My GEC is going back

[Smaug]

I'm not sure if it is a manufacturing defect or a design flaw, but my EZ Open Jack with he chubby pen (spear?) blade has a dent in it.

I started sharpening it out, then realized that the dent location corresponds exactly with the raised area inside the knife to clear the pivot pin of the back spring. When the blade is closed, it over-extends and hits the liner. The blade is just too wide, it seems.

Too bad, as it is a beautiful knife. Maybe I'll post a pic or two before I send it back to GEC...

I just thought I'd mention this so folks know that more money doesn't necessarily buy a flawless knife or better QC than Case or Buck.

So far, the only knives I've bought that we're consistently flawless out of the box have been Victorinox and Buck.

 

[Rick]

This is a well documented issue with the #85 series (and the #73 Scouts are notorious for it). Check out the 2011 #85 SFO forum knife thread; same deal. That's why I always spend a little time researching a pattern before a purchase. As long as you follow the blade into the handle rather than letting it snap down under full spring force, you shouldn't have any rebound problems. I agree that it's an unfortunate issue, but I don't consider it to be a deal-breaker, as I generally guide my blades into the closed position, anyway. Spring rebound while closing a blade under full snap is hard to avoid on strongly sprung knives with lots of belly. It even shows up on some fairly high-end customs . If it's a user, I'd just sharpen out the edge ding and avoid closing under full snap in the future, but YMMV.

 

[knifeswapper]

This has been discussed in a couple other threads. The factory is simply going to sharpen your knife a little. The blade is one of the fine-tunable (is that a word) aspects of final assembly. If they do not take quite enough off the edge, or too much off the kick, it will overextend a smidge on close and strike. GEC calls it "rapping". They very rarely over cut the kick, as having blade tips ride a little high is another issue I see from time to time. The snap on the #85 is rather mild, so it has surprised me to see a couple reports of this. I have tested a couple and must push them down into the frame significantly to get a hit. Also, on many patterns the tip will contact before the belly.

But, for good or bad, they are still humans doing work with their hands.

Maybe they should do as Case has done recently and simply decrease the size of the blade. Have you seen the poor little 88 congress or gunstock lately ?

 

[Smaug]

Thanks for the great info, Rick. Sounds like a design flaw.

Do you think GEC will fix it so that I can let it snap shut, or do you think they'll just tell me not to let it snap shut?

I think I'd rather have them re-shape the blade so as not to be so wide. Do you think they'd do this for me?

My opinion is that if I don't have to worry about this on a $15 Victorinox with multiple blades, I damn well should not have to worry on a $85 GEC.

 

[Smaug]

Spring rebound while closing a blade under full snap is hard to avoid on strongly sprung knives with lots of belly.

Maybe they should do as Case has done recently and simply decrease the size of the blade.

I think they should just reduce the insane amount of spring pressure, so that it is not an issue. If that much spring pressure is needed to close the knife, it means the knife is absolutely filthy, with the joints packed full of debris. Also, in this case, making the blade just a bit narrower would not be a bad thing. It is a VERY wide blade.

 

[knifeswapper]

Blade shape is just a matter of preference and opinion. Also, you will get more than a few people that simply love the snap on these knives. A strong backspring means they do not have to shim the pivot joint nearly as much and can avoid excess play. The tighter the joint, the more resistance to movement, the stouter the backspring to overcome it. Other makers use more tame backsprings and shim the joint a little more; and in return get more complaints on play.

It is interesting to take a knife apart and put it back together to learn all the intricacies the factories have to deal with. I know if I were the one that fine tunes them, most would end up hitting the wall on the opposite side of the room...

 

[Rick]

I know if I were the one that fine tunes them, most would end up hitting the wall on the opposite side of the room...

LOL - I can only imagine the level of patience, skill and experience required to do that job, expecially considering how much old fashioned hand work goes into GEC's production. (For those who haven't seen it yet, check out their "What's Happening" page: http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/information/whats-happening-jan-9th/. The work in progress resembles a view from an early 20th century cutlery plant in many ways.)

 

[Smaug]

Well, thanks for the lesson in knife construction, fellas.

 

[Robert.B]

Mine did it on the 2011 forum knife and it stopped after like 3 sharpens...just reprofile and that tiny amount is enough to fix her up

 

[Ed T]

My forum knife has this issue, but it is related to my grip when using the caplifter. It will sort itself out over time.

 

[johnny twoshoes]

Yeah, my Bull Nose did that for a while.
I knew what was going one so I just sharpened it a little more, seems to take it out quick. :thumbup:

Sorry to hear you had to let one go.