Pay extra for a guaranteed 100% good knife?

T

tirod3

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Jun 27, 2006
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How many of you would pay extra to get a knife that passed additional QC steps to prove it was done right? Or at least culled by the process so you'd get a "A" grade knife rather than "stud grade/utility?"

We already do it by careful selection of brand and model, materials, and a close examination of actual construction. Still, sometimes one slips through that the maker agrees shouldn't have, or at least needs correction. The old joke about buying a car and specifying it be built on a mid week day, rather than Monday or Friday kind of thing.

Although a Sebenza Select might be kinda redundant, who would like the extra assurance, and how much would you pay?
 
At first, I wasn't worried about it. I bought what had cool looking designs to me, and that was enough. That's usually where most of us start our evolution as a knife enthusiast.

From there, I was worried about performance. What steels, lock mechanisms, ergonomic features etc. are going to make the best knife for real use?

After that, I started to focus on QC. Once you find what really works, it's the little things that start to bother you. The blade is off center, I can't get the action right, the blade wiggles, the scales are slightly uneven, there's a gap in the inlay, etc. etc.

At this point, in most cases, you are just being finicky. However, the knife is a very personal product and tool, and the direction you go with your choices are solely your own.

As a user, I want to feel ultimate confidence in my knife, right down to the fit and finish. I want to look at my knife and love it because it is perfect in function, performance and quality, and I'm willing to pay as much as I can conceivably afford to get that because I just love knives that much.

That is where I have found myself as a knife enthusiast, and it gets me in a lot of trouble sometimes.
 
I have played with this idea as well. What I decided was to let people take their chances with knives from the factory. My thinking is that if I sort through them, I actually create a second class (lower than what is expected) of knives and I don't want to do that.

When knives fail my random QC checks, I take it back to the factory and too many and I will eliminate the knives from my store.

Great Eastern is an excellent example of this problem. When they are on, they are on big time. But their QC is spotty. I am considering discontinuting them for that reason--I am tired of sending knives back and checking every one.

Just my random thoughts on the subject.
 
the other issue with this idea is that what I spot on QC and reject or keep is subjective--like J85 said. In fact, I like some things that others reject for. I like the natural cracks in Stag (not ones made in manufacture)-- I think it looks awesome, but that is not the normal view.
 
That is why I buy almost exclusively CRK. If another company can step it up to that level I'd buy from them, no questions asked. Little flaws drive me crazy. OCD I guess.
 
I think it's a poor idea to have to pay extra for a quality product; that's what I expect in the first place! :confused:

If you're really concerned about small things that might reasonably make it past QC, I recommend buying multiples of the same product and selling off the one(s) that don't meet your expectations.

If a maker isn't consistently meeting your needs, then make contact or move on!
 
I probably wouldn't pay extra, considering that as things are now, if I see fit and finish flaws that really bother me, I can just send it back to the maker and get a better one, or have the knife fixed. It is truly very difficult to achieve 100 % fool proof quality control...
 
I'd pay an extra $6 return shipping every 5th knife or so. Oh wait, that's what I do now and it works.
 
mikeymoto said:
I think it's a poor idea to have to pay extra for a quality product; that's what I expect in the first place! :confused:
Click to expand...

I think mikeymoto hit it right on the money. For the prices of some of the knives out there, you should have the quality right out of the box.
 
So the idea is for me to pay extra to make sure they did what they should have done right in the first place. Nope i'll pass. I don't have a problem with a knife with a problem {blade play, poor grind lines etc} I have a problem with a knife with a problem and a company that won't back it up. Any company is going to have a lemon get through every now and then, as long as they make it right i'm happy. ahgar
 
I think some of you are getting the wrong idea.

You aren't paying a quality fee, you are paying the higher manufacturer's cost to buy from a smaller company that pays more attention to detail, which in turn gets a much better quality and fit and finish on the product.

It applies on many levels. The question is how high are you willing to go, and how much do the details matter to you? Not like paying Benchmade a higher price to make sure your 710 doesn't have blade play. That's just a misinterpretation of the question.
 
Sorry about that, I'm having a talking monkey day. I have no problem paying more to buy from a small, quality conscious company. ahgar
 
I wouldn't pay extra for a guarantee, but I might pay extra for a knife that was personally inspected and signed as such by Sal, Chris Reeve, Mick Strider, etc.... just for the "cool factor", if nothing else.
 
Many mass production companies have their budget lines and their high end knives, and we do expect the high end will show greater fit & finish, edge-holding, and even esthetics.

This doesn't mean the high end is a more expensive version of a model found in the budget line. It can be a collaboration.
 
If it's not 100% good then it's defective, and I don't want it, unless discounted. 100% good is the expectation of the consumer. You can market a premium line, but it has to be better than the regular, in some apparent way - not just free of defects.
 
I'd pay $20 extra for a knife I felt was as perfect as could be. I might just be a picky #$@&, but "allot" of knives I end up with could use a trip back to the factory for one thing or another.
 
I only buy from reputable manufacturers. If the knife has a defect big enough to stop the knife from functioning, I expect the warranty to cover it.
I don't expect cosmetically perfect knives every time, that's what custom knives are for.
 
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