What are you willing to put up with?

I put up with a whole lot less these days than I did 30 years ago when I was in my 40s.
Including just about everyone - I mean everything..
 
The higher the price, the pickier I get. I can be both very forgiving of a $30 knife and very impressed by quality when it happens there. In a $300 knife, I expect a whole lot more.

It can be a bad grind or smiling up at the plunge. It can be blade play. A big one is when blades, especially at the heel, get way up close to the edge of the scales when the knife is closed such that sliding finger over that space can bite. I feel like I shouldn't have to think about what happens if my pinky slides along the scales while reaching around a knife clipped into my pocket, or if I pick a closed knife up off the table a little wrong and it slips a tiny bit in my grip. That sucks and it sucks double time on something like a Shirogorov that costs more than $500.

Other things that irk me in 2022 include permanent thread-locker, weak T6 hardware, and proud clip screws that stick way up into a deep-carry loop-over. All of these things have quick and easy solutions. When a $30 knife can avoid such issues, I don't want to see them on a $300 knife.
 
I have only returned one knife, and expensive custom that arrived not real sharp. I did the best I could with it, but ended up sending it back to the maker to be sharpened.
For the most part I am much more fussy with the few knives that I have made. If I see a custom for sale but I can notice the same mistakes I make a knife, like large gaps and uneven grinds, I will not buy it. For a factory knife like a Buck or Case I am more forgiving.
 
I can definitely agree, the costlier the knife the better condition it should arrive in, however it's the materials that make it that pricey to begin with and it doesn't always transfer over to better QC. Example would be an ironwood with timascus inlay scales, titanium hardware and some Damascus steel, from a good maker, well over 600+, should arrive in perfect condition right? Unfortunately you're paying for the materials and the makers name, and cost of labor. May not always have the best QC, depends mostly
 
This is interesting. I think it's a matter of expectations vs reality.
I just purchased an Alox SAK. I didn't expect the spearpoint blade to be sharp when it arrived, so I wasn't disappointed. I purchased a Boker Solingen congress and the rosewood scales were rather drab. I was disappointed, but this was when Boker was cutting back on Solingen multiblade knives, so I kept it.

If I am spending extra $ on a knife because I expect "fit and finish" and I don't get it, I would return it. I purchased a Lionsteel jack and the reviews all said the scales have a gap (its part of the design). I went in knowing what to expect. I would love a smooth junction between the scale and the bolster, but when I ordered it, I new what to expect.
 
No tool made by the hand of man is perfect.

I've been pretty lucky over the years, having never met a knife I felt needed returning. I have moved some along to other people, though. There were a couple CRKTs that seemed like they skipped the "heat" part of "heat treat", and a Cold Steel Mini-Recon with the same problem. The CS went to another fella who wouldn't know the difference, and the CRKTs got traded.
 
I suppose it comes down to advertising, if companies use the knives they send out in the advertisement people would probably not buy them. I think most people believe they will get the one that is advertised , when is the last time anyone got a hamburger that looks like the one on TV
 
pholder said:
I suppose it comes down to advertising, if companies use the knives they send out in the advertisement people would probably not buy them. I think most people believe they will get the one that is advertised , when is the last time anyone got a hamburger that looks like the one on TV
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I don't know where you're going out to eat but my burgers are always like the ones on the commercials ;)
It comes down to QC and whether the knife was hand made or machine made. That's why I love Medfords QC process, way too pricey for me, but each knife is inspected by 3 different people before being shipped out
 
Depends on the knife, where I bought it, and how much I paid. I’ve only sent one back that I can remember, for a big discoloration spot on a $200 limited edition knife. I’m mostly a collector, but I have a solid rotation of ZTs and some other brands that I use. If it’s gonna be a user I will put up with a lot more than if it’s going to be a safe queen.
The most important thing to me is the grind. Just about all production knives have good lockup, action etc, but some brands are very inconsistent with the final bevel. Ironically enough, it is the safe queens, - that I’ll probably never use - are the ones I want to be the most perfect.
 
tony281sc2 said:
Depends on the knife, where I bought it, and how much I paid. I’ve only sent one back that I can remember, for a big discoloration spot on a $200 limited edition knife. I’m mostly a collector, but I have a solid rotation of ZTs and some other brands that I use. If it’s gonna be a user I will put up with a lot more than if it’s going to be a safe queen.
The most important thing to me is the grind. Just about all production knives have good lockup, action etc, but some brands are very inconsistent with the final bevel. Ironically enough, it is the safe queens, - that I’ll probably never use - are the ones I want to be the most perfect.
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Collectors pieces are show ponies, you don't ride them, you show them off, so they need to be beautiful, I agree
 
