New knife QC issues

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From0toHero

Joined
Jul 2, 2023
Messages
7
Esteemed forum members,

I recently purchased a Pikal-style knife from a American manufacturer; the blade steel is 80CrV2.
Initially, I was pleased with the purchase. The edge was exceptionally sharp, and the overall craftsmanship appeared promising. After a two-week carry period (without use), I applied mineral oil for maintenance. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a significant asymmetry in the false edge. The blade sides exhibited a considerable difference in bevel angle, extending to the tip. Given the $300 price point, this asymmetry is concerning. While I understand the manufacturing challenges inherent in this style of double-edged blade, the disparity is far greater than in comparable knives I've owned previously. The difference is not a minor 1-2mm; it appears significantly warped. Is this level of asymmetry considered acceptable?
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Contact the maker, and see if something could be worked out. The second picture sealed it for me, that type of defect would bother me every time I looked at it. $300 is still a lot for a knife, and it should make you happy, I wouldn't be happy with that knife.
 
Even if it were acceptable for me. I'd want to know how they would handle it. With the understanding that two weeks of carry is really pushing it as a time frame to take issue. If they denied repair or replace it would be hard to be upset. May influence future purchases though.
 
I don't know that maker or model. My thought is that two weeks is a bit too long to expect them to take it back.

However, I have bought a few higher end knives from premium makers; Chris Reeve and Randall. Products from both were flawless to my 74-year-old eyes, in terms of fit, finish and general execution. For what I paid for them, if there had been a problem in getting it right, I would have expected them to make it right.

From lessor makers:
Now think about it . . .have you ever seen a Ka-Bar, current or vintage, with asymmetry obvious enough to be seen? I haven't. I have owned a number of Buck 110s as working knives. All were great looking out of the box. I have had a couple of CRKLT M18-/M21s . . .no issues.

In this day and age of CNC power tooling, i would expect things to be "right":.
 
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I have seen plenty of vintage bayonets, going back to WW-I and on through the frenetic production of millions of them for WW-II . . .and none of the struck me s being shoddy in execution. Maybe fit, finish and materials were not up to the standards of today's civilian market, but the bladed looked OK to me.
 
I wouldn't keep it. Of course, it will still work, but so will a car with dents and rust. So what. If it bothers you, then it doesn't really matter what any of us think. Knives are supposed to make you happy, not others. Watches are the same. If you can't return it, you can sell it here to someone who is OK with bad grinds and buy something else. Maybe a Bark River fan will buy it?
 
Just my two cents.

For a $300 asking price, I would consider the asymmetry as ‘not good’. I have knives a third of that price with no visible QC issues. If near perfect is achievable with $100, there’s no excuse with $300. I can forgive mistakes at the $50 to $100 mark.

That said, I wouldn’t let it bother me if it’s a purely cosmetic issue. The most important thing for me is if the knife does its job well.
 
I would certainly bring it to their attention and see where it goes from there. $300 bucks isn’t insignificant and If I’m the manufacturer I’d want the opportunity to make it right.
 
Hand ground or machine ground? Production level hand ground will have imperfect grinds.

Who is the maker? Dauntless? Someone else?
 
Small update 😊
I contacted the manufacturer, explained my situation and to my surprise they were super helpful, friendly and worked with me to make me happy. They asked me if i would like a discount or a new knife. I said i would prefer a new knife and im ready to pay the shipment because im not in the US. Two days later they shipped me a new knife without me having to pay shipping or anything. This is truly excellent service. Even the "old" knife they told me i can keep. Thank you so very much T.Kell 😁
 
Skar said:
If it bothers you return it.
It will bother you every Time you look at it, may even cause you to get angry.
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Im sometimes really hesitant to state my opinion about imperfections. Many people have a much higher tolerance for such things and consider people like me to be to difficult. I honestly understand them, like dude don't you have any real issues in your life. But at a certain price point (300dollars+) i get more inclined to accept manufacturing flaws. Now again it's debatable if this is even a real flaw, because it does not hinder the functionality. But from a manufacturing standpoint i expect a little more after a certain price point. I wish i would not be as ocd as i am sometimes. Makes life much easier.
 
From0toHero said:
Small update 😊
I contacted the manufacturer, explained my situation and to my surprise they were super helpful, friendly and worked with me to make me happy. They asked me if i would like a discount or a new knife. I said i would prefer a new knife and im ready to pay the shipment because im not in the US. Two days later they shipped me a new knife without me having to pay shipping or anything. This is truly excellent service. Even the "old" knife they told me i can keep. Thank you so very much T.Kell 😁
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Can't ask for better CS than that ! :cool: 🆒🆒
 
DocJD said:
The customer service provided was exceptional. After reviewing numerous videos featuring T. Kell knives, it's evident that he embodies strong work ethics, traditional values, and a deep sense of honor and commitment, demonstrating exemplary behavior.
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