will the factory repair older discontinued knives....

jbmonkey

jbmonkey

sure sure
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i read bucks warranty page on their site and im paraphrasing but basically says theyll repair or replace at their discretion.

so for those of you who have experience...what typically happens on older discontinued items...folders or fixed blades? easy fixes are fixed like repinning or scale replacements, etc. things that requires new parts that aren't available are replaced? im wondering as since i see folks using and buying older discontinued buck knives i wonder what happens if one needs repair down the road? im thinking about those 560s and even 110s with bg42 blades etc, but any example would be a great learning experience for me if your willing to share? anyone who has a first hand story id love to hear what can or does happen. thanks y'all.
 
Last year I sent in a pre 1986 model 303 for repair and they sent me a replacement. If I recall, there's a form that you fill out and one of the questions asked if the knife needing repair has any sentimental value to you.
 
The Christmas of 2007 I gifted my nephew a 105, I had no box for it as I picked it up at a Gun Show. It was a 3 line 105 and it had 4 dots below the stamp. I've not seen one stamped like that. He took it hunting and harvested a buck and true to his bo-hog brothers advice he malleted the blade through the pelvis. In the process he broke the blade.
Later I got it from him and sent it in to Buck with a letter describing what I think happened. (of course my nephew wouldn't divulge to me Exactly what happened) About a week later I received in the mail a new 105 in the box. With a letter from Chuck Buck saying, we was sad this happened and here is a replacement 105 for the broken one. Plus, a check he signed covering my shipping the knife. I thought about this and suspected the knife had been used improperly. So, in mid 2008 we traveled to the Buck plant for the 20 year Reunion. Upon arriving I walked straight into Joe Houser's office and told him I didn't think the knife should have been replaced at no charge as I suspected my nephew abused it. Joe said, the determination has already been made and the matter closed. At this I pulled out a envelope containing a thank you card and the cost of a new 105 and laid it on his desk, turned and walked out. I heard him say thanks as I walked down the hall. I wanted to do my part to make it right. As I wonder if Buck gets took on some of these. DM
 
good info thanks y'all. wonderul bucks warranty is so good. also wonderful David your refusal to not do the right thing. america needs more folks like you, again. would fix a whole lot of our current problems.

in hindsight i shouldn't written this the way i did, as mainly warranty coverage. i did that due to the info on bucks site on repair info being under the warranty section of their site. i should have brolen it into two quesrions. as in will they repair issues at all on discontinued knife models, even if requiring payment. i see folks send in oldies for reconditioning, some call it a spa treatment, and i always assumed that was a paid service by buck. so i was wondering if they will do repair work on older and discontinued knives at all. then asked about the warranty part.


cause i wouldn't feel right sending in a broken knife i bought second hand and demanding warranty or a new one. that wouldnt be right. thanks y'all.
 
I'm with you. I would not send in a knife with a blade broken by a previous owner. It is not honest. It is certainly not in keeping with the spirit of the Buck family that they have modeled to us since I was a child.
 
The only problem I have with Buck's customer service/warranty is they won't take my money. they have yet to let me pay, I feel so guilty I go and buy more buck knives.
 
jbm, your last sentence is what I was getting at. Your both hitting at what I didn't feel comfortable about. I bought it 2nd hand. It looked unused. Then that happened which I thought was questionable. Buck was good,-- made it right. Then I thought they shouldn't have. So, I tried. DM
 
DocT said:
I'm with you. I would not send in a knife with a blade broken by a previous owner. It is not honest. It is certainly not in keeping with the spirit of the Buck family that they have modeled to us since I was a child.
Click to expand...

yes Sir. exactly what i wasnt trying to get at. more just if i pay will buck repair an older discontinued knife.

Hill1096..thats one way to handle it. id feel the same way on guilt.

David, you handled it better than most. its a tricky situtation like when the restaurant bill/tab comes and everyone wants to pay it. for most that doesnt happen too often anymore.;)
 
hill, I'm glad you put your 2 cents in on this topic. More people need to realize how Buck handles you and what goes on. Thanks, DM
 
A few years ago I purchased a well used 532.Used it at work for about 6 months and at some point it wasn't opening and closing with the same snap that it had.
Tried the rinse and lube routine to no avail.So I sent it off to Buck with a hand written note telling them that I was not the original owner and asking them if they would repair it
and to tell me the cost and I would be happy to pay for the repair.
Buck returned the knife to me repaired,polished and sharpened and even covered the shipping cost.A note in the box said that they replaced the broken spring.
This is just one of the ways that Buck reinforces brand loyalty,its good bussiness.And it makes us as customers feel confident when we purchase Buck products as gifts for friends and family.
Just my 2 cents
 
The way I understand the warranty and service is that they'll do their best to bring an old knife back to life, but if they can't they'll replace it.

