Would this bother you?

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sweetT019

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Would this bother you?
I got a Northwoods Madison Barlow in the mail today. I was impressed by the finish when i took it out of the box. The knife is ALMOST flawless but there is one big that bothers me.

The edge hits the the inside of the backspring! Yea, sure, I it will go away as the blade wears down over time. But it is a new knife. I expected better from GEC, who made them for Northwoods.

I do not know if the flat spot can be seen, but it is there (sorry for low quality pictures)
Here it is on the lansky while i was sharpening it. i sharpened the flat spot out but the first time i closed it, it hit the backspring again and did the same thing.
On a $120.00 knife i expect better even if i plan on using it.
I dont mean to be dramatic, stuff like this just bothers me.
 
It would certainly be disappointing, but it wouldn't bother me too much. Contact Derrick about getting it fixed if you can't live with it, but I would just sharpen it out and close it carefully, if it were mine.
 
Were it mine, I'd send it back. I returned a Russell Green River grandaddy barlow years ago for the same reason, and it only cost me $30 at the time. I wouldn't feel right about sending a knife back to a retailer that I'd sharpened (just me), but I wouldn't hesitate to send it to the manufacturer to see if they could do something with it under warranty.
 
My madison did that as well. So did my 73 on the Spey blade and also on my new 72 I just got. The 72 is the worst one. I understand that if you slowly close the blades and don't let it snap closed it won't hit. But honestly I don't feel I should have to baby the knife. I'm pretty OCD about my knives but I'm even more impatient. I decided not to send any back. Already did that with another knife for another reason and wasnt pleased with the result. All of my knives are users so I'm gonna just live with it. I love gec and will continue to buy their knives. I just don't get why this is such a common problem, at least with my examples. Production knives aren't expected to be perfect. But the cutting edge on a KNIFE is arguably the most important part. Wish they would try to remedy this issue on future runs.
 
I am just going to try to look around the flat spot and use and enjoy it. And hey! Im not scared to use it and get it dull.
 
Its a known problem with the drop points because it sits so low. Besides removing metal from the blade, you could put a piece of a toothpick in the pocket under the kick. Or the kick could be peened to make it longer.

this link discusses the issue, see the posts before it too
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...od-Traditional-Barlow?p=13343881#post13343881

waynorth said:
The safer way is to peen the kick! You can easily add several thou with a punch, or by direct peening.

KickPeen_zps74941c42.jpg


My crapulent kick drawings! The dots represent strikes with an obtusely sharpened center punch (both sides).
Alternately, the "striped" area represents an area peened (both sides).
Of course you have to be firmly on an anvil for either.
Click to expand...

I dont let my knives slam themselves shut, they get the blade lowered until it is close to the pocket before releasing. There are even knives such as Laguiole, that have no kick, so lowering the blade with care is required, and lining the pocket with a toothpic helps in that situation too.
 
I've always placed a piece of cork or leather (cut thick enough that it won't move) against the backspring where the blade hits to eliminate this issue. Sure, you could send it back, but would you take the time to do that every time? I've seen so many slippies that do this, or contact the backspring if accidentally squished in the pocket, that I've just taken it as a drawback of the slipjoint design. I see it as just maintenance, like oiling a carbon blade to mitigate rust or putting on your own edge.
 
It is clearly bugging you or you wouldn't have took the time to make this thread. I personally wouldn't settle I would contact Derek. He is a class act & I'm positive he would make things right. :)
 
No problem sending it back or to GEC. We will get it fixed or replaced for you. We will even pay the shipping for you.

Honestly, we want you happy with the knife. Give us a call or drop us an email.
 
I think it would bug me. I don't own a huge number of slipjoints compared to many on here, but my GECs don't have blades that hit the backspring. My Queen mini trapper does in a very small section, but I paid less than $50 for it and I figure over time it'll get sharpened out and correct itself. For me I accept different things at different price points. I say if it bothers you get it fixed. Then you'll use and enjoy the knife!
 
I have(3) #44 madison barlows, and all of them have a bit of what you're talking about. Doesn't bother me one bit. I wouldn't worry about it, really....but that's just me. If it bothered me I would send it back to be fixed.
 
okbohn said:
No problem sending it back or to GEC. We will get it fixed or replaced for you. We will even pay the shipping for you.

Honestly, we want you happy with the knife. Give us a call or drop us an email.
Click to expand...

And this is exactly why I patronize your store. See, you didn't have to respond to this nor did you need to offer to pay for shipping. This is precisely why I don't mind paying (sometimes) a few dollars more. Derrick, you sir are indeed a class act. As long as you are in the knife game I will be a costumer of yours.
 
You are likely two or three sharpenings from curing the issue.I would put a piece of a paper match stick under the kick until it stops hitting the back spring.

Regards

Robin
 
"I have(3) #44 madison barlows, and all of them have a bit of what you're talking about."

That sounds like a design flaw or poor manufacturing controls. Hitting the back spring should be checked during manufacture. If you are handy, you can fix it yourself. In any case, it's not acceptable in a $100 knife. If it was me, I wouldn't have accepted it and sharpened the knife, I'd of just wrapped it up and shipped it back to the supplier as defective.
 
Yeah, I'm very fault tolerant, but that would not be acceptable to me, at any price (well maybe a Rough Rider, but I would still be perturbed).

One thing worth mentioning though. It isn't a good idea to let slipjoints "slam shut." We all do it from time to time, but I have adjusted my habits to close them carefully. Slamming shut can occasionally cause the edge to bounce off the spring even when that is not normally a problem.

This may go double for GECs given what I hear about their pull strength.
 
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