New bk-16 arrived today - bent tip/grind issue

[Douglas Thor]

Douglas,

If it bothers you, you are completey within your right to say "Hey this bothers me" and ask for a replacement. I had an Axe that I bought, that had an uneven grind that made the head very lopsided, and the head was slightly bent as well.
Some people told me, "It wont affect the way it chops" but it was my money spent, and I wasnt happy with it, so I sent it back. At the end of the day, its your knife, and your money. If your not happy, get it replaced.
I would send it back to Amazon, and if you get a second bad one (Which can happen depending on the supplier that Amazon is shipping from) Then I would go to KA-BAR.

I understand sir. I'm going to think about it over the weekend, and run it past one of my classmates and see what he thinks.
Since i actually have an abundance of knives here that i dont need, i might just ebay them away and use the money to buy a second becker. Probably a bk-17 this time, and then use the 16 as my camping knife.

Buying a $300-400 knife is simply out of the question, so these mass produced ones will have to do.

 

[LouDawgg69]

Hello all. I have been a lurker for some time and this is my first post.

Douglas Thor, I don't think anyone is spitting on you. I think you are just getting the full spectrum of opinion on the matter and it is nothing to take personal.

I have ordered many knives online and on Amazon over the years. On 2 separate occasions from Amazon I have received knives with issues. One was a Buck folder that I picked up for my Dad to replace one he lost after 20 plus years. The knife looked good, but the lock didn't hold the blade quite right. The second and more recent one was a Cold Steel Scottish Spike which came to me so dull it was like a butter knife. I sent the Buck back and just sharpened the Spike.

Buying online is a bit of a different monster. Sometimes the sellers have factory seconds and are passing them without mentioning it. It could be an item that was already returned and they are looking to pass it on to the next sucker. It could just be a genuine article that slipped through the cracks. Regardless of circumstance, if there is a problem with what you have received and it is so glaring to YOU that it would have prevented you from buying it if you could have seen it first, get a replacement or a refund. I don't care if it was $20 or $2,000.

I agree with the above posts that a certain amount of variance is to be expected and it really doesn't benefit anyone to make a fuss over something within tolerance. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide if you are willing to accept the quality of the product that you have received. If you want a refund or a replacement, just deal with Amazon. It will be faster, easier, and as also mentioned above, it will keep things a bit more affordable for everyone in the long run.

 

[jmflem]

Yours is worse than mine, and mine still bothers me. Here's a pic of my BK2:

Like I said, because of the poor grind job, mine didn't sharpen correctly. If it bothers you I'd say shoot KA-BAR an email. They said they'd take care of me. Now all I gotta do is send in my knife and see what happens.

 

[Douglas Thor]

It does take a pretty picture though...

 

[Douglas Thor]

Yours is worse than mine, and mine still bothers me. Here's a pic of my BK2:

Like I said, because of the poor grind job, mine didn't sharpen correctly. If it bothers you I'd say shoot KA-BAR an email. They said they'd take care of me. Now all I gotta do is send in my knife and see what happens.

Your original thread is one of the ones i saw.

 

[1066vik]

I think you got the reactions you did because there have been several similar threads recently between here and the Kabar forum and to some folks it may look like a bashing bandwagon.
think about it over the weekend and if you decide to keep it and can't fix the uneven grind yourself, send it to me and I'll convex it -- all you have to do is pay the shipping both ways.

 

[Tdhurl1103]

I think you got the reactions you did because there have been several similar threads recently between here and the Kabar forum and to some folks it may look like a bashing bandwagon.
think about it over the weekend and if you decide to keep it and can't fix the uneven grind yourself, send it to me and I'll convex it -- all you have to do is pay the shipping both ways.

Vik is a classy guy and will do you right. Might be faster to repair it than to replace it through KA-BAR. But DT, do what you feel you need to do, and it will work itself out. Good luck!

 

[Douglas Thor]

I think you got the reactions you did because there have been several similar threads recently between here and the Kabar forum and to some folks it may look like a bashing bandwagon.
think about it over the weekend and if you decide to keep it and can't fix the uneven grind yourself, send it to me and I'll convex it -- all you have to do is pay the shipping both ways.

I appreciate your offer sir. I'll see how i feel after the weekend.
Maybe instead of people coming to ka-bar's defense, they take the hint to step up quality control a little, or at least control which sellers are selling seconds as +1 knives. I like ka-bar but almost every company needs a kick of reality once in a while to stay on track.

 

[Guyon]

Should i figure out how to send this back to amazon, or send it directly to ka-bar??

Looks functional and within tolerance based on that pic. Angles can be hard to capture though because of parallax. Many of my factory knives came with uneven grinds since the final edge is put on by hand. I re-profile if necessary and enjoy the knife. However, if you don't like the knife you got, Amazon offers a pretty no-hassle swap.

