Let's put the original pictures in this thread for comparison, along with the original description:
BM griptilian with blade acid washed two tone (used): $75
BM Griptilian REI special edition green standoffs:$OLD
BM griptilian with custom cnc milled scales, custom spacer, and ti lowride clip: $145 (on hold until Tuesday)
1st: I would never have bought those knives without better pictures. Too low quality and much glare to see details/defects.
Red Flag #1
2nd: Benchmade has only released red as trainers and has a limited edition REI version some time back. Thus, this knife is either a rehandled trainer/REI, or it is done at home.
Ref Flag #2 Either way, that blade is not in great shape.
I contacted this member as soon as the knives I bought from him arrived. The "Red"( black scales painted red
) grips blade was supposed to have a nice acid etch on it, the thing is just beat to death. Looks grinded on, polished, and the black sooty acid parts just wipes off dry or even more with moisture. From the two pics he has in his thread looked modded but had no idea was this bad.
I can see in the original picture the 2-tone he is describing, and I can see where the acid etch was done. The acid etch is visible in your 3rd picture, and is of poor quality, but it was done. The "two-tone" he lists is a poorly done job which your pictures clearly show -- lower grit sandpaper to make the two-tone, leaving unacceptable scratches. Frankly, his images show that there's a problem with the finish, but not enough quality to show the details. Personally, I would have asked for more detailed images before deciding to buy, but that's just me.
Also on the milled aluminum?(I'm guessing, he doesn't know either) scaled grip. Knife is pretty descent gotta say. Blade was new, everything feels solid,smooth. Negatives---Blade play even atfer applied locktite yesterday (pivot I think just doesn't sit right) AND (and this is what really threw me. It has some type type of marker or cheap paint rubbed outside and inside of the scales. I asked Keegan what this stuff was . He told me he didn't know cause got them that way from a seller on ebay. I very much had my doubts cause having cheap marker/paint rub off on your customers hands I doubt you would be in business very long. Oh he also told me it was an anodization which it clearly is not because I took a qtip with water and rubbed inside the scales where most of the blue stuff is and it rubs off.
Those are Allen Putman aluminum scales that were/are available in a blue anodized color. You doubt that he got them in that condition, but did you ascertain whether he bought them used from someone or new from Mr. Putman? The mottled appearance of the aluminum scales tells me the anodizing was removed through some method. If chemical, I wonder if it could potentially make it easier to remove the dye that was used in the anodizing process from other areas that did not have the anodizing completely removed. I am not familiar enough with anodizing aluminum to know if that would/could happen. The dye is water-based, and sulfuric acid is used in stripping old anodizing, so who knows...
Told me I should have asked more questions before I bought them.
It's the sellers responsiblity to explain the condition of knife for sale.
Honestly, due to the lower quality of his pictures and lack of description, yes, you should have.
He should have put better pictures online and described them accurately, but since he didn't, questions need to be asked -- especially a request for better pics.
I was screwed because I paid him with gift
Seiously?!?! After all the warnings to not pay with gift because you have no recourse
which is even in the rules for the Exchange)??
Warning: You as a buyer are responsible for using Paypal as it was intended, according to their Terms of Service. Using the "Gift" option revokes any buyer protection you may have if something goes wrong and makes it easier to get scammed. Be smart and protect yourself, if you use gift and get scammed don't come crying to us about it as you've already been advised.
This morning. I looked at this "Red" grip and realize there are black scratches? Looked more closely and the red is just painted on! Globs of paint inside the liners and the inside in some parts is shading black. See when I first got it I thought the small specs of black on scales was from something black that just got rubbed on it so never gave it a second thought until the red paint just scraped off this morning.
Was happy to get a "RED Grip" cause never seen one that I can think of except for the Grip trainers.
Trainers and a REI limited edition (that was a s30v blade). That's it. Your description of "globs of paint" leads me to believe it was a home job. He should have disclosed that the scales were painted -- if he did the painting. If he received them that way, he may not have known any better and passed them on as he received them. Or, he realized he had been deceived and wanted to get as much of his money back as he could.
I can show proof later that this blue marker/paint ( was told anodized
) stuff just wipes right off later if need be. No descrpition of this stuff being on the scales in the listing either.
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The blue is clearly visible in the second picture from the sale thread (the grooves near the Axis lock in the 2nd picture). Whether is is left-over anodizing or something else, the pictures won't show.
"Buyer beware" applies in every sale, but especially a used knife with poor quality pictures. He did not fulfill his responsibility to use good pictures and provide a good description. There is enough evidence in the pictures he did post that should have sent up at least one red flag to you, prompting you to ask more questions and request better pictures before committing to buy. You used the gift option: was it worth saving that 3%?
Are you partly responsible for the situation you're in? Yes, you are.
Should he accept the return and refund your money? Yes, he should. Due to your part, you should pay the return shipping if you can convince him to refund you. If not, you need to decide what to do with them. Sell them at a big loss, throw them in a drawer, give them to someone... you decide. If you decide to keep them, I can make the red one look better. It won't be red, but it won't look like the monstrosity it is now. I just ask that you pay shipping to me and back.
The pictures he posted look consistent with the pictures you posted. I don't know if Benchmade colors the handles of their minigrips, I think I read sometime ago that they do on the sand colored ones, they are actually black underneath. If that is true, then that kind of throws that one out the window.
The trainers and REI that were red were painted, I do believe, but not standard production mini-Grips. Unless that knife had a blade swap, it is a home job on a standard.
