Opinions of new Mnandi needed

[d.r.h.]

Surely you shouldn't be paying a restocking or freight fee on faulty goods?

If you paid by credit card, I'd be getting a chargeback.

I bet the seller will change their mind pretty quick about the fees when you tell them you are getting a chargeback.

Actually, I empathize with sk8n quite a bit. It is very hard to say that the "goods were faulty" ..... the Mnandi is, most likely, exactly as it was made by the folks at CRK. For whatever reason, more material was removed from the inlay in the portion shown. It is debatable whether to call that a flaw, defect, or whatever. Bottom line is that when you pay that kind of money for anything, you should know what you are getting and be happy with it.

Not that it matters, but weren't there pictures of both sides of the scales on the Seller's website?

Yes, pictures were on the site. Therein lies the rub. I find it a real gamble to buy something sight-unseen. Sometimes, however, buying something you see turns out to be a gamble as well. Here is a picture of the front of the knife as it appears on the retailer site:

Very hard to see anything close to what was shown above. Sometimes, that is the problem with a photograph! The reason I empathize with sk8n on this one is that I had a similar experience. A while back, I posted about a large UG Sebenza I purchased. This is how the knife appeared on the site:

This is how the knife actually looks:

Huge difference in colors! Lighting can really affect how colors are rendered! Fortunately, I was pleased with how the blues worked with the opal, so never thought of returning/selling it. The point is that I was shocked. I mean, it was not what I expected.

Anyway, hope everything works out for the best. I know would personally be kind of upset to be out upwards of $100 in a case like this. I am sure that there are some who would not care about the condition of the front inlay. For the amount of money we are talking about for this Mnandi, I think I would care.

 

[Haze]

How much ivory do you work with, mammoth or other wise ? I have a box of the stuff in my work shop and think I know a natural impefection when I see one. If that had more material removed from that area you would be through the bark into the cream ivory. What we see with Sk8n's knife is a surface imperfection on the ivory bark it's self, there is no way round that unless you want to remove the bark to smooth it out, but of course that will remove a good bit of the value too.

I am on Sk8ns side 100% here but lets not start throwing about misinformation.

The OP has already explained that in his opinion, this is not a 'natural imperfection' but poor workmanship, and he is best placed to make that call. If this was a wooden scale (another natural material) it would be returned as unacceptable without question.
I agree the OP would be best advised to return the item as unsuitable and ask for a replacement. The re-stocking fee should not apply as the item is imperfect.

 

[beau007]

I believe that it is a natural imperfection. Natural materials vary infinitely and so do people's opinions of them.

I'd return it or sell it to someone who likes it. It really is unfortunate about the "free" item and the re-stocking fee.

 

[banksy]

I am on Sk8ns side 100% here

Well we're agreed on that at least, but my point (and I think the OP's point?) is that perhaps this particular piece of bark was not suitable for the scale of a high value knife. The fact that Mnandi's are not normally like this should be evidence enough.

 

[Haze]

The mammoth bark is gnarly stuff, I see his point and as I say agree with it. It's just not fair to say it was shody work or poor craftmanship. That was actually making the best of the bit they had but yes, it's not the best example.

 

[sk8n]

To be honest I was leaning towards returning it but now I am strongly considering keeping it. Even before I received it I was curious why the back-side inlay looked better than the front-side inlay. In my experience the front-side inlay has almost always been the more aesthetically pleasing inlay. Once I received the knife and saw the depression in the inlay, I rationalized that there must have been an issue and material had been removed. But as Haze noted above, the cream ivory would most likely be exposed in removing extra material.
If I wasn't going to be out roughly $100, I would probably return it. I am looking at this as a $750 knife instead of a $850 knife, if that makes sense. In addition, I really like the rear-side inlay.
Thanks for all the responses, they were very much appreciated.

 

[US-STEEL]

To be honest I was leaning towards returning it but now I am strongly considering keeping it.

Personally, I find that knife beautiful in every respect. The question you have to ask yourself is, "do you find imperfections in natural materials to be appealing?" Some believe it adds character, others do not. I would put yourself through a simple test; when you show the knife to family and friends, are you going to point to the area of concern and identify it as:

-A Flaw = If so, return the knife.
-A Characteristic of the natural material = If so, keep it and enjoy it forever. But only if it’s going to give you a genuine sense of joy.

 

[Haze]

I quiet like the colours in that bark as well, it is a nice looking knife, there is just that "but". What's it like with the clip swapped over ? (I realise you won't want to do that if you're still thinking it over).

 

[franzdom]

Looking closer at one I received this week it has those types of material depressions on front and back. I think it's due to the fact that tusks are round while they are being used on a flat application.

 

[rolexkid]

i believe it's total natural, just part of the bark, something different.if CRK didn't approve it they wouldn't have sent it out....every piece of bark is different, no two alike... enjoy it!

 

[Matthewd]

Natural imperfection - part of the beauty
That is what makes it unique.

 

[김원진]

chargeback is a terrible idea. regardless of what you choose don't do the chrageback it would be a d*** move

i think the knife looks great, even with the small flaw