Discoloration and other Cosmetic Imperfections in knives: What will you tolerate or not tolerate?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

This post is not about actual functional imperfections, such as a burred edge or bent point or anything, but, when it comes to cosmetic imperfections, such as a blade that has discoloration or something like that. The edge is fine and the point is fine and the body of the blade and handle are fine but there are cosmetic flaws: to what extent will you tolerate that and what extent not tolerate it?

Has this happened on any of your Spyderco knives that you know of?

[Evil D]

Chipped CF around screw holes is a bummer. Maybe my biggest deal breaker is noticably uneven blade grinds. My attention to detail sucks sometimes.

[The Meat man]

It depends. If it is a cheaper budget knife I will be using hard (Pacific Salt), then I generally don't care at all. If it's an expensive knife (Advocate), I expect it to be free of cosmetic imperfections.

[jpm2]

I'm gonna take files, sandpaper, grinders, stones, ect to it anyway... reshaping blades and handles.
I continued to grind on a brand new edge that crumbled on contact with any sharpening stone, till I reached good metal.
Guess I'm pretty tolerant.

[JonLeBlanc]

I'm pretty tolerant as well, uneven edge bevels and laminate lines don't bother me, I've never seen a discoloration, and only ever seen very small chips in CF, like around lanyard holes. This is a corruptible world after all, full of vile bodies...

[Naperville]

When they ship to me I want them perfect. Now, if I use them, then come what may. I'm not going to get rid of a knife for any reason other than the blade is broken in half.

[Liquid Cobra]

Unfortunately for me I have an amazing eye for imperfections. It’s a curse and serves no purpose other than to drive myself insane. I can tell you about every imperfection on every knife I’ve ever owned. I’m better at getting over it now than I used to be. I will say that the second I put a knife to use I immediately feel better about whatever cosmetic issue I can see. But yeah, my brain will keep a running tally of the blemishes none the less.

A good solution to my problem has been to buy multiples of the same knife. I only ever do this for knives I’ve really been looking forward to. I can count on one hand the number of knives that were special enough to me to purchase two, so I guess this method isn’t super helpful. But yeah, you buy two and one of them has an issue...we’ll just put it to work and take comfort knowing there is a perfect one waiting for you someday.

Here’s a list of issues I’ve commonly seen over the years (from many other brands as well)...

-Uneven blade grinds
-Single (or multiple) scratches in the blade straight from the factory (typically only visible in direct light)
-Scratch in the G10 that disappears when looked at every angle but one.
-Blade off center
-Blade play (more of a functional issue)
-bright spots (white) on the edge of G10
-Single dark spot on bright orange G10 (aaaargh!)
-Something rattling inside the knife (lanyard, bearings)
-Weird stains on the blade only visible from a single angle (Taichung I’m looking at you)
-Chipping in the peel ply texture around lanyard holes
-Finger prints all over the inside of the liners from assembly (seriously, what is wrong with me?)
-Secondary bevel not reaching the ricasso (PM2’s, Para 3’s!)
-Oh yeah, lock stick
-Laminate lines Not matching on both sides of the blade
-Stains (oil) on bright G10 leaking out from pivots
-Uneven jimping
-Sharp edges everywhere aside from the blade :D
-Inside of opening hole not completely cut out (Italy)
-Wear around the screw holes in the G10 from moving every single PM2 clip to tip up
-Makers mark not placed properly (crooked, Smock!)
-Wireclip only touching the scale on one side where both should land flat
-Scratch on anodized pivot screw from assembly at the factory
-DLC coating that appears darker in some areas than others no matter what I do.

With that said, I’d say the vast majority of knives I’ve received from Spyderco don’t come with issues like I’ve described above. But I’ve been at this a long time and have bought way too many knives so I come across them now and then. In the spirit of this thread I thought I’d share my thoughts for amusement.

