Unfit and Not Finished

KarlMaldensNose

KarlMaldensNose

Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
1,342
I know the rules of the game with folders, outdoor and utility knives, "tactical" knives, etc. I have a sense of what is generally acceptable within various prices ranges, within various categories of knives, and even within various companies. But I'm cluess when it comes to kitchen knives. I have never owned a kitchen knife with poor fit and finish, nor have I read about others with kitchen knives that have poor fit and finish. But now I face that problem and don't know what to do. Here's what's going on.

I ordered a 180mm Sakai Takayuki 17-layer Damascus Chef's Knife as a gift for my father. Price $112.95 CAD plus tax and shipping... I'm sharing that becuase I don't know if it's relevant or not:confused:. It arrived by mail today. Blade looks great, but as soon as I gripped the handle, something was up. It did not feel smooth and flush. It is a full, exposed tang, but the problem is that it protrudes at almost every point where it is bonded to the wood handles. So much so that my nail can catch it if I pull it perpendicularly across the handle/tang. The right bolster is obviously smaller than the left side bolster.... it does not extend as far up the blade as the left side bolster. And the seam where tang and bolster meet on that side is not tight and almost invisible as it nearly is on the other side. There are grind/scuff marks on part of the bolster. And there is a grind mark or grind error on part of the exposed tang at the butt of the handle.

I know pics would help and I'll try to get some tomorrow. But as far as kitchen knives of that variety and price range go (I realize it is relatively inexpensive), are these sorts of imperfections common? Based on the distributor's policy, I know I can return it... I just don't know if I should... if these "problems" are within reasonable tolerances as far these knives go. To complicate matters, I just last week returned the same knife but of a larger size to the distributor because I thought it would be too long for my father. I paid for the shipping and received no "favours" from them (it is actually a one-man operation), but I nevertheless am feeling hesitant about this additional return/exchange. I guess I'd just like to hear some other opinions. Thanks.
 
I would return it.
I didn't once with a €60 folder (my most expensive!) which I did not really like and it irks me to this day.
Then use the money to go look around for something different (the most fun part in this hobby imo) and buy that instead.
 
The best kitchen knives are the Japanese stainless with added Vanadium and Molybdenum. The Germans are catching up and adding V and Mo as well as W (Tungsten) to their high end knives. The carbides formed by these metals greatly increase the wear resistance of these stainless steel blades. The Boker Cera Titan blades have great wear resistance but are now out of production. Non stainless blades are not permitted for comercial use (like wooden cutting boards) in my state. If I run into a pokey handle, I grind it to suit my requirements. I use ceramic knives for certain procedures but mostly as a finishing steel. They are as hard as a rock and as smooth as glass.
 
That the fit and finish are poor enough to get you to post here should be all you need to return it. You are not happy with Fit and Finish and will likely never be. Return it, if the next is not good enough move on. At least with the first knife it seems that they can have acceptable F/F so this one should as well.
 
I don't think the standards for fit & finish on any blade, be it a folder, tactical knife or even the lowly kitchen knife, should be different according to knife type. What should vary is project and materials, but never fit & finish.
 
if one is just jumping into kitchen cut. i suggest the victornix made in switchzerland. you get great value for the money.
 
Karlmaldensnose...
You say the tang is "proud" at on the wood handle ?
Sounds to me,I think,clearly,this is a case of the natural scales have shrunk,after it was assembled & finished.
At the price you paid,I'd think it could be returned & money refunded
I do not get new kitchen knives,production or custom,with natural scaled handles They just would not hold up for the use I'll give them.
-Vince
 
Karl, you say you returned a larger model for the one you have now. How was the finish on the one you returned? If the same or close you might want to consider getting your money back or at least switching to another brand.:)
 
I agree with everyone else who has posted, It sounds like the knife is substandard in quality.

Where you bought it (cross border?), and the cost of returning it, will of course factor into your decision whether or not to return it. But I think if I was in your position I would be returning it.