 

[G8R8U2]

Douglas,

If it bothers you, you are completey within your right to say "Hey this bothers me" and ask for a replacement. I had an Axe that I bought, that had an uneven grind that made the head very lopsided, and the head was slightly bent as well.
Some people told me, "It wont affect the way it chops" but it was my money spent, and I wasnt happy with it, so I sent it back. At the end of the day, its your knife, and your money. If your not happy, get it replaced.
I would send it back to Amazon, and if you get a second bad one (Which can happen depending on the supplier that Amazon is shipping from) Then I would go to KA-BAR.

I understand sir. I'm going to think about it over the weekend, and run it past one of my classmates and see what he thinks.
Since i actually have an abundance of knives here that i dont need, i might just ebay them away and use the money to buy a second becker. Probably a bk-17 this time, and then use the 16 as my camping knife.

Buying a $300-400 knife is simply out of the question, so these mass produced ones will have to do.

I agree with Silverthorn; if you're unhappy with the knife Amazon is pretty good about replacing it... they've even sent me replacements to check out before sending back the original to make sure it was acceptable, and e-mailed me a prepaid shipping label with 30 days to return whichever knife I didn't like. That's pretty good CS.

Everyone isn't in the same financial situation, and a $100-$150 knife is pretty freaking expensive to me; like you, I'm not buying any $400 knives either... if I ever got a 4-figure knife I'd have it encased in plexiglas or sell it and buy whatever gun currently tops my wish list.

And you're also right about manufacturers, they do get complacent; nothing at all wrong with sending something back that's defective, and you have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. I've spoken with some employees of some prominent makers recently with some questions about current production, and they've been very forthcoming about deficiencies they intend to address with their products. In fact, they appreciated the discussion and feedback. How else will they learn of potential problems unless customers make them aware of them?

 

[jmflem]

Sorry accidental post....

 

[1066vik]

I appreciate your offer sir. I'll see how i feel after the weekend.
Maybe instead of people coming to ka-bar's defense, they take the hint to step up quality control a little, or at least control which sellers are selling seconds as +1 knives. I like ka-bar but almost every company needs a kick of reality once in a while to stay on track.

that works - and I totally understand

 

[Chalet]

That looks like a pretty good one to me.

 

[Diamondshooter]

Yours is worse than mine, and mine still bothers me. Here's a pic of my BK2:

Like I said, because of the poor grind job, mine didn't sharpen correctly. If it bothers you I'd say shoot KA-BAR an email. They said they'd take care of me. Now all I gotta do is send in my knife and see what happens.

My 2 is just like that, but I didn't think it was enough to piss about, is it?
I'm new to knife forums and such and don't know all the terms used.
Mine cuts wood, taters and onions great. Not so good for stabbing pigs.
Is there away to flatten it out yourself?

 

[Bladite]

the OP bought this to be a combat stabber. not exactly the piont profile i'd choose for that, but it's what he wanted (the BK17 or BK15 might be better - esp the 15 - it's a fighting knive!)

i've seen a few tip issues that were the result of the coating. they dip/spray those knives, and hang them. i would bet a waffle that they hand tip down. the tips get a bit crinkly sometimes. ever seen that with your projects at home? yup.

so. here's a thought. take that nice new knife, and find a 2x4, and stab it. please wear gloves and eye protection and use good form, and so on. know how to dial 911 it's not on us if you slip or something.

then stab some more. do some prying. i'm not talking about hammering that knife into a board, and then putting your body weight on it to try and mess it up. just what you might do in a "combat scenario"

i'm PRETTY sure the tip will hold up. also, we'd then like to see some pictures. there's a lot of steel behind that tip.

finally, just find a stone and touch it up to your satisfaction. i've seen many a perfect tip get a little "worn" and a nice rock and a couple swipes usually makes it just fine again. an offer of a full reprofile has been made too, but that's probably not even necessary (as you probably know how to sharpen a knife). if you knife tip is bent (i can't see it), it could just be a burr from sharpening. knock it down/off when you sharpen.

this is a tool, to be used, and it will see wear and tear. not all tools come to you perfect out of the box (a sad truth). pretty much any axe other than a fiskars (or $$$ axe) will come with an edge that is so dull, it's criminal, esp when the average homeowner has not idea (or ability) to fix that). lols.

test it. use it. enjoy it.

if it fails your expections, i'm pretty sure you can return it, or sell it, or worst case, warranty it.