I'm okay with minor cosmetic imperfections on lower cost mass-produced factory knives of a hundred or two hundred dollars. For example, if a blade coating isn't completely spot on, the centering is a tiny bit off, the grind isn't completely even, and so forth. On less expensive knives, I'm also okay if the pivot is a bit finicky. If we're talking about a knife that costs say four or five hundred dollars or more, I expect a much greater level of detail to the finish.

So I don't expect my Spyderco or Benchmade knives to have the fit and finish of a Chris Reeve Sebenza, and cosmetic imperfections that are acceptable for the former would be completely unacceptable with the latter. At the same time, I don't expect the cosmetic finish of a Seb to compare to a high-end custom knife.

Also, when I am at Sebenza pricing for a folder, I do kind of expect a design that allows the knife to be taken apart and reassembled many times and still operate correctly without any changes in performance whatsoever (e.g., the development of blade play or lock issues) and this is partly how I can justify something more expensive.
 
Despite my enjoyment of "tinkering" most of the time I think of it like buying a car. Would you buy a new car from the dealer with off center steering, tires that rubbed, or a radio that only played Culture Club? It should be as you wanted off the lot/out of the store. Maybe I'll put full synthetic in at the first oil change, make other mods down the road, but I want it as it SHOULD come from the factory.
 
pnsxyr said:
I'm okay with minor cosmetic imperfections on lower cost mass-produced factory knives of a hundred or two hundred dollars. For example, if a blade coating isn't completely spot on, the centering is a tiny bit off, the grind isn't completely even, and so forth. On less expensive knives, I'm also okay if the pivot is a bit finicky. If we're talking about a knife that costs say four or five hundred dollars or more, I expect a much greater level of detail to the finish.

So I don't expect my Spyderco or Benchmade knives to have the fit and finish of a Chris Reeve Sebenza, and cosmetic imperfections that are acceptable for the former would be completely unacceptable with the latter. At the same time, I don't expect the cosmetic finish of a Seb to compare to a high-end custom knife.

Also, when I am at Sebenza pricing for a folder, I do kind of expect a design that allows the knife to be taken apart and reassembled many times and still operate correctly without any changes in performance whatsoever (e.g., the development of blade play or lock issues) and this is partly how I can justify something more expensive.
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Yes indeed.
I got the privilege if checking out some old Colonial knives, 1700s to about 1830s give or take, some in good some in poor condition, some profiles were kinda bent, some had pitting in some areas. All had a mixture of surface rust and Patina, lots of them had kephart and nessmuk shapes, some simple drop points, some looked like nessmuk skinners, there were no dagger shapes, nothing vile or evil looking, just simple but capable shapes
the fellow said all things considered. These are still in good condition considering and lots of times were heavily and used daily even in comparable conditions back then.
Point I'm making is
While I'd never use them it definitely humbled me and helped me to overcome some incessant nitpicking I've picked up over the years.
 
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Often, when someone has taken apart some Spyderco and is like "Well, I have noticed this scratch in the side of the lock face, is this typical of Spyderco" bla bla, Sal replies with "How's it cut though?".
 
Hashishiin said:
Often, when someone has taken apart some Spyderco and is like "Well, I have noticed this scratch in the side of the lock face, is this typical of Spyderco" bla bla, Sal replies with "How's it cut though?".
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A knife will continue to cut until it breaks in two, then maybe pick up the bigger of the two pieces and shove it some wood and get to working 💪
 
ShaiHulud said:
A knife will continue to cut until it breaks in two, then maybe pick up the bigger of the two pieces and shove it some wood and get to working 💪
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Truly a man of minimalism! Haha

But the idea being, at least with Seki, Japan knives, these are tools built to function and do their job, even the USA models, and taking 'em apart and inspecting it on the level of a high end or custom is silliness. About all I like is a good even cutting edge, I want to be able to use a knife right out of the box. This is why I don't do Case knives. I HATE buying China, but Rough Ryder does perfectly for $17 that Case can't for near $70. I shoulda went with the Buck 301? but I didn't know about it at the time, and Case's rep + the beautifully colored handle lured me in.
 
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