Let me preface this thread by saying that I've collected knives for a long time and Spyderco's have been among them UNTIL my most recent interaction with the company. What you will read below is an e-mail I sent off to every other major knife manufacturer I could think of, asking for their thoughts on my recent encounter and treatment by Spyderco, and also how these respective manufacturers would have handled the situation had it been one of their knives and not a Spyderco... That being said, I believe my e-mail and all of the subsequent manufacturers responses speak for themselves... I would also like to note that my e-mail was sent to all of these manufacturers on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 and as of now (Wed, Aug 21, 2013), I have still not gotten responses from Ka-bar or Kershaw.
Below is my e-mail that I CC'ed to all of the major knife manufacturers, followed by each of their responses:
From: Dan ***********
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 11:11 AM
To: info@crkt.com; info@kai-usa.com; customerservice@coldsteel.com; info@ka-bar.com; pfstore@buckknives.com; warranty@buckknives.com; info@sogknives.com; warranty@sogknives.com; info@gerbergear.com
Subject: Knife Parts Inquiry
Hello Everyone,
The purpose of my e-mail is to find out more information about a very disturbing and angering situation I recently experienced with Spyderco warranty and to find out where other knife manufacturers such as yourselves stand on this issue when it comes to your knives.
I've been a long time knife collector and I'm very proud to say that every knife in my collection sees a good amount of use. Naturally you should take care of the tools that take care of you, therefore I will periodically clean and oil my knives, and tighten all frame & pocket clip screws.
About 2 weeks ago, I had a frame screw on a Spyderco Endura strip on me and after contacting Spyderco I was extremely angered when they explained to me that not only could they not ship me any replacement frame screws for my Endura, but even if I paid to ship my knife back to Spyderco, they would be unable to replace or repair the knife because they do not stock the parts. Upon inquiring why, the woman explained that since most all of their knives are not made in the USA, they do not stock replacement parts for their knives. She went on to say that the ONLY parts they carry are replacement pocket clips and screws for the clips only. She also explained that even though Spyderco's warranty protects against "defects in materials and workmanship", that they do not consider defective screws to be a defect in materials or workmanship, so Spyderco would be unable to replace the knife as well.
After I had given it some time to sink in, I realized that Spyderco had basically told me that there is nothing further they could do for me. Luckily my knife was only worth about $50, but even if my knife had been worth $300, the answer they provided me would have been the same! Telling someone that they will have to purchase another knife just because of a stripped screw is just plain unacceptable! This would be like buying a Mercedes Benz and having the fan belt break, and Mercedes tell you that they do not make or sell replacement parts for their cars! You could imagine how much this would anger someone to be told they are going to have to purchase another car because of something as trivial as a broken fan belt!
In conclusion, I would like to know how your respective companies would handle a situation such as the issue mentioned above. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing anymore Spyderco products, because I don't believe in carrying a knife that the company can't repair and doesn't stand behind or care to do right by the customer in the first place. Also, being a rather large knife collector, I'm often in the company of other collectors and word of Spyderco's poor practices has spread quickly. I also take part in many public forums and arenas and voice my opinions. So now I would like to know which knife manufacturers actually stand behind their products and do right by their customer.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I am very interested in your responses.
Sincerely,
Dan ********
Now for the responses:
BENCHMADE'S RESPONSE -
Hi Dan,
I am sorry to hear you had such a negative experience with Spyderco.
In regards to our Benchmade (Lone Wolf and HK brands also) knives, they are covered under warranty which includes clips, screws (for clips, handles and pivot), internal mechanisms and defective blades and handles as well as our LifeSharp service (sending a knife into us for factory edge sharpening). We also offer blade and handle replacements, $25 for satin blades and $35 for the coated/black blades; handles vary on cost depending on the material and size (G10 vs aluminum).
