That one bad experience that totally ruined the brand for you.

Kettleman said:
Emerson.

Never owned another.
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Ha! Same story here, except my Emerson labeled Benchmade was a different model. I waited over a year for Emerson to make the knife I wanted. I sent it back to the factory, and whatever they did, the lock stick was as bad as ever. I actually had to start carrying another tool so I could close the knife when it got stuck. I ended up selling it at a substantial loss, and I'm still bitter about it.
 
Benchmade Volli. I was a major Benchmade fan, having nearly a dozen models at one time, but this one did me in. They had just switched their primary steel from 154CM (which I like very much) to S30V. The knife itself was great: slim but comfortable handle, thin, slicey blade with a handsome profile. But the steel just could not keep an edge. I'd sharpen it at night, use it to cut some fruit the next morning, and by mid-afternoon I'd have trouble getting it through a plastic bag. I'd gotten used to successfully sharpening S30V from Spyderco, so I'm reasonably certain it wasn't entirely my fault.

Granted, it could have just been a burnt edge and maybe I could have worked through it. I also should have tried calling their customer service line to see what could be done. But I just got a bad taste for BM at that point and sold off all but a few sentimental pieces. I later learned they intentionally ran their 3V at lower hardness for the Bailout, at least initially, to avoid complaints from snapped tips. So, perhaps I was just caught in the beginning stages of that trend. I probably ought to give them another try sometime soon.
 
Gerber. Had the para frame and the mini version of it, think it was a set, some 12 or 15 years back. I recall getting a blister trying to use the thing and the steel must have been made from some sort of cheese. A soft cheese like a nice Brie or feta.
 
CRKT - failed lock, 3 stitches. That was long before I spent real money on knives. Also before they came out with the LAWKS mechanism, although I'd never trust a lock that requires another lock to supposedly be safe from a company who's lock failed one me before.

Microtech - Great knives, terrible owner. Sold all of the ones I had except one that has sentimental value and, unfortunately, Tony's signature etched on it.
 
Case, for me. I will still buy 2nd hand but won't buy from them.

Sent a nice version in for warranty that was a special gift from my wife for my 1st father's day. the lockup was bad and there was significant blade play, one of the early kickstart models. It returned to me in the exact same condition, significant blade play and would bounce off the stop and fail to lock. I just lost complete faith in their product and warranty service.

I keep it because it still holds sentimental value and carry it for family gatherings, but that also serves as a reminder of the bad experience from them.
 
ROCKSTEAD :(

I had a Rockstead CHI-DLC YXR7 DLC Black Polished Tanto Blade - that I needed to send back to Rockstead because the detent was all gone. Blade would just fall open in my pocket. Was so loose as to be dangerous. :eek:

I sent my 3 month old knife back to Rockstead requesting that the detente be tightened, They - at Rockstead - decided to sharpen it for me too - though I had not requested that service. They said the blade was "damaged". I think that was a rough translation for dull, i.e. less than factory specs. It was barely 3 months old and only used as my dress knife. I had no idea that it was "damaged", let alone dull but I guess their microscope revealed a less than perfect edge.

When the knife was returned to me, the transition from the primary edge to the tanto tip was so uneven and unsightly (and scratched) I had no choice but to complain mightily. At least a dozen emails with photos ensued. I asked at the very least, that they accept my knife for a return so that a new blade could be installed. They would not hear of it. No amount of protest could persuade them. I ended up selling my nearly new CHI at a huge loss.

That was the beginning and end of my rocky Rockstead relationship.
 
Man, I really need to dig through some old threads and research the meat and potatoes behind some of the strong opinions of these owners. Might save me a fortune if I find a reason to stop drooling over some of these unicorns. lol

I'm new to collecting but not using/ carrying. I have a few from most of the brands named here. No bad experiences outside of the fact that they all seem to be haphazard about the factory edges. Which seems like an important factor for the end user feeling good about the purchase. Especially considering it's a value detractor to change the factory edge in the second hand market.

Feels like that would be an easy opportunity for a manufacturer to really put their best foot forward and get people out there talking up the products.
 
Grasshopperglock said:
Fast forward for some time. I begin seeing more marketing for Spyderco. With other people praising the brand. So I gave Spyderco a second chance. Now, I have nice Spyderco knives, and complete trash of Spyderco knives.

I guess I rolled the dice wrong(?)
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Spyderco is hit or miss. I have sworn off Spyderco several times. For example, four of them had the pivot screw cranked down so hard it took two hands to open them. I sent one back. On two of them, it was easy enough to loosen the pivot screw. But then there was the Yojimbo where the pivot screw was thread locked. That put me off of Spyderco for about six months. But maybe then there is some special steel I want to try, or I need another fully serrated blade, and Spyderco is the only option. Now I've got 20 or so Spydercos and half of them are excellent knives.
 
