Returning a purchase or sending back to company?

[csisland]

I recently purchased a case peanut in chestnut bone. I wasn't happy with the centering of the knives and also the color was uneven with not enough jigging. Would it be best to return the knife to the company I purchased it from and get a refund or is it possible to send the knife directly to case and get another knife?

 

[jc57]

Case will repair the original knife if possible and only replace it if they can't. A dealer will just swap it out for another one or issue a refund, depending on their policy.

 

[knifeswapper]

Pictures might help with that answer.

 

[csisland]

sorry no pics at this time. still trying to figure out how.
you'll have to take my word for it. both blades are rubbing, and the stain on the handle is lighter than alot of the ones i've seen on here, and a small portion close to the blade on top looks like it's missing a stroke of paint. the brush was just run across it looks like, or uneven.

 

[csisland]

i just called the company and they don't open until tomorrow so i'm going to try and get up some pics today.

 

[csisland]

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[csisland]

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[csisland]

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[Modoc ED]

So what's wrong with that. The coloring is what it is - very unusual to have perfect, even, coloring on bone from bolster to end cap. Jigging is not normally absolutely even throught the cover. The pics aren't clear enough for me to really see the blade centering but if it's for every day use give it a try for awhile.

If your camera has an auto-focus setting, use that and repost the pics. Good effort though.

Oh, forgot to say, you will even run across knives with different colored covers from mark side to pile side or perhaps the same color but different shades from side to side.

This is a Case 6347 Trapper. Note that the covers are colored differently from side to side and that the coloring is faded out toward the bolsters and end caps. Same knife different colors side to side. Further, notice that the jigging isn't exactly the same and evenly spaced on each cover much less cover to cover. Even the jigging pattern is different side to side. There is nothing wrong with this knife. It is first rate.

If you want a knife with even colors, etc., get a knife with composition covers (delrin, plastic, etc.).

 

[smokinbasser]

Just my opinion but I expect to see some coloring difference between the scales. If there is no difference I suspect its a man made material.

 

[csisland]

maybe i'm being too analytical. the centering bothers me a little though and i expected at least one of the two knives to be centered.

 

[okbohn]

Three points I would make:

1. Like everyone has said, all natural material has variance in color side to side. It is not considered a defect. I actually kind of like some variance.
2. If you don't like it, I would say communicate with the seller and work out an exchange. If you are really clear about what you want, they can pick out something that fits your needs.
3. The times I would recommend sending to the manufacturer is when there is an actual defect, but you like the specific knife you have. That way you end up with the same stag, etc.

 

[csisland]

here's one last pic. i can't get the focus to work on my camera but it gives you a better sense of the top part that isn't stained.

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[Modoc ED]

maybe i'm being too analytical. the centering bothers me a little though and i expected at least one of the two knives to be centered.

I get what you're saying about the blades being centered but sometimes they just aren't perfectly centered. Go ahead and send it back if it bothers you that much but be aware that, as you use it, the blades may not remain centered over time for various reasons.

Good luck whatever you decide to do.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

See what the dealer is willing to do first. If they're worth their salt, a good dealer will be willing to exchange it, and a really first-rate dealer may perhaps even cherry-pick one for you, based on what you (politely) tell them you're hoping to see in the fit/finish of the knife. If they're not helpful at all, I'd avoid purchasing from them in the future, and make sure they know why. Then see if Case is at least willing to fix the centering issues (they do this all the time). With the coloring issues of the bone covers, they're more likely to just send you a replacement anyway. In this event, a two-birds-for-one-stone solution (blade centering + color issues) may be the best option anyway.

The 'natural' character of bone will usually mean one bone cover won't necessarily absorb dye/stain as readily as another, which accounts for the light-to-darker variability seen in the color. Case has a very long history of making bone-handled knives with noticeable variation in the bone covers (Ed's example above is a perfect look at that). I've never viewed it as a defect, personally, and I like the character added by it. To me, it's a more sure-fire indication that the 'bone' is actually real.


David

 

[csisland]

thanks for all your points of view.

 

[Modoc ED]

here's one last pic. i can't get the focus to work on my camera but it gives you a better sense of the top part that isn't stained.

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Before the covers were fitted to the knife they were stained/colored. As they sand/grind/fit the cover to the frame, the surface of the ends of the covers are removed somewhat to make them flush with the bolsters/end caps. There is nothing wrong with the covers of your knife. Look at the picture of my knife and look at how the coloring fades toward the bolsters/endcaps and also look at how the jigging of the covers has been sanded out at the bolsters/endcaps too.

 

[csisland]

See what the dealer is willing to do first. If they're worth their salt, a good dealer will be willing to exchange it, and a really first-rate dealer may perhaps even cherry-pick one for you, based on what you (politely) tell them you're hoping to see in the fit/finish of the knife. If they're not helpful at all, I'd avoid purchasing from them in the future, and make sure they know why. Then see if Case is at least willing to fix the centering issues (they do this all the time). With the coloring issues of the bone covers, they're more likely to just send you a replacement anyway. In this event, a two-birds-for-one-stone solution (blade centering + color issues) may be the best option anyway.

The 'natural' character of bone will usually mean one bone cover won't necessarily absorb dye/stain as readily as another, which accounts for the light-to-darker variability seen in the color. Case has a very long history of making bone-handled knives with noticeable variation in the bone covers (Ed's example above is a perfect look at that). I've never viewed it as a defect, personally, and I like the character added by it. To me, it's a more sure-fire indication that the 'bone' is actually real.


David

actually the company i bought from is one of the paid dealers that i got off the list provided on this forum. i'll give them a call tomorrow and talk it over.

 

[csisland]

Before the covers were fitted to the knife they were stained/colored. As they sand/grind/fit the cover to the frame, the surface of the ends of the covers are removed somewhat to make them flush with the bolsters/end caps. There is nothing wrong with the covers of your knife. Look at the picture of my knife and look at how the coloring fades toward the bolsters/endcaps and also look at how the jigging of the covers has been sanded out at the bolsters/endcaps too.

i see the comparison and think i'm just being too much of a perfectionist.

 

[midnight flyer]

This is just my opinion...

Today's knives aren't the knives we bought in the 70s. As far as that goes, none of the tools I buy are the same quality they were back then, either. There seems to be a wider perception of quality control than there was, but as they say, "it is what it is".

Looking at that knife, I don't see anything wrong with it. 3 - 4 decades ago the scales would probably have matched better, but then we didn't many choices at all for scale coloration and design. IIRC, in the CASE lineup there was a bright cherry, a dark cherry (wine?), brown, and an occasional black. It was easy to get scales dyed to match when you were simply going for a solid color with no nuances. On black and dark brown scaled knives it was hard for me to tell the difference between delrin and bone when they were both brand new, gleaming with polish in the box. I personally think the scales on your knife look fine. They will change color a bit anyway if you actually carry and use the knife.

If the blades aren't centered, but don't rub, I wouldn't spend too much time on that issue. If the rest of the knife showed good fit, good finish and good walk and talk, I wouldn't give it another thought.

BTW, to drive home the point about how different scales look and are dyed these days, you should look for Modoc ED's picture of his CASE Barlow with the Appaloosa bone scales. Never have I seen a prettier set of scales in all my years. We sure didn't have those back in the 70s!!

Robert