Michael Walker CF...chipped scales!

[mussolini]

Just received my Walker CF and am not impressed by the finish of the CF scales.

There is visible chipping of the CF around most of the screw holes and the lanyard holes.

Anyone else have the same experience and what should I do about it?

Thanks

[Donut]

Mine is like that, but I plan on using it so it doesn't bother me. Mine aren't anything serious.

I think others are going to try and trade for a better one from their dealer.

[Scottie3000]

my bradley was like that. where are michael walkers made? Tiawan like the Bradley?

[mussolini]

My Bradley on the other hand is perfect...

[LowTEC]

I guess it is becoming a known issue for the MW, I know I won't be getting one of those, I'm sure other forumites wouldn't mind having one though

[alexcue]

****, was looking at one of these as a coin pocket knife...

[Mr Blonde]

Just received my Walker CF and am not impressed by the finish of the CF scales.

There is visible chipping of the CF around most of the screw holes and the lanyard holes.

Anyone else have the same experience and what should I do about it?

Thanks

I certainly wouldn't be happy with that. I'd contact the seller about a replacement, and if that doesn't work out I'd contact Spyderco W&R to see what can be done.

Wouter

[The Deacon]

I guess it is becoming a known issue for the MW, I know I won't be getting one of those, I'm sure other forumites wouldn't mind having one though

It's pretty much a known issue for carbon fiber scales in general. CF is very difficult to drill cleanly. The glossy CF seems to be the worst, probably because it' most noticeable and because it has a thicker layer of resin to chip, but have heard of it happening with all types. So yes, if you can't live with the possibility of a few chips then it's best to avoid CF except perhaps for knives like the CF Kopa and Kiwi where the CF has no holes drilled in it.

[Blerv]

Just received my Walker CF and am not impressed by the finish of the CF scales.

There is visible chipping of the CF around most of the screw holes and the lanyard holes.

Anyone else have the same experience and what should I do about it?

Thanks

- You can contact your seller and have them inspect another MW then ship it back for one that's more visibly appealing.

- You can sell it right now and lose little-to-no money.

- You can wait a 6 months and make money.

- You can use the knife like a tool.

I'm not trying to be sarcastic. It's a high performance tool and a very limited sprint. If it was a custom it would be upwards of $300 and a bit nicer (but not "perfect"). Then again, it would probably be S30v, 154cm or D2 steel instead of ZDP-189.

It was a small run and sometimes they come a bit rough around the edges (no pun intended). Over time/quantity there is more time for adjustments and learning. I believe the maker that does the MW is a 3rd Generation Seki artisan and one of the best in the industry...sadly they are still human.


Edit: You can also send pics to a knife maker like Tom Krein, Brad Southard, STR, etc. They might be able to grind/polish and clean up the imperfections to a more "custom" level.

[JNewell]

My Bradley on the other hand is perfect...

Two GBs here and one bought by one of my sons - all perfect.

[cosmo7809]

I too have a Mike Walker CF that has some chips in it.

Nothing to major but enough where you can see it.



Seems like they are all like this.......Makes me feel a little better.

[224477]

Can you post macro shot of that, so we can see what we talk about?

[RamDreamer]

I received two via UPS delivery yesterday. Unfortunately, they are both going to go back to the dealer.

[bell]

I am lucky..my CF Walker is perfect f/f and comfy EDC.

Jimping by STR.

[AKWolf]

I wonder if the soon up and coming 'Balance CF sprint' is going to have these issues.

[ChapmanPreferred]

Both of the ones I ordered were chipped to some extent, but was not an issue for me or the other lucky owner. They have both been used already!

[The Deacon]

Was once told by an "old school" collector of Randall knives that if you valued perfection as much as he did, your only option was to buy as many of the knife you wanted as you could get your hands on, cherry pick the best one, and sell off the rest. He also noted that, if you looked hard enough, you'd realize none were perfect, that it was really just a matter of choosing the least imperfect.

[tonydahose]

He also noted that, if you looked hard enough, you'd realize none were perfect, that it was really just a matter of choosing the least imperfect.

that is pretty true Paul. when i got my MW i looked it over and thought it was good to go. after reading one of these threads i went downstairs and checked it again. i found one hole had a chip and the grind of the edge was a bit lopsided. oh well i guess . i go over my conversions pretty well and i sometimes find something that i am not happy with but when i check them against the stock kopas i find more flaws in some of those than mine. when it comes down to it i bet anyone can find a flaw if they are picky enough. i try to make sure my custom ones dont or arent very noticeable but when you are talking stock spydercos they spend how much time building each knife? i find it pretty impressive that Spyderco can make the quality knives they do and put them out at reasonable prices in the short amount of time that the maker and then QC handles it.

[The Deacon]

For the record, not all the complaints about chipping are unjustified. I know I'd have sent the Walker shown in this post back to Spyderco if I'd received it.