New CRKT Razel folder won't lock up and mycarta handle questions

[BladesForBaal]

I just received a CRKT Razel folder in the mail the other day. When I opened it, I was disappointed in the fit and finish. First off, the handle seemed to be scuffed up and scratched, almost like it has been in someones pocket before or it was improperly packaged. (It was only wrapped in plastic and in a small cardboard box with a little room to rattle). I have never owned a mycarta handled knife before so I don't know if that is normal or not? Also, the handle seemed dirty, there was junk in the jimping, on the handle, and in the screw holes, is this normal remnance from manufacturing? As I looked at the knife I thought to myself "this doesn't seem like a brand new knife", its nothing major, but juuuuust enough to bug me and feel like I was ripped off.

Aside from the cosmetic issues, the knife doesn't lock up, its like the liner or the blade tang is too long. The LAWK switch will not move forward fully because of the liner being in the way. The blade is also not centered when shut, I'm not concerned with the aesthetics, but it is just barely not touching one of the liners. Is this a common issue with crkt? Is it something that I can fix via adjusting a pivot or something? or is it something that needs to get shipped back to crkt for warranty work?

If it were just the cosmetic issue I'd probably deal with it, and if it was just the locking issue id fix it myself or send it back to CRKT, but the fact that is both is unacceptable. I could send it back for an exchange but I really don't want to hassle with shipping it back, especially on a $25 knife and waiting for another one if the handles are going to look the same and I could have fixed the lock up with a simple adjustment. Any insight would be appreciated as I am knew to knives and unfamiliar with mycarta. I will attach some pics of the knife.

And for the record, yes, I am OCD, haha.

 

[brets-ftw]

try dissassembling, then reassembly. This usually clears new knife problems. If it doesnt, CRKT has pretty decent customer service, or you can talk to the dealer you bought it from see if they will do an exchange/return etc.

the packaging is normal for most knives. they don't come super packed until you get into the really high end stuff with padded zipper bags.

 

[BladesForBaal]

I guess I'm not really surprised at the packaging, I realize it is a production knife, I guess I was just more curious as to weather or not this kind of look/condition is normal for mycarta or if I got a defective one, or one that had been returned. I hate buying from amazon third party sellers, every experience I've had with one is bad, but this is one of the only places that still had the knife in stock and it was cheaper than anywhere else.

 

[G8R8U2]

I've never gotten a new knife with evidence of wear or use like that before, from CRKT or anybody else. IMHO, the aesthetic issues don't look like something that happened at the factory or during shipping, but (as you suggested) in somebody else's possession.

I'm no PI, and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night; but it may be a knife that was returned to a dealer because of the more serious issues, like failure to lock up, and instead of the sending it back to CRKT, the dealer tried to pass it off to another buyer... intentionally or by mistake.

It's possible the dealer or an employee accidentally put it back in stock rather than ship it back to the company for credit.

In any event, you paid for a new knife, and it certainly appears you didn't get what you paid for; so I'd expect either the dealer or manufacturer to issue a call tag or e-mail you a shipping label to pay for the return shipping to them. The sellers I deal with do that; and if I ever deal with one that doesn't, I don't do business with them again.

To me, it's like this:

New knife = Advertised price of $50 including shipping. That's all I'm paying for the knife, $50. Not $50 plus another $5 return shipping to get the $50 knife I originally paid for. That's $55. I don't care if it's only another $5; it's the fact that I entered into a $50 contract with somebody, and I'm not renegotiating and entering into another contract for $55 when they were the ones who didn't live up to their end of the original one.

My loss is having to go through the hassle to ship it back and wait for a replacement; their loss is financial, and could have been avoided with 30 seconds of inspection prior to shipping (and they can say the same thing to the company that shipped it to them)... they'll get credit or reimbursement from the manufacturer for their costs; if it had been inspected for 30 seconds at the factory, it would never have made it to the marketplace.

I just returned a $25 Case and paid the return shipping; how they handle it, considering it was a brand new knife, will determine how and who I do business with again. A good, reputable company would replace the knife and send some sort of discount coupon for my extra expense and trouble. We'll see in about 2 months, as that is the estimated time it will take for them to get to my knife.

