't shoot. and if you were the business owner, wouldn't you hold that man responsible?
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In all fairness, I should mention that of the two dozen or so different Leeks that I own, The S30V G-10 was one of the absolute sharpest out of the box.

Good luck with yours. I say give it a go sharpening it on your own, if you're successful it will be a task that you've accomplished and can be proud of. It's also good to know as much as possible about the tools you love to collect and use:thumbup:
 
Qfob, now that you've done your little temper tantrum thing are you going to take action to get yourself a sharp knife?

Your options are to send it in for a free sharpening, or, if bought new return it to the seller for a refund.

Whichever you find more satisfying would be the way to go. The outcome should be the same either way. A sharp knife in your hands.

Personally I've never gotten a dull, misaligned, or otherwise out of spec Kershaw. I must be very fortunate indeed. Joe
 
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