WE Knife Company Model 617F: The unboxing and initial impression (highly critical)

Hackenslash said:
I picked up a 617A when they first released which ended up being given as a gift. My model had no issues. I put the budget WEs in the same category as the budget Maxace knives (Red Queen, Wind and Balance), the Stedemon ZKC series and the Kizer Vanguards. Personally, I think $120 is a little overpriced for the 617 and I actually paid under $100 for mine. The WEs that I continue to have are the 601, 603, 605, 606, 615 and 616. They're some of the finest knives I own in the ~$200 price range.

OP, if you feel snakebit by the WE 617, you might consider the Stedemon ZKC. It's not as polished as the WE, but you can buy 2 of the ZKC's for what you paid for the 617 at full retail.
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That's cool actually, I'm glad you are really happy with their stuff. I also appreciate you having a level headed conversation about points he, you and I all brought up and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to exclude you from the "cultists" :P

Few things to keep in mind here though.

1. I was actually the one who said it was a crap knife, he didn't actually say that.

2. He has stated these were his first impressions of the knife and not his final review. Will his opinion change about the knife over time? I dunno. Heck he may not even know. He might like it more, it might like it less, we'll have to wait and see. I personally think it's kind of an interesting take to doing a review as opposed to the old and faithful, "Hey guys so and so here, this is my new XXX, let me tell you everything about this knife and how much in the 6 hours I've had it I learned I love it or hate it".

3. I believe the knife is going to be part of his cancer charity auction prizes. As such I can see him being extremely critical about every single detail on the knife. If I were doing something similar, I know every product I put out as a prize, I would want to be as perfect as possible.

So all that said, I'll just leave this here and RLDubbya this is your call to make. If by the time you are done evaluating this knife over the coarse of however long you decide, if you decide you think the quality should be better, I will purchase a 617 (can not guarantee exactly which model due to stock limitations), ensure it is up to standards, then swap with you for the auction.

If you prefer to keep that knife and just feel it should be cleaned up, I'd be willing to sharpen it on my wicked edge and attempt to fix the blade centering issue, paying for shipping both ways. Keep in mind I'm not a professional sharpener like T.L.E or one of these other guys, but I can put a decent presentation edge on a knife with the WE and if you got it back and weren't happy, I'd then exchange the knife and order you a different one. If one of the pro guys wants to step up and offer to do it for you since it is a knife for charity, I'd gladly pay shipping both ways for that as well.
 
mjpgolf1 said:
The fanboys are really out in this one.
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I don't own any WE knives (and I probably won't ever buy one), so I cannot be accused of being a "fanboy," but I think the reaction to OP is more due to the fact that he comes off as a quibbling rambler. He makes a big deal over the fact that the blade was supposed to be "two-tone" and it wasn't (because he bought the wrong model), that he is upset that the specific steel type used for the liners isn't advertised (pretty much nobody advertises that), that the knife had oil on it (it's a non-stainless blade and it came all the way from China)....all of these silly criticisms make it less likely that he's going to get sympathy for his claims that the edge is bad or that the blade is off center. That, plus he won't even take picture to show it.

Not that I think he's lying or anything, it's just that there are many people out there who have a tendency to dramatically overstate even the most minor problems. We've seen it many a time on this forum.
 
brancron said:
I don't own any WE knives (and I probably won't ever buy one), so I cannot be accused of being a "fanboy," but I think the reaction to OP is more due to the fact that he comes off as a quibbling rambler. He makes a big deal over the fact that the blade was supposed to be "two-tone" and it wasn't (because he bought the wrong model), that he is upset that the specific steel type used for the liners isn't advertised (pretty much nobody advertises that), that the knife had oil on it (it's a non-stainless blade and it came all the way from China)....all of these silly criticisms make it less likely that he's going to get sympathy for his claims that the edge is bad or that the blade is off center. That, plus he won't even take picture to show it.

Not that I think he's lying or anything, it's just that there are many people out there who have a tendency to dramatically overstate even the most minor problems. We've seen it many a time on this forum.
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I think that's an excellent synopsis.

I own one WE knife. It's an expensive knife (618), and is of phenomenal quality. Honestly, it has made me revisit cost/value on how knives are priced, regardless of where they are made, and accept the fact that knives from China can be as well built as those built anywhere in the world.
 