Here is the link to our Warranty and LifeSharp for more information:
http://www.benchmade.com/services/warranty.aspx .
http://www.benchmade.com/services/lifesharp_service.aspx
There is some great information regarding the materials and mechanisms for our knives on these links:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/materials.aspx
http://www.benchmade.com/products/mechanisms.aspx
This link will help you find an authorized dealer in your area if you want to check out our knives in person http://www.benchmade.com/dealers/dealer_locator.aspx
Sincerely,
Corrine Thom
Customer Service Representative
Benchmade Knives
COLDSTEEL'S RESPONSE -
While we do try to carry frame screws for most of our knives, they are not easy to acquire in quantity, and customers may have to wait awhile in order for us to send our replacement screws. Customers can always send the knife into Cold Steel for service, and we can usually repair the issue, or replace the knife if it meets our warranty.
Some parts we will not supply. Those parts tend to be integral to the opening/closing action of the knife, or the locking mechanism. In those cases, we request that customers send the knives back into Cold Steel for service.
Anthony Russell
Customer Service
CRKT'S RESPONSE -
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your email. In this situation, we would offer to send you out replacement parts free of charge. We would also give you the option to send your knife for repair or replacement.
Here is some additional information regarding CRKT’s warranty policy.
On our products we offer a limited lifetime warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. We also cover parts and normal wear and tear. We offer our parts free of charge to our customers.
If you have a model that is discontinued and we no longer have the parts available we are willing to work with you. We will offer you a credit for the value of the knife that you can use towards a current knife in our line up. We do ask that you return your knife to us to do the exchange. If the knife you choose is more than the credit value we will ask you to cover the difference.
Items not covered under the warranty are if you modify the knife in anyway or breakage or failure due misuse of the knife, such as tip breakage due to prying or pounding. If you are not sure you can contact our Customer Service or Warranty department and we can assist you in determining if it would be covered or not.
We also have additional warranty information available on our website.
If you have any questions regarding your knife at any time you can contact us and we will be happy to assist you. We stand behind our products and are willing to work with our customers.
I hope this information helps.
If you need anything else let us know.
Kind Regards,
Dawn Fuller
Columbia River Knife & Tool
A/R Assistant
503-218-2530 Direct
503-682-9680 Fax
GERBER'S RESPONSE -
Dan,
I am sorry to hear about your frustration in this situation. We at Gerber take pride I our products and believe our consumers should as well. Which is why we offer replacements parts for nearly every product we offer. We are willing to send these out for our consumers to repair their issues. However, if this doe not solve the problem, our consumers are asked to send in their product for a.) our technicians to repair or b.) a full replacement at no charge, or c.) a line of credit if the product is discontinued. I have attached our warranty information below, and if you have any further questions about our warranty process, or any questions about a specific knife or tool please reach out and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Thank you for contacting Gerber Legendary Blades regarding the Manufacturer’s Warranty. Gerber warrants to the original consumer purchaser that this product will be free of defects, in material and workmanship. This warranty does not cover damage due to acts of Nature, accident, improper use, abuse, negligence, loss of product or modification of or to any part of the product. Normal wear and tear is not covered under the warranty. If the product failed while being used as it was intended to be used, we will service under the warranty. At Gerber’s option, defective product will be repaired, replaced, or substituted with a product of equal value. If you feel this is a warranty issue, please send the product for warranty service. To obtain warranty service, send the product, along with an explanation of the defect, your name, address, and phone number, to the address below:
Gerber Legendary Blades
Attn: Service Dept.
14200 SW 72nd Ave
Portland, OR 97224
It is recommended that you send your package via UPS, FedEx, or insured mail. It is the responsibility of the sender to pay all shipping charges to the Gerber Facility. Turnaround time is approximately two to four weeks. Gerber Blades will incur all costs for return postage. Should your address be an APO address, this is fine as we will return to whichever address you provide.
Information regarding the warranty can be found on the Gerber website at http://www.gerbergear.com/Meet-Gerber/Support/Warranty-Info. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page can answer many of your questions.
Please do feel free to send your product in. We would be very happy to accommodate you at no additional charges to you. Should you not have a receipt; that is fine.
