Lightning Field Test results (long)

Jeff Hubbard · Jul 21, 1999

All,
Here is the report I submitted after the Field testing of the Lightning(tm) was completed. We will publish other field testing results as we complete them.
Jeff

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Lightning Field Test


Recommendations from Lightning field-testing

 

 

 

Lightning field test


Recommendations from Lightning field testing


Background


The Quality group conducted a two-part field test.

Part one was accomplished over a six-week period utilizing 15 local
known knife users. This pool consists of known knife users that carry a knife daily.

Part two was accomplished through a consumer survey. Warranty cards
provided consumer data. Sixty people were asked to participate, and 35 returned a survey
(58%)


Results of Known Knife user pool (15 people)


Participants in this pool ranged in occupation from fireman, city
workers, plumbers, mechanics and professionals. The group consisted of 15 end-line users
(ELUs). The product use ranged from daily cutting of boxes, rope plastic, PVC, and a
whole range of household, maintenance, or recreational type items.

The overall impression of our Lightning II was overwheminly
positive. Samples of quotes:

<dir>

"This knife got a workout, yet I found sharpening unnecessary over the several
weeks I used it. The liner lock functioned perfectly and shows no wear. Overall an
excellent product."

"Very nice knife, I used it more than I thought I would, it worked for me real
good"

"Very classy, very accessible, it was all the knife I needed during this
period"
</dir>

All found this knife useful in day-to-day activities, and would
purchase for themselves or recommend to a friend. Several already did. One ELU could not
keep friends from borrowing out of his pocket on regular basis throughout the day.

Recommendations for improvement included (solutions will be addressed
in summary portion of report): 

<ul>
[*]Tightening the body screws (3 of 15 experienced loose bodies)</li>
[*]Tightening of the blade screws (15 of 15 were returned loose)</li>
[*]Design of Flick-it ("Flick-it is too high, grabs your hand when reaching into
front pocket." )</li>
[/list]

The condition of the knives as returned after 6 weeks of use was
generally good. Wear on anodizing and dings in the aluminum were as we would expect.
Slight wear on anodized edges and small dings from dropping or hitting against objects. No
knives came back in unusable condition. All knives experienced loose blades, and 3 of 15
exhibited loose bodies. Blade condition showed signs of normal use. Every blade met our
EDGE 2000 criteria. When returned, all blades except two were dull beyond
Bucks normal paper cutting criteria. Only two knives had been re-sharpened by the
ELUs during the six week period, although field testers I communicated with during
the testing started wanting to have the knives re-sharpened in around 3-4 weeks. From my
personal experience carrying 420HC daily for the last few years, I also feel the need to
sharpen every 3-4 weeks of routine use. In my opinion the edges performed as we would
expect.

Other Comments (verbatim)

<dir>
<dir>

"Very nice knife, a lot of people at work were interested in it"

"Cut tail of fox off with ease. Cutting insulation and dropped knife 12 feet to
concrete slab"

"I like the blue anodizing and the serrated edge"

"This knife is a part of my every day use"

"Very durable"

"For years Ive owned and given as gifts the Buck Hunter, Ranger and
Vanguard. The Lightning is another quality knife from Buck that Id be delighted to
recommend to anyone"

"I liked the pocket clip, and the button for the thumb to open easily, and the two
blades in one"(1/2 serrated blade)

"Ease of operation would work better for me if made for left handers. It
would be nice if metal tab that hold in pocket was plastic coated or something. I had
problems scratching car fenders while leaning over"

"Noticed the edge going away after about 3 weeks"

"Locking mechanism and pivot point ended up turning still"

"I like it very much. One of our best new products. Would like to have one in ATS
34"

"This knife was enjoyable to use, everyone at my work was impressed by the action
and they loved the size"
</dir>
</dir>


Results of Consumer Surveys


Sixty consumer surveys were sent out to Lightning I and Lightning
II users. Consumers who sent a survey back were entered in a drawing for a Carbon
Fiber Odyssey. Additionally, consumers that sent a survey back received a thank you
letter and a Buck Knives phone card. 

