May 2019 Buck of the Month - Released

Tecate said:
I would agree that some of the BOTM and Limited Production knives I have purchased directly from Buck over the last year have been less than stellar on quality control. I document all of my Buck Knives in a spreadsheet and note if I have had to send a knife back to be reworked. Out of the BOTM and Limited Production knives I have purchased over the last year, I have had to send 6 back to be fixed. Considering these knives demand a premium $$, they should be top shelf quality leaving the facility.

I won't deny that they have the best warranty and staff on getting knives fixed and all of mine were resolved over time, but wouldn't it be better if we didn't have to think about the warranty process when we receive these premium knives? In my opinion...the best warranty is the one your don't have to use.

Typically I do not chime in on this type of thing, but I 100% agree that they really need to step up QA on the BOTM and Limited Production series.

Now will this stop me from buying more? Hell no! At least I know I can eventually get them resolved, if needed.

Now back to fishing the bay for more Buck deals. :D
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I couldn't agree more. It would be 100% better if we didn't have to go thru the hassle of paying for shipping, sending it, and waiting. But in the age of buying online where we can't inspect what were buying at least we have that option. And if u call sometimes they'll pay for shipping. We just need to get a hold of the BOTM guy, one good flogging and there should be no more QC issues.:D:D:D.

P.s. and no cosmetic issues would ever prevent true buck fans like us from getting "just one more) :p:cool:
 
Update:
I called and spoke with Buck today. They were very nice and understanding about my issues and offered me an exchange or refund. I asked if a free spa treatment was possible to correct the edge and buff those scratches. They said definitely and are even going to pay return shipping!! Although this is my first time sending a knife to Buck, I have the upmost faith that all will be corrected.
 
PStone said:
Mine is about like yours, a little worse imo. I am going to call Buck Monday as well. I too expect higher quality from such a limited run at almost twice the price of a regular production.
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Those scratches are from the paper Micarta sheath. When mine first arrived it didn’t have scratches, but after inserting it and removing it from the sheath a few times, it has the exact same scratches in the exact same place as yours.

They’ll buff them out when you send it in, but if you use the sheath, you’re going to be right back at square one after a couple of days.
 
I was wondering if that was the culprit since the pictured scratches were on the same side for both users, but I was going to wait until I received mine to confirm. Someone did mention the Paperstone sheath had very strong magnets and apparently the Paperstone is abrasive enough to scratch the blade surface. I am not too worried about that with mine since it will be a user.

Does someone have a picture of the inside of the sheath where the knife makes contact? Is it just Paperstone or do the magnets come in contact? I am just wondering if something inside the sheath can be smoothed out to reduce the scratches going forward.
 
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Tecate said:
I was wondering if that was the culprit since the pictured scratches were on the same side for both users, but I was going to wait until I received mine to confirm. Someone did mention the Paperstone sheath had very strong magnets and apparently the Paperstone is abrasive enough to scratch the blade surface. I am not too worried about that with mine since it will be a user.

Does someone have a picture of the inside of the sheath where the knife makes contact? Is it just Paperstone or do the magnets come in contact? I am just wondering if something inside the sheath can be smoothed out to reduce the scratches going forward.
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The magnet is indeed very strong and you have to be a bit careful otherwise the blade can smack the metal or Micarta rather hard. Insert the knife tip first to help prevent this.

Here's some pics for you (don't mind the crumbs, lol).

Here's the inside of the sheath
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And a close up of the area that is causing the issues (hard to tell, but the magnet is indeed inset into the Micarta).
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How the knife sit in the sheath (note the height of the sheath and the height of the scratches).
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And how the knife looks after removing it from the sheath. The sheath is the culprit for sure. It's a kitchen knife though... It's gonna get scratched (unless you just plan on looking at it and not using it).
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I do have to say I think y’all are correct about the sheath causing the scratches, and will not use it. I have a block to put it in. It just sucks opening a brand new unused blade and seeing those scratches. Especially such a limited run. I would deal with it on a regular production Dymondwood.

But my main issue is with the edge. You can see in my photo. Nothing I can’t fix myself, but again, I paid a lot for this. It shouldn’t get an edge like that. Not from Buck. And I think Buck agrees since they’re giving me a free spa treatment and even paying all the shipping. I couldn’t ask for more. Actually, it’s exactly what I asked them to do. Happy camper here.
 