Sincerely,
062011_NewGerberLogo_Secondary_White.pngKyle Winkler
Consumer Services Representative | Gerber
Phone: (503) 403-1219 | Fax: (503) 403-1103
Kyle.Winkler@gerbergear.com
BUCK KNIVES RESPONSE -
We would have you ship in the knife for repair and we would replace the screw at no charge. We do ask that it comes to the factory for repair so that we can match up the correct fitting parts as we have numerous. We are the same with our few models that are still imported, that we would just replace the knife for you since we don’t stock those particular parts for the imported models. We will have the last 12% of our inventory made here in Idaho within the next 4yrs. I hope this answers your questions.
Thank you for your email
Ashleigh Schild
SOG KNIVES RESPONSE -
Sir,
SOG’s Lifetime Warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, as well. While our knives cannot be ‘legally’ labled as Made in the USA, most of them (Spring Assisted, Autos and Multitools) are assembled here. As such, we do have the screws and other parts for those types of repairs. While a stripped screw is not really defective, if it were a SOG product, we would happily have sent you the screw you needed or allowed you to send it in for repair, in case it weren’t the screw that was stripped, but the internal threads.
TODD BERNSTEIN / CONSUMER SERVICES LEAD
SOG SPECIALTY KNIVES & TOOLS
6521 212th ST SW • LYNNWOOD WA 98036
O: 888.405.6433 opt 2 / F: 425.771.7689
ONTARIO KNIVES RESPONSE -
In lieu of a e-mail, I had a telephone conversation with a representative at Ontario Knives and she said that this would not be an issue for them. Since many of their knives including the popular Rat 1 folders are also made over seas, they would be more than happy to just replace the knife since they do not stock replacement handle screws or other parts for their foreign-made knives.
I must also add, that recently I needed to send my knife back due to a separate issue with the liner lock on my Rat 1 and they were such a pleasure to deal with!
In conclusion, I made this thread to inform the public about companies like Spyderco, and to motivate consumers to be vocal about receiving poor treatment by a manufacturer. In today's economy, businesses need to stop and not forget that they got where they are because of us "the consumer" and when they stop caring about the satisfaction of their consumer, there are going to be consequences because consumers have the forum to vocalize their opinions and then in turn cast their vote with the all mighty dollar!
I hope this post opens some people's eyes and stirs up some talk or even action.
Thank you to all who took the time to read this!
Sincerely,
Dan
Below is my e-mail that I CC'ed to all of the major knife manufacturers, followed by each of their responses:
From: Dan ***********
Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2013 11:11 AM
To: info@crkt.com; info@kai-usa.com; customerservice@coldsteel.com; info@ka-bar.com; pfstore@buckknives.com; warranty@buckknives.com; info@sogknives.com; warranty@sogknives.com; info@gerbergear.com
Subject: Knife Parts Inquiry
Hello Everyone,
The purpose of my e-mail is to find out more information about a very disturbing and angering situation I recently experienced with Spyderco warranty and to find out where other knife manufacturers such as yourselves stand on this issue when it comes to your knives.
I've been a long time knife collector and I'm very proud to say that every knife in my collection sees a good amount of use. Naturally you should take care of the tools that take care of you, therefore I will periodically clean and oil my knives, and tighten all frame & pocket clip screws.
About 2 weeks ago, I had a frame screw on a Spyderco Endura strip on me and after contacting Spyderco I was extremely angered when they explained to me that not only could they not ship me any replacement frame screws for my Endura, but even if I paid to ship my knife back to Spyderco, they would be unable to replace or repair the knife because they do not stock the parts. Upon inquiring why, the woman explained that since most all of their knives are not made in the USA, they do not stock replacement parts for their knives. She went on to say that the ONLY parts they carry are replacement pocket clips and screws for the clips only. She also explained that even though Spyderco's warranty protects against "defects in materials and workmanship", that they do not consider defective screws to be a defect in materials or workmanship, so Spyderco would be unable to replace the knife as well.