And yes, you could say I'm OCD, too... or, as I prefer to call it, I expect to get what I paid for. If I choose not to return a product that is flawed, it's only because I fear getting a replacement that's worse. In this case, a locking knife that doesn't lock can't get much worse, so I'd be returning it.

 

[G8R8U2]

I guess I'm not really surprised at the packaging, I realize it is a production knife, I guess I was just more curious as to weather or not this kind of look/condition is normal for mycarta or if I got a defective one, or one that had been returned. I hate buying from amazon third party sellers, every experience I've had with one is bad, but this is one of the only places that still had the knife in stock and it was cheaper than anywhere else.

Amazon 3rd party sellers are hit and miss for sure; and I've had much more success with items Amazon fulfills themselves... although Amazon typically offers the same guarantees with 3rd party products as ones they fill themselves. In fact, I did just have an issue with a dive knife that wasn't as described or pictured. Actually, it wasn't the knife, but the sheath that wasn't right. In the picture and description, it states a locking, plastic sheath (for diving) is included.

Well, when the knife came, it only had a lame nylon sheath included; and the company that makes the knife offers them both ways. I called customer service, explained the issue, and also pointed out I was hesitant about sending the knife back without first seeing the replacement. They sent me a shipping label via e-mail and another knife; and said I had 30 days from the issue date of that e-mail to inspect the replacement and decide which one to return using the label.

Well, the new knife they sent me was the same way; it only contained a knife and nylon sheath (the warehouse guys weren't inspecting the merchandise to make sure it was correct) again. I called back again, complained, and asked to speak with a supervisor; and rather than getting into shipping costs back and forth, they allowed me to just keep both knives and said they'd address their problem with their supplier and correct the listing on the site.

A couple weeks later I had the opportunity to do a review of my purchase on the site. I wrote exactly what happened and how disappointed I was with the transaction. That same day, an Amazon customer service rep contacted me regarding my review, and said they were immediately issuing a refund on the transaction for all my trouble, which they did. So, not only did they take care of the problem by allowing me to keep a second knife to make up for the incorrect sheath, they also refunded the money I paid in the first place. That kind of service and commitment to stand behind their products/listings is tough to beat in my experience.

 

[Sithus1966]

I would contact CRKT, they will probably replace it.

 

[BladesForBaal]

You're absolutely right. I don't know why I had to hear this from another person, maybe because I didn't want to hassle with shipping it, but the fact is the knife they sent me is unacceptable as new, and I am not going to be responsible for someone elses mistake. I sent them an email letting them know I am not going to pay for shipping back to them and that I expect to have the knife exchanged at no cost to me. I will never, ever deal with a 3rd party amazon seller again. If they are the only people who have something in stock I guess I am not going to buy it then. If they don't send me a return label I am going to follow up with amazon directly and see what they can do about the situation. Buying a god damn knife shouldn't be this much of a problem, but a hassle is better than a defective knife and wasted money.

 

[BladesForBaal]

I've never gotten a new knife with evidence of wear or use like that before, from CRKT or anybody else. IMHO, the aesthetic issues don't look like something that happened at the factory or during shipping, but (as you suggested) in somebody else's possession.

I'm no PI, and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night; but it may be a knife that was returned to a dealer because of the more serious issues, like failure to lock up, and instead of the sending it back to CRKT, the dealer tried to pass it off to another buyer... intentionally or by mistake.

It's possible the dealer or an employee accidentally put it back in stock rather than ship it back to the company for credit.

In any event, you paid for a new knife, and it certainly appears you didn't get what you paid for; so I'd expect either the dealer or manufacturer to issue a call tag or e-mail you a shipping label to pay for the return shipping to them. The sellers I deal with do that; and if I ever deal with one that doesn't, I don't do business with them again.

To me, it's like this:

New knife = Advertised price of $50 including shipping. That's all I'm paying for the knife, $50. Not $50 plus another $5 return shipping to get the $50 knife I originally paid for. That's $55. I don't care if it's only another $5; it's the fact that I entered into a $50 contract with somebody, and I'm not renegotiating and entering into another contract for $55 when they were the ones who didn't live up to their end of the original one.