I most certainly would not gift it.

We talked earlier about some of the kitchen knives I own. For comparison, my "Hiro" by Shiki knives were in about the same price range $100 - $130 ea. when I purchased them, and as you said that is not overly expensive, but certainly not cheap either. The fit and finish, as well as the performance of these knives is flawless.

I'm not saying these knives are the end all, be all. Only that for that kind of coin, you should expect a top quality kitchen knife.

I hope your next kitchen knife purchase is considerably more satisfying.

Kevin
 
I got my sister a Hattori HD, 210mm gyuto in Damascus with VG-10 core, the fit and finish on that
knife was impeccable and it has been a great knife for her, especially at US$150 shipped. :):thumbup:
 
These are the kitchen knives I want:

PC310263.jpg


I think that the knife for your father is not up to standard and need to be returned.
 
I emailed the retailer with my concerns. He sent this email back:

"Imperfections in the handle are common in the 17-layer models... it's the price. Even mass-made Wusthof and Henckels knives (with no damascus, no VG10 cutting core, made in Europe vs. Japan) are more expensive than these. Sometimes you're lucky and you get one that is great (as with the one you returned), but imperfections are more the norm than the exception. If you don't think you can live with it you can return it for a refund... the other one I have in stock is the same."

Despite being offering a refund, I wasn't too pleased. But this email from him followed shortly:

I forwarded your email (and photos of the handle of the one I had in stock) to the manufacturer in Japan and after much back-and-forth they won't acknowledge that it's a problem or outside expectations for these knives and all I could get them to agree to do was to do spot inspections on the knives they do send me and try to reject batches are worse than average. Sorry... I would have wanted more too, but like I said, I'm guessing it's just a case of the price range keeping them from putting too much into handle finishing. Anyway, like I said, I'd be happy to refund you if you don't want to keep it... just let me know.

That diluted the bitter taste in my mouth somewhat. Although I did get this from a Canadian distributor and shipping it back (again) wouldn't be a biggie, I have decided to just keep it for myself instead of gift it to my dad. When you get down to it, I'm not a picky guy, and the botches and blems I described don't really bother me... plus I happen to think the blade is beautiful and crazy thin and sharp. I was only concerned about presenting it as a gift.

Instead, for my dad's gift, I will hopefully find a unique custom kitchen knife at the Canadian Knifemakers' Guild Show next week. I'm quite certain there I will find knifemakers who take pride in their work and wouldn't attempt to shovel sh!t down consumers throats just because a certain knife happens to cost $112 and not $212. And the knives I might find there are more likely to be a bit more robust, which is probably a good thing for an old man who has likely never thought of a knife as anything more than a tool to cut his exquisite and lovingly prepared cuisine. Afterall, he is a foodie, not a knifenut... not yet at least.;)
 
KarlMaldensNose said:
Instead, for my dad's gift, I will hopefully find a unique custom kitchen knife at the Canadian Knifemakers' Guild Show next week. I'm quite certain there I will find knifemakers who take pride in their work and wouldn't attempt to shovel sh!t down consumers throats just because a certain knife happens to cost $112 and not $212. And the knives I might find there are more likely to be a bit more robust, which is probably a good thing for an old man who has likely never thought of a knife as anything more than a tool to cut his exquisite and lovingly prepared cuisine. Afterall, he is a foodie, not a knifenut... not yet at least.;)
Click to expand...

I think you are on the right track. Not sure what customs will cost, but I know you can get top notch production kitchen knives with VG10 core laminated in damascus and very nicely refined handles for around $100+ a pop, because I have 5 or 6 of them in my knife block. I think your expectations are reasonable.

I envy you being able to attend the show, enjoy yourself, and hopefully you will find what you are looking for.

Kevin
 
I can buy a $12.00 or less kitchen knife that has a nicely fitted handle.It doesnt make sense they would blame price point for that to me.There are dozens of guys here that would smooth out that handle for you for little to nothing,myself included.
 
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