Worst knife QC straight from the factory?

Bear & sons QC has given me knives that all were deficient in some way for the price point in comparison to Queen, KaBar, etc. Every Bear & Son folder I have has blade wobble and one is a nail breaker.Literally. The large 1095 lock back sod buster would be a great knife if the finish was where it should be.It wobbles badly. The large 2 bladed carbon steel folding hunter type has one blade I can only open with pliers. It's the only one I have like that. I have very strong hands too ( clamps). It's just that bad. It's dangerous as I have to put so much force on it to get it started then it gets to a point and I almost lose grip on it as it suddenly opens normally.It can snap shut or open depending on where it is. Not a knife I would be comfortable selling or gifting. I should get around to sending it in but haven't, instead it stays in a drawer.

Joe
 
CRKT. Never held a CRKT that didn't have an immediately obvious issue, be it centering, play, loose hardware (!!!), poor fit, cosmetic damage from the factory...

OTOH, I've never encountered a Cold Steel or a ProTech that has had a single issue straight from the factory. I snagged a large polished Espada for a little project, and it's centered (impressive for such a 5.5" blade), smooth, locks up perfectly, and is laser sharp. Cosmetically perfect as well, except for some smudges on the blade that I can only notice because it's a high-polish blade.
 
Comeuppance said:
CRKT. Never held a CRKT that didn't have an immediately obvious issue, be it centering, play, loose hardware (!!!), poor fit, cosmetic damage from the factory...
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+1. CRKT. One's loose hardware was enough to convince me never to give them my money again. First and last. I'd buy a Gerber before I bought another CRKT. Blech. Ptui.
 
I've found QC issue in almost all brands of factory produced knives that I have purchased. The last Spyderco Endura I purchased had a very off center blade; I had a Benchmade mini-griptilian with a chipped edge and and an off center blade; I had an Emerson A-100 that had an off center blade, sticky lock, poorly fitted G10 that did not sit flush with the liners, and screws that were visibly angled into the scales; a SOG Flash II with vertical blade play; a SOG Demo with a sheath that had loose strings; a Gerber Order with a very poor edge; and a Ritter RSK Mkii (BK12) from Rowen with a very asymmetric grind and off-center cutting edge. These are just the issues I can think of at the moment, I have seen many more.

I do look my purchases over with a critical eye but I do not think I am overly critical. I just think at the sub $100 price point there is a certain level of QC slop that I can easily pick out. I kept almost all these knives as these issue did not effect the overall function, but it is still disappointing to see.

I have also found that QC issue do not noticeably improve until you get above the $300 price point; the $100-$200 range seems to be the region where you are paying for "features" or special steel but not necessarily better QC. Knives I have purchases above the $300 price point have almost all been exceptional.
 
Surprising to me- it was my Spyderco Sage 1

everything is great on the knife (centering, lockup, fit and finish) except for the EDGE on the blade

I can't cut paper and can run it on my palm/skin without even feeling anything

I have considered sending it to Spyderco for free sharpening with $5 attached for return shipping- However, I need to contact them to see if it would be free still- usually they charge a little to have the blades re-grinded etc (usually if someone breaks a tip etc)

It has never been used and came this way from the factory so they should make it right- at least I hope so

Going to send an email before sending it in-- I really want to carry and use this one!
 
I've heard horror stories about CRKTs but I think I lucked out with my fluted Swindle, it was very well put together. As far as bad QC, my Glock Field Knife came painfully dull and with an uneven grind on the tip, but I hear that's common. Also, quite easy to fix given how soft the steel is.
 
MaximIsayev said:
I've heard horror stories about CRKTs but I think I lucked out with my fluted Swindle, it was very well put together. As far as bad QC, my Glock Field Knife came painfully dull and with an uneven grind on the tip, but I hear that's common. Also, quite easy to fix given how soft the steel is.
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I had a Lake Thunderbolt that was absolutely perfect..... and an old M16 that is close.
 
I had a 3" CRKT Carson M16 that was a trainwreck. It came with such an off-center blade, the blade was lodged against the liner out of the box. The pocket clip was loose and missing a screw. The LAWKS lever was almost impossible to move. The pivot was loose and when I tightened it, it only wedged the blade tighter against the liner, lol. I suspect the washers were the wrong number and in the wrong places but I never spent any more time fooling with it.
 
Comeuppance said:
CRKT. Never held a CRKT that didn't have an immediately obvious issue, be it centering, play, loose hardware (!!!), poor fit, cosmetic damage from the factory...

OTOH, I've never encountered a Cold Steel or a ProTech that has had a single issue straight from the factory. I snagged a large polished Espada for a little project, and it's centered (impressive for such a 5.5" blade), smooth, locks up perfectly, and is laser sharp. Cosmetically perfect as well, except for some smudges on the blade that I can only notice because it's a high-polish blade.
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Despite all the hate CS gets they still make great knives. My XL Voyager came with perfect centering and it's extremely smooth.

My worst QC experience has been with Boker.

I got a gnome and the QC was horrific. The sheath was so loose I had to boil it in water and reform in. The micarta scales were ground unevenly and there was some glue leaking out. I really love the shape of the knife and returning it would have been a hassle so I just fixed it up a bit.
 
Boker AK desert tan dagger...the grind was so bad that I seriously wonder if whoever did it was drunk. If you looked at it straight on from the point, the two main lines that should run right down the mid point of the blade were literally 1/8" of an inch off. It looked like this:

/
/
/
\
\
\

Also, the edge was not even completely there, on one side they just sort of decided not to bother sharpening it the last 1/4 of the blade down towards the handle.

To top it off, the action was really sticky and sometimes the button would get stuck and not deploy the blade nor have it locked closed, it would be stuck in like a half open limbo, not a good thing with an auto knife.

I sent it back for a refund.
 
Catabis said:
For me it was my Kershaw E.T. It locking mech is awesome and ingenious...however it has side to side play that can't be remedied. It became my EDC abuser for years just to see if it got worse...it didn't but that blade play annoys me. Fun to open and close when I'm bored.
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I could never, EVER close that damn thing without nicking my finger. They shoulda named that one the "Lawsuit".
 
CRKT, M16-12Z. The liner lock was just there for looks, maybe a possible future suggestion. The flipper worked about as well as a 24kt gold life boat. It went from combo edge to fully serrated in the space of ten minutes cutting cardboard.
 
I love Kai knives and own several Kershaws and ZTs.
However, I have owned 3 knives (a ZT0350, a Storm, and an OD-2) that have had weak, easily failing lock-up. The ZT was fixed under warranty, the OD is on its way to Kai now, but the Storm is a blem so I'm stuck there.
 
Constant Gardener said:
The edge on my buck vantage looked like it was sharpened on a piece of concrete by someone with one eye.
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LMAO ! Oh and mine is the same way, feast your eyes:

m9lvz8.jpg
 
Kershaw OSO Sweet, had 2 of them...1 replaced by KAI for free...they both rubbed the handle liners when closed and could not be fixed. The 2nd one now spends its days in a toolbox :rolleyes:
 
CRKT KFF. Lousy heat treat so it wouldn't hold an edge, weak lock unless the LAWKS was engaged, and a weak ball detent that allowed it to open in my pocket and impale my middle finger. Also had similar issues with a KISS folder, which once opened in my pocket. That one also cut me when closed (the tip on the tanto version wasn't as "sealed" as CRKT claimed). Other CRKT folders I tried also had lousy heat treat and nonexistent edge holding. I won't buy or use their folders at all.
 
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