Vaporstang said:
Arrrrgghh!!! I couldn't take it anymore. I have one on the way! (Hopefully the wifey won't ask how much it cost.)

One question: it says ebony for the handle. It kind of looks like macassar ebony from the pictures, but I know ebony can vary... Anyone know?
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This is true Ebony - The Name for it is African Ebony these days. Macassar was named such as that is where it came from, but it all is the same species of tree.. Ebony will run anywhere from pure black to some nicely contrasting grain. We tend to think of Ebony as pure black due to the many years the contrasting grain was considered undesirable for use and left on the ground to rot. (especially in the fretted instrument world where a lot of this was used.)
 
J Hubbard said:
This is true Ebony - The Name for it is African Ebony these days. Macassar was named such as that is where it came from, but it all is the same species of tree.. Ebony will run anywhere from pure black to some nicely contrasting grain. We tend to think of Ebony as pure black due to the many years the contrasting grain was considered undesirable for use and left on the ground to rot. (especially in the fretted instrument world where a lot of this was used.)
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Ah - thanks for the explanation! Iv'e learned something new today.
 
Fixall said:
Those scratches are from the paper Micarta sheath. When mine first arrived it didn’t have scratches, but after inserting it and removing it from the sheath a few times, it has the exact same scratches in the exact same place as yours.
They’ll buff them out when you send it in, but if you use the sheath, you’re going to be right back at square one after a couple of days.
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I thought it peculiar that both knives were scratched in the same spot. Glad to know it wasn't out right neglect.
 
Yes my knife had scratches but my beef was the whole blade had diagonal lines running the whole length of the blade on both sides. It was like they were marks from a grinder as if it had not been polished. Also the transition from the heel to the bolster was just sloppy. I called and talked to Kevin on the phone and then on the chat line. Kevin was nice enough but forgetful. I talked to him at 930 and he asked me to send pictures which I did. He then said he would get right back to me. Fast forward to 300pm and I go on the chat line and ask Kevin what was going on. He did not remember at first us talking at all. He then said he would send a call tag in a couple of minutes and make things right. An hour later the call tag showed up. I never did get an explanation what the remedy would be. I assume they are going to re-finish the blade. We shall see.
 
Chilebrown said:
Yes my knife had scratches but my beef was the whole blade had diagonal lines running the whole length of the blade on both sides. It was like they were marks from a grinder as if it had not been polished. Also the transition from the heel to the bolster was just sloppy. I called and talked to Kevin on the phone and then on the chat line. Kevin was nice enough but forgetful. I talked to him at 930 and he asked me to send pictures which I did. He then said he would get right back to me. Fast forward to 300pm and I go on the chat line and ask Kevin what was going on. He did not remember at first us talking at all. He then said he would send a call tag in a couple of minutes and make things right. An hour later the call tag showed up. I never did get an explanation what the remedy would be. I assume they are going to re-finish the blade. We shall see.
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Those diagonal lines are from our satin finishing of the blade and should be there. When we fix it, they will still be there.. We will fix up the transition.
 
J Hubbard said:
Those diagonal lines are from our satin finishing of the blade and should be there. When we fix it, they will still be there.. We will fix up the transition.
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With due respect intended out of the 100's of knives I do own this is a very poor finish. If Kevin had taken 20 seconds to explain the satin finish I would of asked for a full refund.

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Chilebrown said:
With due respect intended out of the 100's of knives I do own this is a very poor finish. If Kevin had taken 20 seconds to explain the satin finish I would of asked for a full refund.

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You want to part with it let me know.
 
Chilebrown said:
With due respect intended out of the 100's of knives I do own this is a very poor finish. If Kevin had taken 20 seconds to explain the satin finish I would of asked for a full refund.

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It is kinda streaky... We will get that better, just didn't want you to think that they would not be there at all.
 
I received mine today and I am very pleased with the knife overall. The wood has some serious blonde running thru the ebony, but I like that. I like a little character in the wood. Something that makes it unique from the next knife. :D I did carefully remove it from the sheath and luckily no scratches where the magnet is located. This has to be the sharpest knife I have received from Buck to date and I own one of Buck's 13 piece cutlery sets. This knife is so sharp that I nearly potato chipped the skin on my arm doing the hair removal test. :eek: I am experimenting a little with the sheath to make it scratch proof, but don't plan on using it until that happens.

Now if I could just convince Mr. Hubbard to make the cutlery fork with the same wood to go with these knives, I would be in for two of them. ;)

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