After I had given it some time to sink in, I realized that Spyderco had basically told me that there is nothing further they could do for me. Luckily my knife was only worth about $50, but even if my knife had been worth $300, the answer they provided me would have been the same! Telling someone that they will have to purchase another knife just because of a stripped screw is just plain unacceptable! This would be like buying a Mercedes Benz and having the fan belt break, and Mercedes tell you that they do not make or sell replacement parts for their cars! You could imagine how much this would anger someone to be told they are going to have to purchase another car because of something as trivial as a broken fan belt!
In conclusion, I would like to know how your respective companies would handle a situation such as the issue mentioned above. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing anymore Spyderco products, because I don't believe in carrying a knife that the company can't repair and doesn't stand behind or care to do right by the customer in the first place. Also, being a rather large knife collector, I'm often in the company of other collectors and word of Spyderco's poor practices has spread quickly. I also take part in many public forums and arenas and voice my opinions. So now I would like to know which knife manufacturers actually stand behind their products and do right by their customer.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I am very interested in your responses.
Sincerely,
Dan ********
Now for the responses:
BENCHMADE'S RESPONSE -
Hi Dan,
I am sorry to hear you had such a negative experience with Spyderco.
In regards to our Benchmade (Lone Wolf and HK brands also) knives, they are covered under warranty which includes clips, screws (for clips, handles and pivot), internal mechanisms and defective blades and handles as well as our LifeSharp service (sending a knife into us for factory edge sharpening). We also offer blade and handle replacements, $25 for satin blades and $35 for the coated/black blades; handles vary on cost depending on the material and size (G10 vs aluminum).
Here is the link to our Warranty and LifeSharp for more information:
http://www.benchmade.com/services/warranty.aspx .
http://www.benchmade.com/services/lifesharp_service.aspx
There is some great information regarding the materials and mechanisms for our knives on these links:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/materials.aspx
http://www.benchmade.com/products/mechanisms.aspx
This link will help you find an authorized dealer in your area if you want to check out our knives in person http://www.benchmade.com/dealers/dealer_locator.aspx
Sincerely,
Corrine Thom
Customer Service Representative
Benchmade Knives
COLDSTEEL'S RESPONSE -
While we do try to carry frame screws for most of our knives, they are not easy to acquire in quantity, and customers may have to wait awhile in order for us to send our replacement screws. Customers can always send the knife into Cold Steel for service, and we can usually repair the issue, or replace the knife if it meets our warranty.
Some parts we will not supply. Those parts tend to be integral to the opening/closing action of the knife, or the locking mechanism. In those cases, we request that customers send the knives back into Cold Steel for service.
Anthony Russell
Customer Service
CRKT'S RESPONSE -
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your email. In this situation, we would offer to send you out replacement parts free of charge. We would also give you the option to send your knife for repair or replacement.
Here is some additional information regarding CRKT’s warranty policy.
On our products we offer a limited lifetime warranty that covers defects in materials and workmanship. We also cover parts and normal wear and tear. We offer our parts free of charge to our customers.
If you have a model that is discontinued and we no longer have the parts available we are willing to work with you. We will offer you a credit for the value of the knife that you can use towards a current knife in our line up. We do ask that you return your knife to us to do the exchange. If the knife you choose is more than the credit value we will ask you to cover the difference.
Items not covered under the warranty are if you modify the knife in anyway or breakage or failure due misuse of the knife, such as tip breakage due to prying or pounding. If you are not sure you can contact our Customer Service or Warranty department and we can assist you in determining if it would be covered or not.
We also have additional warranty information available on our website.
If you have any questions regarding your knife at any time you can contact us and we will be happy to assist you. We stand behind our products and are willing to work with our customers.
I hope this information helps.
If you need anything else let us know.