My loss is having to go through the hassle to ship it back and wait for a replacement; their loss is financial, and could have been avoided with 30 seconds of inspection prior to shipping (and they can say the same thing to the company that shipped it to them)... they'll get credit or reimbursement from the manufacturer for their costs; if it had been inspected for 30 seconds at the factory, it would never have made it to the marketplace.

I just returned a $25 Case and paid the return shipping; how they handle it, considering it was a brand new knife, will determine how and who I do business with again. A good, reputable company would replace the knife and send some sort of discount coupon for my extra expense and trouble. We'll see in about 2 months, as that is the estimated time it will take for them to get to my knife.

And yes, you could say I'm OCD, too... or, as I prefer to call it, I expect to get what I paid for. If I choose not to return a product that is flawed, it's only because I fear getting a replacement that's worse. In this case, a locking knife that doesn't lock can't get much worse, so I'd be returning it.

Oops, I meant to make my last message a reply with quote to G8R8U2. I'm still new to this forum here, lol. Thanks again for the well thought out response. I am always going to remember what you said about a "$50 knife means $50=a new knife, not $50 plus $5 dollars to ship the knife back to get what I originally wanted." And you are right, I'm not being OCD, if I wanted a slightly used knife, I would a slightly used knife for less money on the forum. A new knife is a new knife.

I haven't got a response from them yet. They had better email me back sometime today, preferably in the morning. A business, especially an online seller, should be checking their email at least once a day, especially during the week. If not they are either 1. Incompetent at their job or 2. Choosing to ignore me. It also irks me they just send me the return label without any sort of email letting me know or acknowledging my request. I was already on the fence about buying this knife since I am just starting my collection and there are more functional knives I could have used the money towards, but I like the unique look of this and it has been discontinued so I pulled the trigger on it. Now I'm wishing I never bought it.

I suppose when I first received it I was considering just accepting the cosmetic issues and adjusting the blade so I didn't have to ship it back and go through all this hassle for a $23 knife I bought on a whim. But I've seen the light, I AM going to get the knife that was advertised for the price that was advertised. I'm not going to accept an inferior product or spend more of my hard earned money for someone else's mistake or carelessness. Its not about the knife anymore, now its about the principle of the thing and respect. Its annoying waiting on emails from someone and having to go to the post office and waiting for it to ship there and ship back, but if nothing else now I know without a shadow of a doubt that I will never deal with amazon third party sellers again. I just needed to vent, this whole situation is annoying.

 

[DuckhunterInTN]

If its not locking up that's not OCD at all. That is a flaw.

Out of curiousity, does your knife have the second clip (the silver one) at the hilt recessed in the handle or does it bolt on top of the handle? Also, did it come installed or loose in the package? I ask because I purchased one of these a good while back and it came with the clip recessed (and already installed). That knife opened perfectly and smoothly and honestly felt like a much more expensive knife than what I paid for it. I recently ordered a second one and received it today. While it is not "flawed" it is not nearly as polished as the first one. It is difficult to open, and the LAWKS is not smooth. When I compared the two side by side there was enough differences that it appears to be made by a different manufacturer. I at first was concerned it was a counterfeit but the seller I purchased from is a reputable seller which I have had good dealings with on many previous purchases.

 

[RevDevil]

I guess I'm not really surprised at the packaging, I realize it is a production knife, I guess I was just more curious as to weather or not this kind of look/condition is normal for mycarta or if I got a defective one, or one that had been returned. I hate buying from amazon third party sellers, every experience I've had with one is bad, but this is one of the only places that still had the knife in stock and it was cheaper than anywhere else.

The knife is assembled in a shop, as most knives. There is a lot of dirt and grime in metal shops. Ever seen a real garage where they repair things, or the mechanics fingernails? Same concept.

A scratch on the handle material is not a defect, it's a blemish and there is a world of difference between the 2. Micarta can be sanded and polished with minimal effort and it will look good as new. If you have buying from a particular vendor, then why take the chance? Saving a few bucks usually ends up being a bit of a gamble and mostly ends upi costing more in the end. CRKT is not known for their fit and finish by any means. They have some good knives, but most people report bad experiences.