Your definition of good/poor fit and finish?

jac_solar

jac_solar

Joined
Sep 1, 2013
Messages
842
There's poor, decent, ok, good, great, incredible, which are somewhat obvious, then there seems to be another tier; amazing, flawless, unreal. Like, what are the qualities that separate the Sebenza and a Zero Tolerance, or a Sebenza and a Hinderer, and then a high quality custom piece and a Sebenza?

So, how do you define the differences? How do you determine what the fit and finish is like?
 
"Symptoms" of high end fit and finish to me are:
Good detent
Smooth opening
No bladeplay
Even grinds
No gaps in the handles or scales
Even texturing on scales and jimping
Audible *snap* when the lock engages
Easy unlocking
No stripped screws
Pocket clip matches the design
 
I am not going to name actual companies as this tends to get some people butt hurt and start crying foul. But for me I dont get that deep when considering fit and finish. I dont think there is a single company that is 100% consistent with its finishing quality. In that respect I judge every knife I see on a case by case basis. And I tend to judge whether something is acceptable or not based on price. The cheaper the knife the more I let go. But IMHO any knife over $200 should be pretty flawless.
 
I've owned several well-known folders and customs in the $700 range. I dumped them quickly.
IMO, once you've reached the Sebenza, there is no reason to go elsewhere.

Here is the TEST...

Pick up a Sebenza and open it and close it. Now, put it down and pick up the competition's folder.

Hey, Put It Down. Dammit, I said PUT IT DOWN!
 
As long as there are no big gaps and it does not fall apart when (ab-)using it I'm fine ;)

And for the Gent above me: I do so much not like Sebenzas! Imho they are some of the most boring and useless knives ever made!
 
Thee are endless degrees of fit and finish, they vary by the person buying the item. They range from "Wow, this is absolutely perfect in every way" to "Oh my, was this supposed to be a knife or...?"

Nal0n said:
As long as there are no big gaps and it does not fall apart when (ab-)using it I'm fine ;)

And for the Gent above me: I do so much not like Sebenzas! Imho they are some of the most boring and useless knives ever made!
Click to expand...

That explains why they've consistently won quality awards for the last 2 decades. Knives aren't designed to really relieve depression, cure Aids, entertain perpetually bored masses, purify soiled water, or restore rusted vehicles to their former glory. Being that we are discussing fit and finish, Chris Reeve does produce some of the best fit and finished knives on the planet, if you doubt it then pull out a micrometer and do the measurements yourself, .005" tolerances are not exactly found on every knife out there.
 
Interesting to note is that "fit and finish" often gets clumped as one criteria when in fact its two different criteria, hence the word "and" in the middle. Emerson's production knives IMHO is a good example of good fit but poor finish. Similarly, I've handled a few SOG knives that had good finish but poor fit.
 
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