We must be realistic in our expectations though. If it was a contract knife, or something long since discontinued, you may not be realistic in expecting a repair. I'm sure they have a mountain of spare, or repair parts lying around, but sometimes it's not possible, or even safe to repair a particular knife.

If you're sending something that's long been discontinued, or an old contract knife, you might make sure they know if it's not repairable that you want it back.

As far as blades go, it's been my experience that you'll get whatever the equivalent steel is today, unless it's a custom or BO. For instance; if you send a standard 2-dot 110 in for a replacement blade, you can expect to get 420HC in a new blade and not a new 440c or 425m blade.

Other times it might be less expensive to replace rather than repair. Say you have a 301 with a broken blade spring. I expect you would get a new 301 back.

All speculation on my part, of course.
 
Years ago I had a discontinued model folder that the lockup was not safe and Buck sent me back a new current model that was comparable in size and cost. Buck has always given its customers absolutely first class treatment and that is why they have the best reputation in the industry...by far.
 
some great feedback, i appreciate all y'alls info. thank you.
 
The last time I discussed this subject with Joe Houser, while at the Blade Show, he mentioned that older 300 parts were getting in very short supply. What they even do is keep knives that were sent in that get replaced with a new knife as salvage parts knives. You can do the same thing if you have a personal values knife, find a 'junker' of the same era and then get someone who does repairs (or builds knives and has the proper tools) to replace the broken part with you parts knife parts.

You can find them by reading the forum, or checking the correct commercial forum provider listings or requesting to be Private Mailed someone's name here with a thread.

Remember if you only have a forum membership that lets you just read and does on specifically give you a PM or Email access thru the forum you have to give a address for someone to contact you. Sorry its the rules.

300
 
David Martin said:
The Christmas of 2007 I gifted my nephew a 105, I had no box for it as I picked it up at a Gun Show. It was a 3 line 105 and it had 4 dots below the stamp. I've not seen one stamped like that. He took it hunting and harvested a buck and true to his bo-hog brothers advice he malleted the blade through the pelvis. In the process he broke the blade.
Later I got it from him and sent it in to Buck with a letter describing what I think happened. (of course my nephew wouldn't divulge to me Exactly what happened) About a week later I received in the mail a new 105 in the box. With a letter from Chuck Buck saying, we was sad this happened and here is a replacement 105 for the broken one. Plus, a check he signed covering my shipping the knife. I thought about this and suspected the knife had been used improperly. So, in mid 2008 we traveled to the Buck plant for the 20 year Reunion. Upon arriving I walked straight into Joe Houser's office and told him I didn't think the knife should have been replaced at no charge as I suspected my nephew abused it. Joe said, the determination has already been made and the matter closed. At this I pulled out a envelope containing a thank you card and the cost of a new 105 and laid it on his desk, turned and walked out. I heard him say thanks as I walked down the hall. I wanted to do my part to make it right. As I wonder if Buck gets took on some of these. DM
Click to expand...

This is why I am a Buck guy for life. Great story, great company.
 
We try to repair as much as we can, but with some of the older models or tools styles we simply don't have the ability to repair and need to replace. We have an inherent trust in our customers and will take care of you all. We want customers for life, so we don't let a few bucks stand in the way of that. We believe that what happens after the sale is just important as the sale itself. Warranty processes bring a certain amount of stress and trepidation before you even begin the process so we want it to be a good experience.

Jeff
 
Again, I echo the sentiment that Buck is an amazing outfit when it comes to warranty issues. I feel good every time I buy a Buck product and have full confidence that they will correct any issue or problem at hand with my knife that may arise.

On to the cracking of the deer pelvic bone: this is just beyond the performance level of a 105. I would not have tried it with a 119. A good hand axe would be the ticket for such applications.

Does Buck get 'taken'? Probably, but it matters little in the grand scheme of things. Buck is top shelf and for good reason!
 
Stubai said:
Again, I echo the sentiment that Buck is an amazing outfit when it comes to warranty issues. I feel good every time I buy a Buck product and have full confidence that they will correct any issue or problem at hand with my knife that may arise.

On to the cracking of the deer pelvic bone: this is just beyond the performance level of a 105. I would not have tried it with a 119. A good hand axe would be the ticket for such applications.

Does Buck get 'taken'? Probably, but it matters little in the grand scheme of things. Buck is top shelf and for good reason!
Click to expand...

Man, wouldnt a 110 with a saw blade be sweet! That's my dream knife. Take care of the pelvis for sure!
 
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