Kind Regards,
Dawn Fuller
Columbia River Knife & Tool
A/R Assistant
503-218-2530 Direct
503-682-9680 Fax
GERBER'S RESPONSE -
Dan,
I am sorry to hear about your frustration in this situation. We at Gerber take pride I our products and believe our consumers should as well. Which is why we offer replacements parts for nearly every product we offer. We are willing to send these out for our consumers to repair their issues. However, if this doe not solve the problem, our consumers are asked to send in their product for a.) our technicians to repair or b.) a full replacement at no charge, or c.) a line of credit if the product is discontinued. I have attached our warranty information below, and if you have any further questions about our warranty process, or any questions about a specific knife or tool please reach out and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Thank you for contacting Gerber Legendary Blades regarding the Manufacturer’s Warranty. Gerber warrants to the original consumer purchaser that this product will be free of defects, in material and workmanship. This warranty does not cover damage due to acts of Nature, accident, improper use, abuse, negligence, loss of product or modification of or to any part of the product. Normal wear and tear is not covered under the warranty. If the product failed while being used as it was intended to be used, we will service under the warranty. At Gerber’s option, defective product will be repaired, replaced, or substituted with a product of equal value. If you feel this is a warranty issue, please send the product for warranty service. To obtain warranty service, send the product, along with an explanation of the defect, your name, address, and phone number, to the address below:
Gerber Legendary Blades
Attn: Service Dept.
14200 SW 72nd Ave
Portland, OR 97224
It is recommended that you send your package via UPS, FedEx, or insured mail. It is the responsibility of the sender to pay all shipping charges to the Gerber Facility. Turnaround time is approximately two to four weeks. Gerber Blades will incur all costs for return postage. Should your address be an APO address, this is fine as we will return to whichever address you provide.
Information regarding the warranty can be found on the Gerber website at http://www.gerbergear.com/Meet-Gerber/Support/Warranty-Info. The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page can answer many of your questions.
Please do feel free to send your product in. We would be very happy to accommodate you at no additional charges to you. Should you not have a receipt; that is fine.
Sincerely,
062011_NewGerberLogo_Secondary_White.pngKyle Winkler
Consumer Services Representative | Gerber
Phone: (503) 403-1219 | Fax: (503) 403-1103
Kyle.Winkler@gerbergear.com
BUCK KNIVES RESPONSE -
We would have you ship in the knife for repair and we would replace the screw at no charge. We do ask that it comes to the factory for repair so that we can match up the correct fitting parts as we have numerous. We are the same with our few models that are still imported, that we would just replace the knife for you since we don’t stock those particular parts for the imported models. We will have the last 12% of our inventory made here in Idaho within the next 4yrs. I hope this answers your questions.
Thank you for your email
Ashleigh Schild
SOG KNIVES RESPONSE -
Sir,
SOG’s Lifetime Warranty covers defects in materials and workmanship, as well. While our knives cannot be ‘legally’ labled as Made in the USA, most of them (Spring Assisted, Autos and Multitools) are assembled here. As such, we do have the screws and other parts for those types of repairs. While a stripped screw is not really defective, if it were a SOG product, we would happily have sent you the screw you needed or allowed you to send it in for repair, in case it weren’t the screw that was stripped, but the internal threads.
TODD BERNSTEIN / CONSUMER SERVICES LEAD
SOG SPECIALTY KNIVES & TOOLS
6521 212th ST SW • LYNNWOOD WA 98036
O: 888.405.6433 opt 2 / F: 425.771.7689
ONTARIO KNIVES RESPONSE -
In lieu of a e-mail, I had a telephone conversation with a representative at Ontario Knives and she said that this would not be an issue for them. Since many of their knives including the popular Rat 1 folders are also made over seas, they would be more than happy to just replace the knife since they do not stock replacement handle screws or other parts for their foreign-made knives.
I must also add, that recently I needed to send my knife back due to a separate issue with the liner lock on my Rat 1 and they were such a pleasure to deal with!
In conclusion, I made this thread to inform the public about companies like Spyderco, and to motivate consumers to be vocal about receiving poor treatment by a manufacturer. In today's economy, businesses need to stop and not forget that they got where they are because of us "the consumer" and when they stop caring about the satisfaction of their consumer, there are going to be consequences because consumers have the forum to vocalize their opinions and then in turn cast their vote with the all mighty dollar!
I hope this post opens some people's eyes and stirs up some talk or even action.
Thank you to all who took the time to read this!
Sincerely,
Dan
Last edited:
