Would you return?

Z

Zalwrog

Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
5
Hello all!

I'm very new at knives and knife collecting. In fact I just got my first knife (Case Trapperlock) for Christmas and got the bug. I ordered a Sowbelly from Amazon and just received it and am disappointed by the gaps between the scales and bolsters. I realize this is a perfect example of why you shouldn't buy knives sight unseen and will adjust accordingly, but I'm curious: how many of you would send this back to Amazon for refund? And a second question, is this something that qualifies for warranty repair from Case? I love the knife and wouldn't mind sending it to Case to be fixed, I just don't know if that type of gap is considered normal. (From what I've gathered, most Case knives have barely-noticeable transitions from scale to bolster.)

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I would not be happy with that. I have returned a couple knives to Case for issues like yours and they have never hesitated to make it right. Once they replaced the scales and the other time they sent me a new knife. I don't think there's really anything wrong with your knife.. but it would bug me too. I would expect better. They have excellent customer service. Send it to Case and they should take care of you.
 
It may not have been made like that, if it sat around for a long time the stag can shrink due to moisture loss.
 
Do you have any side to side blade play? The second picture "appears" to show a gap between the bolsters and the brass liner.
 
First of all, that's not stag, that's bone, and it might shrink some...in about 50 years or so. That said, I would not accept that and simply return it. Try to buy from the many Case dealers with an internet store, who in most cases, also have a brick and mortar store, and you can ask them to check the sample before sending it to you. I personally would steer clear of making knife purchases from Amazon and eBay...trying to get a phone number from these guys is next to impossible. Stick with established businesses.
 
Since it is Amazon, I would return it and buy from a regular knife dealer. Normally such things are dealt with the manufacturer (Case) directly.
 
HOKIE_FAN said:
Do you have any side to side blade play? The second picture "appears" to show a gap between the bolsters and the brass liner.
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There is a slight gap between the brass liner and bolsters. There is slight movement on the clip which I hadn't noticed until you asked. As far as the bone shrinking, the knife is only a few months old based on the mfg date on the box. I think I'm going to send it to Case to see what they can do for me. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a big deal about a small imperfection. The gap seems huge to me. I'm glad I'm not the only one!
 
Good call. Send it to Case, don't waste your time returning it to the seller because the next knife could be worse. Case will take care of you.
 
HOKIE_FAN said:
Good call. Send it to Case, don't waste your time returning it to the seller because the next knife could be worse. Case will take care of you.
Click to expand...

While this is true, that Case will take care of this flawed knife, it would have been easier to have purchased from a reputable dealer, discover the defect, call the dealer who would probably pay for the return and re-shipping of a replacement. Trying to do this with some anonymous dealer from eBay or Amazon is a different story.
 
I bought a Case Cheetah with jigged horn scales about a year ago. The jigging on one scale was awful.

I emailed Case , sent a few pictures and returned the knife to them. They were very interested in finding out how it slipped through QC.

They sent back a perfect knife , I don't know if they repaired mine or simply sent a new one.
The turnaround was about a week from the time they received my knife back and they included a nice softcover book about the history of Case.

Excellent customer service.
 
Alnamvet68 said:
While this is true, that Case will take care of this flawed knife, it would have been easier to have purchased from a reputable dealer, discover the defect, call the dealer who would probably pay for the return and re-shipping of a replacement. Trying to do this with some anonymous dealer from eBay or Amazon is a different story.
Click to expand...

I agree. I love Amazon but it's not the place to go for knives. I'll definitely be looking up internet dealers for future purchases.
 
Zalwrog said:
There is a slight gap between the brass liner and bolsters. There is slight movement on the clip which I hadn't noticed until you asked. As far as the bone shrinking, the knife is only a few months old based on the mfg date on the box. I think I'm going to send it to Case to see what they can do for me. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't making a big deal about a small imperfection. The gap seems huge to me. I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Click to expand...

I would send it back. i dont think the bone shrank. If you look you can see sanding scratches in the metal. I think its just shoddy workmanship. I would return it and get another.
 
Definitely send it back. If it is bothering you now, it will bother you forever (ask me how I know). Amazon is an easy return. Then, do as others have suggested. Either buy one in person from a dealer, or have a reputable on-line dealer inspect your next knife before shipping. Good luck!
 
As an update, I've been corresponding with Ron Adams who's a (the?) Quality Manager at Case. He'd mentioned the acceptable gap tolerance so I wanted to share:

"For your information, due to our manufacturing processes we allow up to a 0.012” gap. That is about the thickness of a standard business card. Due to the heat treating of our blades and springs, warping of those components is common and expected. They just can’t seem to heat steel cherry red and quench it in oil without having it warp slightly. The only solution is to surface grind all the parts…which adds to the cost….and ultimately increases the sale price. The 0.012” gap is an extreme case, and most of our processes keep any gaps in the .002 - .004 range. In any event, I’ll do what I can with the gapping on your knife. I just wanted you to be aware of what our standard requirements are for your future reference."

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A business-card sized gap between scale and bolster seems a little large. At any rate, I sent him a response indicating that I'd be shipping him the knife and included the first photo in this thread. His response was:

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"I appreciate the photo. Can’t tell if it’s in specification or not, but it looks close. Regardless, I’ll have the cover replaced.

The issue on that knife was that when the bolster was welded to the scale it rotated slightly….and hence wasn’t perpendicular to the opposite bolster. The bone is cut on a CNC machine and the ends are perfectly square….so it is the bolster that is slightly out of square…most likely. It is not uncommon for there to be a .003 -.004 gap due to the welding process, but that does look excessive.

We’ll get it taken care of for you."
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I'm feeling much better now!
 
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