What's the deal with gaps?

If you looking for a Queen knife, try to find one that was built prior to 2007 (2005 or earlier would be better). Otherwise, the knife pictured by Rick is the norm from Queen these days. Don't even get "flymon" (Stu) started.

I got an ATS File & Wire Wharncliffe under the Schatt & Morgan brand a year or so ago and the gaps were so bad, I looked the box over a couple of times looking for the "air conditioned" guarantee on the box flap.
 
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I have a S&M Railsplitter Whittler with wormgroove bone and it looks great from a non-knife person perspective, but it's actually sad when you know what to look for.
It has a HUGE gap in one liner, inconsistent walk n talk, and covers look and feel cheap.
I feel lucky that the grinds are halfway decent.
They look so good in photos though :(
 
67nick,

Its sad too because mine had very nice stag, great blades with pronounced choils, nice grinds and geometry, good carbon steel and HT, good finishing but terrible fit.

I still have mine. They are very nice knives aside from the awful gaps, so its a shame.

Kevin
 
From looking at the recent pix, gaps certainly do matter. Like gaps in your teeth, the less the better!
 
Modoc ED said:
I got an ATS File & Wire Wharncliffe under the Schatt & Morgan brand a year or so ago and the gaps were so bad, I looked the box over a couple of times looking for the "air conditioned" guarantee on the box flap.
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Yikes!!

I will have to remember that one! I got into a spirited discussion with a vendor of S&M, Tidioute and Northfield knives at the last gun show I attended. He was explaining to the group at his display that the reason the knives weren't finished as well as a lot of knives were because they were hand assembled and finished. I heard "hand finished and assembled means lower quality and possibly mediocre fit and finish."

As a professional wood worker that works at his craft and has for almost 30 years, I took that as an insult. My clients certainly don't let me off the hook with an excuse if a bathroom cabinet doesn't hang right, the tops have gaps in them, the finishing has a run or two, etc. I don't know if he understood that he was selling the knife makers as sub par, poor craftsmen. He wasn't selling much - he couldn't explain why a $100 knife was poorly ground and fit when compared to some of the CASE offerings (some good ones at the last show, and comparable models were about 30% less) or even worse some of the Boker Magnum line that was 75-80% less.

He had to fall on the "we need to keep America employed" saw to keep the folks at his table.

I had a conversation with another knife dealer at the next show about that day as I had never seen that many poor offerings from S&M, etc. He made good sense. He theorized that the cream of the crop probably went to the mountain of collectors of those knives that wouldn't stand for quality control issues, and the rest went to the gun show, all shined and polished, ready for his schtick to sell them.

Made sense to me. No one could stay in business selling the quality of knives I saw for the $100 mark.

Robert
 
willgoy said:
From looking at the recent pix, gaps certainly do matter. Like gaps in your teeth, the less the better!
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Hey! I resemble that remark! Although when your skull is in the 130th percentile for males and your teeth are normal sized what can you do.....

I don't mind gaps depending on the overall use and price of the knife. One of my favorite slipjoints has some space between one scale and bolster, but is flush at all stops, seated pretty centered, and was free addition with the purchase of another knife so it bothers me little when using it. If bought new and claimed to be pristine I would have had a much different opinion I am sure.
 
Very fine, Jake, a definite winner.

I have several S&Ms from the late '90s up through about 2007, and no problems with any of them.
 
Gaps don't bother me, under one condition.
If i can physically bend the sides together so the gap goes away, and then comes back when I take the pressure off (usually SAK scales), then I get mad.
But if they won't leave no-matter what (my sod-buster), I don't care.
EDIT- I found an exception......
 
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Rick said:
I bought three of Queen's gap-back whittlers from '08, hoping in vain to pull one decent knife out of the bunch. No such luck. I can see why GEC passed on the worker(s) who cobbled these stellar examples together. I've seen better workmanship from Rough Rider at 1/10 the price.

This was a typical example. Knocked Queen right off my list. Can you believe that this POS (and many more like it) made it through QC?

Gaps.jpg
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That's disgusting. This is my exception. I'm sorry you got this. But, I wouldn't even bother sending that back if all 3 were alike.
At least you won't worry about it when you use it!
In the tackle-box she goes if it were me. :D
 
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Small gaps don't bother me (nothing is perfect), but if I hold the knife up to the light and can see large spaces in between that is different. Luckily most of my knives have either no gaps or very tiny ones. Even the one Queen jack I have has no gaps.
 
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