Moore Maker... what would you do?

Guyon

Guyon

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Bought a Moore Maker--a 2301 Buffalo Horn stockman--from an online dealer for a gift. It came with pronounced pits in one of the scales. I sent it back to the dealer for exchange.

The replacement that came was still just a little short of satisfactory. It had one rivet that was oddly misshapen, odd grind lines on the scales, and one scale that just didn't match. I sent it back to Moore Maker for exchange.

The replacement was great--with one exception. One of the springs goes down well below the liners when the blade is open. To me, it just looks as though the spring is cut too short. On all my other slipjoints, the springs wind up flush or just slightly elevated when the blades are open.

My options as I see them?

1) Give up.

2) Send the knife back in to Moore Maker, pay the difference in price, and get a yellow, bone-handled 5301 stockman (made by Queen instead of Camillus).

3) Sell the knife on bladeBay and order a 5301 from Bill Horn.

I hate having so much in a knife that still doesn't quite seem up to snuff, especially since it's a gift for someone who knows knives. What would you do?
 
I don't know about getting rid of the one you have, but I'd buy one from Bill-at least somebody can look at it, and he'll look it over.
 
Yeah, I don't really want to pass on the problem to someone else, so that's why I'm leaning toward sending it in to Moore Maker for the 5301 swap.

Nor am I trying to smear Moore Maker here. I bought this gift because many folks here recommend the brand. However, it is worth reporting that I haven't had the best of luck with this particular model. I suspect it's a Camillus/Queen difference.
 
Just buy a CASE:) I just don't see the thing with Mooremaker, I've seen them at gun shows and they look good but not overly impressive. If you want a knife made by Camillus or Queen, why not just buy one of their knives to start with, not trying to start a flame war, just have never gotten the fascination with many in Mooremaker or Winchester (also made by Camillus, Queen, and a few rare ones by Case).
 
Spydiefan04 said:
Just buy a CASE:) I just don't see the thing with Mooremaker, I've seen them at gun shows and they look good but not overly impressive. If you want a knife made by Camillus or Queen, why not just buy one of their knives to start with, not trying to start a flame war, just have never gotten the fascination with many in Mooremaker or Winchester (also made by Camillus, Queen, and a few rare ones by Case).
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I thought the same thing, but youcan get different patterns that Queen and camillus don't offer in their regular lines. Plus, queen doesn't make anything in 1095 except for the Mooremaker contract.
 
According to Bill from cumberland (if I remember correctly?) there is some talk about queen coming out with some 1095 patterns of their own soon. Anyone know anything more about this?
 
As to what you should do...it appears that you were a man full of hope. :) To get another replacement from Moore would again be a hopeful act, but it could be fruitless. Queen's can have problems too. I'd suggest getting a refund; loss of money will help Moore pay attention to quality.
 
Bill is taking pre-orders for a Mountain Man with stag handles and a 1095 blade:

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=stag1095mtman

Bill also has some Queen canoes in 1095:

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com....cgi?product=queen_classics&keywords=&next=36

Guyon, I like your third option best. I've never dealt with Mooremaker, but I've bought from Bill numerous times. He inspects before he ships, and even if he misses something (rare) he would not let a second bad one slip by him. As you know he collects himself, so he knows what to look for. I'm not sure that the same is true of the Mooremaker shipping department.

Call him and let him know its for a gift and you want it to be extra nice -- I'll bet he'll hand pick a great one for you.
 
Just buy a CASE I just don't see the thing with Mooremaker, I've seen them at gun shows and they look good but not overly impressive. If you want a knife made by Camillus or Queen, why not just buy one of their knives to start with, not trying to start a flame war, just have never gotten the fascination with many in Mooremaker or Winchester (also made by Camillus, Queen, and a few rare ones by Case).
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Dijos got it right. Question of steel/design combo mainly. I could have gone with a Case CV, I suppose, but it's a little late for that route.
 
What I always wonder with sellers that hand pick a "good one" for you, is what do they do with the other knives that aren't so good? :)

There is another way to look at knife imperfections. If the knife is fully functional, the imperfections are superfluous but make it unique. The imperfections prove it is hand made. Man is imperfect, so then will knives made by men. If your friend is truly knife savvy, he won't expect a camillus product to be perfect and will cherish the knife because it came from you and is a functional, well made, albeit not perfect, knife. Rember it's the thought that counts :)

I have a S&M that is less than perfect. The tail end of the back spring isn't square with the liners, the back spring is not flush with top of the blade, and there is a little bit of discoloration where the bone was cut. However the rest of the fit and finish is perfect, it is still a beutiful knife, fully functional, great grind, great mirror polish finish. The imperfections make it unique. However, I collect for fun not for profit or investment.
 
brownshoe said:
What I always wonder with sellers that hand pick a "good one" for you, is what do they do with the other knives that aren't so good? :)

Now that is the $64,000 question. I never thought of that.
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I've read here that Bill Horn sends them back to the wholesaler/company the same way we would send them back to a retailer. I doubt he's typical.
 
If ya really want 1095, why not try to find a REAL Old Timer (one when the real Schrade was in business) that is if you can find one for a good price they are selling high right now. I don't know what kind of Carbon Case and Boker use but I've always preferred them to the Old Timer's that said Old Timer was a great knife and it was a shame what happend to Schrade.
 
Oh it wasn't so much the steel. I have carbon steel in a few other stockman knives--Schrades and Cases, for example. It was more about the whole package of materials (buffalo horn, carbon steel) and the design of the knife.

I think the buffalo horn knives are likely good knives overall. I just didn't have any luck with three of them. Just the perils of buying knives online without someone like a Bill Horn to look at them.

At any rate, I sent the 2301 back to Moore Maker with some additional cash and a request to exchange for the 5301--a yellow bone stockman made by Queen. Hopefully (fingers crossed), if they do the swap, I'll have better luck with this next one.
 
I have 2 with yellow bone handles and one on the way. I think you'll be much happier with the yellow bone.
 
It came in the mail today, actually.

Nicer knife. Not quite as much snap in the two smaller blades as my other Queen stockman, but a good knife nonetheless. Glad I made the swap.

Dave Moore has been nothing but good about my finicky taste through all this. Good guy. Good company.
 
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