 

[PatrickKnight]

the OP bought this to be a combat stabber. not exactly the piont profile i'd choose for that, but it's what he wanted (the BK17 or BK15 might be better - esp the 15 - it's a fighting knive!)

i've seen a few tip issues that were the result of the coating. they dip/spray those knives, and hang them. i would bet a waffle that they hand tip down. the tips get a bit crinkly sometimes. ever seen that with your projects at home? yup.

so. here's a thought. take that nice new knife, and find a 2x4, and stab it. please wear gloves and eye protection and use good form, and so on. know how to dial 911 it's not on us if you slip or something.

then stab some more. do some prying. i'm not talking about hammering that knife into a board, and then putting your body weight on it to try and mess it up. just what you might do in a "combat scenario"

i'm PRETTY sure the tip will hold up. also, we'd then like to see some pictures. there's a lot of steel behind that tip.

finally, just find a stone and touch it up to your satisfaction. i've seen many a perfect tip get a little "worn" and a nice rock and a couple swipes usually makes it just fine again. an offer of a full reprofile has been made too, but that's probably not even necessary (as you probably know how to sharpen a knife). if you knife tip is bent (i can't see it), it could just be a burr from sharpening. knock it down/off when you sharpen.

this is a tool, to be used, and it will see wear and tear. not all tools come to you perfect out of the box (a sad truth). pretty much any axe other than a fiskars (or $$$ axe) will come with an edge that is so dull, it's criminal, esp when the average homeowner has not idea (or ability) to fix that). lols.

test it. use it. enjoy it.

if it fails your expections, i'm pretty sure you can return it, or sell it, or worst case, warranty it.

I agree with the coating 100%. When I got my 16 I thought it had bent tip and a very uneven grind. After stripping the blade I found out that there was an abundance of coating on one side of the tip, there was nothing wrong with the grind of it what so ever. You might try stripping it to see if that helps.

I think people expect a 70 dollar knife to be perfect and that's just not possible. If you want a production knife that has very near perfect fit and finish you will be spending 120-200 dollars.

 

[Douglas Thor]

the OP bought this to be a combat stabber. not exactly the piont profile i'd choose for that, but it's what he wanted (the BK17 or BK15 might be better - esp the 15 - it's a fighting knive!)

i've seen a few tip issues that were the result of the coating. they dip/spray those knives, and hang them. i would bet a waffle that they hand tip down. the tips get a bit crinkly sometimes. ever seen that with your projects at home? yup.

so. here's a thought. take that nice new knife, and find a 2x4, and stab it. please wear gloves and eye protection and use good form, and so on. know how to dial 911 it's not on us if you slip or something.

then stab some more. do some prying. i'm not talking about hammering that knife into a board, and then putting your body weight on it to try and mess it up. just what you might do in a "combat scenario"

i'm PRETTY sure the tip will hold up. also, we'd then like to see some pictures. there's a lot of steel behind that tip.

finally, just find a stone and touch it up to your satisfaction. i've seen many a perfect tip get a little "worn" and a nice rock and a couple swipes usually makes it just fine again. an offer of a full reprofile has been made too, but that's probably not even necessary (as you probably know how to sharpen a knife). if you knife tip is bent (i can't see it), it could just be a burr from sharpening. knock it down/off when you sharpen.

this is a tool, to be used, and it will see wear and tear. not all tools come to you perfect out of the box (a sad truth). pretty much any axe other than a fiskars (or $$$ axe) will come with an edge that is so dull, it's criminal, esp when the average homeowner has not idea (or ability) to fix that). lols.

test it. use it. enjoy it.

if it fails your expections, i'm pretty sure you can return it, or sell it, or worst case, warranty it.

Im probably just going to keep it. The knife is very well made and i think it should be fine. If anything, the tip being a bit thinner than normal will make it stab just that much better. There's not enough of a deformity to weaken the tip i believe.
Im actually looking forward to modding it now. Now so much modding the knife, but making a few changes to the sheath and putting liners under the scales.

It would be nice if it would stop raining so i can actually go outside and play with it. It's been raining ever since i got it.

 

[jmflem]

My 2 is just like that, but I didn't think it was enough to piss about, is it?
I'm new to knife forums and such and don't know all the terms used.
Mine cuts wood, taters and onions great. Not so good for stabbing pigs.
Is there away to flatten it out yourself?

I tried with a Lansky sharpening system but it didn't work; it actually made it worse and that's why I'm gonna send it in. My BK2 is completely functional, but for the $80 (I know I over payed a little, there's a reason for that though) I payed for it, I expect an even grind. I don't know it just bothers me.

 

[samclaymore]

I agree with Crimnsonfalcon07 here. Imperfection is the name of the game. When things are made by humans. Or buy machines that are made by humans. Thats what happens. It's an easy fix through some work. Not like it was a bad heat treat. Or something else that endangers the user and knife. Really use you knives and then see how you feel.

 

[Galeocerdoshark]

I tried with a Lansky sharpening system but it didn't work; it actually made it worse and that's why I'm gonna send it in. My BK2 is completely functional, but for the $80 (I know I over payed a little, there's a reason for that though) I payed for it, I expect an even grind. I don't know it just bothers me.

imo, it takes quite a while with a guided sharpening system. Some hard abrasives such as a low grit stone or low grit sandpaper will do the trick pretty quickly though. A belt sander will be even quicker.