[Maximumsmoochy]

I'm a fan of symmetry, so off-centre blades or uneven grinds (had both on new knives) can be cause for sadness and/or return.
Not sure I've caused those issues in use.

Discolouration after use doesn't bother me, it adds character.
Similarly if the scales get dirty, scraped, chipped, etc, in use, I'm fine with a little wear and tear to keep me from being too precious.

[Maximumsmoochy]

I can tell you about every imperfection on every knife I’ve ever owned. ... I will say that the second I put a knife to use I immediately feel better about whatever cosmetic issue I can see.

eerily accurate...
I try to be cool about it, with varying degrees of success

[rabbitanarchy14]

reasons for return - blade grind off, blade play, any defect on the blade itself, off center.
only things i tolerate are basically sharp edges and g10 scratches and issues i can fix.

[The Mastiff]

I'm not OC about knives but if I do have imperfections I want them in things like uneven bevels that are easy to fix. I don't like crooked blades but slightly warped won't bother me all that much. That is difficult to get away from on thin, high hardness blades with grinds tapered down to a fine, thin point. A little off is Ok for me considering how tough it can be to make them perfect. The majority are pretty good though.

What I don't accept is signs of use. If someone took it out of the box at a knife store and cut one sheet of paper or let a fingerprint rust etch into the blade it is a used knife to me even though truthfully it will still have as long a life. It's just the way I am.

Joe

[BigKenbo]

Honestly my modest collection of Spyderco have all been superlative. I come from the old school however, and patina has long been a companion. I find that imperfections make things more "mine". Unique to me. Some find this intolerable, but after the first flaw or scar, i find i enjoy them more. I have a very special limited production guitar, after the first buckle scratch on the back i unclenched and have been able to enjoy it even more, play it harder, with more abandon. I find this to be true for most of my prized posessions. My .300 win mag and i didnt truly bond until after i accidently bounced the stock off a tree either. So thats some more of my odd opinions be blessed. :)

[ABX2011]

I will tolerate a lot but I prefer cleaner samples. After years of collecting and knife making, I notice imperfections on most knives.

[steelcity16]

I prefer things to start out perfect, and then their wear and tear adds character unique to me. I'm ok with pivot looseness/tightness as I don't see the big deal with adjusting pivot screws. Uneven blade grinds or cosmetic imperfections in the G10 before I even use the knife though are not ok. Luckily I have never seen anything remotely like this in the probably close to 100 Spyderco's I bought last year in my year-long journey of trying new models/steels. And never heard a complaint from the buyers on all of the ones that I ended up selling. Spyderco's quality control is unmatched. I have never even had to use their customer service or warranty department.

[ZrowsN1s]

I've whined about uneven grinds/lamination lines on one knife. After venting I just used the knife and moved on. I sent back a marbled CF manix that had a big scratch in the handle, and got a new one.

[Wartstein]

I guess a solely cosmetic imperfection would never really bother me, UNLESS it were a warning-sign, that the knife was put together sloppy and careless generally and due to that maybe could develop problems later on.
Never had that with Spyderco though.

One of my Enduras has a noticeable uneven grind, but I really don´t feel that in use and don´t care at all. Makes the knife even more personal in a way and will be sharpened out eventually anyway.

I once sent back a Native 5 LW cause the centering was not perfect and got it exchanged by the dealer. Would not do that again nowadays, but just adjust the blade myself.

[knivesandbooks]

Whew! Been awhile since I've posted. Been on a traditional kick. Still owning/using my Spydies. The only thing that I can't stand is blade play. A lil up and down on a backlock is okay, but the side to side play kills a knife for me. The only time I'll accept it is if it is a pinned knife AND I've used it for awhile.

Of course, if I spend more than $200 and there are glaring issues, I'm a little sad. Always a little annoyed if a $200+ knife comes dirty (not just oil, but grime).
Most things I can fix or I don't care about. I will say, I am more particular about fixed blades. There's less going on and so I notice everything more.