Sounds to me like the op spent $120 expecting $300+ in quality, refinement and features. In that case i cant fault the knife.
 
Amoo said:
That's cool actually, I'm glad you are really happy with their stuff. I also appreciate you having a level headed conversation about points he, you and I all brought up and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to exclude you from the "cultists" :P

Few things to keep in mind here though.

1. I was actually the one who said it was a crap knife, he didn't actually say that.

2. He has stated these were his first impressions of the knife and not his final review. Will his opinion change about the knife over time? I dunno. Heck he may not even know. He might like it more, it might like it less, we'll have to wait and see. I personally think it's kind of an interesting take to doing a review as opposed to the old and faithful, "Hey guys so and so here, this is my new XXX, let me tell you everything about this knife and how much in the 6 hours I've had it I learned I love it or hate it".

3. I believe the knife is going to be part of his cancer charity auction prizes. As such I can see him being extremely critical about every single detail on the knife. If I were doing something similar, I know every product I put out as a prize, I would want to be as perfect as possible.

So all that said, I'll just leave this here and RLDubbya this is your call to make. If by the time you are done evaluating this knife over the coarse of however long you decide, if you decide you think the quality should be better, I will purchase a 617 (can not guarantee exactly which model due to stock limitations), ensure it is up to standards, then swap with you for the auction.

If you prefer to keep that knife and just feel it should be cleaned up, I'd be willing to sharpen it on my wicked edge and attempt to fix the blade centering issue, paying for shipping both ways. Keep in mind I'm not a professional sharpener like T.L.E or one of these other guys, but I can put a decent presentation edge on a knife with the WE and if you got it back and weren't happy, I'd then exchange the knife and order you a different one. If one of the pro guys wants to step up and offer to do it for you since it is a knife for charity, I'd gladly pay shipping both ways for that as well.
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That's cool of you to offer.

OP, thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I would like to confirm and clarify...I AM a cultist...for all knives!
 
I like the cut of OP's jib. He was clear from the get-go that he was posting immediate first impressions. They are what they are. The self-deprecating (sarcastic) reactions in his follow-up posts were good stuff. Some of you take these things waaay too seriously. Lighten up, Francis.
 
If you're looking for a flipper on bearings, the 617 is one of the best values I've seen in quite some time. Milled clip and backspacer, ceramic bearings and detent ball, contoured g10, solid lockup, and a decent working steel. For around the $100 mark, I highly recommend it.
 
I appreciated the perspective of this "review" and notes. The comments were about observations made from the OP's frame of reference (knowledge of the knife and/or materials, willingness or unwillingness to disassemble the knife, expectations, etc.)

Most of the "arguments" are based on the frame of reference (understanding of the dealer/manufacturer dynamic and labeling regarding the blade finish, that sort of thing.)

Unfortunately, it is pretty easy for any one of us to say something along the lines of, "Your frame of reference is wrong (i.e. it's incongruent with mine) and therefore is dumb or your observations are invalid." Or it's too easy for someone to react to people attempting to critique and/or provide additional context to our own frame of reference as an admonishment like that presented in the previous sentence.

An interesting dynamic to observe with an attempt at objectivity.

That said: I hope the OP gets any issues that he has resolved, either from support by the vendor/manufacturer or through additional information. I have handled a couple of 617s and thought they were fantastic.
 
OP, did you ever have a chance to coalesce your thoughts on the WE 617 knife? I'm curious to hear if your opinion has changed with time.

Also, were you able to get a picture of the bad blade grind? Did you ever confront your vendor about incorrectly listing the knife?

Are you still looking for a knife for your raffle? I'm eager to hear how this has resolved for you.
 
It's mid 2019 (about to head off to Atlanta for Blade), and I recently purchased this knife new on eBay for $50. I stumbled on this thread and had a blast reading it 2-1/2 years later. By the way, my liners are heavily milled. Perhaps, the OP's criticism helped bring on this change?? I own over 75 We knives...not one ever came with the blade NOT dead-center. Here and now, I personally considering the We Knife Company second to only Reate in the Chinese production knife industry.
 
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