Hi all,
After reading up extensively here, I recently purchased an Ontario Bagwell Fortress Bowie sight unseen from an online dealer. Knew I liked the design, and hadn't heard any reports of problems...so I was fairly confident doing that.
When I received the Fortress, I was at first glance happy with its fit and finish. Fine for a production knife, I thought, until further examination:
1. A series of small dings and scratches on the flat of the blade...exactly as if it had been dropped or banged against another metal object a number of times.
2. Most surprisingly: the blade, guard and handle were not lined up. When looking lengthwise down the top of the knife from pommel to tip, I found that the guard was about 5 degrees out of alignment with the blade, and the handle approx. 15 degrees. It was as if someone had taken hold of the handle at the factory while the epoxy was still wet, and given it a good twist to the right.
3. Several of the silver pins in the coffin handle were not fully "in", but stuck out enough to slip a thin flat-head screwdriver underneath.
Again, I've no illusions about production knives, and I know that imperfections, particularly cosmetic ones, fall through the cracks of even the best QC now and then. But an inability to line up a handle and a blade...that seems, well, excessive.
I returned the knife to the dealer, who gave me an immediate refund. I like the knife, but hesitate now to get another one from this line (at least without personally inspecting it first).
Anyone else with similar experiences? Was this just a fluke? Your input may help me decide if I'll try again.
After reading up extensively here, I recently purchased an Ontario Bagwell Fortress Bowie sight unseen from an online dealer. Knew I liked the design, and hadn't heard any reports of problems...so I was fairly confident doing that.
When I received the Fortress, I was at first glance happy with its fit and finish. Fine for a production knife, I thought, until further examination:
1. A series of small dings and scratches on the flat of the blade...exactly as if it had been dropped or banged against another metal object a number of times.
2. Most surprisingly: the blade, guard and handle were not lined up. When looking lengthwise down the top of the knife from pommel to tip, I found that the guard was about 5 degrees out of alignment with the blade, and the handle approx. 15 degrees. It was as if someone had taken hold of the handle at the factory while the epoxy was still wet, and given it a good twist to the right.
3. Several of the silver pins in the coffin handle were not fully "in", but stuck out enough to slip a thin flat-head screwdriver underneath.
Again, I've no illusions about production knives, and I know that imperfections, particularly cosmetic ones, fall through the cracks of even the best QC now and then. But an inability to line up a handle and a blade...that seems, well, excessive.
I returned the knife to the dealer, who gave me an immediate refund. I like the knife, but hesitate now to get another one from this line (at least without personally inspecting it first).
Anyone else with similar experiences? Was this just a fluke? Your input may help me decide if I'll try again.