Out of the 60 surveys sent, 35 were returned (58%). Respondents all
purchased the knife between Sept 98 and Jan 99.

The participants occupations were generally the same types as the
known user pool. Professionals, mechanics, fire/police, factory, sales. Hobbies included
all manner of outdoor and recreational pursuits, such as hunting/fishing, camping/cycling,
and water sports like kayaking/boating. I feel that this cross section accurately reflects
our consumer base.

Use of the knife consisted of daily work, home and recreational uses
from cutting boxes/paper, plastic, string/rope, making calves into eunuchs. All except one
respondent used this as their primary knife to carry. (One respondent referred to his
knife as his Master Card dont leave home without it )

Generally the knives were well received for fit and finish of our
product. Two out of 35 ELUs experienced loose body screws, several of the ELUs
experienced loose blades. No ELUs had negative or marginal comments about the handle
wear in regard to anodizing or dings. One respondent felt the blade opened too easily when
worn in a boot or pocket.

Edge retention comments ranges from holds an edge great (seems
to hold an edge no matter what I use it for", " like a
razor.") to cant hold an edge ("wont hold and edge",
"unserrated section not very sharp"). One ELU specifically stated
that our blade was easier to sharpen and keep sharp than his Schrade. The knives bought
during between Sept 98 and Jan 99, were manufactured early in our transition
from our old style edge to the EDGE 2000 criteria. It is unknown whether or not the
consumer group had EDGE 2000 compliant product or not. These units could have had
edges that were old style, EDGE 2000 learning, or fully EDGE 2000 compliant.
Overall, this group viewed initial sharpness and edge retention as favorable. 

Recommendations for improvement included a lower, more ergonomic
flick-it (2 of 35 or 6%), tighter body (2 of 35 or 6%) and blade screws (3 of 35 or 9%),
have a larger model available (2 of 35 or 6%).

One respondent lost his knife and could not find anywhere to replace
it. 

General comments were favorable in regards to style, uses, and
fit/function. No complaints about price vs. value were voiced. With the exception of two
users who lost their knives, only one respondent is not actively using knife (ELU felt
blade opened too easy).


Other sources of feedback


Consumer Relations largest return with the exception of broken tips has
been loose blades and/or body screws. Anodized finish of knives returned shows signs of
wear from mild to heavy, especially along edges of handles. The aluminum shows wear
typical of these types of handles. Dings and dents are present. I would not characterize
this type of wear as non-normal, but rather typical of these processes and materials.

Bladeforums.com feedback has been mostly positive even with non-Buck
users (with the exception of negative comments on the use 420HC steel.) Most agree that
this is a good direction for us. This group tends to be more knowledgeable about knives
and steels and is not representative of our usual customer. This group however is on the
bleeding edge of knife technology and as such, their comments about style and quality can
be given some credence. 

General feedback from executive travel, personal communication and
e-mails indicate that we have a good quality product. Most comments from the field have to
do with adding belt clips on smaller Lightnings, serrated vs. non-serrated blades
and general marketing type issues not quality or production related.


Summary and Recommendations


Overall, the Lightning series seems to be well received as a
whole. Although a couple of minor issues were identified, there is nothing insurmountable
to overcome.

The Quality group recommendations are as follows:

Add a more robust locktite to the blade screws and add the same
locktite to all body screws (this should be a standard practice on any model that uses
screws instead of rivets). This was accomplished the week of 6/21/99 through special
instruction EO SI-005. All screws now require locktite.

Improve the ergonomics of the Flick-it. Our supplier has offered to
help us design a powder metal flick-it that would not be restricted in shape and style by
machining process. They showed us a sample of one used on a gun body. Estimated cost would
be around half of current cost. I believe Buck designers should meet with the supplier's
designers and start a review of the flick-it. It might even be possible to design a
flick-it that matches our logo. 

