Swift II issue

I

illinifan

Joined
Apr 6, 2002
Messages
29
It had been a while since I had bought myself a new knife, and I had been looking at the Swift on knifeworks.com for quite a while. Bought it...played with it...loved it. Hadn't cut anything with it, just flipping it open over and over. 3 days after I got it, the blade suddenly refused to stay closed. It wouldn't open all the way...just after I closed it, it would open back up about 1/2 an inch. Called knifeworks.com about the issue, (figured they would replace it) and they basically blew me off.

"Since you have used it, we can't do anything"...

"I haven't used it. It's sat in my pocket for three days. Nothing has touched the edge. "

"Ship it back in the original box, and we'll replace it"

"I threw the box away"

"Sorry, we can't help you. Call Cold Steel"

So, I mailed the knife off two weeks ago...waiting.
Also, knifeworks.com permanently lost a customer
 
Sounds like the assist/back-lock spring snapped. This is a known problem. Cold Steel's customer service is slow, but they will make it right. Calling them will get faster results. Make sure you tell them you want the latest version, so you don't get another defective spring.
 
illinifan said:
It had been a while since I had bought myself a new knife, and I had been looking at the Swift on knifeworks.com for quite a while. Bought it...played with it...loved it. Hadn't cut anything with it, just flipping it open over and over. 3 days after I got it, the blade suddenly refused to stay closed. It wouldn't open all the way...just after I closed it, it would open back up about 1/2 an inch. Called knifeworks.com about the issue, (figured they would replace it) and they basically blew me off.

"Since you have used it, we can't do anything"...

"I haven't used it. It's sat in my pocket for three days. Nothing has touched the edge. "

"Ship it back in the original box, and we'll replace it"

"I threw the box away"

"Sorry, we can't help you. Call Cold Steel"

So, I mailed the knife off two weeks ago...waiting.
Also, knifeworks.com permanently lost a customer
Click to expand...

While disappointing, I think its a bit silly to expect the retailer to replace the knife after its been used (I know you said you didn't cut anything with it, but its still considered used at this point) and the packaging is gone. Best bet is approach Cold Steel customer service and get the issue resolved. As hermit dave said, calling will be faster.
 
42pixels said:
While disappointing, I think its a bit silly to expect the retailer to replace the knife after its been used (I know you said you didn't cut anything with it, but its still considered used at this point) and the packaging is gone. Best bet is approach Cold Steel customer service and get the issue resolved. As hermit dave said, calling will be faster.
Click to expand...

Yep, that's the way things work. Knifeworks is one of the best.
 
get the frustration and disappointment, but cold steel will replace it. they are just slow.

i wouldnt blame the dealer.

btw springed knives dont do well open and closed repeatedly. the cold steel design is weak that why it broke...not so much what you were doing.......but in general.........even better designs wear out fast from repeatedly opening and clsoin0g. all springs wear out from cycling. its your knife so you can do what ya want but i wouldnt get in the habit of opening and closing for no reason other than to do it. its a very bad habit and springs will build heat and work harden and break much faster than they should.
 
jbmonkey said:
get the frustration and disappointment, but cold steel will replace it. they are just slow.

i wouldnt blame the dealer.

btw springed knives dont do well open and closed repeatedly. the cold steel design is weak that why it broke...not so much what you were doing.......but in general.........even better designs wear out fast from repeatedly opening and clsoin0g. all springs wear out from cycling. its your knife so you can do what ya want but i wouldnt get in the habit of opening and closing for no reason other than to do it. its a very bad habit and springs will build heat and work harden and break much faster than they should.
Click to expand...

i think that would be a terrible design. if they are the worlds toughest knives, should they not last longer than say, an endura? or a benchmade ? i have never had either of those springs fail but i did have a code 4 spring snap on me.
 
I don't think it's unreasonable for a retailer to stand by the products that they sell. It's fairly common for a retailer to refund or replace a product to satisfy a customer that was sold a defective product...but that wasn't even the whole reason. If your company says that customer service is their #1 goal, but they can't get you off the phone fast enough, I'm done.
 
illinifan said:
I don't think it's unreasonable for a retailer to stand by the products that they sell. It's fairly common for a retailer to refund or replace a product to satisfy a customer that was sold a defective product...but that wasn't even the whole reason. If your company says that customer service is their #1 goal, but they can't get you off the phone fast enough, I'm done.
Click to expand...

It wasn't defective out of the box, and the box was also thrown in the trash. At this point the manufacturer warranty takes over.
 
As I said earlier...then not wanting to deal with the knife was merely an irritation. The conversation that I had with the customer service rep was the problem. They were dismissive and it left a bad impression.
 
dauntless15 said:
i think that would be a terrible design. if they are the worlds toughest knives, should they not last longer than say, an endura? or a benchmade ? i have never had either of those springs fail but i did have a code 4 spring snap on me.
Click to expand...

huh. you lost me on what you are saying? endura spring? you talking the back spring...different kind of spring. swift spring that breaks is the assisted opener spring design powering the blade open when pushed. lock backspring on an endura just holds the lock bar in place. not sure which benchmade lock design you mean...axis...the omega springs? those have broken many times by constant repetitive flippers.

what broke on the code 4...the back lock spring bar? I've never had one break on me but i have some 1980 era buck 560s that are worn out and no longer hold the blade open or keep it closed but they arent broken.

op sorry ya feel that way, so be it. did ya speak with roger the owner or just one of his employees? sometimes employees think they are doing the job right and aren't. people do make bad calls and mistakes etc. id at least give the owner a chance to keep your business. be calm and nice of course no one wants to be yelled at or threatened. if he doesnt than you havent lost anything more than you already have. your call though
 
Honestly, I doubt they will miss my business...I might pick up a new knife once a year. My confrontation style is pretty laid back...think Bob Ross with no hair. I mean, really, I knew I was going to have to mail the knife to someone, just thought I'd start at the bottom of the ladder. It was just disappointing that "There's nothing we can do" seemed to be the phrase of the day.
 
illinifan said:
Honestly, I doubt they will miss my business...I might pick up a new knife once a year. My confrontation style is pretty laid back...think Bob Ross with no hair. I mean, really, I knew I was going to have to mail the knife to someone, just thought I'd start at the bottom of the ladder. It was just disappointing that "There's nothing we can do" seemed to be the phrase of the day.
Click to expand...

maybe so. customer is a customer though and every sale matters. if the owner said that, its one thing but an employee saying that is another. i get youve made up your mind though.
 
I imagine my "outrage" will dissipate after a while. Really, venting about KW was more of an aside. I was more interested if anyone had dealt with a similar issue. When I was sure I was sending it back to CS I went ahead and took it apart. The spring was still intact. No breakage or cracks or anything. I did notice that the small stud on the blade (the assist spring pushes against it) looked like it had a chunk missing. I'm guessing that was the issue.
 
illinifan said:
Honestly, I doubt they will miss my business...I might pick up a new knife once a year. My confrontation style is pretty laid back...think Bob Ross with no hair. I mean, really, I knew I was going to have to mail the knife to someone, just thought I'd start at the bottom of the ladder. It was just disappointing that "There's nothing we can do" seemed to be the phrase of the day.
Click to expand...

I think it's border line ignorant to blame knifeworks as they are ACES in 99.99% who deal with thems books. That being said, once a knife has slid into your pocket or been used in any way.... customer service of THAT company is where you go. Future reference for your one knife a year
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top