Kmikaz3 said:
Jake hoback…. Passive aggressive response over concerns and calling his customer dumb brought him and the whole brand down the drain, plus, he is a prick. I was a huge fan but not so much after that sour experience. Also, not fan of made in china stuff so there’s that after the cat is out of the bag.
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I hate to pile on the negative here, but I feel similarly. I was already not a fan of one of his designs where the blade was far too close to the spine when closed and posed a real physical hazard when sliding hands in and out of pocket. I actually posted that knife for sale (along with my clear safety warnings) and got back maybe 60% of what I had into it, maybe a week before the whole Chinese outsourcing scandal broke, so I consider myself lucky to have gotten back that much for it! There's not many big name brands I have sworn off, but that is one, and I see a couple other biggies also on my list named above for various reasons pertaining to integrity :cool:
 
In an attempt to balance out the negative (sorry if I'm going against the grain of the thread!), I did want to give a counter to one of the posts I see above. I'm far from a Case fanboy, but I do love the older models from back when QC was quite a bit better. I also collect the newer Case-Bose models. A few of those came from the factory in less-than-perfect shape in terms of fit and finish. I've had three that I sent back to the factory, and all three of those were returned to me fixed right up and perfect. So while I think their QC is certainly hit or miss (which I find pretty problematic for anything as pricey as those Case-Bose models), I personally found their CS after the fact to be top notch. I guess individual experiences may vary!
 
palonej said:
Kershaw Launch when they first came out.
Bough a 1 & 3. Both bounced back and didn’t lock up.
No more Kershaws.
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Same thing happened to me. Bought two for Christmas when they first came out and haven't bought one since. I haven't written off their entire line, but the autos for sure.
 
I have been fortunate to not have too many negative experiences. By and large, it is because of the excellent resource that BF is in keeping me relatively well informed. That said, aside from the obvious ones that have been mentioned that I avoid out of principle, I've only had one maker that soured the whole transaction and I'll likely avoid him in the future. An Instagram maker who pushed hard for a problematic method of payment after already agreeing to more standard forms that I am more comfortable with. I moved the knife along shortly after.
 
Great stories here. Fun thread. It is interesting how customer service can vary so much.

I’ve been a metal fabricator for twenty years. My coworkers and I mostly carried American-made stainless Kershaw Leeks in the shop. I used to disassemble, clean, and run my scales through the bead blaster about once a year. Most of my coworkers just sent theirs back to Kershaw. Kershaw would really go above and beyond, replacing all the hardware and belt clips, bead-blasting the scales and sharpening, all for free. My coworkers only had to pay shipping one-way.

Around that same time a buddy of mine ran a much more expensive American-made factory folder from a different company through the wash. I volunteered to send it in for him, expecting at least the same level of care for what was essentially a $250 knife. It came back ugly, gritty, and barely functional. I don’t want to out them here because they’re extremely popular and that was just a sample of one, but I thought it was incredibly disappointing.

I carry Mike Latham’s Lionsteel collaborations now, and I’m always just blown away by his customer service and value-for-money. It’s hard for me to contemplate spending more on anything else.
 
Bark River. I had a Mini-Canadian, which, at that time, was touted by Mike Stewart as an outstanding whittling knife. The first time I tried to whittle with it, the entire edge crumpled like aluminum foil. I sent it back under warranty...they reground the edge, but at the same time, buffed off a scrimshaw on the handle. I sent it back again. After over a month of no response, I asked about it. Mike answered like a petulant child, essentially blaming me for the whole affair. He told me that I would have to contact the scrimshand, to whom Mike had sent the knife. The scrimshand told me that he had received the knife with no instructions, and assumed it was sent as a partial payment for what Mike owed him but had never paid, and also warned me that Mike was not to be trusted. I went back to Mike, and again he acted like a petulant child. At about the same time I received information from a former forumite (I think his forum handle was Snarl Slayer or something like that, his first name is Steve) who had placed and paid for a custom order of over 100 Kepharts. Mike made the knives, but then decided he didn't want that person to sell his knives, preferring another vendor. Steve asked for his money back, and Mike told him that he would have to wait until he sold the knives to someone else. I saw the original order and invoice, so there is no question about the truth of this matter.

Those and other dishonorable actions by Mike Stewart over the years have completely soured my feelings toward Bark River. Never again.
 
Folks, please keep politics out of this discussion. I've moved a couple of posts offline as this is not the place....(which is available elsewhere on the site should you wish to go down that road).
 
NWFRS said:
Great stories here. Fun thread. It is interesting how customer service can vary so much.

I’ve been a metal fabricator for twenty years. My coworkers and I mostly carried American-made stainless Kershaw Leeks in the shop. I used to disassemble, clean, and run my scales through the bead blaster about once a year. Most of my coworkers just sent theirs back to Kershaw. Kershaw would really go above and beyond, replacing all the hardware and belt clips, bead-blasting the scales and sharpening, all for free. My coworkers only had to pay shipping one-way.

Around that same time a buddy of mine ran a much more expensive American-made factory folder from a different company through the wash. I volunteered to send it in for him, expecting at least the same level of care for what was essentially a $250 knife. It came back ugly, gritty, and barely functional. I don’t want to out them here because they’re extremely popular and that was just a sample of one, but I thought it was incredibly disappointing.

I carry Mike Latham’s Lionsteel collaborations now, and I’m always just blown away by his customer service and value-for-money. It’s hard for me to contemplate spending more on anything else.
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I am a big fan of Kershaw's customer service - they have always taken excellent care of me. Also, Mike Latham is a gem - I miss seeing him on the forums.
 
Docscoot said:
I hate to pile on the negative here, but I feel similarly. I was already not a fan of one of his designs where the blade was far too close to the spine when closed and posed a real physical hazard when sliding hands in and out of pocket. I actually posted that knife for sale (along with my clear safety warnings) and got back maybe 60% of what I had into it, maybe a week before the whole Chinese outsourcing scandal broke, so I consider myself lucky to have gotten back that much for it! There's not many big name brands I have sworn off, but that is one, and I see a couple other biggies also on my list named above for various reasons pertaining to integrity :cool:
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I lost nearly 2k selling 3 knives of his… this was before the COO debacle. His knives were already depreciated before all that… and given how he runs things and with his almighty attitude, it will just go further downhill. But hey at least i got rid of these eyesores!
 
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