As a retired quality control inspector, I wouldn't hesitate getting a "Blem", especially in a knife. A manufacturer with a lot of "blems" tells me their QC is doing their jobs, and the manufacturer's standards trump delivery schedules. Nothing is perfect, and a good QC guy can reject an entire production run, if he's in a foul mood. A serious defect won't progress further than the scrap box, the minor stuff shouldn't matter in the end game.
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What's the deal with BLEMS? Why buy one?
- Thread starter GatorFlash1
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The very word "blem" connotes a cosmetic flaw rather than a mechanical or structural flaw.
I've bought several Kershaw blems from Kershaw Guy and always had great luck with them. To me, it's a great way to play with Frankenblades and practice sharpening and stropping. I collect Skylines, so rather than carrying a collection piece when I feel like carrying a Skyline...I can carry something fun and cheap. Grab a Skyline Damacus blem, slap the CF scales from one of the Blade HQ blems, drop out the FRN back piece and replace it with some anodized titanium back spacers...and there you go...a custom knife, unlike anyone's that you don't have full value invested in.
Blems have also helped me identify knives that I really didn't care for and I was out, wiser and richer.
I've bought several Kershaw blems from Kershaw Guy and always had great luck with them. To me, it's a great way to play with Frankenblades and practice sharpening and stropping. I collect Skylines, so rather than carrying a collection piece when I feel like carrying a Skyline...I can carry something fun and cheap. Grab a Skyline Damacus blem, slap the CF scales from one of the Blade HQ blems, drop out the FRN back piece and replace it with some anodized titanium back spacers...and there you go...a custom knife, unlike anyone's that you don't have full value invested in.
Blems have also helped me identify knives that I really didn't care for and I was out, wiser and richer.
I've gotten a number of Kershaw and ZT blems, some from Kershawguy and a whole bunch more at the KAI factory sale. If I get a $200 knife for $75 (0200) or a $130 knife for $29 (1660CBBW), or a $90 one for $24 (1085BW) I'm perfectly willing to forgo the warranty.
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Yeah, I see your point. The economics seem to work on cheap knives.l
@bolded part:
Not true....at least, according to Lynn Thompson anyway.....
back on topic.....
I think it's safe to say that if - IF - a company gives a limited or even full warranty on a blem, then good on them. If not, good on them anyway because they are intensely watching their QC and offering "screw-ups" at a lesser cost. If a company is calling something a "Blem"....which is short for "Blemish" then this being a no-brainer:
blem·ish ˈ(blem-iSH)
noun
1. a small mark or flaw that spoils the appearance of something.
....means there should be nothing mechanically or operationally wrong with that item unless otherwise specified.
However, we all know of at least ONE company who's been scrimping on their QC as of late....true that if the customer has a complaint, they have reportedly "made good" on replacing the item....but still.
I've seen some of the "blems" [aka: "Seconds"] that Cold Steel has put out in the past. They were either handles that got stuck in the mold/marred grips or a spot on the blade where the person sharpening the edge "slipped" or something....or the maker's mark wasn't struck wholly....it was always cosmetic in nature.
That is not to say every company does it that way....but if using the definition as it states, there should be nothing wrong with a blade, other than a boogered finish somewhere....
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If that is all a Blemish is, an almost unnoticeable little cosmetic scratch or mark, then great. I agree that buying one at a large discount is a very smart purchase.
However, if the term BLEM is just a clever substitute for the word FLAWED, and you know how some sales folks shade the truth, you have to wonder what you are really buying. Many members on this thread said after careful examination of their BLEM stated that they could not find any visible evidence of a purely cosmetic flaw/blemish. That makes me think there is something under the skin they are not seeing.
I would have no problem buying an SOG Blem because they explain what their's are in great detail.
http://www.sogknives.com/sog-seconds.html
If I were a knife counterfeiter I think Blems would be perfect item to sell since you, the buyer, won't squawk at the real manufacturer if the knife doesn't function properly. I could make money selling them at the Blem's usual discounted prices since I'm not having anywhere near the same material and labor cost as the legitimate manufacturer has.
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About what is the average discount for a Blem? 50%?
I would imagine the discount reflects the size/nature of the blem. I have personally seen blems as much as 40% off but never higher [that's just me though]
Agreed. I've held blems that I couldn't even see the 'issue'
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This was a 'blem', the so called 'blem' would not be noticed unless I showed it to you.
Purchased new several years ago for $80.00.
Usually cost less.
Purchased new several years ago for $80.00.
Usually cost less.
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This was a 'blem', the so called 'blem' would not be noticed unless I showed it to you.
Purchased new several years ago for $80.00.
Usually cost less.
That looks like a great knife, I like the 154CM and handle texture. What was the price discount over a non-Blem, NIB knife?
I recently bought a brand new Kizer Ki401X2 model, blue anodized titanium scales, 3.6" CPM-S35VN blade, for $95.00, not much more than you paid for your knife. It was not a Blem.
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As others have stated, price is the main factor for me with availability being second. If there is something I want and a production model isn't available I'll grab a blem. Only issue I have with a blem so far as been the ones from Kershawguy. Try as I might I have yet to identify the actual blemish on any of his offerings. Drives me crazy! 
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I've owned/own KAI blems and haven't had any issues. However, some years back a user (Grinder mcgee maybe?) reported his ZT350 folding under light pressure, it was a blem. After going back and forth with the mod at the time, possibly Thomas, it ended something like, "maybe blems aren't always cosmetic". Buyer beware.
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I've picked up 4 ZT "blems"... A 0100, 0200, 0300, and a 0560BLK. The only knife I could kind of actually see a blemish on was the 0200 which had a small mark at the line between the DLC and the sharpened edge at a spot and the logo was a bit faded on the 0560BLK on the pocket clip. The marks on the 0300 in the photo were user added lol.
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There has been issues like that on non "blems" as well... I'm sure ZT would cover even a blem under warranty if there was some kind of mechanical safety problem with the knife, at least, if they were smart they would
I don't mind buying a blem from a reputable company, but it has to be a significant savings, for some reason seems like the knives I like rarely show up in a blem version and if they do the price difference isn't enough to tempt me. For example a kershshaw 1660 damascus is $60 as a blem, but only $70 non-blem with warranty. I'll spend the extra $10 every time and twice on sunday. Now if that price dropped to $40 for a blem it would be a different story. To me if you are buying factory seconds with no warranty, the price should reflect it significantly.
However, I agree that I don't like the idea of no warranty. If these are cosmetic only issues (as I have no doubt they are, you'd have to be insane to sell knives with known functional defects) then there's no reason these knives should fail any more than their normal knives do. Considering it seems almost no one ever uses their knife warranty, it seems unlikely that it should represent anything but a tiny part of the price savings, but perhaps warranty is a much larger % of the selling price than I think.
However, I agree that I don't like the idea of no warranty. If these are cosmetic only issues (as I have no doubt they are, you'd have to be insane to sell knives with known functional defects) then there's no reason these knives should fail any more than their normal knives do. Considering it seems almost no one ever uses their knife warranty, it seems unlikely that it should represent anything but a tiny part of the price savings, but perhaps warranty is a much larger % of the selling price than I think.
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That is sort of the way I feel about it. I haven't seen a Blem that was a significant discount over the NIB, or another NIB similar model knife.
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I bought one blem, which was a Rainbow Leek that had a broken safety, but was otherwise perfect, for roughly half retail. I requested a new safety piece from Kershaw--they sent two complete assemblies, screws and all, and one of their Torx driver keychains. In less than 5 minutes' work no one could have told the difference between my knife and the full-priced one.