Change from a two-piece backbone to a one-piece backbone. Currently the
steel backbone is fineblanked and due to fineblanking restrictions, we cant pierce a
backbone with the proper hole size in the thickness of material needed. Our supplier has
quoted dies and piece prices for a one-piece backbone. (PM technologies allow for
hole/backbone thickness ratios we need.) This would simplify the assembly operation by one
part, and also eliminate a rejection criterion of too much mismatch of the backbones. Any
increase in parts cost might be offset by reductions in flick-it costs. 

I feel that if we study the opportunities that have been presented, we
will be able to improve our product, and theoretically that will in turn increase our
sales. 

</body>

------------------
Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
Quality Supervisor

JeffH@buckknives.com
<A HREF="http://www.buckknives.com]www.buckknives.com[/URL" TARGET=_blank>
Watch for Pete's Custom Knife Shoppe on www.buckknives.com</A>

Edited only for Stray Smiley facees.
[This message has been edited by Jeff Hubbard (edited 21 July 1999).]

[This message has been edited by Jeff Hubbard (edited 21 July 1999).]

Kestrel · Jul 21, 1999

Great reaport the only sugestion is to make the font bigger I had to squint to read it.

Brian Lavin · Jul 21, 1999

Wow. I think that your report shows the level of concern that Buck has for it's product. Sharing this information with us pretty much proves that. Thanks for letting us look in at one aspect of the mfg process we don't usually get to see.

Steve B. · Jul 21, 1999

I second the motion for a more readable font! (please!)

WinDancer · Jul 22, 1999

Really good Report... Really poor font.

Those of us a little older, with more disposable income for knives, hate to squint!

Good Job, Jeff

------------------
Regards, Dave

WinDancer@OlyWa.net

www.olywa.net/windancer/webknives.htm

Dennis Wright · Jul 22, 1999

Good report Jeff. Now, when are we going to see the ones with the carbon fibre handles and BG42 blades?

The font looked ok to me.

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Dennis Wright
Wright Knife & Sporting Goods

wrightknife@ixpres.com

[This message has been edited by Dennis Wright (edited 22 July 1999).]

NamViet Vo · Jul 22, 1999

Good post Jeff. I don't know what the problem with the font is. I have absolutely no problem reading the report with my slanted eyes. The Italics were a plus. Thanks again.

Larry Oden · Jul 22, 1999

Jeff,
Great job. It is really a plus to an avid
Buck collector and user to see this type of
follow-up on my favorite brand!! I suggest
this be sent out in the Buck Collectors Club
newsletter so all the members can be informed
as to how Buck evaluates products and responds to consumer concerns. How about it
Joe Houser?

Cliff Stamp · Jul 23, 1999

Jeff, really nice to see something that actually has positive and negative aspects in it. I looked up a picture of the Lightning, looks like a nice knife but the handle strikes me as appearing to be a bit uncomfortable. By the way what exactly is the Edge 2000 process?

-Cliff

James Y · Jul 22, 1999

Nice report.
Is the 'flick-it' the thumb stud?
Jim

Jeff Hubbard · Jul 23, 1999

All, thanks for the feedback.
In our eyes, there are no problems, just opportunities.
The Flick-it is the thumb stud.
I'll work on the fonts. I just took my word document and exported it to HTML. I'll start with a larger font next time.
I'll talk to Joe about putting this in as an Insert in the CC newsletter.
Looks like the Carbon Fiber Lightning will be in ATS, not BG-42. It will also be the large size I think, I'll double check.

Jeff

------------------
Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
Quality Supervisor

JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
Watch for Pete's Custom Knife Shoppe on www.buckknives.com

Tuff · Jul 24, 1999

Since my eyes aren't going on me yt, I didn't mind the font...lol. Good review.

Burke · Jul 25, 1999

Wow! I'm on the bleeding edge of style! First time that's ever happened.

Jeff Hubbard · Jul 26, 1999

Burke,
I was wondering if anyone would notice the bleeding edge ref. I use that term around here for people who are out past the leading edge in any field (CPU's etc...)

Jeff

------------------
Jeff "Without data it's just another opinion" Hubbard
Quality Supervisor

JeffH@buckknives.com
www.buckknives.com
Watch for Pete's Custom Knife Shoppe on www.buckknives.com